Now my operating confidence has grown I am making more contacts and so I really need to computerise and centralise my logging. JT65 data mode logging was handled by the JT65HF program itself and for the UKAC and other VHF contests I have been using the MINOS logging program - all in all a bit of a mishmash. With good intentions I purchased a proper RSGB Deluxe log book months ago but that has remained pristine and has just become a handy band-plan look-up! Until recently I had only made a small number of voice QSOs on HF and had entered those manually into the online eQSL, QRZ and HRDlog logbooks I maintain. It consisted of a spiral bound note book full of various scrawls sometimes tabulated for contests but more often than not a free form mess. Organisation isn’t one of my strengths and my logging of contacts has been pretty woeful. I will complete a review of MacLoggerDX in future posts, but for now I thought I would explain my rationale of making the switch. And on the odd occasion I did venture into digital modes. Its not HRD, its not an all in one solution, its a log book that can use the radios VFO, the rotor and DX cluster all together. So the solution ? well its not a solution to be fair. It’s a combination of all the elements tethered together that makes the experience unusable. Its not the fault of HRD, nor is it the fault of the Virtual Machine, The RS-232 - USB connectors. HRD over a Virtual Machine, using RS-232 connectors is unpredictable, slow and frankly unusable. I transitioned from PC to Mac around 3 years ago, and have been using a Virtual PC to do my PC based tasks (including my day job) and this is the issue. This I completely agree with, and my time using HRD was always a great experience and I would recommend the software to anyone. Amongst the re-tweets and comments i received, Danny (PA3DM) did mention that HRD is not just a logbook, but a full suite of digital modes, rotor and a rig control system. I recently tweeted that I had dropped Ham Radio Deluxe in favour for MacLoggerDX.
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