----- NAME -----
xlog - GTK+ logging program for Amateur Radio Operators

----- SYNOPSIS -----
xlog [option] <log1.xlog> <log2.xlog> ...

----- OPTIONS AND ARGUMENTS -----
 -h Show summary of options and exit.
 -v Output version information and exit.

You can either open logs from the command line or, if there are no logs
entered, logs as set in the preferences dialog will be opened.

----- DESCRIPTION -----
xlog is a logging program for Amateur Radio Operators. The main window consists
of a button bar, QSO frame, and a browseable log. Logs will be saved to a flat
text file. You can create, open and close logs as you need them.

----- USAGE -----
When xlog is first started, an empty window is shown. You must select "Log->New"
from the menu (Ctrl+N) to create a new log.

                                       {xlog-newlogdialog.png}


QSO's are entered into the QSO frame on the left of the main window. Clicking
the Date button will update the date field, the UTC button will update the UTC
field.

  {xlog-mainwindow.png}


After all the fields are entered, click on Add in the button bar, to add the
QSO to the log list on the right side of the main window.

QSO's can be deleted from the log by selecting a row in the log list and
clicking on Delete.

Likewise, a log entry can be changed by selecting a row in the log, changing
the QSO in the QSO frame, and clicking on Update.

Finally, selecting "Edit->Clear All" from the menu will Clear all the fields in
the QSO frame.

----- KEYS -----
For a list of keys used by xlog see the "Keys" window from the help menu
(Ctrl+z). Most of the buttons in the QSO frame can be clicked using the Alt
key together with the associated underlined character in the button.
If any of the labels are underlined the entry next to it will get focus when
the Alt key is used, when a default is present it will be filled in.
You can access the menu with Ctrl-F10. You need to make sure that your
window manager does not use Ctrl-F10, e.g. it is used by xfce to access
the 10th desktop.

----- PREFERENCES -----
In order to calculate the correct distance to your location, you have to enter
your longitude and latitude in the Info page of the preferences dialog. Here
you can also choose whether the distance should be displayed in Kilometers or
Nautical Miles.

                             {xlog-preferencesdialog-info.png}


When you intend to make VHF/UHF QSO's and you have a QTH locator field in the
log, you should enter your QTH locator in the preferences dialog.

The General page allows you to choose an editbox to enter band and mode
instead of using the default optionmenu. When "use free fields to add
distance and azimuth to the log" is checked, distance and azimuth will
be calculated from the locator field (when present) and added to the log.


                             {xlog-preferencesdialog-general.png}


When 'Enable type and find' is checked, all the logs will be searched
for a callsign match and when found, fill in name, QTH, locator and remarks
like in the previous QSO.

In the Logs page you can decide where to save your logs and which logs to load
at startup (in case there are no logs entered at the command line). Of course,
you have to restart xlog and be sure to move your logs there. You can use
wildcards or a list of logs separated by a comma. Extension .xlog will be
automatically added, e.g. when using wildcards, 'p*' will load all logs
starting with 'p' and ending with '.xlog'.

                             {xlog-preferencesdialog-logs.png}


You can also set the automatic saving method in this page. When selecting
autosave, the interval between saving of the logs needs to be selected.
Selecting a value of zero will disable autosave: you will need to use 'Ctrl+s'
every time a log is changed.

----- HAMLIB -----
Xlog is compiled with hamlib support, so you can read your rig's frequency
over the serial port. You must select the model of your rig an the port used
from the list available in the hamlib page of the preferences dialog. If you
want to use RPC rig, you should select localhost as a port.

The same page allows you to display a dockable frequencymeter and s-meter on
the statusbar.

                             {xlog-preferencesdialog-hamlib.png}


When hamlib is enabled, 3 clickable buttons are added to the QSO frame, so you
can easily fill in frequency, mode and signal strength in the appropriate
fields. If your log records power (required in some countries), there is also a
clickable power button in the QSO frame.

You can either chose to poll your rig continuously with a certain time interval
or just retrieve rig data when using "Edit->Click All" or Ctrl-k.

Your hamlib port can be configured in the hamlib page of the the preferences
dialog. You can enter things like: rts_state=ON,timeout=600,serial_speed=19200
here.

----- TESTING HAMLIB -----
At his point you should probably read your rig's manual, to see how you
should hook up your rig to the serial port. For my kenwood rig, I need
a standard serial cable with two 9-pin connectors. You also need write
permission to the serial port. On my system, this means I need to add
myself to the dialout group, with a command like:

	adduser 'username' dialout

Next, you can test hamlib with rigctl, a binary distributed with hamlib.
See which rigs are supported:

	rigctl --list

Then start rigctl with your model number, e.g. '210' for a kenwood TS-870S,
hooked up to COM2:

	rigctl -r /dev/ttyS1 -m 210

Now you can check out if mode, PTT, frequency, signal strength and power
(all used by xlog) are retrieved. At the 'Rig command:' prompt, type:

	'f': retrieve frequency
	'm': retrieve mode
	't': retrieve PTT (TX/RX mode)
	'l' and then 'STRENGTH': retrieve signal strength (-54=S0 and 0=S9)
	'l' and then 'RFPOWER': retrieve rig power (0.39 = 100 Watts)

The hamlib FAQ at http://hamlib.sf.net/faq.html gives some answers to common
problems. You could also ask around on the hamlib mailing list, see:
http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hamlib-developer.

----- PRINTING -----
You can either print a range or the whole log and you can choose which columns
are in the output. Printing can be done in 2 styles: landscape with 30 QSO's
per page and portrait with 50 QSO's per page. The loglines will be evenly
distributed across the paper. You need to make sure the log fits the
paperwidth by either selecting the correct font or style.

                                  {xlog-printdialog.png}


The generated postscript file is sent to the default printer, but you can also
print to a file. The file generated is log.ps in $HOME/.xlog.

For contest logs, you can enable 2 empty columns called 'Multiplier' and
'Points' for calculating your score. If you choose the portrait style it is
advisable to disable the 'QSL Out', 'QSL In' and 'Remarks' columns.
Otherwise your log will not fit on the paper.

----- QSL LABELS -----
glabels is a gnome application for printing business cards and labels, see
http://snaught.com/glabels. It is designed to work with various laser/ink-jet
peel-off label and business card sheets that you'll find at most office supply
stores. The following works with a glabels version higher than 0.4.

You can use the 'Save As' dialog for exporting the log to a type called
'TSV'. This will save your log fields in a TAB separated file. The fields you
want to export can be set in the "Save As" page of the Settings->Dialogs
dialog. The exported file can be imported into glabels using the template
called qsllabels.glabels in /usr/[local/]share/xlog.

1 - Start glabels
2 - Open qsllabels.glabels
3 - Select 'Merge properties' from the Tools menu
4 - Point 'location' to the exported labels file
5 - Don't change any of the Custom field keys, just click 'OK'
6 - You are now ready to print

You should customize the label sheet by using "Edit->Select All" from the
menu, click on 'New', select the apropriate sheet from the pulldown menu,
use "Edit->Paste" to copy the fields into the new sheet and move them around
with your mouse until the fit on the label. Save this file to use as a
template for your QSL labels.

----- LOG-EDITOR -----
The log-editor, when selected from the tools menu, can be used to display or
hide a number of columns in the log. 2 columns allow free entry, they can be
given any name. Changes to the log columns will be committed once you save the
log.

                             {xlog-logeditor.png}


Please note that it maybe desirable to select a common name for a free column
when using ADIF export as described in the ADIF specifications at
http://www.hosenose.com/adif/adif.html, section 3: Field Definitions.

The log-editor can also be used to set the columnwidth of the log. You should
enter a number higher than 20. Changes to the column width will apply to all
the logs that are currently open. Only the number column allows a zero width,
you can use it to hide this column.

----- DUPE CHECKING -----
A log can be checked for dupes from the tools menu. There are some restrictions
on the frequency field when used in dupe checking. It should either contain a
'dot' after the MHz number or contain 3, 6 or 9 numbers after the Mhz number.

                                       {xlog-dupecheckdialog.png}


When using hamlib, the total amount of numbers in the frequency field can be
selected in the hamlib page of the preferences dialog.

----- LOG SORTING -----
If you select "Tools->Sort by Date", your log will be sorted by date and
time. Log sorting assumes that the whole log is created with the same locale.
Also, the log date should have the format "dd mmm yyyy" in your locale, e.g.
"01 May 2004" in English, "01 mai 2004" in French, etc. You can check the
correct month name for your language settings by using the command:

					"date --date='01 May'".

The time should be formatted as "HHMM", e.g. "1423". The sorted log will be
marked as changed. It is recommended to save the log under some other name,
so the original log will be safe. You should check this log for correct dates
and times before overwriting the original log. If the log is not correctly
sorted, start xlog from a terminal to see if sorting produces any errors.

----- DEFAULTS -----
"Settings->Default" will show a dialog where you can fill in default values for
logging. These values will be used when selecting "Edit->Click All" from the
menu.

                                       {xlog-defaultsdialog.png}


----- WORKED BEFORE -----
When you select Worked Before from the tools menu, a dialog will be displayed
which shows a sorted list of contacts while you are typing in the callsign
entry. This is especially useful in contests.

                        {xlog-workedwindow.png}


The number of columns shown in this dialog can be adjusted from the
"Settings->Dialogs" menu (first page).


----- SCORING WINDOW -----
Xlog will keep track of your DXCC scoring and will display worked and confirmed
countries and DXCC information in a separate window, called the scoring window.
The top table of this window displays the number of times a country is worked
or "0" if confirmed. The bottom table shows the total number of DXCC countries.

                        {xlog-scorewindow.png}


Xlog will look up the prefix of a callsign and display DXCC information together
with calculated distance and beam heading in the left frame. In a log where a
QTH locator field is present, distance and azimuth to the locator and display
it in a separate frame.

! If DXCC lookup fails you can enter a valid country in the AWARDS
! column of the log. The correct format for this string is 'DXCC-' followed
! by the desired prefix (see 'DXCC list' from the menu).

----- KEYER WINDOW -----
The keyer window, available under the Tools Menu, is in fact a simple
(contesting) interface for cwdaemon. You can program all of your function keys
with CW messages and control your speed here. Clicking the stop button or
using the 'ESC' key will abort any messages. You can also see a counter for
serial numbers, a toggle box for short serial numbers and a menu for selecting
either CQ or "Search & Pound" mode.

                                  {xlog-keyerwindow.png}


The bottom text entry can be used to typecharacters. The function key entries
can use the following macros:

!  % - my callsign
!  @ - his callsign
!  # - number counter

The number counter will auto-increment. The defaults dialog can be used to fill
in default reports for a contest, the # macro can be used in the TX(RST) field
of this dialog.

----- RUNNING A CONTEST IN CQ MODE -----
 - cursor on the callsign field
 - <enter> on an empty callsign field will call <F1>: "CQ de PG4I PG4I test"
 - enter the callsign you hear and hit <enter>
 - <F3> will be sent: "PA0R 5nntt1"
 - exchange entries will be filled in from the defaults dialog
 - xlog will jump to the end of the exchange field <RX(RST)>
 - enter the exchange number you hear and hit <enter>
 - xlog will complete the date, time and frequency entries
 - the <CQTU> entry will now be sent: "tu PG4I test"
 - use <ctl-a> to log the QSO
 - the counter will be incremented
 - all fields will be cleared and xlog will jump to the callsign field

----- RUNNING A CONTEST IN S&P MODE -----
 - cursor on the callsign field
 - enter the callsign you here and hit <enter>
 - <F6> will be sent: "PG4I"
 - exchange entries will be filled in from the defaults dialog
 - xlog will jump to the end of the exchange field <RX(RST)>
 - fill in the exchange and hit <enter>
 - <S&PTU> will be sent: "TU 5nntt1"
 - use <ctl-a> to log the QSO
 - the counter will be incremented
 - all fields will be cleared and xlog will jump to the callsign field

----- DATA EXCHANGE -----
xlog can exchange data with twpsk (version 2.0 and higher) by WA0EIR. When a
callsign is entered, it will show up in twpsk's send widget (where you type
your text) when hitting Shift+Alt+h. Shift+Alt+o will show 'hiscall de mycall'.

gmfsk by OH2BNS (starting at version 0.4) can send logging data to xlog, when
clicking on the 'Log entry' button. Marote (version 2.3 or later), a rig
control program for the elecraft K2 by AB6CV does the same when clicking on the
'Log QSO' button. Gpsk31 (starting at version 0.3) can exchange log information
when the QSO details dialog is open.

ktrack by LX2GT (starting at version 0.2.1) can exchange satellite information
with xlog. In order to do so, you need to enable the 2 free fields with the
log-editor. Next, select 'add data to QSO frame' in the last page of the
preferences dialog.

----- IMPORTING and EXPORTING logs -----
xlog supports ADIF, Cabrillo, EDI (VHF and higher contest format recommended
by IARU region 1), editest, OH1AA, Trlog (tlf) and twlog import. Logs can be
exported to ADIF, Cabrillo and EDI. The apropriate option menu should be
selected for the file type when importing or exporting a log.

                                 {xlog-importdialog.png}


! Please check your log before importing it and make sure it has the right
! log format. The "Log->Import" dialog adds a preview widget which reads the
! first 10 lines of your log, so you can check it.

When using EDI export, you should have enabled the locator field in the log.
Xlog will automatically calculate the distance and add it to the log.
Whe using ADIF export you can decide to convert frequency to band. Please use
the "Save As" page of the "Settings->Dialogs" dialog to set this.

The TSV (Tab Separated Value) export format is used by glabels (see the chapter
on QSL labels), but this can also be used as a way to import log data into
a spreadsheet. You can also use the "Save As" page of the "Settings->Dialogs"
dialog to define the fields to export.

----- MERGING LOGS -----
xlog allows merging of 2 logs by selecting Log -> Merge from the menu. You
will need to select 2 log names. The new log will be called "log1+log2" after
merging.

                                  {xlog-mergelogdialog.png}


Before you merge logs, you need to make sure they have the same number of
columns by using the log-editor to add or remove columns. After merging, you
can use "Tools->Sort by Date" to sort your log.

----- FILES -----
/usr/[local/]share/xlog/dxcc/cty.dat contains the DXCC entries read by xlog.

----- FONTS AND THEMING -----
Xlog fonts are handled by the GTK theme engine. When you use the gnome2 desktop,
start up gnome-font-properties. Otherwise, edit ~/.gtkrc-2.0 and add a line
like:

	gtk-font-name = "Times New Roman 14"

Or whatever. GNOME 2 applies its own settings to GTK2 programs with the
gnome-settings-daemon. When the daemon is running, GTK2 programs will use the
GNOME settings instead of those present in .gtkrc-2.0.

There is also an application called gtk-theme-switch2, which you can use to
adjust both appearance and font, whether you use gnome or not.

----- AUTHORS -----
xlog was written by Joop Stakenborg <pg4i at amsat.org> and Stephane Fillod
<f8cfe at free.fr>. There were contributions by many people, see the THANKS file.
