What Adif Fields Can Be Uploaded to Lotw
I take been having a lot of fun participating in the National Parks on the Air ("NPOTA")event sponsored past ARRL. This event runs for all of 2016 and features hams and groups activating numerous parks, trails, celebrated sites, monuments and other sites managed by the National Park Service, which is jubilant its centennial this year. Since the issue began on January 1, information technology has seen huge participation and activations of many NPS sites. The loftier excitement level currently beingness seen for this event suggests that there volition be many activations of the more 400 sites throughout all of 2016.
For those that are participating and want to receive credit for activating a certain NPS unit, or those who want to receive credit for working – "chasing" – the activations, ARRL's Logbook of the Globe ("LOTW") is the only way to officially receive this credit. ARRL is offering certificates for activator and chasers, only you accept to employ LOTW to log your contacts to exist eligible for these certificates.
In the first few weeks of this event, we have seen a little confusion regarding the proper way for activators to upload their activation logs to LOTW with the appropriate park information. Without the park data in their uploaded logs, they will non receive activator credit, and the stations they worked volition not receive chaser credit. I have now activated two locations (and plan to activate more), and went through the process of figuring out the proper way to "sign and upload" the logs for these activations. Following is a cursory tutorial of the way to practise this. This assumes y'all have already registered with LOTW and I will not cover that procedure here. If you have non registered, go to the LOTW site and sign upwards today!
Once y'all have registered with LOTW and received your LOTW document assigned to your call sign, yous will install TQSL version 2.2 (the electric current version) on your figurer. Yous tin and so employ TQSL to manually enter log data, or you can interface information technology with many popular logging programs. Once y'all have this completed, you will be set to upload logs to LOTW.
So, permit'due south presume y'all have activated a NPS site for NPOTA and have 500 log entries to upload to LOTW. How exercise y'all practice this in such a manner to ensure you receive credit for the activation? Following are the steps to do this.
First, with your logging software, brand certain you take saved the log file in ADIF format. Your logging software help files volition tell you how to exercise this. If yous have created a paper log for your activation you will take to manually blazon each entry into a logging programme or directly into TQSL. The TQSL assistance files will show you how to manually enter your log entries (I strongly suggest that you use a logging program to enter you log data in the field as you lot become. It volition save you lot a lot of time and trouble).
Next, after you have saved your log to ADIF format on your computer, open the TQSL programme. You will exist greeted with this screen (click on the images for a larger format).
Nosotros are now interested in creating a STATION LOCATION for the park yous activated. From the primary screen, click on the "STATION LOCATIONS" tab.
Here, you will see all of your previously created locations on the left, and pick buttons on the right. Y'all want to select the elevation button on the right to CREATE A NEW STATION LOCATION.
Above is the ADD STATION LOCATION box that opened afterwards you lot selected "create a new station location". In this box you volition meet various options, but yous are not required to fill in any of this at this fourth dimension (your phone call should be pre-filled). You can make full in these other fields if y'all wish. Click Adjacent at the bottom of the screen.
The screen above is where you will include the park information that is critical for NPOTA activation and chaser credit (Notation: Only the activator has to do this. If you are a chaser, you do non have to sign your log with park data. The credit is solely derived from the activator'due south log). On the screen higher up, use the dropdown boxes to select state, canton and park. Note that once you select state, only the counties in that state will be selectable. Too, only the parks in that state volition be bachelor for you to select.
To a higher place is an example of a completed screen with state, canton and park information. After you take completed this, click NEXT at the bottom of the screen.
The last screen in the cosmos of the new station location will show you the location you but created (along with others) and will allow you to create a unique name for the new location. I suggest that you lot create a proper noun that will identify the location by park location or designator and so you will select the correct station location when you are ready to sign and upload your log to LOTW. Click Terminate and your new station location with park designator is complete!
Now that you have this new station location with park information, how do yous employ it to upload your log to LOTW?
Dorsum at the main TQSL screen, to a higher place, you will see two options to get your log interfaced with the new station location yous just created. Get-go, you can select "SIGN A LOG AND UPLOAD It AUTOMATICALLY TO LOTW". This will allow you to select your ADIF file, sign it with the new location and upload information technology at that fourth dimension to LOTW. 2d, y'all can select "SIGN A LOG AND SAVE IT FOR UPLOADING Subsequently". This allows you to select your ADIF log file and sign information technology with the new station location for uploading later when you are logged into the LOTW site on with your browser. Whichever option you choose, you will next run across the following box.
Hither, you will select your new station location with park data. This will and so sign and create your LOTW log with the park data appended. If yous chose the option to save this log for later upload to LOTW, it will create a file with a "tq8" extension on your computer. That is the file you will later choose to upload to LOTW (assuming you did non choose the kickoff pick to upload at that time).
That's it! You have at present created a station location for your activation and have successfully uploaded it to LOTW. You, as activator, and all of the chasers you worked will receive credit for that NPS unit in the NPOTA effect.
At that place is a very proficient Activator Guide provided past ARRL. Check it our for more helpful information.
In that location's besides a Yous Tube video explaining this process, so bank check information technology out.
Have fun with NPOTA in 2016. I look forrard to working many of you during the upshot!
73,
Bill
AB4BJ
Source: https://ab4bj.com/wordpress/2016/01/quick-guide-for-uploading-npota-log-to-lotw/
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