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Hi All, I am again receiving lots of e-mail regarding problems with LoTW. For some folks it is working sporadically, some not at all and some are seeing unusual messages generated by LoTW. I understand your frustration. ARRL is apparently working though making some changes to their site. The problems are with LoTW, not AC Log. There isn't anything I can do about the current functionality of LoTW. We can only hope that ARRL gets the bugs worked out soon. Until then, the best course is patience. If you feel compelled to contact someone, please e-mail lotw-help@.... 73, Scott N3FJP

Hi All, While some folks are having problems with LoTW for other reasons, it appears that many have just lost track of the current URLs, which is sure understandable. As a result of ARRL's modification to thier website, the current LoTW URLs are: Upload: https://p1k.arrl.org/lotwuser/upload?login= Download: https://p1k.arrl.org/lotwuser/lotwreport.adi?login= Some e-mail clients insert spaces in the URL. If there are spaces in the above links you will need to remove them. From AC Log's menu options, click LoTW. Then on the form that appears, click the LoTW Server Settings button that appears at the upper right of the form and carefully enter the above URLs. Most folks are back in business after performing the above. ARRL has made this change. Obviously AC Log has not changed. If you continue to have trouble, please contact lotw-help@.... 73, Scott N3FJP

Hi All, 10 Meter Contest Log 3.0 is now available! The ARRL has added the Mexican states as additional multipliers for the ARRL 10 Meter contest, so I have redesigned the main form and adjusted the coding accordingly. As always, this upgrade is free to registered users. You can download the latest version from www.n3fjp.com. Package Upgrade Information If you have registered one or more individual programs and would like to upgrade to N3FJP's Software Package ($39) or N3FJP's Software Package and CD ($49) 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 now includes over 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging, upgrading your license and other Amateur Radio related applications. In addition to full use of all these programs, registered package customers are also entitled to receive passwords for any new software that is added to the package and free upgrades to existing programs. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Following the release of my Ten Meter Contest Log 3.0, which was upgraded to include the new Mexican multipliers, ARRL (Sean Kutzko, KX9X) was kind enough to give the software a good look. It came to light that the multiplier list I had been sent originally had been modified, changing one of the section abbreviations from NL to NLE. Version 3.1 has been updated accordingly. Sean, thanks for taking the time to check out the program. I REALLY appreciate it! As always, this upgrade is free to registered users. You can download the latest version from www.n3fjp.com. Package Upgrade Information If you have registered one or more individual programs and would like to upgrade to N3FJP's Software Package ($39) or N3FJP's Software Package and CD ($49) 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 approximately 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging, upgrading your license and other Amateur Radio related applications. In addition to full use of all these programs, registered package customers are also entitled to receive passwords for any new software that is added to the package and free upgrades to existing programs. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, For those of you who have acquired the habit of e-mailing us last minute for your forgotten password just before a contest, and those that have not yet registered our Field Day software but plan to, please be sure to do so before 1:00PM, Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, June 26th. Otherwise you will NOT receive your password until sometime Saturday evening. Kimberly and I have a commitment Saturday afternoon and we will not have access to the Internet during that time. Unfortunately, this will be a very busy weekend for us and our operating time will be limited, but I do hope to get on for a while Saturday evening and possibly Sunday. Enjoy Field Day! 73, Scott N3FJP www.n3fjp.com

Hi All, PA QSO Party 2.0 Now Available! I have updated the PA State QSO Party program to count 2 points for all CW QSOs and implemented their the new Canadian multiplier list for this contest. I know the PA QSO Party rules page still indicates 1.5 points for CW contacts on certain bands, but I have received e-mail verifying they are all two points from the PA QP folks. This is a typo on the PA QP rules page and not an error in the new software release. As always, this upgrade is free to registered users. You can download the latest version from the state QSO party link at www.n3fjp.com. Updated Country List - Now Maintained by Jim, AD1C! Jim, AD1C, has volunteered to maintain our country files! Jim was already maintaining files for many other Amateur Radio programs and I really appreciate his adding N3FJP Software to his list! Also, many thanks to Miles, WK5K who built and maintained our country files for many years. You can download the latest files here: http://www.country-files.com/cty/#N3FJP Remember, the cqwwpre2.txt file only needs to go in the CQ WW program directory, arrlpre2.txt goes in the rest of the contesting programs and AC Log. All the programs get the ADIFCnt.txt file. Package Upgrade Information If you have registered one or more individual programs and would like to upgrade to N3FJP's Software Package ($39) or N3FJP's Software Package and CD ($49) 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 approximately 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging and other Amateur Radio related applications. In addition to full use of all these programs, registered package customers are also entitled to receive passwords for any new software that is added to the package and free upgrades to existing programs. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Country List Updates! As I mentioned last month, Jim, AD1C is now maintaining our country lists, which I REALLY appreciate! Jim is making constant tweaks to the list and announcing those changes on the N3FJP_Software_Users group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/N3FJP_Software_Users/ I've been considering passing on those announcements here, but since I promised to keep this Announcements group low volume and Jim is keeping everyone up to date on the discussion group, I've been reluctant as I know there are a large percentage of you here who really appreciate this group's low volume. If you aren't on the discussion group but want to keep up with Jim's changes, you can review his release notes anytime here: http://www.country-files.com/cty/history.htm Of course, you are always welcome to join the discussion group so you can keep up with the latest country list tweaks if you aren't already a member. One significant change I do want to make you aware of is the country list change for the Netherlands Antilles. From Jim's site: Removed entities PJ2, Netherlands Antilles and PJ7, Sint Maarten Added four new entities resulting from the breakup of the Netherlands Antilles starting 10 October 2010. This is tentative and simply a "best guess" based on the available information. When the ARRL announces the actual entities, the country files will be updated ASAP. PJ2 - Curacao PJ4 - Bonaire PJ6/PJ5 - Saba and St. Eustatius PJ7 - Sint MaartenIf you would like to download the latest country lists, you'll find them on Jim's site here: http://www.country-files.com/cty/#N3FJP Remember, the cqwwpre2.txt file only needs to go in the CQ WW program directory, arrlpre2.txt goes in ALL the rest of the contesting programs and AC Log. All the programs get the ADIFCnt.txt file. There is no harm if you download all three files to every program and that seems to be the easiest approach for a lot of folks. If you have any questions regarding the content of these country lists or how to add them to the programs, please post your question to the users group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/N3FJP_Software_Users/). I'm always happy to help, but there has been a ton of e-mail with the recent country changes and I'm not able to keep up and field all the questions / e-mail myself. My Solar Projects! The remainder of this e-mail is off topic, but anytime I've mentioned our solar heating projects that always generates a lot of interest, so I thought I would share my first YouTube video. Never having done a video before or narrated anything for that matter, it is a little rough, but I hope you enjoy it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i3AN-lHMk4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i3AN-lHMk4 If you have questions on my project or solar in general, please join our Simply Solar e-mail group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/simplysolar/ Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997. 73, Scott N3FJP

Hi All, Just a couple quick reminders: November Sweepstakes UTC Offset Reminder The change back to standard time will occur during the November Sweepstakes CW contest this weekend. Like the rest of my software, the Sweepstakes program checks your UTC offset setting on startup, but not continually. If you operate or leave the program running through the night, you'll need to change the offset manually. To do that, click Setup from the menu options and enter the new value in the Hours Added for UTC field after the change to standard time. And this very frequently asked question: I'm using Vista / Windows 7, the program worked great during the contest, but now I can't find the ADIF/Cabrillo/Other file that I formatted for contest submission? In Vista and Windows 7, after navigating to the program directory where you saved the file you created, you must click on Compatibility Files to see the file. Vista and Windows 7 actually store the files in a “Virtual Store” under the AppData store in your user folder. Fortunately, you don’t need to hunt around for the files, just turn on “Compatibility Files” in Explorer. When you browse to a folder that has these hidden files, you’ll see a Compatibility Files toolbar button. Clicking it will show the virtual files for that folder. Keep in mind, though, that the files won’t show up in Open and Save dialogs. If you are running Vista or Win 7, be sure to install and run my software with Administrator privileges. Package Upgrade Information If you have registered one or more individual programs and would like to upgrade to N3FJP's Software Package ($39) or N3FJP's Software Package and CD ($49) 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 at snkdavis@..., and we'll let you know your balance. N3FJP's Software Package now includes nearly 50 programs for contesting, general logging and other Amateur Radio related applications. In addition to full use of all these programs, registered package customers are also entitled to receive passwords for any new software that is added to the package and free upgrades to existing programs. As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, I put out an announcement on May 1st regarding the 10 Meter Contest Log, letting everyone know about the addition of the Mexican multipliers (version 3.0) and then followed up with a minor revision on May 10th (version 3.1), but judging by all the questions I'm getting directly and now on the reflector, folks have forgotten the announcements and aren't checking the revision history. Here is the most recent announcement on the 10 Meter Contest Log that I sent out on May 10th: Hi All, Following the release of my Ten Meter Contest Log 3.0, which was upgraded to include the new Mexican multipliers, ARRL (Sean Kutzko, KX9X) was kind enough to give the software a good look. It came to light that the multiplier list I had been sent originally had been modified, changing one of the section abbreviations from NL to NLE. Version 3.1 has been updated accordingly. Sean, thanks for taking the time to check out the program. I REALLY appreciate it! As always, this upgrade is free to registered users. You can download the latest version from www.n3fjp.com. Package Upgrade Information If you have registered one or more individual programs and would like to upgrade to N3FJP's Software Package ($39) or N3FJP's Software Package and CD ($49) 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 approximately 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging, upgrading your license and other Amateur Radio related applications. In addition to full use of all these programs, registered package customers are also entitled to receive passwords for any new software that is added to the package and free upgrades to existing programs. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Clearly a lot more Vista / Win 7 machines are making it to Field Day than ever before. Kim and I are already being inundated with questions from folks who aren't used to those operating systems and are having trouble finding their submission files. Finding Log / ADIF Files in Vista and Win 7 First, users are reporting our software will run fine on Vista and Win 7, as long as you install and run it with Administrator privileges. If you are running Vista or Win 7 and aren't running it with Administrator privileges, you might have trouble with some of the program functions and you will likely have trouble finding your submission and ADIF files. If you are not running the software with Administrator privileges In Vista and Windows 7, after navigating to the program directory where you saved the file you created, you must click on Compatibility Files to see the file. Vista and Windows 7 actually store the files in a “Virtual Store” under the AppData store in your user folder. Fortunately, you don’t need to hunt around for the files, just turn on “Compatibility Files” in Explorer. When you browse to a folder that has these hidden files, you’ll see a Compatibility Files toolbar button. Clicking it will show the virtual files for that folder. Keep in mind, though, that the files won’t show up in Open and Save dialogs. Here is a YouTube video that another user created to show how to find the files and where the Compatibility tab is located: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wriLnpzqop4 If you ARE running with Administrator privileges, the above steps shouldn't be necessary. If you know others who aren't on these e-mail groups and you anticipate they might have trouble finding their files, please forward this information along to them. Maybe a New Field Day Rewrite for Next Year! I've had text up on the FAQ page for a few years now (included below), explaining the impact of Microsoft's decision to discontinue VB6, the magnitude of effort to entirely rewrite 50 programs from scratch in a brand new language and my personal time constraints, prohibiting that for now. Lord willing, I'm still aiming for retirement from my "real" job in 2017 and I'm looking forward to diving in full force then, but my son is getting married this fall and I'm hoping afterwards, that will open up a little more coding time in the coming months. With that in mind, I am going to try really hard to have a new Field Day program, coded from scratch, that should avoid these file location problems and other quirks with the new operating systems, for Field Day 2012. If I can accomplish that, I will be able to use some of the same sections of new code as I repopulate my N3FJP Software Package with .NET versions, that will hopefully come a little more quickly from there. This is still a HUGE effort, especially with the magnitude of support questions we answer daily that sap time and energy, which used to be directed towards coding. I did something similar the first time around with VB6 and it took 7-8 years of very serious effort to write the 50 programs in the package, when support didn't require nearly as much of us as it does now. But, as my dad liked to say, "a job begun is half done". From the FAQ page: For those interested, here is the text from the FAQ page, which is now a couple years old: What follows is a summary of where we are regarding program changes, the addition of new programs and/or features, etc., from the FAQ page at www.n3fjp.com: You've been at this a long time! What are your future plans for N3FJP Software? N3FJP Software has gone through some amazing changes since I first started back in 1997. There are lots of great things that I never foresaw when I first began, such as how popular the software would become, how large the package would grow to be, all the features that I eventually added, etc. I also never foresaw many of the challenges, such as how much time would be required in daily e-mail support (time I used to be able to devote to programming), the huge problem Microsoft would present in choosing to discontinue to support the VB6 development environment, interfacing with on line data storage such as Log Book of the World, QRZ, etc., and the constant rule changes that would accompany many of the smaller contests. I naively thought I could answer an occasional question or two and then spend the majority of my time writing new programs and adding features. Prior to the release of Vista and Windows 7, there was a lot of uncertainty about whether programs written in VB6 would run on these operating systems. Thankfully, Microsoft decided to support VB6 programs and so far we've received lots of good reports from users running Vista and Windows 7. There isn't any certainty, however, that VB6 programs will run on future operating systems. That sequence of events, along with many other life considerations, helped Kimberly and me to realize that we had reached a crossroads with our software. We considered a lot of different factors, but in reality, our only two paths are either to stay with VB6 and hope that Microsoft continues to support VB6 programs (as mentioned above, they've already discontinued support for the VB6 development environment), or commit the time to rewrite approximately 50 programs in the new VB.NET language that Microsoft is promoting for the future. I've been learning VB.NET (it is quite a bit different than VB6), I like it, but the rewrite time would be very extensive. It took approximately 8 years to write the 50 programs in the package. In addition, since the .NET programs will perform the same functions currently available now, and it still isn't confirmed that Microsoft will drop support of programs written in VB6 with the next operating system, a multi-year rewrite time commitment could wind up to be largely a wasted effort. On the other hand, the fear that VB6 programs may be rendered obsolete with the next operating system can't be ignored. There is no sense continuing to develop programs in VB6 if they may not run on future operating systems. The decisions for the software come back to time. I did start a VB.NET rewrite, but it quickly became apparent that right now, with my "real" job, wife, two boys, all the support time that N3FJP software now takes along with other family and life commitments, there just isn't time to do the rewrite. Lord willing, I should be able to retire from my "real" job in 2017 - 2018. In the mean time, Chris and Bradley will have finished college and probably not be nearly as interested in hanging with their dad as they are now. When that time comes, if there is still interest in N3FJP Software and circumstances warrant the very large effort that a rewrite will require, I should have plenty of opportunity to devote to the software. Hopefully Windows 7 will get us most of the way there. So, with that all being said, and again Lord willing, here is the current plan and thinking for N3FJP Software: For the next few years: - The overall package will probably stay pretty much as it is now, with programs written in VB6. - Any additional programs will be rare. If any are added, they will be focused on contests that are well established and similar to an existing program. - Enhancements to existing programs will be infrequent and determined largely by the coding and testing time required. - Contests requiring significant coding changes as a result of rule changes will probably be dropped from the package. - State QSO parties have been particularly problematic with their frequent rule changes. Even minor rule revisions often require significant time in coding, recompilation of the software, etc. For that reason, by and large, there will no longer be any updates to the state QSO parties. If the rules are changed they will be dropped from the package. - Current features that are "broken" through external causes such as new Telnet formats, changes in interfaces to on line connectivity, etc., may be dropped from the functionality of the software. Longer Term: - If / when it becomes clear that rewriting the programs in VB.NET will be necessary to run on a future operating system AND if life circumstances afford the time and point in that direction, I plan and look forward to doing the rewrite. In Summary: Kimberly and I have a big chunk of our lives wrapped up in N3FJP Software. I've thoroughly enjoyed Amateur Radio, I love coding and the marriage of the two passions made this project a labor of love. I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey. Over time though, as much as we enjoy helping folks, answering the same e-mail questions over and over daily has become strictly labor. Because support requires so much of us, I no longer have that time available to spend actually coding, which is the part I enjoy most. Microsoft thew us a HUGE curve with their lack of support for their own VB6 product - essentially forcing thousands of hours of additional labor from us to continue to be able to run our software on future operating systems. Unfortunately, not foreseeing what was ahead, our pricing strategy of only charging $6 once for most programs and free upgrades forever doesn't support the effort this is requiring now, much less what the rewrite would require. My hope is that once I am able to retire, Lord willing, in 2017 - 2018, having the responsibilities of my "real" job removed and the time demands of my family reduced, I'll be able to again dive in with the labor of love motivation and bring the software back to the state of the art at that time. I still love coding and I'm really looking forward to being able to do more of that in the future! In the mean time, I plan to continue to keep my software available on pretty much an "as is" basis. Enjoy the rest of Field Day! 73, Scott N3FJP http://www.n3fjp.com/ Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Just a reminder, if you are working the CW November Sweepstakes contest this weekend, please remember that my software checks for the correct time offset settings on startup, but not while the program is running. If you are working Sweepstakes tonight, at the exact time that Daylight Savings ends at your location, from the menu options click Setup and then manually adjust your UTC offset (adding an hour as we are falling back). Again, if you close the program before the time change to go to bed for the evening and then open it again tomorrow morning, the program will remind you. You only have to be conscious of this if you leave the program open tonight when the time changes. Good luck and I hope you get a sweep this year in the contest. Working all the sections is always a thrill! Also, for Vista and Win 7 users, I'll pass along this FAQ now as we invariably receive this question many times after each contest. I'm using Vista / Windows 7, and I can't find the ADIF/Cabrillo/Other file that I formatted for contest submission? In Vista and Windows 7, after navigating to the program directory where you saved the file you created, you must click on Compatibility Files to see the file. Vista and Windows 7 actually store the files in a "Virtual Store" under the AppData store in your user folder. Fortunately, you don’t need to hunt around for the files, just turn on "Compatibility Files" in Explorer. When you browse to a folder that has these hidden files, you’ll see a Compatibility Files toolbar button. Clicking it will show the virtual files for that folder. Keep in mind, though, that the files won’t show up in Open and Save dialogs. Here is a YouTube video that another user created to show how to find the files and where the Compatibility tab is located: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wriLnpzqop4 As always, thanks for your kind words and continued support of our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott N3FJP www.n3fjp.com www.faithinframes.com

Hi All, I know that I just put this out two weeks ago, but as Sweepsakes is winding down and the Cabrillo file location questions are coming, I thought I better send this out again. There are two other pieces of information that I would like to share with you as well. For those running Vista or Win 7 and are having trouble finding your Cabrillo file: In Vista and Windows 7, after navigating to the program directory where you saved the file you created, you must click on Compatibility Files to see the file. Vista and Windows 7 actually store the files in a "Virtual Store" under the AppData store in your user folder. Fortunately, you don’t need to hunt around for the files, just turn on "Compatibility Files" in Explorer. When you browse to a folder that has these hidden files, you’ll see a Compatibility Files toolbar button. Clicking it will show the virtual files for that folder. Keep in mind, though, that the files won’t show up in Open and Save dialogs. Here is a YouTube video that another user created to show how to find the files and where the Compatibility tab is located: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wriLnpzqop4 Maybe, Lord willing, sooner than 2017? Those of you that have been following along know that it has been my hope, prayer and plan to be able to jump back into the software full time, rewriting the nearly 50 programs for the latest operating systems, when I am eligible for retirement, which I thought would be in 2017. This is a huge job, as it took about 7 years to write the package the first time around. There is a happy possibility that schedule may significantly accelerate. My employer has just announced an early retirement option. I qualify, barely, based on my years of service and I have expressed my desire to take the early out to my supervisors. Naturally, there is a catch. For every person who is granted the early out incentive, a position has to be eliminated. My position can't be eliminated, because the functions I perform must continue, so senior managers will have to determine if another position that is eliminated can be applied to my retirement, understanding they will have to fill my position. In other words, can they promote someone into my slot and then delete the position vacated. I may not know until January or February if they will let me take the incentive. I would love to be able to dive into N3FJP software full time next year. That would be wonderful! I am praying for God's will and I would very much appreciate all of your prayers regarding the possibility of this major life event. Uplifting, Motivational. Faith Based, Photography E-mail Group That ends the Amateur Radio portion of this e-mail, but for those interested, Kimberly and I also wanted to invite you to join what we hope you will find to be a positive, uplifting, motivational photography e-mail group. My friend Bonny, wife Kim and I really enjoy photography. We thought it would be neat to set up an e-mail group where we could send our latest photos, maybe every week or so, that we hope you will enjoy and brighten your day. We are the only ones who can post to the group, so e-mail volume will be minimal. You can join our Faith In Frames e-mail group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/faithinframes/ You can also find us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-In-Frames/285518581463882 Here are some examples of the kind of photos we would like to send out: As always, thanks for your kind words, continued support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott N3FJP www.n3fjp.com

Hi All, FYI, Fred at QRZ is looking into it. Please see below. 73, Scott N3FJP -----Original Message----- From: Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ To: Snkdavis Sent: Wed, Nov 23, 2011 6:09 pm Subject: Re: QRZ Problem Scott, I've been out for several hours and just returned to a few messages asking about this issue. Things seem to be fine at the moment and I'm looking through the logs for a possible clue. Meanwhile, whenever there is a future report of slowness, please try and record the UTC time of the event so I can correlate it to our logs. Thanks, -fred On 11/23/2011 3:33 PM, Snkdavis wrote: Hi Fred, I suddenly have been getting flooded with problem reports from QRZ XML subscribers. These reports began this afternoon (11/23/11). When can I tell them QRZ will be back up? Happy Thanksgiving Fred! 73, Scott N3FJP -- Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ Publisher, QRZ.COM flloyd@...

Hi All, QRZ is now working again. Earlier today, the QRZ folks removed the reference link that AC Log uses to access their database. AC Log was actually one of the first programs to use their XML data, Since the time I coded that feature, their spec changed. I've updated my code in AC Log to the new spec and have verified it is working, so with the next release, the new QRZ link will be used. In the mean time, the QRZ folks have restored the link specified in their original spec, so your current version of AC Log will work fine. In short, all is well. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 73, Scott N3FJP

Hi Gang, In mid November, I shared this information: Maybe, Lord willing, sooner than 2017? Those of you that have been following along know that it has been my hope, prayer and plan to be able to jump back into the software full time, rewriting the nearly 50 programs for the latest operating systems, when I am eligible for retirement, which I thought would be in 2017. This is a huge job, as it took about 7 years to write the package the first time around. There is a happy possibility that schedule may significantly accelerate. My employer has just announced an early retirement option. I qualify, barely, based on my years of service and I have expressed my desire to take the early out to my supervisors. Naturally, there is a catch. For every person who is granted the early out incentive, a position has to be eliminated. My position can't be eliminated, because the functions I perform must continue, so senior managers will have to determine if another position that is eliminated can be applied to my retirement, understanding they will have to fill my position. In other words, can they promote someone into my slot and then delete the position vacated. I may not know until January or February if they will let me take the incentive. I would love to be able to dive into N3FJP software full time next year. That would be wonderful! I am praying for God's will and I would very much appreciate all of your prayers regarding the possibility of this major life event. ---- Latest Update: I was initially told by my immediate supervisors, who I like very much, that my chances of being allowed to take the incentive were slim and none. They appreciate what I mean to the bureau, don't want to lose me and aside from all that, the functions I perform must continue. However, in the last week or so, things have changed dramatically. Long story short, a reorganization may wind up brining someone into our expanded bureau that will be able to perform most of my functions, so now the probability of me being allowed to take the early retirement is fairly likely! Guys, I can't tell you how excited I am about this! It has always been my dream to be able to work from home full time. The thought of being able to devote that time to something I thoroughly enjoy - writing Amateur Radio software - is just fantastic! It's not a done deal yet, my supervisors are trying very hard to talk me out of leaving, but the real concern is that the tentative reorganization plans will take another direction that precludes my ability to go. That said, I am hopeful that effective March 1, 2012, I will be able to work on N3FJP Software full time! Evolving Plans: When it appeared that I would not be able to fully immerse myself back in the software until 2017, I assumed by that time a complete, .NET rewrite would be required. It probably still will be, however, my software, written in VB6, is working fine on Win 7 when installed with Administrator privileges and preliminary reports for the next Windows OS after Win 7 are encouraging as well. With that in mind, it makes great sense to update the existing software to be more Win 7 (and beyond) compliant, before I begin the huge, multi year rewrite task. So, assuming the retirement incentive goes through, the first order of business will be to upgrade all the software for later versions of Windows. Because I have to upgrade nearly 50 programs, this is no small task and I can't add too many items to this first list, but I would love to hear any suggestions that would be quick to code to go along with this list: - Cabrillo and ADIF files to be written to the ProgramData directory, or user's directory of choice (this is the most important item as Kim and I spend tons of time after every contest helping folks find their submittal files by clicking on the comparability tab with Vista and Win 7) - Monitors are wider, bigger and running at much higher resolutions than when the programs were written and the fonts aren't sizing up as cleanly as I would like. I plan to spruce up the general appearance of the main form for every program. Since I have about 50 programs and all the state QSO party programs have two main forms, this will take some time as well. - Increase the prefix array size to accommodate Jim's larger country lookup file size. This one is easy. Note - I definitely plan to take a look at the Cabrillo output for new classes added since the programs were released, but that has to be done on a case by case basis, so it will be a subsequent release, as needed, after this first round of updates. I really want to get Win 7 compliant versions out as quickly as I can. Those are the first items on the agenda. If you can think of any other items generic to all programs, that won't be too massive to code, I'm all ears. Once the programs are spruced up, I plan to turn my attention to upgrading specific programs as needed, possibly adding some additional programs to the package and then beginning the .NET rewrite. Again, all this is contingent on my being allowed to go. We are, above all, seeking God's will in this major life decision. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott N3FJP www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997. P.S. I just set up a Facebook page for N3FJP Software here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/N3fjp-Software/150384771735256

Hi All, I hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas, looking forward to a happy New Year and enjoying a wonderful holiday season! First, a quick update. It is not a done deal yet, but the possibility of my being able to take early retirement from my full time job is looking likely! I am really hopeful and excited that beginning March 1, 2012, I will be able to work on N3FJP Software full time! I really appreciate everyone's prayers and well wishes as this major life development unfolds! As I mentioned a few weeks ago, by far, the biggest e-mail generator surrounding my software is users finding Cabrillo and ADIF files on Windows 7 and Vista machines after contests. Folks not running with Administrator privileges have to click the Compatibality tab to locate them, which is confusing to many. A second issue is that, as screens have become larger and wider, the fonts were not scaling well. I have worked up code to address both these issues, and I'm in the process of retrofitting the software now. I have the fonts sizing better and the Cabrillo / ADIF files are saved to a folder called N3FJP Software in the Documents or My Documents folder in the User's profile (and the user has the option to save them wherever they like as well). I'm off this week, so I was able to make a little progress, but it takes about a day to retrofit two programs. With 50 programs in the package and having to head back to work next week, it may be late spring before I can complete this task. I do plan to try to stay ahead of the 2012 contest calendar with these upgrades, so, with the ARRL RTTY Round-Up a little more than a week away, I have upgraded the ARRL RTTY Round-Up log. You can download version 1.4 from the ARRL RTTY Round-Up page at www.n3fjp.com. Again, thanks so much for your continued support and spreading the word about my software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott N3FJP www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Just in time for the ARRL RTTY Contest this weekend, Greg, W8GCD has updated K7RE RTTY and he is making it available free! This program interfaces with my ARRL RTTY Contest log, my other contest logs with digital modes and Amateur Contact Log. If you aren't already a member of Greg's e-mail group, to download the software, you'll need to subscribe here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K7RE_RTTY/ You'll then be able to download the software from this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K7RE_RTTY/files/K7RE%20RTTY%20Full%209-20-2005.zip Finally, please send Greg an e-mail (gcdechant@...) so that he can send you the free serial number for K7RE RTTY. If you have any questions or need support for K7RE RTTY, please post your questions to Greg's e-mail group. I'm not an RTTY guy (yet), so I can't offer any offer any support for K7RE RTTY myself. If you've never operated RTTY, this weekend is a great opportunity to get your feet wet! Enjoy the contest! 73, Scott N3FJP www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Just a quick note to let you know that I have now completed the promised upgrades on all the major contesting programs! As always, these upgrades are free to registered users. Just download the latest from www.n3fjp.com, enter the password we previously sent and you will be all set. Next on the to do list are the State QSO parties and then AC Log. These upgrades include: - Cabrillo and ADIF files are saved in My Documents in the Users's profile directory (or a directory of the User's choice) in better compliance with Vista, Win 7 and future operating systems. - Better font sizing and scaling on larger, wide screen monitors. - Quadrupled country lookup array size to accommodate Jim, AD1C's highly specific country prefix database. By the way, a continued thanks to Jim, who's focus on the country database gives me more time for coding and other support! Future Update Regarding my possible retirement, I have been told verbally that they are going to let me take it! They haven't let me sign the papers yet, but I have been assured that the current plans are still on track with an effective date of March 1st! All, thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes. I can't tell you how excited I am about being able to devote full time to N3FJP Software! Speaking of N3FJP Software, you will notice on the new N3FJP splash screen, that the company name Affirmatech also appears briefly on the lower right. To make a long story short, both my sons, as well as my daughter-in-law, are gifted programmers! At some point in the future we plan to start our own software company. Since their involvement may add programs outside of the N3FJP Software umbrella, we incorporated under the name Affirmatech. Links Welcome & Appreciated! All, thanks so much for spreading the word about my software. I really appreciate it! I am often asked if it is okay to link to www.n3fjp.com from your personal website. Yes, definitely, I thank you very much for that! In fact, I now have both a large and small banner if you would like to add that to your site with the hyperlink. Just send me an e-mail if you would like to use one of my banners and I will happily send them along. 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 approximately 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging and other Amateur Radio related applications. 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. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, Just a quick note to let you know that I have now completed the promised upgrades on all the the contesting programs, including every state QSO party program! As always, these upgrades are free to registered users. Just download the latest from www.n3fjp.com, enter the password we previously sent and you will be all set. These upgrades include: - Cabrillo and ADIF files are saved in My Documents in the Users's profile directory (or a directory of the User's choice) in better compliance with Vista, Win 7 and future operating systems. - Better font sizing and scaling on larger, wide screen monitors. - Quadrupled country lookup array size to accommodate Jim, AD1C's highly specific country prefix database. By the way, a continued thanks to Jim, who's focus on the country database gives me more time for coding and other support! I am now turning my attention to incorporating the above enhancements into Amateur Contact Log! Amateur Exam Study Program 1.3 is Now Available! Back by popular demand and the generous contribution of updates to all three question pools this week by Bill, KJ4ADN, I have put my freely available Amateur Exam Study Program back up on the website. If you already have the program installed, you can download the latest question pools, or just install version 1.3 if you like. This program is completely free, so please share it with anyone you think might be interested in our hobby! You'll find the program under the Speciality Software software link at www.n3fjp.com, 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 approximately 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging and other Amateur Radio related applications. 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. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com Serving the Amateur Radio Community with contesting and general logging software since 1997.

Hi All, I have quite a list of exciting N3FJP Software and related announcements. If you are interested in the future of N3FJP Software, but not necessarily everything in between, please be sure to skip down to the bottom! Amateur Contact Log 3.1 is Now Available! Amateur Contact Log 3.1 is now ready for download from the AC Log page at www.n3fjp.com! Enhancements to the software include: - Updated for new QRZ lookup spec. (The spec that 3.0 currently uses is still supported by QRZ, but may eventually be phased out). No changes have been made to the actual download data format. - Better display for larger, wide screen monitors. You won't notice much difference on old style monitors, but the software now scales much better for new ones! - LoTW, QRZ and Buckmaster Passwords hidden by default. - Copy LoTW download to clipboard for easy transfer to a spreadsheet such as Excel. - Better LoTW download form column widths for larger displays. - LoTW column widths and order can be user customized. Just drag the columns in the order you like, adjust their widths as you prefer and click the Save Column Settings button on the LoTW form. - Files commonly edited by users are saved in your User Profile directory instead of working directory, in better compliance with Vista, Win 7 and future operating systems. - Create Backup now exports in ADIF. ADIF is the most universal format and the best option for user saved backups. - Country files (Arrlpre2.txt and ADIFcnt.txt) are written to program files on install, but Shared, then User and thirdly Program Files are accessed on load, for easier user updates (click File > Show File Locations for details.) - Users can now change main form label fonts and sizes by clicking Settings > Appearance > Label Font - Users can now choose if they want to carry the comments data forward from a previous contact by clicking Settings > Carry Comments Data Forward. - Users can easily see the location of all relevant files by clicking File > Show File Locations. - For country lookup, Guantanamo bay only returned with 2X2 calls (this still needs to be incorporated into the contesting software). - If users ever have a need to reindex their log, they can easily do so by clicking File > Reeindex log Upgrade Instructions for 3.1. To upgrade to version 3.1, please do the following: - Download and run the installation file from the AC Log page at www.n3fjp.com. Let the program install in its own working directory. DO NOT attempt to install the program in the same directory as a previous version of AC Log. - Start AC Log 3.1 from the Windows Start menu in the N3FJP Software program group. - When you start 3.1 for the first time, it will ask you if you are upgrading. If you are and if you have an earlier version of AC Log on the same PC, answer Yes. Otherwise, answer No and enter your password. The upgrade process will bring over most of your settings automatically. - To transfer your log(s) from version 3.0 or earlier, from the menu options of the earlier version, for each log file, click File > Export ADIF Format. Then, from AC Log 3.1, click File > Import ADIF format and select the file that you exported. Your log will appear on import. If you want to keep multiple imports in separate files, click File > New and enter the name you would like before each import. It is imperative that you transfer your logs to 3.1 via ADIF. Jim, AD1C, has updated the names of some of the countries in the country list that accompanies ACLog version 3.1. Transferring your data via ADIF will update the names in your log file automatically. For more details on the changes, please see the documentation on Jim's website (http://www.country-files.com/n3fjp/index.htm). Any questions on the specific content of the country list should be referred to Jim. - If you are bringing over multiple logs, be sure to first click File > New from 3.1's menu options and enter the name of the file you would like to create for the data you are importing. - If you are starting 3.1 fresh on a new PC, answer no to the upgrade question and enter your password. To bring your log file from your old PC to the new one, from the old PC click File > Export ADIF to export your log. Write the file to a portable medium. Take the file to the new PC and click File > Import ADIF and the select the file. - If you make a mistake, from 3.1, you can click File > Reset Counter and enter 0 (or the last record number you want to keep) to clear the contents of the currently listed records and then try again. Country List Announcements E-mail Group Created by Jim, AD1C! Jim, AD1C is extremely vigilant in keeping the country lists current and issues updates often! Because many folks have not subscribed to the Users group due to high volume, where Jim issues these updates and since his announcements are more frequent than what we had in mind for the very low volume Announcements Only group, there was a void in getting the word out regarding country updates. Jim has filled that void with his creation of this new group. Please subscribe if you would like to receive Jim's announcements of updates to the country list! http://mail.country-files.com/mailman/listinfo/announce_country-files.com We are very fortunate for all Jim does and I can't thank Jim enough! WX Warn 1.6 Now Available! I have updated WXWarn, so that in addition to audio alerts of unfolding weather conditions for your local area, it will now maximize and move to the front, in case you were away from the PC when the alert was issued. Add the types of weather alerts you would like the program to maximize on by clicking Settings > Alert and Display Options. You can download WXWarn from my WXSpots website at www.wxspots.com. Greg's New K7RE RTTY Website On-Line! As mentioned previously, Greg Dechant is reinvigorating K7RE RTTY, which interfaces with my software. Greg is providing K7RE RTTY completely free! It now no longer requires a password to run. His new website is: http://w8gcd-digital.com/. With the RTTY version of NAQP at hand, give it a try and see what you think! Future of N3FJP Software & Related If you have been following along, you know that last fall, my employer made a contingent offer of an early retirement incentive, for which I barely qualified in terms of years of service. Another requirement, that it appeared I could not meet, was that they either had to be able to eliminate my function (they could not), or reorganize in a way that another person could assume my duties. I was initially told the likelihood of being granted the incentive was slim and none. Long story short, through an amazing combination of circumstances aligning, I have been granted the opportunity to take the incentive and my first day of "retirement" will be this Thursday, March 1st! Thank you all so much for your thoughts, encouragement and most of all your prayers during this time. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! I need to qualify "retirement". My dad lived to 93 and mom is going strong at 90. I will just be turning 50 this year, so while no day is certain, Lord willing, I've got a long way to go. I am viewing these events as an exciting career change! I am nowhere near ready to watch the grass grow. I have lots of goals and dreams that I can't wait to fully devote my time to! So, with that backdrop, and the preface that God and family will always come first, here is where we are and where we are going with N3FJP Software, as well as a little info on the other projects I have planned... - After 6 months, I've finally completed the initial round of upgrades to the existing VB6 programs. They now display better on larger, wide screen monitors and make it much easier to find your submission files on Vista, Win 7 and later operating systems. - The next step will be the mammoth project of converting all my software to C#.net. This will ensure that my software will continue to run on future operating systems beyond Windows 8. It will also give me the opportunity to fully learn the C#.net language, as I am just getting started on that part of the learning process. Writing all my programs the first time around took the majority of weekends and evenings for nearly 7 years. Hopefully this won't take that long, but it will certainly be a multi year project. - While working on the C# conversion, I still plan to maintain the existing VB6 programs and maybe even add a program or two. I also have some weather related software and a few other applications that I plan to maintain and eventually rewrite. - You may have noticed the small Affirmatech logo on the new N3FJP Software splash screen. In addition to Amateur Radio Logging Software, which will always be at the core of my activities, I am hoping to expand into other product lines with my family. My two sons, Chris and Brad and daughter-in-law, Samantha, are all gifted programmers. One of our dreams is to build a software business together. Looking farther out, we are planning some Affirmatech software products. - I am very interested in DIY solar and plan to continue that fascinating hobby as well. You can see some of my recent YouTube videos on that here: Super Simple CPVC Collector: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP8H5IOTwYU Designing the Ultimate Solar Hot Air Collector: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBLQ2ZUeP7w - Last, but definitely not least, I am continuing to immensely enjoy photography, nature and matching our pictures with uplifting biblical verses on our website at www.faithinframes.com. We are just getting started and still refining the concept, adding pictures and enhancing the website. That is a really nice counterpoint to coding. So, I have an array of projects on my plate and I will definitely be a very busy guy. The exciting part is that I am very enthused about them all and I am thrilled to be able to pursue my passions! Thanks for bearing with this long explanation. I've received so many nice, encouraging sentiments from so many of you, as well as questions on the future goals for the software, that it seems the appropriate time to share my thoughts in detail. 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 approximately 50 programs for contesting, net management, general logging and other Amateur Radio related applications. 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. Thanks! As always, thanks for your kind words, support and spreading the word about our software. Kimberly and I really appreciate it! 73, Scott & Kimberly N3FJP & KAS3SEQ www.n3fjp.com