Fast log entry for SOTA implemented in python using pyparsing.
Input: slepy style SOTA log
Output:
- file for SOTA data base import
- file for printing and pasting in paper logbook
The device logging solutions (VK port-a-log etc) are quite nifty and worth a look. I prefer paper logging for SOTA. Before heading out, I fold a letter sized piece of paper to quarter size. I write the summit reference and the name of the summit on top of one page. I don't write down the date, but that might be a good idea.
When I find a frequency to CQ, I'll jot down the frequency and mode and then call CQ. When a station answers, I jot down the callsign. I may jot down the RS(T) I'll send before sending my report or after I send it. Then I jot down the report they give me. If it's summit-to-summmit (S2S), I'll jot that down as well. Stations will often send their state or province, and I'll jot that down as well, as it's useful to see what the propagation is doing. Once I've worked them, I'll write down the time either local or UTC depending on which clock I'm using. (Phone is local; rig is UTC.) Anything else is just notes.
I try to remember to jot down the time after each QSO to let me know which ones were successful QSOs. (Sometimes, after jotting callsign or even some of the reports, a QSO may not complete.) But I do forget sometimes; it's easy to interpolate in that case, if it's just a missed span of time.
Search and pounce (say for S2S) is logged the same way.
Here's an example log after unfolding the sheet of paper:
Scribbles. There's also some extra notes about my hiking time.
For SOTA data base import in V2 .csv format, the following fields are needed for each QSO:
- my call
- my reference
- date
- time
- frequency
- mode
- their reference (optional, but automatically logs S2S!)
- comments (I don't upload comments, but may put in my own personal log.)
FLE is great idea for log data entry. (FLEcli for command line FLE is, too.)
Note that my style above differs a bit from the format specified by FLE especially regarding the timestamps. Also, my style is fast for a touch-typist and may not be optimum for someone wanting to minimize keystrokes.
The example paper log above can be transcribed to a text file with a few bits of extra information like so:
2023-06-21
my_call n7da
my_reference W6/CC-002
utc-7
N6MLW 146.52 332p FM
KC6DSH 335p
NT6E 338p
KN6DMO 342p s2s W6/CT-029
14.0635
CW
WA5SNL 599 579 2253z # IN
W0MNA 599 599 2255z
W0ERI 599 599 2255z
AB0BM 599 569 2257z # IA
W9MRH 559 559 2258z
N7EDK 599 539 2259z # UT
'utc-7' shows my local time as UTC minus seven hours. This is only needed for
local time entries. (Integer ending in a or p or l.)
Frequency and/or mode can be entered on each QSO line. Frequency is MHz and
contains a decimal point. Mode can be one of CW, SSB, FM, or AM.
Save the text file as filename.sle.
sle.py -i filename.sle or python3 -i sle.py filename.sle or
py -3 sle.py -i filename.sle or similar should work to process this file
depending on your system.
filename.csv is ready to upload to the SOTA database.
For the example above:
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2232,146.52MHz,FM,N6MLW,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2235,146.52MHz,FM,KC6DSH,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2238,146.52MHz,FM,NT6E,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2242,146.52MHz,FM,KN6DMO,W6/CT-029
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2253,14.0635MHz,CW,WA5SNL,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2255,14.0635MHz,CW,W0MNA,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2255,14.0635MHz,CW,W0ERI,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2257,14.0635MHz,CW,AB0BM,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2258,14.0635MHz,CW,W9MRH,
V2,N7DA,W6/CC-002,21/06/2023,2259,14.0635MHz,CW,N7EDK,
Someday I'll go electronic, maybe when I finish the paper logbook I started as
a novice. The filename.txt format is similar to how I would enter an
activation log. I print and glue it in.
RS(T) reports and comments are written to this file, but left out of the SOTA database upload file.
For the example above:
SOTA activation on W6/CC-002
2023-06-21 2232 N6MLW --- --- 146.52 FM
2023-06-21 2235 KC6DSH --- --- 146.52 FM
2023-06-21 2238 NT6E --- --- 146.52 FM
2023-06-21 2242 KN6DMO --- --- 146.52 FM S2S W6/CT-029
2023-06-21 2253 WA5SNL 599 579 14.0635 CW IN
2023-06-21 2255 W0MNA 599 599 14.0635 CW
2023-06-21 2255 W0ERI 599 599 14.0635 CW
2023-06-21 2257 AB0BM 599 569 14.0635 CW IA
2023-06-21 2258 W9MRH 559 559 14.0635 CW
2023-06-21 2259 N7EDK 599 539 14.0635 CW UT
end of activation
onyx.sle is a good example where a log needs QSO times interpolated. sle.py will do that for you.
Use your preferred text file program to write your slepy format log text file. Each line of the file is a statement.
The slepy log file has 2 parts:
- preamble
- body
The preamble contains:
- my callsign statement
- my SOTA summit reference statement
- date statement
- timezone statement
my callsign statement := 'my_call' callsign
my SOTA summit reference statement := 'my_reference' SOTA summit reference
date statement := YYYY-MM-DD
timezone statement := 'UTC' signed_integer
No space between UTC and the value.
Only required if using 'a', 'p', or 'l' local timestamps.
Hours your local timezone differ from UTC. For example use 'UTC-7' for PDT.
The body contains any number of:
- frequency and/or mode statement
- QSO statement
frequency and/or mode statement := frequency | mode | frequency mode | mode frequency
frequency := decimal number containing a decimal point, in MHz
mode := 'cw' | 'ssb' | 'fm' | 'am'
Case insensitive.
QSO statement := callsign (optionally reports optionally timestamp optionally frequency optionally mode optionally ('s2s' SOTA summit reference)) optionally comments
Where reports, timestamp, frequency, mode, s2s may be in any order.
reports := RS(T) RS(T)
timestamp := zulu time | local time | AM time | PM time
1 to 4 digit integer followed, with no space, by 'z', 'l', 'a', or 'p'.
comments := '#' any text to end of line
Notes:
- Timestamp must be provided for first and last QSOs. Missing timestamps will be patched in by interpolation.
- Frequency will use last given if not in QSO statement.
- Mode will use last given if not in QSO statement.
The grammar as a railroad diagram (produced by pyparsing): slepy_railroad.html.
You have the source, so you can customize this to your liking. Perhaps hardcode my call to remove the need to enter it? Some ideas I have:
- validate summit references or at least association and region
- make input more case insensitive
- verbosely use current date if not given