Where is the Manual ?

Simply select MacLoggerDX Help from the Help menu and it will display the top level help screen. Most of the controls will display tool tips that describe what they do when you mouse over them. If you don't find an answer to your questions here in the FAQ then please refer your question to one of the support email reflectors. There are lots of helpful people there who can answer your question:

• Dog Park List

• MacLoggerDX Yahoo Group

• MacLoggerDX Contest List
  
  

How do I connect my computer to my radio ?

• Most radios will require a USB/Serial adapter, cables and possibly a level converter - check your radio manual for specifics.
• Dog Park Software Ltd. does not sell, support or recommend any hardware but here are some of the devices our customers are using:
  http://dogparksoftware.com/DogParkLinks.html
• Install the correct driver from the manufacturer of your USB/Serial adapter. There is usually one for OS 8-9 and for OS X there will be one for PPC and one for Intel or else a Universal Binary (both PPC and Intel). If the port doesn't show up in the Port popup in the MacLoggerDX Radio Prefs Panel - it won't work.
  USB/Serial adapters/cables that work on a PC will not work on a Mac unless the manufacturer provides the appropriate Mac OS X driver for it.
• Select Port Type microHAM Virtual Port for microKEYER, digiKEYER, CW KEYER devices and Serial Port for all others.
• Set the baud rate in the MacLoggerDX Radio Prefs to be the same as the baud rate in the radio.
• If you are using an Icom make sure that the CI-V address in the MacLoggerDX Radio Prefs agrees with the one set in the radio, turn Transceive mode off and use the actual baud rate rather than AutoBaud.
• If you are using DTR and RTS to key the radio un-check the DTR and RTS check boxes in the MacLoggerDX Radio Prefs - otherwise leave them checked. RTS is used for PTT and DTR is used for CW.
• Check the Radio VFO check box. Radio Not Connected will change to "YourRadioName available". "YourRadioName" will be set to the radio driver you have selected.
• If you hear the disconnect buzzer there is a communications problem.
  Please enable the Debug Log check box in the Radio Prefs Panel, click the VFO check box on and off a few times and copy and paste the relevant Console Application Messages into an email as well as a screen shot of your Radio Prefs.
  
  Note: The Console Application is in /Applications/Utilities.
  Note: Screen Shot: Enter <command> <shift> 4 then pick your corners, and the screen shot is placed on your desktop.
  

Where can I get a driver for my ICOM IC-7200 or IC-7600 USB direct connect ?

The USB/UART Bridge chip inside the Icom IC-7200 and IC-7600 is a "Silicon Labs CP 2102 USB to UART Bridge Controller" and the driver is available here in the "Software Downloads" selection.

How do I get cocoaModem to use MacLoggerDX to key the radio ?

First choose your PTT Method in the MacLoggerDX Radio Prefs...

http://dogparksoftware.com/MacLoggerDX%20Help/mldxfc_radio_rotor.html

PTT

Radio Command PTT

Supported on: TenTecOrion, TS_480, TS_50, TS_60, TS_440S, TS_450, TS_570, TS_670, TS_690, TS_790, TS_850, TS_870, TS_940S, TS_950S, TS_2000, ElcKIO2, ElcK3, IC746, IC751, IC756Pro, IC746Pro, IC756ProII, IC756ProIII, IC703, IC706, IC706MkII, IC706MkIIG, IC718, IC737, IC775, IC781, IC970, IC910, IC7000, IC7200, IC7400, IC7600, IC7700, IC7800, FT2000, FTdx9000, kFT950, FT450, FT1000MP, FT1000D, FT990, FT920, FT900, FT890, FT840, FT100, FT897, FT857, FT847, FT817.

DTR/RTS PTT

Supported where the DTR and RTS lines in the RS-232 interface are connected to the radios PTT and CW lines.

uH Router PTT

Supported where uH Router is used with a microHAM device.

Then, the instructions for getting cocoaModem to tell MacLoggerDX to PTT are here.

Also have a look at this message on the cocoaModem List.

What's the difference between version 4 and version 5 and should I upgrade ?

Version 4 will run on any Mac OS from OS 9 to OS X.
Version 5 requires OS X 10.5 or later.Version 4 is written in Carbon and runs native on PPC hardware and under emulation mode (Rosetta) on Intel hardware.
Version 5 is a Cocoa Universal Binary and runs native on both Intel and PPC hardware.
Version 4 uses a tab-delimited database which slows down with logs larger than 10,000 QSO's.
Version 5 uses a SQLite database with unlimited size, instananeous edits and is generally much faster.
All new development will be on Version 5.
Version 4 http://dogparksoftware.com/MacLoggerDX_Carbon.html
Version 5 http://dogparksoftware.com/MacLoggerDX.html
Version 4 and Version 5 are the same price but there is a $50.00 USD upgrade fee from Version 4 to Version 5.

How come Version 5 did not pick up my Version 4.3.8 log file ?

The logs are different types and so are the preferences. Version 4 logs are tab-delimited text and max out at about 10,000 records. Version 5 logs are SQLite and are very fast with no limit on size.

It is VERY easy to bring your old log into Version 5...

1) From the Version 5 File menu select New Log File... and place the log somewhere under your documents folder where you will be sure to back it up regularly.

2) From the Version 5 File menu select Import V4 log.dat... and choose your version 4 log.dat file.

How come there are no dx cluster spots plotted on my 2D map ?

Enable the 2D Map Prefs DX Spots/Show Spots and Show Spot Labels check boxes and enter 1000 in the Max Number of Spots field.
The log spots displayed are also affected by the search criteria you have set in the log panel.

I have just imported some QSO's and a lot of the fields are empty (Band TX, Band RX). Do I have to enter those all manually ?

No, Select Update Selected Log Entries from the Log Menu and the missing fields will be filled in.

I changed the call sign of a QSO in the log, how do I change the DXCC ?

Each Log field including DXCC and DXCC Country can be edited by double-clicking in it, editing the data in the Edit field and then pressing <return> or tabbing out of that field. The change is instantly saved to your log.

Selecting the Update Selected Log Entries command from the Log Menu will look up the selected log entries and add the found data to any blank fields in the entry, one at a time. This will ONLY update empty fields (or 0 in the case of DXCC ID), it will never overwrite existing data.

To update the DXCC values after a call sign change, set the DXCC numeric ID to 0, clear the DXCC Country field to blank and then Update Selected Log Entries with the new call and the new DXCC and DXCC Country will be entered automatically.

How does MacLoggerDX determine the Map position for a call/prefix ?

The Locator field in the DX and Contest Panels will tell you what Geolocation method MacLoggerDX has used for each lookup:

• MacLoggerDX resolves all call signs to the DXCC country level using the data published in the ARRL Operating guide: Locator: Country subject to special issue call overrides for dxpeditions: Locator:DXp.
• Then it resolves specific prefix based locations - Locator: Call.
• QRZ, HamCall or WM7D.net lookup may provide a zip code which can be resolved with the US census zip to post office latitude and longitude data Locator:Zip.
• If the city is known and found the latitude and longitude can be resolved: Locator: City.
• If the call is in your log, that location data is found in a lookup Locator: Log GS.
• If QRZ, HamCall or WM7D.net Internet Lookup is enabled and if there is a grid square or Latitude and Longitude data provided on the Internet this will be used: Locator: iNet GS, Locator: iNet LL, this is usually the most accurate since the operator has provided this data himself.

How do I revert to the original memories.dat file ?

To revert delete the memories_path value in your ~/Library/Preferences/com.dogparksoftware.MacLoggerDX.plist file Your custom memories.dat file won't load if it was saved as anything other than plain ascii text with unix line endings.

How can I customize my list of dxclusters and commands ?

In the downloaded Sample Files folder edit the dxcommands.dat and/or dxclusters.dat files and place them/it in ~/Documents/MLDX_Logs and restart MacLoggerDX.
This will also work for the CW Keyer Macros in cwmacros.dat.

Do I have to use Preview to print my QSL cards ?

No, MacLoggerDX creates a standard .png file named "MacLoggerDX_qsl_to_CALLSIGN.png", places it in your "~/Documents/MLDX_Logs/" folder and then asks Preview to display it but you could print the file from any application.

How do I print Labels ?

MacLoggerDX has an Export Selected Log Entries to Address Book Log Menu command that will enable you to use Address Book's powerful label printing capabilities.

What is the "Export Google KML File..." File Menu command for ?

MacLoggerDX can export your Log to a Google KML file which will display your logged QSLs in Google Earth. Simply drag the exported KML file onto Google Earth and you will see all your logged QSOs displayed on the Google 3D Map.

What do the color codes mean ?

Color Codes:

Grid (first 4 character), ITU, DXCC, CQ Zone, IOTA Text Color:

• Red - Not in Log.
• Brown - Worked in Log but Unconfirmed
• Black - Worked in Log and Confirmed.

Log Table:

• Red - QSL Sent but not yet received.
• Green - QSL Received.
• Black - QSL neither sent nor received.

Spots on 2D Map and Bands Panel:

• Red - Less than 5 minutes old.
• Yellow - Between 5 and 30 minutes old.
• Gray - Older than 30 minutes.
• Spots older than 8 hours are removed.

2D Map Marker Shapes:

• Box - Internet or Log Grid Square.
• Circle - Internet or DXpedition database Latitude and Longitude.
• Cross - Call sign database.
• X - City database.
• Z - US Zip Code database.

Cluster and Spots Panels:

• Green - Worked previously.
• Red - Spot triggered alarm.
• Blue - Manual Lookups (Spots Panel).

Where did the V4 call suffixes go ?

In MacLoggerDX V4 we evolved a rather complex method of dash suffixes to deal with overlapping or ambiguous DXCC ID's:

"Overlapping DXCC Identities and Call SuffixesThere are a number of cases where a station's call sign does not uniquely identify it's DXCC ID. For example ZK1 can be North Cook Island or South Cook Island.To handle cases like this MacLoggerDX employs a suffix. To indicate the call you are looking up or logging is North Cook Island append "-N" to the call sign: ZK1ASQ-N, to indicate South Cook Island append "-S" to the call sign: ZK1ASQ-S. These suffixes are dropped on export to ADIF (so as not to confuse the LoTW). The suffixes are shown in the Awards Panel/DXCC. The suffix should be appended to the portable prefix not the base call, for example "FO-A/DL3GA" logs as Austral Island.
If a call has an alternate suffix available it will appear immediately to the right of the large country text in the location area after a lookup. For example, looking up "ZK1" will display "South Cook Island N" which tells us that "ZK1-N" will log as "North Cook Island"."

This was confusing and limiting for everyone. In V5 we have dropped the dash suffixes completely. If your DXCC ID's were correct in V4, they should import correctly into V5. The V5 internal DXCC database chooses the most likely DXCC ID and entity name based on the call prefix that is looked up. If it is incorrect for that particular QSO you can easily edit both the ID and the entity name in the log or in the lookup display area before you log it.If you notice an error or omission, please let me know and I will correct it.Changes can be reflected instantly with the Update Internet FIles Menu command. In the case of ambiguous call sign prefixes we will attempt to choose the most common ID. In the case of deleted DXCC ID's we will choose the current ID. We still have the DXPedition list to handle special calls, which is also updated with the Update Internet FIles Menu command.

How do I change tha radio VFO from the keyboard ?

Select Focus VFO from the Shortcuts menu, or click on the large frequency display and then press tab.Don't forget to enable All Controls in the System Preferences/Keyboard & Mouse/Keyboard Shortcuts.The VFO stepper up/down arrows will change the radio VFO 10 Hz up or down with each click of the keyboard up/down arrows, or you can set up the Griffin PowerMate to send up/down arrow clicks.

With the Shift Key Pressed the frequency will change 100 Hz up or down.
With the Control Key Pressed the frequency will change 1 KHz up or down.
With the Option Key Pressed the frequency will change 10 KHz up or down.
With the Command Key Pressed the frequency will change 100 KHz up or down.

Some of my version QSL Sent/QSL Received fields do not count the same way in the awards panel as they did in Version 4 ?

Version 4 considers N or blank in the QSL Received field unconfirmed. This was confusing.
Version 5 considers only blank in the QSL Received field as unconfirmed.
Version 5 also has a Change Selected Log Entries... Log Menu item which will mark QSL Sent and/or QSL Received in bulk.
Version 5 also has an Unconfirmed check box search criteria in the Log Panel to show all your Unconfirmed QSO's.

For the purposes of Awards tracking and display color coding - any text at all in the QSL Received field indicates "Confirmed". To Change V4 N QSL Received fields to blank fields in V5:
1) Sort by QSL Received in the Log Panel.
2) Select all the N entries.
3) Select Change Selected Log Entries... from the Log menu.
4) Check the QSL Received check box and leave the QSL Received text field blank.
5) Press the Apply button.

What is the Mode Prefs panel for ?

The mode popup reflects what mode the radio is actually set to.You can change the mode mapping of USB to PSK (or anything else) with the mode mapping pref and when you select USB from the mode popup it will display and log as PSK.If you decide to work USB, then you just change the mode mapping from PSK back to USB with the mode mapping pref and when you select USB from the mode popup it will display and log as USB.If you want to assign specific modes to specific bands or sub-bands then edit the sample band plan delivered with MacLoggerDX and add the actual radio modes desired for each sub-band and select it in the Station Prefs.

When I select "Suggest IOTA" in the Lookup Prefs Panel, MacLoggerDX will sometimes suggest IOTA identifiers for stations that aren't even on an island. How is this possible ?

Lookup will suggest an IOTA Zone based on the call sign. False positives can occur because the call sign cannot uniqely identify an IOTA entity in all cases. Even the IOTA id's supplied by a call book service may not be correct. The IOTA identifier supplied by MacLoggerDX must be verified in QSO. This also applies to the ITU Zone and CQ Zone values suggested by MacLoggerDX.

My STX string field that had data in version 1 is blank in version3 db ?

1. Export any QSO's logged after your Version 1 backup was created.
2. Make a copy of your v001_backup001 log, call it whatever you like and then open it with MacLoggerDX V5.16 Beta 5 or later.
3. Import the ADIF file created in step 1.

If I use the split function in MacLoggerDX, the log records the tx and rx frequencies but when I set split from the radio front panel, the log only records the receive frequency ?

Correct, some radios do not report split status or split frequency so that MacLoggerDX only knows about split for those radios if it is set from within the program.

What are caches and how do I get rid of them ?

MacLoggerDX Caches store the QRZ Online QSL pictures for one week and the Lookup data for one day to reduce the load on your internet connection and speed things up. If you want to see a change you have made to the Online lookup data or your QSL picture immediately just do a manual lookup (enter the call and press return) which will bypass the cache or quit MacLoggerDX and rename or delete this folder:

~/Library/Caches/com.dogparksoftware.MacLoggerDX/