And Other Helpful Hints About The Netlogger Program – Thisis primarily for 2.4 users
A new version of this help will beforthcoming for 2.9.14 and subsequent releases.
HINT ON HOW TO SEARCH FOR A KEYWORD---Press ctrl and f togetherand a search box will appear where you can type a keyword to help you find asubject quickly on a web page.
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Be sure you have your"Club Profile" in your Netlogger folder!
If you aren't surehow to get your Club Profile (a .prf file) ask yourwebsite administrator. In the case of the YL System that would be me.
After some time has gone by you should check this website to see if our ClubProfile has been updated and using your Netloggerprogram, go to "Function" and "Download Latest ClubProfile" (while not on a net). We try to keep this updated every week ortwo, as we get new additions or changes.NOTE:The following has been created with the YLSystem in mind. If you are working with OMISS, AmericanTraffic Net, or any other net or club, please substitute the YLSystem information with whatever net pertains to yoursituation. These can include such things as the .prf(Club Profile) file, Control operators, membership numbers, etc.
1. TO START LOGGINGYOUR SESSION WITH A "Net" NAME OF YOUR OWN:
If you want to start Logginga new session, go to "Function/Start Logging a Net" and fill in theform with whatever name you wish to call your session. As long as it has somethingabout the YLSystem in the name our folks will findyou. Then fill in the other boxes, the "Net Control" can either beleft blank or put K9DIG here if she is the Primary Control,or yourself if you are Primary Control. Don't forget the checkmark to use theAlmost Instant Messages!
When you have that formfilled in, click "OK" and it should notify you that your "Net IsOnline" and your green "Nets Online" box will be grayed out.
Go to "Setup" andclick on "Club Profile" then highlight the "YLsystem.prf"and click on "Select" and "Yes".
After typing in the callsign of your station checking in, hit the TAB key on your keyboard to fill inthe rest of the info automatically.
Start your log with thePrimary Control station's call sign. In the "Remarks" column you canadd the comment that they are PRIMARY CONTROL or CO-CONTROL or ASSISTINGCONTROL, whichever applies.
NOTE: As the Logger, you should always havetheir Caps
After each entry has it's line filled in, and you have taken out the "Noclub info" and replaced that with GUEST or
Clicking on the "Log Contact" button puts them into the lower"Contacts" Grid.
You should delete all the contacts in the "Contacts" Grid later.
If you get one that is amember but shows "No club info", add his/her info and remove the"No club info" and then highlight the call sign and Right click andhit "Add/Update Club Info" and THEN hit the "Log Contact"button so that you have added that person to your YLsystem.prfand can later email them to me to be added to the Master YLsystem.prf(see below)
Remember to go to"Function" and "Close Net" when you are done!But first tell people in the AIM windowthat you are about to close, wait a few seconds for any last comments fromanyone, as the AIM window will close when you Close your Net.
2. TO TAKE OVER THE LOGGING AFTER ANOTHER LOGGER STOPS DURING A SESSION:
If you ever want to takeover the actual Logging during an ongoing session, after another Logger hasbeen Logging, all you do is click "Log Contact" on all of thecheck-ins that the current Logger has already Logged.
Do NOT close down your Netlogger when he closes his"Net"...(I use "net" here becausethat's what Netlogger calls it).
Then you will go to"Function" and "Start Logging a Net" and then fill in thename with the exact same name as the previous Logger used, since you arecontinuing a session. You have to wait for the other Logger to close his/hers,and then you can start yours.
Don't forget to "Enable Almost Instant Messages"!
To continue with the log asit stands and keep going, you should NOT have a checkmark on "EnableDuplicate Entries" under "Function", so it won't allow you toLog a dupe.
It's a good idea to do a "Refresh List" at this point as your listmight not show up to other people until you do that.
Another way to Refresh your List is to highlight thefirst Log and hit Enter, going down the list, hitting Enter on each one.
Go to "Setup" andclick on "Club Profile" then highlight the "YLsystem.prf"and click on "Select" and "Yes".
If you are unsure if you are using the correct Club Profile, look down at thevery bottom of your Netlogger window. You can seewhich server you are on and which Club Profile is in use by you. You should beon the OMISS server and using the YLsystem.prf forthe Club Profile.
After typing in the callsign of your station checking in, hit the TAB key on your keyboard to fill inthe rest of the info automatically.
When you have his information filled in and havechanged the "no club info" to GUEST or whatever fits the situation,then click the "Log Contact" button to send it out over the internetfor folks to see.
Remember to go to"Function" and "Close Net" when you are done!But first tell people in the AIM windowthat you are about to close, wait a few seconds for any last comments from anyone,as the AIM window will close when you Close your Net.
CHECKING TO SEE IF ACHECK-IN IS A YL SYSTEM MEMBER AND ADDING ONE THAT ISNOT IN THE "CLUB PROFILE":
Doyou have The YL Database on your computer? The Window'sversion that is on the ylsystem.org page? That's what we use to verifyif a person is a member. Sometimes we get a check-in who is not on our YLsystem.prf file but is a YL SystemMember, so in that case, we have to type in, on Netlogger,their info. If you get one like this, you can then highlight their call signand Right Click and scroll down to "Add/Update Club Profile" whichwill add it to your YLsystem.prf. Later, after your"Net", you can open that YLsystem.prf fileright from your Netlogger by clicking on"Setup/Club Profile" and highlight the YLsystem.prfand click "Edit". From there you can copy and paste those newadditions (they will be at the very bottom) onto Notepad or directly into anemail to me: mailto:[emailprotected]
We add them to the Master Copy of the YLsystem.prf which I keep, and pass out new updates, whenit gets a few additions or corrections.
* * * MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION * * *
SWITCHING FROM ONE LOGGINGSESSION TO ANOTHER WHEN MONITORING:
If the person who is doingthe Logging on Netlogger closes his "net"your "Nets Online" button will turn greenagain. Then you should click on that to see if another YL member has picked upwhere the first Logger left off. If you see any "nets" that look likethey could be the YL System, whether it's called the exact same or a bitdifferent than what you were monitoring, just choose "Monitor" onthat "net". You will also be able to see the call sign of who isdoing the Logging of that session. Just remember, it takes a minute or so forthe new Logger to get his/her "net" set up and online, so if youdon't see one online, wait a minute and check again.
If you want to leave the net you are monitoring and look for a different one,go to "Function" and "Stop Monitoring". This is also usefulif your AIM window seems not to be picking up all the words that are beingtyped. You can Stop Monitoring and then get back to it via the "NetsOnline" button. This will refresh your windows.
TO VIEW YOUR NET MONITORSWINDOW CLICK ON "NET MONITORS" UNDER "VIEW":
If you click on "NetMonitors" under "View" you can see all those who are monitoringthe net, this will open a green window on the left.
Put a checkmark in the Auto Refresh box at the bottom of that window. Thesecall signs remain on there even if they have left,it's called "ghosts", so they may not still be watching.
TO QUICKLY LOOKUP A CALL SIGN ON QRZ.COM:
You can Right click on acall sign (if it is highlighted) and choose "QRZ Online Lookup" toquickly access their qrz.com page. This can also be done with the keyboardshortcut of CTRL + Q.
There are many keyboard shortcuts. To see hints of what they are and do: Rightclick on an item and look to see what they are and what they should do. Thesemay or may not work for you. It seems to depend on what Operating System youhave.
TO PRACTICE ENTERING CALLSIGNS AND TO SEE HOW NETLOGGER WORKS:
If you just want to practicelogging, you can put some call signs in on a blank line and hit your TAB key onyour keyboard. If you have your YLsystem.prf in theright folder, and you have selected it under "Setup"/"ClubProfile", you will see how the line gets filled in automatically.
You do not need to be online with Netlogger(Function/Start Logging a Net) in order to practice with Netloggeror to do some general logging with it. In fact, for general logging, it isrecommended that you not be online with it so as not to have the distractionsof the AIM window being used by inquisitive onlookers.
To practice logging an imaginary net, you can call your net "Testing"or "Practicing", not a name of a real Club's Net, thus eliminatingconfusion for those folks who are looking for that Club's Net.
TO CHECK TO SEE IF ANOTHERMONITORING PERSON IS IN OUR "CLUB PROFILE":
I usually use a line lowerthan what the person Logging would be using real soon, as a way to see if theperson is a member and is listed in our "Club Profile". Don't worrythat your typing in a box on there would interfere with the Logger's logging, theirs would still come through and would wipe outyour line that you typed if it should come out on the same line. No one but youwill see your log. The only way for others to see your logs would be if you dothe "Start Logging a Net" option stated above in #s 1 or 2. So, usingan empty line, type in a call sign and hit your TAB key on your keyboard. Theirinfo should show up to you, but it won't go out over the internet.
THE "CONTACT"SECTION OF YOUR NETLOGGER WINDOW:
If you are doing theLogging, or if you want to save one of the Check-ins, you can highlight theircall sign and hit your "Log Contact" button. Their info will then goto the bottom right section of your Netlogger screen,called the "Contacts" grid. You can then "Export" thatcontact, or all your contacts that are in that section, to either an ADIF fileor an EXCEL file for saving on your computer. (The EXCEL format saves them withmore detail than the ADIF format does.)
TO DELETE THE CONTACTS INTHE "CONTACTS" SECTION:
Once you have some contactsin that lower right section of your Netlogger screen,you will want to delete them to get your Netloggerready for your next session. Highligt one of thecontacts in that section (lower right, blue lettering), and click the big minussign just above those. It will ask you if you want to delete that record, click"OK". Unfortunately these must be done one at a time. I have found noway to do them all at once.
STATUS BOX (COLUMN):
The Status box shows if YOUhave logged that contact and will show to you that it is "Worked" byputting a "w" in there. If you see one that shows up as"c/o" that means he has checked out. You can click that Status boxand then Right click it to get a menu of what can be inserted there, or toclear that box.
WIDTH OF YOUR COLUMNS:
The width of the columns canbe stretched or shrunk according to YOUR preference. We have the SingleSideband Number and TFO numbers under the "QSL Info" as we like touse the "Remarks" column for other, temporary info, such as
GLITCHES AND ERRORS:
You may lose your"Almost Instant Messages" window sometimes. If you don't see it, andyou do have it check marked under "View" it will mean that it hasgotten squeezed shut. This seems to happen quite often. When it does, just grabhold of the left wall with your cursor, where the AIM window should be, anddrag it to the right to open it back up.
Sometimes your "Net Monitors" window may refuse to be there no matterwhat you do. We found a little trick to work around this glitch: When you logonto your Netlogger, use a slightly different CallSign, try adding a number, or your first name.
If some things seem to have frozen up, such as you are not seeing any newmessages in the AIM window, try this: "Stop Monitoring" (under"Function") and then get back to the same net via the "NetsOnline" button. This will refresh your windows.
Sometimes you may get an error message like the one below:
Exception occurred.
ClassName: EDatabaseError
ErrorMsg: Field 'Date' must have a value
or Field 'Time(UTC)' must have a value
Any of these error messagesrefer to the "Contacts" grid, so just put any call sign and any dateand any time in there to stop the error message. Later after you have Logged some more into the "Contacts" grid, you canthen delete that erroneous contact.
NUMBERED ROWS
Sometimes the numbers ofyour rows might get mixed up. Simply click on the # sign at the top to makethem line up correctly again.
USING THE "FIND"FUNCTION:
If you want to look upsomeone in the "Check-Ins" grid you can use your keyboard keys ofctrl and f rather than scrolling through all the logs to search for them.
NET GETS STUCK ON SERVER ANDWON'T CLOSE: If your net does seem to close, and no longer shows up under Nets Online, butyour computer thinks it is still open, you can go into your Netloggerfolder and delete the .ini file associated with thecall sign you were using that is having this problem. Such as kk4yl.ini, thatwould delete my saved nets under my call sign. It would not hurt Netlogger, but I would have to retype the info into the"Function/Start Logging a Net" boxes if I wanted to Log a sessionusing that same call sign again.
This sometimeshappens, and is no fault of your own. You can try to get back on Netlogger and see it it will letyou continue Logging your Net but if it won't, don't worry. The OMISS folkshave assured us that their server will eventually drop that Net, it may take upto 3 days, but it will go away eventually. In the Meantime, you can just changethe name of your Net slightly and it will let you Log your Net. Just keep thename similar enough that your folks will know it's for them.
MORE ABOUT DELETING YOUR.INI FILES:
The call sign .ini files get stored in your Netloggerfolder once you have used your Netlogger under yourcall sign as a history of your use. Deleting these files does not hurt your Netlogger program, it just gets ridof all the history of you using it. Thus you will end up with what appears tobe a completely new Netlogger except for the factthat you will still have the YLsystem.prf ClubProfile and won't have to install that again. Deleting your history (your callsign.ini)files cures a lot of glitches that come up from time to time with Netlogger. So if you find your Netloggeris not responding correctly and keeps acting odd, and closing it and reopeningit doesn't seem to fix it, then you should delete your callsign.ini files.Here's how: Right Click on Start, or open the yellow File Folder in yourTaskbar, to get to your files. A double paned window should appear with a longlist of folders in the Left Pane. Scroll down in that left pane until you findyour Netlogger folder. If you have followed myinstallation instructions you should have a "Netlogger"folder under C drive, or maybe in Documents. If not then it will be in ProgramFiles. Hopefully you did not install Netlogger inProgram Files as it gets many more glitches and errors if it is there. Also ifit is in Program Files it will probably be in a folder called N1HWQ and then asub folder called Netlogger. Once you have found yourNetlogger folder, Left Click on it in the Left Paneand then look at the Right Pane window and look for any files that start withyour call sign, even those that you may have used that you modified slightly byadding your initials or your name or your state. You can Right Click on each ofthose and delete them. This is safe and won't hurt your NetloggerProgram as long as you only delete the callsign.ini files. As I said in theprevious paragraph, you will then have to enter the information in yourFunction/Start Logging a Net boxes as they will beblank now as you have no history. Also it will clear (erase) all of yourcontacts in your Contacts Grid so if you wish to keep those for your recordsyou should save them to a new file before you delete your callsign.ini files.
ABOUT UTC AND DAYLIGHTSAVINGS TIME:
You may notice that Netlogger doesn't show the correct UTC time after we gothrough a time change. To get Netlogger to registerthe correct UTC time you may need to change your computer clock's Time Zone toreflect the correct - or + hours.
MORE ABOUT SAVING YOUR LOGS:
If you want to save your Logs when you are Logging or monitoring or just foryour own general logging, here is how to make them save with the times that youlogged them. First, they have to be in the "Contacts" grid...i.e. theblue lettering on the bottom right, so hit "Log Contact" on them inthe top "Check-ins" grid. When you have all the ones Logged that youwant to save, go to "File" and "Export Contacts" and"To CSV file..." then find a place (within your Netloggerfolder) to store them by making a new (sub) folder, name it something like"Saved Contacts" or something, and name your new file either by thedate or some distinctive name. This method will save either all your contacts,or just the ones you have "Selected" by holding down the ctrl key andclicking on the ones you want to save. Then do the Export as stated above. Youwill be able to read that log with Excel best. However, just like on Netlogger in the Contacts grid, they will be lined upupside down. So that your earliest contact will be atthe bottom and your last contact will be at the top. You do not have to beonline with your Netlogger to get those saved as longas they are still in your "Contacts" grid, and they do stay thereuntil you hit the big minus sign above them to delete them one by one. (Theycan only be deleted one by one, not all at once).
You can also save your "Contacts" by exporting to ADIF but thatmethod lacks some details.
IMPORTANT NOTE!:
Remember that the AlmostInstant Messages window is a real favorite and we have recruited some newmembers just by them Monitoring and chatting with us. This window does get aglitch sometimes though and gets itself squeezed shut. When that happens, justgrab the left wall where it should be, and drag it open to the right. As aControl or a Logger you may have occasion to help someone else with gettingtheir AIM window back.
Also, IF you are the Logger,be watchful of anyone saying they don't see all the check-ins,you may need to Refresh your list. Go to "Function" and hit"Refresh List". You, as the Logger, are the only one that can dothat.
You are also the one to make sure the "Enable Almost InstantMessages" window is Enabled in order for themonitoring people to get theirs to Enable also.
Any questions, just email me. 73 and thanks for taking the time to readthis over. You may copy and save it ifyou like. Check back often for anyupdates or additions.
There is now a Netlogger version for Windows 7 or
(For Windows 8, install it just as if you have Windows 7 64 bit).
Also you must run this version "As Administrator" when you installit.
The current versions of Netlogger areavailable at http://www.netlogger.org
Most stations are currently running version 2.9.14 which is astable platform.
For more information about installing on a
And follow their instructions step by step, except formy C drive instructions below.DO NOT INSTALL ITINTO PROGRAM FILES!
Netlogger seems to work best when it is NOTinstalled into Program Files,
so make a new folder under C drive or Documents, name it "Netlogger"
and install it into that new folder. This pertains to ALL versions of Netlogger.
NOTE: Save the YLsystem.zip file toyour hard drive and then Right Click the zip file
and open the folder, copy the YLsystem.prf file andplace the YLsystem.prf file
into the same folder where your Netlogger.exe is.
You can always edit this file using Notepad then 'Save As' again into the .prf format.
Or you can also edit it straight from your Netloggerprogram.
But please let me know of any new additions that I will need to update to thisfile.
For a printable document of this pageclickhere
It will automatically go to your Downloads folder socheck your Downloads to open it
Click Hereto e-mail me
Go back to The YL System Download page Site Hit Counters
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