A huge thank you to Colin G0CUZ author of Winlog32 logging software.
Over the past year I have been sending Colin a “Wish List” of ideas that would make Winlog32 logging software an absolute dream for QSL managers to use. Colin has put my wish list into development and has produced a QSO Label printing process that saves me literally hours on a big run of Bureau cards and makes the label printing a matter of just a couple of key strokes on the keyboard.
Earlier versions of Winlog32 printed Single and Multi labels on two print runs which meant combining the two separate sheets of labels alphabetically on the QSL cards. This was very frustrating and very time consuming. So the first step forward was to print the Single / Multi labels together alphabetically. Job done!
Here at the Bureau I have 55 logs, and each time I printed a label for a different DX Call sign, the label had to be over-typed “73 de M0URX TIM” or whoever’s label I was printing so the next stage was to programme the software to “grab” information from the “Station Location” file of the log information such as MYCALL MYNAME and automatically add this information to the QSO Report label for each log when I click on “Print QSL”
This has now been improved further with MYIOTA & MYGRID to automatically add the IOTA and Grid Locator to the report label if required.
This development in the Winlog32 software is invaluable to me with sometimes thousands of QSL cards to print from up to 55 different DX’pedition logs. Thanks Colin your work is very much appreciated!
If you are a user of Winlog32 and would like to know how to set the Label Print up to do the above, Colin has kindly written simple instructions below.
First lets deal with “Station Location.”
Menu/Station Location
Click on the log name (top right) and check that all data is present in the list on the left e.g. Callsign, Name IOTA Grid, if not then add it, the name and grid are by default grabbed from the existing CHANGE USER. settings but they will need SAVING as a Station Location
N.B. – The address info is not essential for any functions
Click on the ‘SAVE’ icon.
Close ‘Station Location’ window.
Thats the S.L. set-up and it needs setting up and saving for each log database
Each time that a log database is loaded – the corresponding S.L. data is also loaded into memory for the various tasks, the file is called logname.SLF, e.g. G0CUZ.SLF, so a unique file for each log database
The file is in the ..Winlog32LOGS folder, it is a separate file from the Log Database and it is NOT ASCII.
Now the Print QSL window.
I am not sure which of these options may influence results but some will due to the layout and various functions that are engaged on certain text boxes, so I will go through all I know that could influence the results.
In QSL Print Window/Options
TAB OPTIONS
uncheck Print Single/Multiple
TAB ADVANCED
uncheck Add Please : Thanks QSL
uncheck Auto Add ‘via Buro,,,’
TAB QSL via (Man)/Rover
uncheck QSL VIA [Manager]
uncheck ROVER (Add Rover)
TAB
Label1
Into red text box (the one that defaults to rig/antenna etc) add
Grid: MYGRID IOTA: MYIOTA
Into the Yellow text box (where defaults is normally 73…” add
73 MYNAME MYCALL
TAB SORT SET
CAUTION only if you can do this without upsetting any differing layouts on labels 2-6
As this will make all labels like Label1
SET TEXT
SET TEXT POSITION
TAB MULTILABEL
IMPORTANT
Set the text in the multilabel manually as in Label1 as this label is NOT set with SET TEXT function
That should be it
A few explanations……….
The procedures will replace exactly the text string MYNAME with the name string found in S.L.
– the MYNAME syntax must be correct of course – e.g. not MY NAME etc.
You can place any other text along with the MYNAME flag, only the MYNAME bit will be replaced
The above applies to all the flags mentioned
Please consider that the replace function only occurs during printing the actual label,
The text MYNAME does not change on the label1-6 view window.
Oh, I seem to remember that I also programmed the ‘Mauve’ text box – the default text that would print Please/Thanks QSL with the MYIOTA/MYGRID replacement procedure, but in this should only be used in the instance where TAB ADVANCED Add Please :Thanks QSL/ Auto Add ‘via Buro,,,’ are unchecked
After reference to above – and you find it working OK, then go to OPTIONS and change any setting(s) that you would normally use and see if that upsets the replacement, I know that the QSL VIA option will upset it as this will print QSL Manager into the text area of the red text box where the IOTA/GRID will need to go, Rover also has functions that could upset this.text box, but we can’t have everything….
Looking forward to your findings.
Regards Colin G0CUZ
