N1MM+ Logger and VHF Contesting

After the January VHF contest I decided to explore logging software a bit further. Over the years I’ve used a lot of different logging programs primarily in a mostly Apple environment here at home. That has included Aether, RUMlog, RUMped, SkookumLogger, and my all time favorite MacLoggerDX (which also works seamlessly with MacDoppler for satellite QSOs).

Logging for VHF Rovers

But I’ve also used N1MM primarily for HF RTTY contesting and the great integration it offers between decoding, transmitting, and getting the QSOs in the log. More recently I’ve used N3FJP’s VHF Contest Log as well as ACLog and some of their other HF contest logs. I run all these programs on an HP laptop with Windows 10.

For VHF Rover operation, I’ve generally used my MacBook Air and MacLoggerDX in contest mode teamed up with JT-Bridge and WSJT-X. That setup gets the QSOs in a logbook but doesn’t generate a Cabrillo file nor does it flag dupes. It does allow changing the rover grid. For scoring and generating a Cabrillo file, I drop the ADI file into VHF Contest Log.

For the January VHF contest I decided to skip the Mac entry and instead run VHF Contest Log along with JT-Alert and WJST-X in two instances — one for the IC-7300 and the other for the IC-9700. That worked great at home in my shack but had some serious RFI issues in the rover. I’m working on those with shipments of ferrite beads headed my way.

What I liked about that setup was moving FT-8 and MSK144 QSOs directly into the master log. What I didn’t like was the conflict inherent in attempting to control the rig by two different programs: WJST-X and the logger. That can be overcome by just selecting the band on VHF Contest Log and keying in the SSB/CW contacts, but it doesn’t record the exact frequency, only the band. It works. But it isn’t optimum.

What N1MM+ Offers the VHF Contester

For the June Contest it looks like I’m going to put in play N1MM+ Logger. I had earlier investigated it and immediately rejected it since it doesn’t provide scoring for rover entries. However, look a little closer in the documentation and, outside of that flaw for rovers, you’ll find it is nearly perfect for VHF contesting and roving. Here’s why.

Entry Window

I like the Entry Window set up. You can customize the list of bands to match your particular radio and the contest. Not only that but two rig control works perfectly.

For example, with my setup I have one entry window for the IC-7300 and one for the IC-9700. The IC-7300 shows only 6 meters and 1.25 meters, which are the only two bands it operates in the contest, more about transverters later. The IC-9700 shows 2 meters and 70 cm, which are the two bands I use as a limited rover. It could also show 23 cm. Just right click on the entry window and make the changes. Very, very simple.

The entry window setup also allows ready swaps between rigs and bands on those rigs. Just click the correct entry window or click on the band button on that window. Even better, just type in the frequency and mode where you’d normally type the call sign and presto change-o, you’re on the right frequency and mode.

This is extremely useful when you’re moving stations onto new bands. Want to go to 144.205? Just type in 144205 and you’re there. Want 146.52 FM? Again, type in 146520 hit enter, then type in FM and you’re there.

Rover Grid Changes – Multiple Rigs

Something very special for rovers is that you can hit the key sequence Control-H or type ROVERQTH in the entry window. That brings up a window to key in your current grid square. How cool is that?

That overall set up also demonstrates the SO2R capabilities. Yes, you can do dual CQs, which isn’t that big of a deal on VHF since the rules allow simultaneous operation on separate bands. But there it is — and no SO2R box required.

Winkeyer

I also appreciate the Winkeyer set up. Since the Winkeyer has two outputs, one for each radio, N1MM+ allows you to readily click on an entry window and send CW to the correct righ. While N3FJP’s VHF Contest Log allows two rig control, it doesn’t really utilize the two rig sending built into a Winkeyer. I will admit that there’s so little CW in the VHF contests that this hardly matters. But I guess it’s my HF contesting background that really appreciates this feature.

Also related to CW, there is a macro term called {ROVERQTH} that can directly pull your current grid location into the CW message. This can also be used with SSB messages, if you have the voice recordings set up. That’s right, this logger allows prerecorded messages for your CQs, etc. I’ve not used this in the past, but it is something to look into for the future.

Transverters

Another VHF feature that I really like is the set up for transverters. Merely right click on the bandmap for the correct rig and IF band then key in to the correct offset, including any small variation to compensate for calibration errors, and you’re ready to go. Once this is done, the correct frequency is shown on the band map and the entry window. This is very helpful for me in reducing the chance for confusion. It also, of course, logs the correct frequency.

WSJT-X Operation

If that weren’t enough, N1MM+ also offers fantastic integration with WSJT-X. You actually launch the WSJT-X software from within N1MM+. The logger then accomplishes all the rig control while WSJT runs the audio input/output and the digital contact. Log the QSO and it automatically moves into the contest logbook.

Plus, the integration includes worked B4 callsign flagging as well as needed multipliers, etc. And it also allows simultaneous operation on both rigs. This is a very important feature for today’s VHF contests where WSJT is the go-to way to work the contest.

Something I like, too, is that for transverters it shows the actual on the air frequency in the WSJT display, even though the radio is tuned to the IF frequency. Anything that can help overcome my well honed ability to get confused is always welcome.

Other Features to Explore

I need to spend some more time on the Multiplier by Band Window that has a grid listing option. From the documentation it appears to offer such info as showing bearing to grid, setting the rover QTH to find the correct bearing, and more.

I also plan to spend time setting up SSB messages with recordings. I usually don’t spend a whole lot of time on the microphone, but it could come in handy when say operating WSJT on 6 meters while sending SSB CQs on 2 meters.

In all this I’ve forgotten to mention that the software keeps track of your contest score including recording all the QSOs and identifying the multipliers. That’s the usual logging stuff.

It also has weekly software updates. I’m not sure that’s needed. But, it does demonstrate the commitment to the program by the development team.

Where to Find N1MM+ Documentation

With all these features, it requires a great deal of documentation to guide you through the settings. I really like the overview called Manual — At-A-Glance. Then there’s the VHF and Up Contesting pages that provide lots of details of interest to the VHF Contester.

Of particular interest for today’s VHF contester is the WSJT Decode List Window pages. There is a great deal of information here to make sure WSJT is set up correctly within N1MM+.

Finally, one of the more valuable pages is Setup VHF and Up Contests – CW and SSB. I found the first contest on the list, ARRL 10 GHz and Up, to have the most information that was actually relevant to all VHF contests. So be sure to check that out.

Overall Thoughts

N3FJP VHF Contest is still an excellent program and I will no doubt be using it to determine my final score with activated rover grid multipliers added. But I’m excited about all the features of N1MM+ that promise to make my operation on the road much, much simpler. We’ll see how that goes in the ARRL June VHF Contest.

27-January-2022

There’s been some renewed interest in this post, which reminded me of some advice from Tom, N1MM, on how to move stations to new bands. Here are the details.

• Shift+Home – Will highlight from the cursor insertion point to the home (beginning) of the textbox.
• Shift+End – Will highlight from the cursor insertion point to the end of the textbox.
• Ctrl+C/Ctrl+Insert – Copy to clipboard
• Ctrl+V/Shift+Insert – Paste from clipboard

VHF OPS: Note that you can use the above copy/paste tools to facilitate moving stations from band to band. Just highlight the current callsign using Shift+Home/End and copy using Ctl+C. Log the Q, then move to the next band to work the station. Use Ctl+V to insert his callsign into the callsign textbox. If you then move him to a third band, you can skip the copy step, as the callsign is already in your paste buffer.