Here is a short description of what is new in LOGic version 6.
Before we start discussing all the great new features in LOGic 6, we would like to thank all the hams who contacted us with ideas on how to improve LOGic 5. You have kept Dennis, WN4AZY, busy over the past year.
Since 1989 LOGic has provided the amateur community with the professional software system that meets the most advanced needs, yet whose fundamental features are easy for the beginner to master. LOGic users enjoy features such as user-defined fields that allow you to log anything, track progress for any award (try tracking something like YL DXCC or QRP WAZ, or lighthouse WAS with any other software!), customizable log form layout, a printing facility that allows you to do things like print your own custom color QSL cards, and contest logging.
LOGic 6 brings many new features and refinements to this already state-of-the-art software.
Here's what's new:
Callbook lookup from web. LOGic 6 scans multiple web sites looking for the requested call. You can choose which sites are searched, and the order in which they are searched. Note: advertisements from commercial sites are displayed.
CW Keyer & PTT now support both serial or parallel ports. A separate port can be used for CW PTT and Voice PTT. Serial and parallel ports are now supported on Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP. (NT too, probably.)
CW Keyer has been completely redone. You can change speed while transmitting by simply changing the controls on the keyer form. It is no longer necessary to click anything to enter or exit the real-time keyboard. Just type in the input window. Change speed on the fly by clicking the speed control.
Most windows can be displayed in the main LOGic 6 window (like previous versions), or may be displayed on the Windows desktop. This permits better use of systems with multiple monitors. To move a window, right-click the form. A new option has been added to the Form Properties.
The menu system has been redone. Over the years LOGic has accumulated so many features that finding them can be daunting to the new and experienced user alike. The new menu system is more logical and easier to use. The main menu bar has new menus that categorize LOGic 6's many features by major operating activities: Awards, Contesting, QSLing, and Reports.
Reports and log forms are now categorized. They have been divided into categories such as Log, Contesting, QSL Cards, and QSL Labels.
Suppose you want to print QSL cards. In spite of straightforward instructions in the manual (Click File, Print, and select a QSL card from the list of reports), we still got a lot of calls asking, "How do I print QSL cards?" Perhaps some were intimidated by the menu of LOGic's 50+ reports and didn't think to scroll to the Qs to find QSL Card reports. Now, simply click QSLing on the menu bar, and select QSL Cards. The new report menu will display only QSL Card reports. The description of the report is displayed as you click on an entry or scroll through the list.
Log forms are also categorized by contest and non-contest. The log form selection menu now displays the description.
Not to worry. Those of you who liked the old menu system just fine will find the old menu structure still supported within the new menu system.
The Filter screen now allows you to search user-defined fields exactly the same way that you do normal fields. Each user-defined field is listed in the Filter window, just like regular fields. It is no longer necessary to search the Userfields field for the desired tag and value.
Menus and toolbars for functions related to logging have been added to the log form. The Log menu was moved from the main LOGic menu bar to the log form.
Menus and optional button toolbars provide access to the function key macros for the CW keyer, digital communication terminals, and telnet.
Transparent forms--looks cool and makes it easy to find forms that are entirely covered by other forms! Windows 2000, and XP or later only.
Holding the mouse on top of a function key button will show the actual text that will be transmitted based on the contents of the log screen. For instance, if the expression for the function key is CALL + " DE WN4AZY TNX FER THE CALL 'BT UR RST IS " + RST_SENT, LOGic 6 may display N6MRQ DE WN4AZY TNX FER THE CALL 'BT UR RST IS 599. The voice keyer also has a menu in the log form, and an optional button toolbar.
LOGic 6 stores function key macro definitions with the log form, so that you can create new log forms to have a potentially unlimited number of function keys, and so that different groups of definitions may be made for each operating activity. Buttons on the keyer and communications forms also provide access to your macros. If you have more than one log form open, the definitions for the most-recently-accessed log form are used. Holding the mouse on top of the button shows the description of the macro key and what will be transmitted.
When entering expressions for terminal and keyer function keys in log/setup, holding the mouse over the expression will also show the results of the expression.
Description info for dropdown fields automatically displays description when entering a value or holding the mouse over the field. For instance, the DXCC field will display the country name, and, if the IOTA list is installed, will show island group info. Previously it was necessary to click on the field to see this info, and sometimes it was truncated if it was too big to display in the Description column of the display.
LOGic 5 featured log form customization, offering drag-and drop field layout, and menu selection of which fields to display. Based on input from LOGic 5 users, several enhancements were made to this great feature.
The log window is sized automatically. When unlocking the form, it is expanded to give you extra room to add new fields, etc. If it is not expanded enough, you can drag the window to a larger size. When locking the form, it will automatically resize to be as small as possible, based on where you positioned the fields. When unhiding a field, it is flashed several times so you can see where the new field is located. If you don't see it, double-click the field name in the list, and it will flash some more. In the tab order setup, which allows you to determine where the cursor moves as you tab through the log form, you may now double-click the field name in the list to cause the field to flash on the log form.
The above features have also been implemented in the QSL Routes screen.
A new feature allows a log form to add needed fields to the database. Previously, if you downloaded a new contest setup that needed a new field for a contest exchange or whatever, you had to add the new field to tools/setup/log forms yourself in order to use it on the contest screen.
Now, the log form can be set up so that the needed fields are added automatically. If you design a log form that uses user-defined fields that you want to share with other LOGic users, simply enter the field names, types, and sizes in Log Setup. When someone else opens your form, the new fields will be added to the database automatically.
Interface to HamScope digital communications program.
Interface to DX Atlas.
Increased capacities--You can now have 20 user-defined fields per screen. 20 each CW, Terminal, and voice keyer function keys. Copy more items from previous QSOs or Prefix Table.
Every input field that requests select criteria (such as when exporting part of your log) now uses the filter screen so that you can simply fill in the desired values just as you do when using the Filter feature of the log form.
Clock may be automatically set to the National Institute of Standards and Technonogy (NIST) atomic clock (the same one WWV uses) via the internet. To turn on this feature, go to tools/setup/internet. If you are not connected to the internet when starting LOGic 6, an unintrusive notice is displayed. You may also set the clock to NIST by clicking the clock icon in the Info window.
LOGic 6 is programmed to know about all available time servers that support the required protocol. If one server is down, it will automatically try another.
A new server interface allows third-party programs to easily access and control many of LOGic 6's features. Here are just a few of the things you can do:
•Interface your communications program so that any data received will be processed by LOGic 6, and any data sent using LOGic 6 will be sent to your application for transmission.
•Read and control any rig connected to LOGic 6.
•Log a QSO, or read QSO data from LOGic 6's log screen.
•Access your callbook CD-ROM or web callbook.
•Send spots to LOGic 6's spot log.
This is accomplished using the Windows Common Object Model (COM) interface. Most any language may be used, including Visual C, Visual Basic, Visual FoxPro, Windows Scripting, as well as any product that supports VBScript or JavaScript, including Active Server Pages. Anyone care to interface LOGic to their web page? See our web site for details and an example program. Almost all of LOGic 6's internals are exposed, so if you have a neat idea and want to do something that is not documented, contact us and we will assist.
Previous QSOs window shows log entries for spots in the spot log.
LOGic 6's map has a new option for independently choosing whether to set the rig and/or rotor when clicking a spot indication on the map.
When posting a spot, the frequency is obtained from the rig if possible. Otherwise it is obtained from the frequency logged in the log form.
If LOGic 6 is not shut down properly because of a system crash, power failure, etc, LOGic 6 will automatically ask if you want to perform a Clean to repair indexes that may have been damaged. The feature does not work when running multiple instances of LOGic 6 simultaneously on the same computer.
Does not prompt for Station Info after doing a Clean Up Indexes and Temporary files.
Exports log file to XML format. See tool/export. The schema is imbedded in the exported file.
When a filter is in effect, holding the mouse on top of the Filter button displays the filter expression, if any.
An input field on the Other QSOs form permits lookup of any call without opening a log form.
If you are currently logging a mode not supported by the rig, and change the mode on the rig, it will begin reading the mode from the rig again.
Previously, if you were logging a mode that is not supported by the rig (say you were logging PSK31 but had the rig set to USB), LOGic would ignore the rig's mode. It would continue to ignore the mode until you manually logged a normal mode. It would then read the mode for the next QSO. LOGic 6 still does this. If you want to now log a bona fide USB QSO, you must manually log USB once. But if you are logging PSK31 and switch to CW or USB, LOGic 6 will start reading the rig again.
Modes table has a new field for default RST for each mode.
Current sunrise and sunset displayed in tools/update sunrise/sunset.
Paths for Edit a text file, Import, and Export are remembered for the default the next time these features are used.
Tools/Advanced/Path and File Info displays the data search path and where various key files are located. This is useful when running over a network or using multiple databases.
The Range selection dialog has been removed from the report writer. It is no longer necessary, since Filtering will automatically utilize any appropriate indexes to speed search.
Note: This list of LOGic 6‘s new features is not guaranteed to be complete!