Installing and Upgrading N1MM Logger

Should I upgrade each time there is an update announcement?

Would it be more prudent to lag by a few months, as I commonly do with other software?

The N1MM Logger team has implemented the concept of “agile development.” What this means, for the user, is that you should generally plan to use the latest release. Typically there is one each Tuesday. If you wait a day or two, and there is no uproar on the reflector, you should be fine, because hundreds, if not thousands, of people will have downloaded and tried it already. We have a firm policy of slowing down the pace of development before major contests, and avoiding risky changes that may have undesirable side-effects.

Sometimes, a change published on Tuesday will be important for a contest on the coming weekend. Much less frequently, we hope, a change made in the latest release will cause a problem affecting the upcoming contest. If the change is important to successful use in that contest, we will make every effort to fix it in time for a re-release before the weekend. If it is not, the best strategy will be for you to revert to the last previous version.

Typically, we keep at least 6 months’ worth of prior versions in the “Latest Updates” under the Files menu of the web site. You can always re-install a last previous version, unless that is explicitly warned against – which is very rare. You need not be concerned about uninstalling.

If you report a problem with an earlier release, our first response will likely be to ask you to install the latest version and test with that. Often, we will have fixed a problem, particularly one involving multipliers or scoring in a given contest, even before you report it.

Should I update every version, or is the latest update enough?

In almost all circumstances, it is fine to skip versions and only install the latest update before your planned contest operation. However, when a new Full Install has been released – which only happens rarely – you may need to go through the sequence of installing the Full Install followed by the Latest Update. This will be announced and indicated clearly if and when it happens.

Can I install more than one copy of the program with different configurations?

You can have only one actual installation of the program itself, but as many different program configurations as you want. You can have separate configurations for different radios, local vs remote operation, different modes, testing vs. real contesting, different callsigns, different operators, single user vs multi-user, … you name it. Each such configuration has its own configuration (.ini) file and its own desktop shortcut. Different configurations can either share a common database or use separate databases, as you choose. See https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/setup/software-setup/#multiple-ini-files

Where can I get the latest master.scp and country files? How do I get them into the program?

The master.scp file(super check partial, by another name) is used in common by all major contest logging programs, and is updated shortly before major contests. The update will be announced on the N1MM Logger reflector and on CQ-Contest.

This file comes in several different versions. You can download it from the author’s web site. One possible strategy is to download the zipped file containing all of the variants, and extract them into your C:\User[[login]]\Documents\N1MM Logger+\SupportFiles directory. Another strategy is to use the Tools > Download and Install Latest Check Partial file (master.scp) menu item in the main Entry window periodically (e.g. before major contests). It is possible to designate different master.scp files for use in different contests. Check the Associated Files tab in the Contest Setup dialog for the contest you plan to operate, to make sure that the correct master file will be used.

The country file used by the program is WL_CTY.DAT which also needs to be put in the C:\User[[login]]\Documents\N1MM Logger+\SupportFiles Directory. Updates are frequent and are announced on the N1MM Logger reflector. The simplest way to update the country file is to use the Tools > Download and install latest country file (wl_cty.dat) menu time in the main Entry window. The CTY files are also available from the author’s web site. If the file was downloaded separately, it can be loaded into the database using the Tools > Import country list from downloaded file menu item. If the WL_CTY file in the directory is newer than the one in your current database, you will be reminded of that each time the program starts. It takes only seconds to get up to date.

My security software detected a virus in an N1MM Logger download from the website. What should I do?

You should probably refresh your anti-virus definitions, ignore the warning, and/or get a new anti-virus package. Although it could happen some day, the N1MM Logger team uses a variety of anti-virus packages and has never inflicted a virus upon N1MM Logger users. Due to the fact that the software has frequent releases and makes calls on the Internet (telnet and web pages), it is not uncommon for anti-virus programs to report false positives. Before creating yet-another false virus scare on the reflector, we recommend that you test the file against the on-line scanning site http://www.virustotal.com/index.html . If you receive a positive report from one anti-virus product, you may be the first person to test that file (due to frequent releases of updates). Run the scan again and the positive report should clear.

Program Features

When I tune close to a station in the bandmap, the call appears in the frame above the callsign field. Do I have to retype the call to enter it?

No. If you press F4, or press Enter (in ESM mode), the call in the call-frame will be entered in the call-sign field and your call will be sent.

Is there any way I can avoid having the tab key jump to fields (like RST) that don’t normally need to be changed?

Yes. Use the Space bar to jump from field to field, and it will skip the fields that normally do not need to be changed. Use the Tab key to stop at each field.

Why Doesn’t CQ repeat work on VFO B? I already set it on VFO A.

CQ Repeat must be set on each VFO or radio independently. With the Entry focus on each VFO or radio, press Alt+R to toggle repeat mode on and off, and Ctrl+R to set the repeat interval. When repeat mode is set on a VFO, the letter “R” in white appears in the center of the red Transmit Focus LED.

In ESM mode, the cursor jumps to the report field after the first time you press Enter, but what if the station doesn’t come back to you, and now the program is in the wrong state to call him again? How can I change this behavior?

If you don’t usually get a station on the first call, go to the Config > Configure Ports, etc.> Function Keys tab, and un-check the so-called “Big Gun switch”, which is the checkbox titled “ESM only sends your call once in S&P, then ready to copy received exchange.” The cursor will then remain in the Callsign field, ready to send your call again the next time you press Enter. To go to the Exchange field, hit the Space bar.

Can I customize the bands listed in the Available Mults and Qs window?

Appropriate band buttons will appear in the Available window depending on which contest you select. WARC bands are only shown in the DX and DXSerial contests, and VHF bands are shown when you select a VHF contest. There is a right-click menu item in the Available window called Summary Panel Band Selection that you can use to change the bands displayed.

How can I modify the bands that are used for general logging? Normally I am QRV from 160m up to 3 cm (10 GHz).

If the program is connected to your radio for radio control, the program will track the radio’s frequency. Alternatively, type the frequency in kHz (not MHz!) in the call-sign field of the Entry window and press Enter. If you have enabled the band panel in the Entry window, you can control which bands are displayed in the band panel (buttons) by right-clicking and selecting “Change Band Panel Display”.

Why doesn’t clicking on the band buttons in the Entry window change bands on the radio?

Right-click in a blank part of the Entry window and select the “Band Button Left Click Enabled” option from the menu. Of course, this will only work if the program is connected to your radio for frequency control.

The program just skipped a serial number (or sent a number out of order). Is this a problem?

In SO2V, SO2R and multi-op modes, serial numbers are reserved during the QSO sequence, before the number is actually transmitted. Because of this, it is possible for serial numbers to be skipped or sent out of order, if a number is reserved and not used immediately, or never used at all.
Major contest sponsors (all sponsors of serial number contests, so far as we know) do not object. The important thing to them (and to you) is that the program will never send a serial number that differs from that which is logged.

I started operating a serial number contest sending serial numbers by hand because the program wasn’t incrementing. A little later I discovered that I hadn’t entered 001 in the Sent Exchange. Now I’d like to re-start with my correct serial number and have it increment. How can I do that?

In the Log window, select your last previous QSO. On the right-click menu, select Edit QSO and change the sent serial number to what it should be. Click Update, and when you enter the next QSO in the Entry window, you’ll see the Sent Nr field increment properly.

When I change a callsign in mid-contact, the pre-filled exchange (if there is any) does not change. Is there a way to change this behavior?

Yes. Go to Config > Configure Ports, etc. and open the Other tab. At lower left, check the box labeled “Clear populated exchange on callsign change”.

What will the program send when the exchange is a number? Sometimes, I don’t get what I’m expecting.

There are two possibilities. Let’s assume the last QSO you logged had QSO number 133. If the Callsign field is filled with a call, the next number will be sent. Example: 599 134. If the Callsign field is empty, the last number will be sent.

The reason it is this way is that in our experience, before you have added a new callsign, you are most likely to be responding to a request for a fill from the last station you worked.

While sending CW my keying speed slowed but the display did not change. What is happening?

Check the message you are sending for “<” or “>” characters, which decrease or increase CW speed. If the number of these characters in a message is unbalanced (like <<<5NN>>), then the speed will either increase or decrease each time you send that message. Annoying, at best.

I connect to packet, but no spots show up in the bandmaps. What’s up?

The first thing to check is the packet filters. There is some useful help for this on the right-click menu of the Bandmap, labeled “Why don’t I see spots?”

In addition to filters set at the cluster node, N1MM Logger provides two primary tiers of filters. They are selectable from the Packet/Telnet right-click menu. In order to see any spots at all, you must first select at least one of the Allow HF, Allow WARC, or Allow VHF options.

After spots pass through the first filter layer, additional optional filters may be applied to pass only spots from your own continent or country, from selected call areas, or certain contest mode(s).

The use of the Digital mode filter requires that Digital sub-band frequencies be added with the Config > Change Digital Sub-bands window.

Regardless of the filtering selections, the Bandmap frequency bar displays the three mode frequency ranges in different colors on every band. CW is blue, Digital is magenta, and SSB is black.

This sub-window also displays your current filter settings, as in this sample:

“The current user selections are:
Spots are removed when older than 60 minutes.
Allow VHF is not checked, No VHF spots allowed.
Spots allowed from these call areas: K3 K4
Filtering (removing) blacklisted spots is enabled for:

EW1OP
EW1SJ”

If you do a SH/DX and nothing appears, check your program settings to ensure that the spots are not too old (Packet Spot Timeout, on the Bandmap right-click menu), and that your system clock is properly set, so that the correct GMT time is displayed at the top of the Log window.

How do I spot stations?

Spotting stations may be done from the Entry window. The station entered in the Callsign field will be spotted. If the Callsign field is empty, the last QSO with its correct frequency will be spotted.

Alt+P spots stations
Ctrl+P spots them with a comment
If you wish, you can also check “Spot all S&P QSOs” on the Config menu. This will cause every S&P QSO to be spotted as soon as it is logged, provided someone else has not spotted it recently, on the same frequency,

This setting is not “sticky” – that is, it will be unchecked every time you start the program, so that you will not accidentally be spotting all your S&P QSOs when you don’t want to.

My friend wishes to use the same digital/SSB/cw button legends and contents as me. Is there a quick way of copying my buttons into his profile or do I need to re-type them in?

First export your function keys. Select: > File > Export > Export Function keys to file, choose the mode you want, and save the .mc file in your program directory. Then send that file to your friend and have him put it in his program directory.

At this point he can either import it into his current database by using File >Import >Import function keys, or he can change the relevant file on the Associated Files tab of his Contest Setup dialog, and that file will then be loaded into the database whenever that contest is selected.

There is a missing section, county, oblast, etc. or a missing abbreviation for a section. Can I add it?

Yes. For QSO parties, you can edit the county list from the Contest Setup dialog, by clicking the Edit Section List button if it appears. Most other national contest have various lists of multipliers. These can be updated by finding the correct list and editing it with any text editor, and then clicking the Import Section List button in the Contest Setup dialog. Finally, the list of ARRL sections and their recognized abbreviations can be edited from the
Config Menu item labeled “Change Exchange Abbreviations.”

Is the score displayed anywhere?

Yes, the right-most pane in the status line at the bottom of the Entry Window is the score. The middle pane shows QSOs and multipliers. For a more detailed score summary, open the Score Summary window from the Windows menu.

Is my Sunrise and Sunset shown anywhere?

No. However, we keep track of sunrise/sunset times of stations you might wish to work. On the Bandmap, a “sun” symbol appears next to the callsigns of stations that are close to local sunrise or sunset. Also, when you enter a callsign or prefix, you have the option of displaying that station’s sunrise/sunset times in the Info window. Check its right-click window to enable that and other options.

I’m sure the score shown by the program is not correct. What can I do?

Don’t over-rate the importance of this. Most major contests now require your log in Cabrillo format, and the sponsors will be re-scoring your log anyway. If you want to try to get closer to what you think is correct, you can try “Rescore Current Contest” on the Tools menu after the contest. Before you do so, we urge you to back up the current database and put the backup in a safe place. Problems are unlikely, but you’ve invested a lot of effort in your contest log, so why take chances. Then run Rescore, which can take some time for a large log. That, plus the advisability of a backup, is why we don’t recommend running Rescore during a contest.

When I start the program it changes the mode on my transceiver. Sometimes it is correct for the contest, sometimes not. What can I do?

Go to Config > Config Ports, etc and look on the Mode Control tab. Select “Use Radio Mode” – it’s the default, and is intended to avoid such confusion. Use the other options only if you must, and only after a thorough reading of the relevant manual portions.

How do you delete contests you don’t want any more, such as those used for testing purposes?

Each contest created in a database is what we call a contest “instance.” There is no reason why you can’t have a dozen ARRLDX instances in the same database, and the only reason to delete any test versions is neatness. That said, deleting a contest instance is simple. Go to File > Open Log in Database, and Open the Contest Setup dialog. In the drop-down list of contests in the database, click on one you want to delete. Now press the Delete key, and double-check in the pop-up confirmation box to make sure it is the one you meant to delete, before you click OK or hit Enter.

How do you delete a log or delete a database in N1MM?

To delete a log or delete a database: A database is just a file, the same as any other file. If you intend never to use a database again and want to get rid of it, first make sure that the N1MM+ ini file no longer points to it, i.e. use the File > Open Database menu item to open a different database file (or the File > New Database menu item to create and open a new empty database), then close N1MM+. If you want to be absolutely sure that deleting the file will be safe, then instead of deleting it, first just move it to a different place, such as to the top level of your Documents folder. Then try opening up N1MM+ and make sure everything is still working properly. If that works, you can safely delete the file, using Windows File Manager. Even a large N1MM+ database file is trivially small compared with the capacity of today’s storage devices, so there is no real need to delete an old database file, but if you are never ever going to want to open it again to look at any of the logs it contains, then deleting it won’t do any harm.

To delete a log within a database, use the File > Open Log in Database… menu item to open the contest setup window, select the log you want to delete by single-clicking on it, then press the Delete key on your keyboard. The program will ask you if you really want to delete the log and its nnn contacts. If you say yes, you really do want to delete it, then the log will be deleted from the database. This is not a reversible step – it’s up to you to make sure you are deleting the correct log, and not a log that you might later want to be able to re-open.

I added notes to some QSOs. How do I find them again?

You can select Notes on the View menu to review any notes you have entered.

Why is offtime 31 minutes and not 30?

Let’s say you worked the following stations, at the indicated times: N2IC 21:20:59 W5OV 21:50:01
If you leave out the seconds, like Cabrillo does, then it looks like you were off for exactly 30 minutes. However, a closer examination of the actual QSO times shows you have only taken a 29 minute, 2 second time-off. This is an example of “rubber clocking”. And, yes, the log checkers have been this picky ! The CW and SSB NAQP log checker and the SS log checker will ding you if your log only shows a 30 minute time-off.

73, Steve, N2IC

What does it mean when a callsign is colored yellow in the Log window, or an exchange is green or red?

Yellow simply means that the callsign was not found in the master.scp file. That color is the same as the highlight for ESM in the Function Keys area of the Entry window, and can be changed on the Config Menu by the Manage Skins, Colors and Fonts function. Red means that you worked the station before and he gave you a different exchange the first time. Green is special for CQWW, and means that the zone you logged is different from the one the call should be in, according to wl_cty.dat.

Digital Modes

The callsign to grab already scrolled off the screen (RX window); how do I grab it now?

You can pause the RX screen by clicking on the green strip on the left edge. This will pause the input so you can scroll back to where you need to and click on the callsign. The green strip will turn yellow while the input is paused. To turn input to the window back on, click in the yellow strip and everything that was held waiting to be printed to the window will now be displayed in the window and normal processing will resume.

In Digital contests the Available Multipliers and QSOs Window does not show any multipliers or QSOs. In Digital contests below the Multiplier List box no callsigns are shown.

Most likely the Digital sub bands are not defined (‘Config | Change Sub bands | Digital Sub Bands’). If they are not defined then nothing will show up in this window in a Digital contest.

A message lost sound briefly appears in the MMTTY waterfall

Try to bring up the sound card buffers under Misc settings in the MMTTY setup or the combination of MMTTY and N1MM Logger may be too much for your processor.

Why do I have a long delay going from Transmit to Receive?

It could be there are several spaces after the {RX} and by reducing those to just one space (or none) , the drop out from TX to RX should be almost instant. Evidently by putting several spaces after the RX it will cause a longer delay before dropping out.

The MMTTY RTTY Engine panel is always on top of the other windows

This can be changed in the Digital Interface window setup (Setup>Settings, under the General/MMTTY Setup tab). If you don’t want MMTTY to be always on top, uncheck the MMTTY Always on Top checkbox. There is also the ability to choose between Full-size (Normal) MMTTY window and Small window (no control panel or menu bar), or you can choose to have only the control panel or only the menu bar displayed in the MMTTY window.

Strange things are happening on my slow computer

Example: Occasionally, the RTTY receiver screen would flicker during reception. Reason: MMTTY requires a minimum of a 133 MHz processor that combined with the main logger which Tom sets as a minimum needed as a 500-800 MHz Pentium II/III computer with 128 MB memory and you could get strange things happening.

When exiting the program an Error window pops up with C:/Program Files/MMTTY/061010(*)&&%^%$%$@#

It seems that one of the saved logged files for MMTTY has become corrupt. Go to the directory that you have pointing to that contains MMTTY. Double click on the MMTTY.exe file and open it up in stand alone then click file and uncheck Log RX File. That will stop the file trying to be written to. Go in to the the MMTTY directory and look for text file that looks like 06xxxx these are the files that were recorded while using MMTTY each indicating the date .I would delete them.

73’s Rick N2AMG

Digital Interface file not found error

If you are experiencing a file not found error when trying to load the digital interface please look and see that you have the following files in these locations:
MMVARI.ocx This needs to be in the N1MM Logger program directory
MMTTY.exe This file needs to be in the directory where MMTTY has been installed, and which is pointed to by the Path in the Configurer under the Digital Modes tab
MMTTY.ini This file should be in the directory where MMTTY has been installed. If not found, MMTTY will create it
Userpara.ini This file should be in the directory where MMTTY has been installed. If not found, MMTTY will create it.

I am able to transmit PSK or RTTY with MMTTY but I do not see any received signals displayed on the waterfall or any other screen

Review your hookup. For starters, plug a jumper from your transceiver’s “line out” to your soundcard microphone input…no interface required. If that works, then you have a problem interfacing. If it doesn’t work it looks like a more fundamental problem, like the microphone input on the soundcard is not working. As a last resort, make sure you can receive PSK with another program.

Maybe just the microphone input is deselected. Check the following in Windows:
Open Control Panel, Open Multimedia, Click on Recording and make sure the microphone is selected and the slider not at the bottom.

The frequency readout does not match the incoming spots in the bandmap on my transceiver

In RTTY, it is the Mark frequency that is spotted and should be entered in your log. If you are using a transceiver with a dedicated RTTY mode (typically for FSK, and sometimes also for AFSK), the radio’s dial displays the Mark frequency, and that is the frequency that should be spotted. However, if you are using a transceiver without any dedicated RTTY mode (e.g. with the radio in LSB or USB mode), the frequency readout on the radio will be the (suppressed) carrier frequency. This does not match the incoming spots in the bandmap, and the frequency will not be correct when spotting stations to the DX-cluster.
To correct for the offset in LSB or USB mode, open the DI window’s Digital Setup window (Setup>Settings) and check the Use Auto TRX Offset in DI1/2 check box for that DI window. If you are using a dedicated RTTY mode that displays the Mark frequency on the radio’s dial, make sure this box is unchecked.

If you use USB for PSK and FSK for RTTY, you may have to check this box when using PSK or other soundcard digital modes, and uncheck it when using FSK RTTY.

It appears that CRLF’s are displayed as a block character rather than going to the next line

There is a replacement richtext file on the website (‘Download | Other files’) that might correct seeing the block characters that represent a linefeed. This is why there are 2 macros: {ENTER} and {ENTERLF}. Some Windows versions would not properly show a linefeed. If something scrolls off the screen because of the use of many linefeeds it is easy to click on the Pause strip and scroll back to see what was missed. One more click brings you back to where you were. There is also a checkbox in the Digital Setup window to “Remove Excess Linefeeds from RX Window” that helps prevent this.

How can I make MMTTY/MMVARI remember my com port selection?

In the Configurer (Config>Configure Ports, Telnet Address, Other menu item), under the Hardware tab (where you setup your radio, etc.) place a check in the Digital box for the desired com port. Click the Set button for that port. On the right side of the settings window there will be a box labelled Dig Wnd Nr. Set this to 1 for DI-1, or 2 for DI-2. This will automatically send the com port info to the selected digital engine whenever that DI window is opened.

Pressing a function key gives me a wav file not found error message

This may happen if you are using AFSK for RTTY, or in sound card modes like PSK31. It can also happen in a CW contest if communications between the program and the rig have failed, or if the Mode Control setting in the Configurer prevents the correct mode from being logged. It indicates that the program is in SSB mode rather than Digital or CW mode (e.g. Mode Control is set to use radio mode and the radio mode is SSB in sound card digital operating modes). Type RTTY or PSK or CW into the call sign box in the Entry window and press Enter to put the program into the requested mode – assuming the Mode Control setting allows the requested mode, this should change the function key message set from SSB messages (containing the names of wav files) to CW or digital messages (containing {TX} and {RX} macros). You can change the “requested digital mode” that the program will use by changing the setting for “Mode sent to radio” in the Configurer under the Mode Control tab.

Program Errors and Requests

Where can I download the program?

Full instructions for downloading and installing the software can be found at www.n1mm.com

Why is all the data in a database?

Because that’s how the program works. You can get log data into a spreadsheet program like Excel by generating your Cabrillo file and then loading it into Excel. The Cabrillo fields are fixed width, which makes it easy to get the data into the columns you want.

What is the best way to learn about the program?

Read the Getting Started section of the manual. It takes you through the whole process from downloading the software to operating a first contest and generating your log file for submission. After that, you will probably want to known more about some areas. That’s what the main manual sections are for. You can look things up by window, or by the function you’re interested in. Often, using the search function will give you what you need.

Print out the ((Key Assignments (Keyboard Shortcuts)|Key Assignments)) or the Key Assignments Short List and keep it by your radio. Even long-time users will discover new keyboard shortcuts this way.

Set up your next contest well in advance. That will give you a chance to iron out any wrinkles in the contest setup. Make some dummy QSOs before the contest. When it’s time to go, you can either create a new instance of the contest or clear out your dummy QSDOs before “Zero Hour”.

If you have problems and you can’t find the answer, don’t hesitate to ask on the N1MM Logger Plus reflector. That’s what it is for. In addition to the N1MM Development Team, there are many experienced users there who will pitch in to get you going.

The program displays an error or just stops working. What should I do?

When the program displays an error or suddenly ends, this may be a bug in the program or a problem on your computer. Here are some hints on how to determine if it is a bug, what information to collect, and how to report it.

Try to record step-by-step what you were doing when it happened. Record the exact error message, if any. If the program just failed, make note of when and under what circumstances
Restart Windows, and then N1MM. Go back where you were when the problem happened. Particularly in cases where RFI is involved, Windows can easily become corrupted. If your problems with RFI are particularly severe, try a complete cold restart of your computer.

After this, if you do the same thing again does it happen again?

Do not immediately re-install the program; this rarely solves anything. Instead, rename your N1MM Logger.ini file (N1MM Logger.old, for example) and re-start the program. This will create another minimal .ini file, eliminating any user-selected options. Try the steps that caused the problem – does it still happen? Add back your radios, keying setup and other parts of your usual configuration, one by one. Does the error recur? At what point?
If the problem still exists, submit a bug report and fill in the form completely. A majority of the bug reports we currently receive are not program bugs at all, but problems with the user’s understanding of the problem or in a particular set-up. Going through the steps above will help you know which your problem is, and filling out the form completely will help us help you without a lot of back-and-forth to fill in important details.
If you need help with setup or how the program operates, you should refer to the manual, and if you don’t find what you need, ask on the reflector. That’s what it is for

The program gives an error opening the database. What should I do?

This may mean that your database is corrupt. A first step is to try opening the program using another existing database (File >Open database). If the error only occurs with one database, then it is possible that the database has become corrupted.
There are two approaches you can take:

Use N1MM Logger’s File >Copy(and Compact) Database function to make a new database from your old one. This process opens the database, checks for many common errors, and fixes them.
If you can’t do it this way – if, for example, the database won’t open – then you can try using one of many SQLite database tools available on the Internet. The N1MM Development Team uses a program called SQLite Expert. The “Pro” version (payment required) includes a “repair database” option. The standard version (free) does not include the repair function but many users report that they have been able to repair databases by simple opening the broken database with SQLite Expert (free) and re-indexing its files. Before using any utility like this, make a backup copy of the database. In extreme cases, we may be able to help you recover a database that just won’t work, but not if you have lost it or damaged it further.

What can I do if the contest I want to participate in is not listed?

First, double-check the supported contests listing. If you have just been looking at the short contest names in the Contest Setup dialog, you may have overlooked the one you want.
NA3M has developed a User Defined Contest feature , and over 250 contest definitions have been created. They are stored here. Please note, though, that while NA3M will try to help with these contests, the definition files were developed mainly by other hams, and we lack the resources to support them.
If you do not find the contest you want, you have two options:
Use the UDC editor to develop your own definition file. The process may seem intimidating at first, but there is real satisfaction in adding another contest to the UDC roster, one that you programmed yourself. In the process, you’ll learn a lot about what is involved in programming even the simplest contest so that all features of N1MM Logger operate correctly.
Request that we add the contest to the roster of supported contests. If you do this, be sure to give us several months’ lead-time for coding and debugging, and plan on being available yourself to help us test. Depending on the level of user interest, we may well suggest that you go the UDC route instead; there simply isn’t enough time for everything people would like us to do

Errors and possible solutions

CW stutters (using lpt or serial port keying) or Voice keying stutters

Mostly this means your pc is too busy handling other stuff during transmit or is underpowered. This could be outside N1MM logger. What to do? Some tricks

Try not to run other programs not needed for contesting.
Try filtering spots at your packet cluster node so as to reduce the traffic that must be handled by N1MM logger.
Set your telnet filters for the minimum number of spots consistent with your needs, particularly including only the current contest’s mode and maybe only spots from areas near your own
Zoom the bandmap in so that it covers only a relatively small frequency range around your current frequency.
Limit the number of bands you try to cover with the Available Mults and Qs window’s spot pane (for the band that the particular PC is on).

The radio locks up in transmit

Assuming the problem is not due to RFI (check for this by operating at lower power or into a dummy load), this may result from an invalid PTT configuration.

Do not use more than one method of PTT control at the same time. Having two methods active, while it may look like a “belt and suspenders” approach, is less reliable than using only one method. The two methods can interfere with one another in such a way that the radio gets hung up in transmit when it receives two “switch to RX” commands simultaneously.
In particular, do not use “PTT via radio command” if you have another (hardware-based) PTT method working and active.
In digital modes, if you are able to do PTT from the main N1MM Logger program, do not also configure the digital engine (MMTTY or Fldigi) to do PTT; the only time you need to configure PTT in the digital engine is when you are not using any method of PTT control from N1MM Logger itself.

Another possibility is having a PTT keying line connected to a serial port control line (DTR or RTS) and having that control line set to “Always On”; this will result in the radio locking up in transmit whenever the Logger is started up.

Suddenly Function Key F2 is sending my CQ, instead of F1. Why?

N1MM Logger assigns messages to function keys based on their position in the table, not on how they are labeled. Hence, the first non-comment line (one that doesn’t start with #) is Run F1, the 13th line is S&P F1, and so on. Moreover, you can insert comments in your function key file, and the program skips over them in deciding which message goes to which function key. (blank lines get counted as a line – be careful as blanks may confuse the F_Key counting)

The label you put on the function key button (the part to the left of the comma in each line) is strictly for the buttons in the Entry Window – it does not control which message goes to which key.

Most likely you accidentally omitted a # or made some other typo in one of the lines in the file, causing the program to skip one. Try counting lines- including blank lines – , or play safe by deleting all comment lines from your file. Also, make sure that each Fkey line has a comma before the start of the text to be sent.

Troubleshooting Soundcard Issues

Step-by-step soundcard troubleshooting from Dave, K1TTT”]

0. Close Audacity, Winamp, and any other sound recording or playback programs you may have open.
   DO NOT OPEN THEM AGAIN DURING THIS PROCESS.
1. There is apparently an interaction between the windows control panel and N1MM logger that I hadn’t noticed before. The key is, select the default device with the windows control panel to the one you want windows to use… then don’t change it. If you change it windows apparently renumbers the devices so the device index number that n1mm saves isn’t valid any more. So if you ever change the windows default playback or recording devices you MUST go back into the n1mm configurer and reselect the cards AND ports if you use specific devices and not the ‘default’ card option.

The same rule also applies to MMTTY setup if you have selected a device other than -1 (default) in the Option/Setup/Misc tab.

2. Start N1MM logger and go into the ‘Configurer / Audio’ tab. Select ‘1 zero or single card’ in the top list, then ‘default’ in the first ‘select device’ list. Save that settings. Close N1MM logger.
3. Plug your microphone directly into the mic input on the sound card, plug your headset directly into the speaker output.
4. Open the windows volume control, on the playback controls that come up first set all the sliders to mid range, and un-mute everything. You may have to go into options/properties to check the box to let you see the microphone and other sound sources.
5. In the volume control select options/properties, check the ‘recording’ box then make sure ‘microphone’ is checked in the list of controls. Do ok.
   Check the box to ‘select’ the microphone and set it’s slider mid range. On the advanced microphone settings check the ‘mic boost’ box if you have one.
6. Now, when you talk in your mic you should be able to hear yourself in the headset. If you can’t then something is wrong with your hardware or drivers. Recheck volume and mute settings, check that the mic is plugged into the right spot, try a different mic, try different speakers, try playing other wave files using the sounds control panel app to make sure your headphones are working, get your 8 year old kid to help.
   DO NOT PASS THIS POINT UNTIL YOU CAN HEAR YOURSELF!
7. Open the windows sound recorder, it is usually found in the accessories/entertainment, DO NOT open audacity, the tools that came with your sound card, or your other favorite tool… some of them play with the mixer settings and we don’t want that now that they are set.
8. Press the record button, say a couple words, then press the stop button. Press the play button and you should hear what you just said. If you didn’t there is something wrong with your hardware or drivers. Check recording control settings, adjust volume, make sure the mic is selected as the recording source, get that 8 year old back to help again!
   DO NOT PASS THIS POINT UNTIL YOU CAN RECORD AND PLAY.
9. Close the windows sound recorder.
   DO NOT PASS THIS POINT UNLESS YOU CAN HEAR YOURSELF IN 6 AND 8 ABOVE.
   If those don’t work then N1MM likely won’t work and since n1mm is much more complicated it is harder to troubleshoot.
10. Start n1mm. Put the radio on ssb, make sure the entry window title bar says either USB or LSB. If you don’t have a radio connected type in 14000 and then USB.
11. Right click on the f1 button. In the wav file column make sure it says C:\Program Files\N1MM logger\wav\cq-1.wav… if not, type that in (without the quotes of course). Press ok to save it.
12. Watch the bottom of the entry window status bar. Press Ctrl+Shift+F1, status line should say recording started in C:\Program Files\N1MM logger\wav\cq-1.wav‘, if it doesn’t then check the error message and see if that helps and NOW you can ask for more help on the reflector or direct to me, but don’t change any settings or open another sound program or be prepared to go back through this again to make sure everything is set properly for the defaults.
13. If you got the ‘recording started’ message say a few words and press Ctrl+Shift+F1 again. Bottom of status bar should say ‘recording saved in C:\Program Files\N1MM logger\wav\cq-1.wav’. If it gives an error message check out that or contact the reflector or me.
14. Press f1. you should hear what you just recorded. If not, check the status bar for an error message and check that one or contact the reflector or me. Now, if all that worked it is up to you to figure out how to get the audio to/from your sound card through whatever adapters, sound blasters, cabling, to the radio… I can’t help with that except in very specific cases. But at this point if 11,12,13 worked then you have a working n1mm logger recording and playback system. Find the C:\Program Files\N1MM logger\wav\cq-1.wav file which should be under the n1mm logger installation folder and that is where to put other recordings, and the f1 line in the setup is how the other paths should look to the files. If you are going to do multi-op look up in the manual how to set up the macros to let each operator record their own voices separately.
    
    MMTTY Soundcard Alignment by Joe, W4TV”]

Calibration on Windows Vista or Windows 7

If you are using Vista or Windows 7, the operating system does not
allow individual applications which share the sound card to set the
sound card’s sample rate. Instead the operating system’s hardware
abstraction layer (HAL) will resample the data stream (interpolate
data values) to provide audio samples to the application at the rate
the application requires.

When the sound card’s default format (Windows Control Panel, Sound,
Recording Devices, , Advanced) is 48000 and an application
requests a sample rate that is not an integral divisor of the default
sample rate the clock rate will not be exact – resulting in differences
from transmit to receive.

The default format for most motherboard or add-in cards (PCI/PCI-E)
is set by their custom drivers (supplied by the manufacturer) and is
generally 44,100 Hz (CD Quality). However, the default format for
external (USB) sound cards is set to 48,000 Hz (DVD Quality) by the
Microsoft driver built into he operating system.

There are two solutions:

2) Reset the Windows Default format to 44100 Hz (CD Quality). This
also removes the offset.

Either solution will work if your only sound card digital program
is MMTTY. If you use other software – particularly if you use
multiple programs at the same time or switch between programs,
changing the MMTTY/MMVARI sample rate to 12000 may be a better idea
since there are some programs that use fixed 48000 Hz sample rates.

Calibration with Multiple Soundcards on Windows XP

If you are running multiple soundcard applications, Windows XP will
behave just like Vista/Win 7. That is, the first to open the sound
card will set the sample rate and XP will then virtualize the sound
card to the second and subsequent applications. If the first app
uses 48 KHz, the remaining apps will get 48 KHz samples.

The offset is because MMTTY/MMVARI/etc. think they are decoding the
requested sample rate so they transmit at the assumed rate … the
calculations are off by that much.

73,

… Joe, W4TV

Other Questions…

How do I make a file to upload to LoTW?

Generate an ADIF file (File >Export >ADIF) from within N1MM and then process it using the TQSL program. That program will generate an encrypted *.TQ8 file which is the format for uploading to LOTW.

I logged some QSOs in the wrong mode. How to find them?

For some contest types, the mode is shown in the Log window. If it is not, right-click in the Log window and check the menu option called “Show Mode”. An additional column containing the mode will show up in the Log window. To make finding the wrong-mode contacts easier, you can click on this column heading to sort the contacts in your log by mode. Once you have found and edited the contacts in question, you can click on the TS column heading to restore the log display to the normal date/time order, and/or uncheck the “Show Mode” right-click menu option to remove the mode column.

How can I best handle multiple contests the same weekend?

By Ted, W4NZ. If there are multiple QSO parties or contests that I want to work during the same weekend, I create a database for each QSO party or contest. And here’s the key – name the database with the QSO party name, ie. CQP.mdb, PAQP.mdb, TnQP.mdb, etc. Then I build only the contest I want to work in the appropriate database. By doing this, when you open the menu, it will list the last 9 contests including the current one. Included in the listing is the name of the database that contains the contest log. Simply choose the listing with the database named for the contest you want to switch to and the proper log will be loaded. It only takes a few seconds to do this. When you select a new contest which is in its own database, the correct function key messages are automatically loaded with it.

I want to import an ADIF file (not generated by N1MM Logger), but find it does not import all the information I need, or imports it improperly. What’s the solution?

Unfortunately, there is a lot of variation in ADIF file output, depending on the logging program. Here’s what to do:

Open the contest into which you want to import. Now log one or more imaginary contacts in that contest; if the contest has different exchanges from different categories of stations (e.g. HQ stations in IARU or W/VE vs. DX stations in ARRL 10), log an imaginary contact of each type. Export an ADIF file with those contacts. Now compare the ADIF tags in your file with the ones in the file you want to import. Make sure that the tags are the same as in N1MM Logger’s ADIF output. If not, use a text editor to do a global search and replace to bring them into agreement. Also, make sure that the length modifiers in the ADIF tags are correct (i.e. in data, make sure that the number n is equal to the number of characters in the data in that record).

A couple of things to look out for in particular: First, the Logger will look for a field tagged with the CONTEST_ID tag to ensure that the log you are importing is for the correct contest type (this is necessary to ensure that the exchange information is imported into the correct field(s) in the database). Make sure this field appears, in the same format, in the file you are importing. Second, for some contests N1MM Logger uses an ADIF field called APP_N1MM_EXCHANGE1 for part of the exchange. This field is not exported by other programs; you will have to figure out what goes into this field and insert it into each applicable record in the ADIF file. In some cases, you may find the same data in two fields in the ADIF file exported from the Logger. In these cases, you may have to duplicate the data in the file you wish to import so that it can be imported into both fields. Third, if the contest type is one of the WAE contests (WAECW, WAESSB or WAERTTY), you should be aware that QTCs are not included in ADIF files and therefore will not be transferred during ADIF file exports and imports.

After doing this, you can either delete the imaginary contacts from the contest before importing, or you can delete the entire imaginary contest and create a new empty contest of the correct type to import the ADIF file into. After importing the ADIF file, you should rescore the contest in N1MM Logger (Tools > Rescore Current Contest).

The N1MM Logger database can not contain QSO’s with identical time stamps. Therefore, it will not be possible to import the same ADIF file into the same database more than once. Simply open another database and contest prior to importing.

Why do so many people recommend using a Winkeyer with N1MM Logger, instead of serial or parallel port keying?

The Winkeyer offloads the process of generating CW, so that even older, slower computers can be used. It also provides CW and PTT for two radios, and the PTT functions in all modes. Finally, with Winkeyer you can interrupt stored CW messages with a simple touch of the paddle, which is all too often invaluable.

I can’t get the program to accept the exchange I received. What can I do?

N1MM Logger checks the exchange in most contests against what it “expects.” That, in turn, is dictated by the requirements of the contest – for example, in a serial number contest like WPX, it will not accept letters in the exchange field. In contests with defined lists of multipliers, you may be using an outdated list, or the other station may have sent it incorrectly.
Either way, the most efficient solution is to hit Ctrl+Alt+Enter, which will “force” the program to log the exchange as received. A note window will pop up, and if you put something in there to flag it, you’ll be able to find it easily after the contest.

Why doesn’t parallel port keying (or control of a band decoder or SO2R box) work?

With parallel ports on the way out, those of us who choose to continue using them will often have to resort to after-market parallel port cards on the computer’s PCI or PCIe bus. All too often, these port cards seem to use non-standard memory locations, so if your parallel port isn’t working, you will need to check in Device Manager. Find the problem port, and check on its Resources tab. Typically you will see one or two memory ranges listed. Note the first number of the first memory range. Now go to Config >Configure Ports, etc., and on the hardware tab, click SET on the port. You’ll see a place to enter the port address. If the one you see there (a default) differs from what you saw in Device Manager, change the address on the Hardware tab to match

Shouldn’t I set my logging computer to GMT(UTC) rather than local time?

No. The program understands how to make the translation. It even does the transition to and from DST automatically if it happens in the middle of the contest. It’s easiest to just tell your computer what time zone you are in, including whether or not it uses DST, and just set the computer to the correct local time. The operating system software does the rest. This saves having to change the time when you want to do e-mail or other things that use local computer time.

I have accidentally logged a contest using the wrong selection from the Contest Setup dialog. What can I do?

It’s not easy but it can be done. This example assumes that you logged CQWWSSB in the general DX “contest”.

As with any operation that could potentially endanger the contents of your database, back up your database. Omit this step at your peril.
Export the log in ADIF format.
Create an instance of the correct contest and export a log with a couple of imaginary contacts, also in ADIF format.
If the correct contest has varying exchanges for different categories of stations (e.g. ARRL10, where W/VE/XE stations send state/province and DX stations send a serial number), make sure you include examples of both kinds of contacts.
Change all contest IDs in the entire ADIF file of your misplaced contest to match the contest type you wish to import into. For example, if the original log used the general DX log, each QSO record will contain DX in the CONTEST_ID field. In order to import this into a CQWWSSB log, you will have to change all of these to CQ-WW-SSB .
Edit the ADIF log of your misplaced contest so that it has the same set of tags as the imaginary log you exported. You want the fields in the edited log to use the same tags as the corresponding fields in the sample log. An ADIF editor like ADIF Master is the best tool for this, but you can use any text editor.
The field type you are most likely to have problems with is the APP_N1MM_EXCHANGE1 field. This field is used for different purposes in different contest types; depending on the contest types you are exporting from and importing to, you may need to remove or add this field in the edited ADIF file.
There are other fields starting with APP_N1MM; you can just leave those as is.
There is a number included with each tag in an ADIF file. This number is a count of the number of characters in the field. If you change the field name without changing the data, don’t change the number. On the other hand, if you change the actual data, make sure the new number is the correct character count for the new data.
Start a new contest log of the correct type (e.g. CQWWSSB), preferably in another N1MM+ database. The start date in the Contest Setup dialog does not matter except as identification in the list, but if you want the exact times in the log to be recorded correctly, you must do this in a different database, because the same contact (same timestamp) cannot exist in two contests in the same database. If you try to import the contacts into a different (or the same!) log in the same database, the program will adjust the times of the contacts to prevent exact duplicates. For most contacts, the new time will be 1 second later than the original time, but for a few (1.7%) contacts, the new time will be 59 seconds early. If this possibility does not matter to you, you can try importing into a different log in the same database instead of creating a new database.
Import the modified ADIF file into the new contest log.
Use the Tools > Rescore Current Contest menu item to update the score.

How can I import my contest log into my general logging program?

Export your contest log in ADIF. Compare the format (tags and lengths) with that which your general logger expects. Edit your exported file to match, if necessary, using a word processor.

How can I transfer a single contest from one database to another?

To copy a single contest from one database to another, there are several methods. The simplest is to use the File > Copy This Contest to Another Database menu item. Alternatively, for contests other than the WAE contests you can:

Export the log (Export ADIF to file…).
Create an empty instance of the same contest (e.g., CQWWSSB)
Import the ADIF file (Import ADIF from file…)
This method only transfers QSOs, not QTCs, and therefore it cannot be used for WAE logs containing QTCs.
A third method involves transaction log files. To transfer a copy of a single log file into a new database containing only that log, first create the new database, create an empty contest of the required type, and then use the File > Import > Recover QSOs from a Transaction Log… menu item to copy the contacts (and in the case of WAE contests, QTCs) from the transaction log file for the original log into the new database.

I am using a USB-to-serial port adapter to control my radio, but frequency display and control are erratic or stop altogether

Five things to check:

Make sure that your computer is not powering down its USB ports. You need to check both in the Control Panel, under Power Options, and in Device Manager, in the properties of each USB hub (generic and root), on their Power Management tabs.
If your USB-to-serial adapter is connected to a level converter which is in turn connected to a TTL-level input on the radio, and if that level converter is powered by one of the serial port control lines (DTR or RTS), make sure that or those control lines are set to Always On in the Configurer.
If you are using a radio that requires RTS/CTS handshaking on its serial port (e.g. most Kenwood radios), make sure that RTS on that port is set either to Always On or to Handshake.
If you are using an adapter which has a Prolific chipset, there are problems with Prolific drivers. At one time we suggested updating to the latest driver, but this is no longer the case, as a number of users have reported problems with the latest drivers that were resolved by switching to an older driver (specifically 3/12/2010 version 3.3.11.152). If the problem persists, you may need to switch adapters. Some versions of the Prolific chipset and/or some versions of the drivers are not compatible with programs (like N1MM Logger) written in Visual Basic.
Last but not least, USB communications are susceptible to RFI. If the problems only happen on certain bands, or with certain antennas, or only at higher power levels, suspect RFI getting into one of the USB cables connected to your computer (not necessarily the radio control cable).

Website Questions and Answers

Who operates the N1MM Logger website?

This website was built and is maintained by K8UT – Larry Gauthier. Inquiries regarding the operation of the website (website bugs, website features, website enhancements) should be directed to him.

Do I need an account to access the documents on this website?

No and Yes. Anonymous users can connect to the website and read or download all of the website contents. However, you will need to register (free) in order to submit Bug Reports or Feature Requests.

What is the advantage of registering and logging in to this website?

Registered users will be able to submit Bug Reports or Feature Requests.

Who maintains the contents of the documents on the website?

The contents of the Manuals are maintained by a group of volunteer Editors who contribute their time and efforts to the program. You can see the names of the most recent editors at the bottom of each section when viewing the manuals on-line.

I think I’d like to help with the website. How do I volunteer?

If you’d like to volunteer as an Editor, send an email to Larry K8UT.