A new PC and a move to the LOG4OM logging programme - Nov 2023

After putting it off for several years, I finally bought a new PC! It wasn't so much the cost of changing but I just kept putting it off with the thought of all the hassle of setting up a new PC and the transferring all of the files and programmes. However, it got to a stage where the old PC was getting so slow that I had to change it and now that I have, it's super fast compared to the old one.

One of the long term things on my 'to do' list was to update my logging programme. I said that I'd do it when I got a new PC instead of putting yet more software on the old PC. It didn't help that I was off the radio for several years and I didn't have any interest in doing it but now that I have a new PC, that has changed.

I used to use the VQLog logging programme for all of my contacts before but I hadn't used it in many years and it was installed on an even earlier PC. 

VQLog... VQLog is quite an old logging programme as can be seen from the image above but it looks as if it is still being updated. It's obvious most people have moved onto other programmes but I thought it might be easier to relearn how to use VQLog than to start with a completely new logging programme.

I went to the DXMaps website and I downloaded the most up to date version... VQLog 3.1 - 717

During the stall, it was initially stopped by my anti-virus software. After allowing access, I eventually got this message...

When I checked the FAQ section on the website, I read the following...

When installing the program I get the following error "C:\WINDOWS\ST6UNST.EXE C:\WINDOWS\  the file could not be installed"
This is a rare error that seems to be related to a missing or corrupted cabinet.dll file. (That should normally be located in C:\Windows\System32).  You have to restore the original cabinet.dll file. You can also download it

If I got this message on my old PC then this might seem valid but my PC is only 3-weeks old! If I'm getting this message then anyone else with a new PC trying to install it is probably getting it as well.

My conclusion is that the problem lies with VQlog and not on my side.

One of the major factors in any logging programme is the amount of time it takes you to input data and keep it up to date. The cost of the programme is really a secondary factor. Getting error messages trying to install a programme on a new PC doesn't inspire confidence and I decided it was time to move on to another logging programme.

LOG4OM... There seems to be plenty of logging programmes out there but which one to choose?

My criteria were...

1) Must be popular so that it has a large user base

2) Must be current

I had heard of the LOG4OM logging programme before but it didn't really stand out compared to the rest. Sometimes it's the small little things that push you in a certain direction. I had watched a video presentation by South Dublin Radio Club about the LOG4OM programme and the participants seemed happy with it.

I checked the LOG4OM forum and there were plenty of current messages which meant a lot of people are currently using it. So I downloaded it and installed it without any error messages or the like. It was a very easy process unlike VQLog.

Like any new programme, there is a steep learning curve but I'm now a week into using it and getting used to it.

I should also note that LOG4OM is a free programme which is a plus but as I've mentioned already, it wouldn't be the primary factor for me.

LOTW... Now that I have restarted with a new logging programme, I decided to check my Logbook of the World (LOTW) account on the ARRL website.

My last upload was way back in January of 2009! I have 22,448 QSO's up there with 4,053 QSL records.

From what I can see, it's possible to download all of the confirmed QSO's as an ADIF file from the LOTW site but not all of the QSO's that you uploaded originally. I did this and imported the 4,053 records into my LOG4OM programme.

In conclusion... The plan now is to start inputting QSOs manually from my paper logs from Jan 2009 onwards to the present day into LOG4OM... about 2,500 contacts. When I finish, I plan to upload these and I will then  have all of my 25,000 or so contacts up on the LOTW website.

DX, DXCC, VQLog and a mountain of QSL cards...

Now that I am getting interested again in the radio scene, I took the time to actually read through the September issue of Echo Ireland properly, the Journal of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society. I had been getting it all the time I was QRT but I paid little attention to them. Looking at the current issue, 2 things caught my interest....

1) The HF Happenings column which covered nearly 4 pages. It's written by EI9FBB who appearently is in Cork and it's obvious it takes a fair bit of work to put it together. I'm not sure if after reading it, I'd go try chasing DX again ;o) but a good article all the same.

2) DXCC awards gained by EI stations, especially the single band ones. This was the aspect that I used to be interested in.....getting DXCC on a band rather than just using a combination of bands. Each band has it's own characteristics and the challenge for me was to see if it was possible to get DXCC on each band using just 100 watts.

The chart in the magazine is shown below...

The suprising thing for me is that there are only 13 EI stations with single band DXCC's. Somehow, I thought it would be more.

Anyhow, it got me thinking again about all the stuff that I have worked and never got confirmed. I remember that when I was on the air before, working the DX was sometimes the easiest part. The logistics of trying to track what was worked, what was confirmed and what I needed to get confirmed was a nightmare.

Fastlog.....back in the late 90's, I started using a Logbook program called Fastlog. It was a simple DOS based program but it was excellent. No nonsense and it was great for VHF operation as well as it was easy to keep track of locator squares worked. In fact, if I wasn't interested in getting stuff confirmed, then I'd have probably have stayed with it.

However, the logistics of tracking QSL cards was a nightmare. What to do? Back around that time, the ARRL started up their Logbook of the World program, a novel way of getting contacts confirmed electronically. Just upload your log and it looks for matches with others that have uploaded theirs. Every match is a confirmed contact, no need for QSL's!! The problem was that Fastlog was not a compatible program.

I had around 20,000 contacts logged in Fastlog and I wasn't going to type 20,000 qso's into a new logging program!! So, I chose VQLog. It was very much a VHF orientated logging program and it was able to import the Fastlog program data. The problem however was that although it imported the data ok, I still had to open every contact and edit it to get VQlog to accept it. A lot easier than having to type in all the data but with 20,000 contacts, still a lot of work :o(

Present status.......I had begun this long process before I went off the air. When I run VQLog now, it tells me I have worked 48 countries on 10 metres when I know that the figure should be around 230. So, the current plan is....

1) Learn how to use VQLog again.

2) Get the data on all 20,000 contacts up to date and correct.

3) Get going on Logbook of the World. Upload the log and see what I have confirmed. There are something like 75 million QSo's up there, surely I'll have a few matches!!

QSL's.........Only at that stage will I even start looking at QSL's again. I have unopened packets of QSL's here that I have received over the last few years so there might be a few confirmations in there as well. If you are reading this and you are waiting for a QSL from me, then sorry, but you'll have to wait! I guess that after 4 to 5 years, you have probably given up on that QSL anyway ;o)

eQSL.......This was another thing in the IRTS Journal....a list of DXCC confirmed on eQSL. I checked out the website and appearently, I have 831 eQSL's waiting for me. All I have to do is pay some fee and I can retrieve them. Considering they don't count for DXCC purposes, I really can't see the point. Maybe it might cut down the number of outgoing QSL cards?? Is it still a novelty like it was 4 to 5 years ago or is it now more mainstream? Is everyone using it?? Regardless of whether it is or not, it's way down the list of things to do.