Hi All,

Chris, Kimberly and I hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas, New Year and holiday season! We have some announcements to share and then some helpful contest software tips that follow...

Amateur Contact Log 7.0.11 and New Versions of All Contest Programs are Now Available!

Enhancements for all programs include:

- Ability to pause DX Spots list scrolling (Ctrl + U).
- Ability to filter DX spots posted from specific calls (Settings > DX Spotting > More Filtering).
- API tags for user customized other fields sent with INCLUDEALL (requested by developers interfacing with our software via API).
- GetOtherFieldTitles API command (requested by other developers interfacing with our software via API).
- Crtl + PgUp / PgDn 5000 Hz tune (or 1000 Hz with shift) for rig interface with Sprint in mind.

And in addition to the above, AC Log enhancements also include:

- Option to force capital letters for Other fields now also applies to the Edit form (Settings > Other Field Titles).
- Added option for default Time On / Off values to include seconds (Settings > Date Options).
- Corrects bulk edit function on Mode (tst) field.
- Includes My_Cnty, My_Grid, Grid, State worked and MY_STATE for QRZ / eQSL upload.
- QRZ Callbook lookup timeout reduced to 20 seconds.

As always, upgrades are free to registered users. If you are currently running a version of our software released after January 2021, AC Log and the contest software should detect the new upgrade and offer to retrieve it for you on start. If you have any problem with the automatic upgrade, or you are running an older version, you can follow these AC Log upgrade steps and these contest software upgrade steps.

N3FJP Software Contest Tips!

Whether you are just sitting down to make a few contest QSOs or you have a serious effort in mind, fully enjoying all the tools and features that we have built into our software will enhance your performance and fun! With that in mind, I'd like to share how I use our software on contest weekends and hopefully give you some ideas to try in the next one.

First, a little perspective on my use case. I'm by no means a top contester. I still have a lot to learn and opportunities to improve. That said, I made over 1,700 QSOs in CQ World Wide DX SSB and and over 1,500 in CQ World Wide DX CW this 2024 season (thanks largely to the stellar conditions we've been enjoying), so I might have a few insights to offer, especially in how we designed our software to help accomplish that, and have a ton of fun along the way!

We live in a residential neighborhood with a community association, so I don't have a tower, but I do have some high trees in the backyard (hex beam spreaders painted brown blend really well into the trees). In short, my station here in Maryland consists of:

- A fixed hex beam pointed NE for Europe, hanging from a tree limb at just over 30 feet.
- A fixed hex beam pointed S for South America, hanging from a tree limb at just over 30 feet.
- A fan dipole for 20/15/10 oriented to radiate NW / SE for Africa, AK, HI, VK, JA and Caribbean.
- A 40M dipole radiating NE / SW (used primarily for Europe).
- A 40M dipole radiating NW / SE for AK, HI, VK, JA and Caribbean.
- A 160 / 80 fan dipole.
- My typical contest entry is Single Op, High Power, Assisted (assisted in my case is using DX spotting).

For me, putting 25 to 30 hours into a 48 hour contest weekend is a full effort, so I want to make the most of every hour I'm in the chair (which is typically very early morning until dinner time Saturday and Sunday, as I am an early to bed, early to rise guy). With good conditions, for a major DX contest, I usually aim for a 1,000 - 1,500 Q effort.

I should also mention that my contest style is mostly search and pounce. I LOVE running a frequency when I can, but not being a big gun, conditions have to be really good for me to hold a frequency and sustain a run for any length of time in DX contests. On the other hand, with DX spotting, I find search and pounce very easy and sustainable. I can continue with minimal breaks for 13 - 14 hours each day. In the tortoise and hare scenario, I'm definitely the tortoise, but with the advantage of our software tools, a tortoise on steroids and I'm gonna keep coming!

So, with that preface, please continue reading here to learn how I'm maximizing my fun and score!

And in response to the questions we always receive when we neglect to include the following in our e-mail announcements...

Package Upgrade Information...

If you have registered one or more individual programs and would like to upgrade to N3FJP's Software Package or N3FJP's Software Package and CD for full use of all our Amateur Radio software, we would be glad to apply the amount that you have registered so far as a credit towards that purchase. Please send us an e-mail directly and we'll let you know your balance.

N3FJP's Software Package includes more than one hundred programs for contesting, net management and general logging Amateur Radio applications, as well as our WX Warn weather software! In addition to full use of all these programs, registered package customers are also entitled to receive free passwords for any new software that is added to the package and free upgrades to existing programs. You'll find all the details on the Register Now page at www.n3fjp.com.

Donations are Gratefully Accepted!

And in response to the often asked question for which Kimberly, Chris and I are very grateful...

"I know your upgrades are free, but I also realize how much time and effort support, coding these enhancements and new programs take and that your pricing policy doesn't fully reflect that. Can I send you something to show my appreciation for your continued efforts?"

Yes, thanks so much, your continued support in any amount is very welcome and deeply appreciated! You can use this page:

https://www.n3fjp.com/donations.html

or send your contribution by mail, payable to Affirmatech Inc., to:

G. Scott Davis
118 Glenwood Road
Bel Air, MD 21014-5533

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Thanks!

As always, thanks for your kind words, support, linking to our web site and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly, Chris and I really appreciate it!

73, Scott, Kimberly and Chris

N3FJP, KA3SEQ and KB3KCN
http://www.n3fjp.com

Serving the Amateur Radio community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

1 Peter 3 vs 15: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...