Ham Radio Deluxe 5.0 and Amateur Radio Log Feed

Today I upgraded to Ham Radio Deluxe 5.0 for amateur radio rig control and QSO logging. I've been working with it a bit today, so I won't say whether I prefer it over 4.0 yet or not. That said, it does have some really nice features.

One of those features is the ability to connect to HRDLog.net. HRDLog.net is a website that you can upload your logs to from Ham Radio Deluxe's logbook application. A really neat feature of the site is that you can create a script to add to your website showing recent QSOs that you have made. I've done that here on my blog, look at the bottom of this page. I'm listing my 10 most recent QSOs.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Netbook Added to the Radio Arsenal

A couple of weeks ago, I bought an Acer Aspire One netbook that I found on sale. It has become my "radio" computer; I'm using it for programming radios and computer controlling the FT-897D.

This has made it much easier to program the mobile radios. I no longer have to remove the radios from the car and bring them to the computer; I take the computer to them. I'm using the ARC software for the BC780, BC396, and BC996. The netbook doesn't have CD drive and I don't have an external drive to use with it yet, so I downloaded some software I found online here for the FT-8800 (so far it seems to work just as good as the Yaesu software).

Ham Radio Deluxe is actually working better on the netbook than on my desktop computer. After about 20 minutes or so running on the desktop, HRD crashes and requires a reboot. So far, I've had no such problems with the netbook. As a result, it is what I'm using full time with the FT-897.

Using the netbook instead of the desktop has several benefits. It allows me to log with the same program and same log file regardless of whether I'm at home or in the field. Later this year I'll begin working out of the Brunswick area and I intend to take the HF rig with me when I'm not here in Savannah; the netbook will let me use HRD and continue computer logging when not at home.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Ham Radio Deluxe Fixed

As I posted earlier today, the QRZ lookup function on HRD stopped working due to QRZ's 2.o upgrade. The problem is already fixed with executable files from Ham Radio Deluxe. You can download the fixes here.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Problems with Ham Radio Deluxe and QRZ 2.0

There wasn't much on the scanners today with the poor weather conditions, there just wasn't much military activity to be heard. Given the lack of milcom activity, I hooked up the FT-897 and decided to play around with HF for a bit.

While logging the net stations and dx stations I worked, I found that Ham Radio Deluxe would not get the station information from the QRZ website. I went to QRZ and discovered that they have switched to their new QRZ 2.0 format. Apparently with this format, Ham Radio Deluxe is unable to access the station information. Hopefully, HRD will soon release an update to remedy the situation.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net