Logging software
| Logging software | |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Recording contacts, looking up stations, tracking awards, uploading confirmations |
| Log exchange format | ADIF (.adi, or .adx for the XML version) |
| Contest log format | Cabrillo |
| Upload services | Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ Logbook, Club Log |
| Examples | |
| Contest logger | N1MM Logger+ (Windows, free) |
| General loggers | Log4OM, ACLog, HRD Logbook (Windows); MacLoggerDX (Mac) |
| Phone and portable | Ham2K Portable Logger (PoLo), HamRS |
| Web logs | QRZ Logbook; self-hosted Cloudlog and Wavelog |
Logging software records a station's contacts and does much of the bookkeeping that once filled paper logbooks. Beyond noting who was worked, when and on what band and mode, a modern logger looks up the other station, reads the frequency from the radio, warns of duplicate contacts, tracks progress toward awards and uploads each contact to the online confirmation services. Programs range from free contest loggers to commercial suites and phone apps, and nearly all of them exchange data in a common format, so a log can move from one to another without loss.
Common features
- Call sign lookup. Entering a call fills in the operator's name, location, grid square and country from an online database, such as QRZ.com (a subscription is needed for automatic lookups) or the free HamQTH.
- Rig control. Over a USB or serial connection, the logger reads the frequency and mode from the transceiver, so they never need typing, and can tune the radio to a spot with a click. This is often called CAT control, for computer-aided transceiver.
- Duplicate checking. The logger flags a station already worked on the same band and mode. This matters most in contests, where duplicate contacts earn no points.
- Spots and alerts. Many loggers connect to DX cluster networks and show stations being reported on the air, highlighting countries or states still needed.
- Award tracking. Counting progress toward DXCC, Worked All States, grid square awards, Parks on the Air and others.
- Confirmation uploads. Sending contacts automatically to Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ Logbook and Club Log, and downloading the confirmations that come back.
- Integration with other programs. Digital-mode software such as WSJT-X, used for FT8, can pass each completed contact to the logger automatically.
Types of logger
Contest loggers are built for speed. Every keystroke counts when a station is making a contact every few seconds, so they offer fast entry, instant dupe checks, multiplier tracking, Morse code and voice keying from function keys, networking between operating positions and a correctly formatted log for submission. N1MM Logger+, free for Windows, is very widely used and handles most major contests along with Field Day.
General-purpose loggers are built for a lifetime log of everyday operating, DX chasing and awards. Widely used examples include Log4OM, which is free; ACLog (Amateur Contact Log) from N3FJP Software; and HRD Logbook, part of the Ham Radio Deluxe suite, all for Windows. MacLoggerDX is a long-established choice for the Mac, and Linux users have options such as CQRLOG.
Phone and portable apps suit operating away from home. Ham2K Portable Logger, known as PoLo, is a free app for phones and tablets designed around Parks on the Air and similar activities. HamRS is a simple logger aimed at portable and Field Day-style operating. Both can export their logs for upload or for merging into a home logger.
Web logs run in a browser and can be reached from any device. QRZ Logbook is the simplest place to start, and Cloudlog and its offshoot Wavelog are open-source web loggers that hams install on their own server or a hosting service.
Many hams use more than one: a phone app in the field, a contest logger for contest weekends and a general logger as the master log, into which everything else is eventually imported.
ADIF
The Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) is the common language of ham logs. An ADIF file is plain text, usually with the extension .adi, in which each field is written as a tag giving its name and length followed by the value, such as <CALL:4>W1AW, and each contact ends with an end-of-record tag. Because almost every program and service reads and writes it, ADIF is how logs are moved between programs, merged after a portable outing and uploaded to confirmation services. An XML form, .adx, also exists.
Contest logs are submitted to sponsors in a different format, Cabrillo, which contest loggers produce automatically.
Choosing a logger
The right program depends on how a station operates. A newcomer who makes occasional contacts may need nothing more than QRZ Logbook or a phone app. A POTA activator wants a fast, reliable phone app that works without a cellular signal. A DXer chasing awards benefits from a full general logger with lookups, spots and automatic uploads, and a contester needs a dedicated contest logger. Since free options exist in every category and ADIF makes switching easy, trying several before settling on one costs little.