Ask Dave 18: Amateur Station Logging

The Ask Dave series answers your questions about amateur radio, particularly emphasizing the ones of interest to those new to the hobby. Episode 18 addresses log books and logging, and including when to log and not to log, plus introduces computer-based logging. Learn more about the rubber stamp I use by going to a post on my blog at dcasler.com/2016/03/16/rubber-.... The Ham Radio Answers channel is devoted to helping people become amateur radio operators, both in the sense of having a license and in the sense of being active on the air. You can send questions to me simply by commenting on this video.

[@simoncutmore]

Finally, someone to explain it all in simple terms for a beginner. Very many thanks.

[@DutchmanRadio]

I'm absolutely amazed that you made contact with someone in Japan. That is so freakin' cool. I'm a new ham and have only dabbled in VHF/UHF so far, so this is blowing my mind haha. 73 sir!

[@TheRealLaughingGravy]

@Juelz Mohamed Nobody cares what a bot does.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

I'm a ham returning to the hobby and this was very useful for me. Thank-you.

[@rogersinger7238]

Thanks Dave. I appreciate all of your videos.

[@Drekkag]

loved the video dave. i keep a log still myself. i went out and bought the log sheets for a 3 ring binder from the ARRL. I got 5 sets that can do 1300 contacts and i just keep adding them as needed. got them for less than half price during a sale. thanks for the video and keep em coming.

[@johnwmacdonald994]

Hi Dave! Congratulations on hitting 1 million views of your videos. That's outstanding!. And thanks for doing this video on logging, which answered a nagging question that was in the back of my mind. I have piles of papers recording QSOs, but also the Net particpations I've done. I know I probably don't have to for Net contacts, but it helps in various ways, such as when I hit a new Net that I might want to come back to. At this stage I'm chatting on Nets more than anything, and it's paid off. I made a contact with someone in Thailand (where my wife is from and where I lived for a while) while talking on a Net I frequent. It's all fun! Take care and thanks as always.

[@mda204]

Thank you David for the ham radio logging video!

[@ZonaEA]

Always learning with you and your videos !!! THANK YOU !! . Greetings from Spain. EA4GTF

[@adelarsen9776]

Dear Dave, It is most wonderful that you keep detailed records of your QSO's. I commend you for doing so. Cheers and thanks Ade VK4SOE

[@MichaelLloyd]

Great video Dave. I really enjoyed seeing the maintenance car at the yard in Chama. I've got 100's of photos from there. 73 NE5U Mike

[@davidsradioroom9678]

This is a very informative video. OK, it took me four years to locate it, but better late than never. Thanks!

[@10Kview]

Comprehensive. Thanks for sharing.

[@K5AMJ]

Rubber Stamp is pure genius sir! 73 de K5AMJ

[@austinvickymoore3656]

you sir have earned a subscription I am looking into hams and really think it would be fun!!

[@tommybewick]

It is! Join us!

[@DHAtEnclaveForensics]

As always, nice job.

[@calvinlong1265]

Another great video! I was a little surprised that you didn't mention Log4om though.

[@davidvaughn7752]

I do the same thing you do with your spiral log. I transfer it at a later time to my electronic log and so then I have two copies. The electronic log is easier to look up who I QSO'd with before if the callsign seems familiar when I'm on the radio at a later date.

[@dougtaylor7724]

Keep a paper copy of everything. A man after my own heart. I’m 60 and keep a copy of everything I do at work. With a quick look, I can tell what time and date I did something. If info goes to another place, I copy and sign the original. It’s called CYA to the young folks. Thanks Dave.

[@thomdurfee9935]

Another good reason to keep a log. I have had several instances of receiving QSL cards dated for times I was not even on the air. Turns out a local person was using my callsign without my knowledge.

[@AppalachianFreedom]

Thank you Sir!

[@PelDaddy]

"... an historic..." Excellent!

[@hobie1dog]

Thanks so much for your great videos

[@davecasler]

You're welcome! 73

[@ScottyD]

Dave do you still use this method in 2022? It reminds me of logging in broadcasting when I was on-air in radio. I really like this simplicity.

[@loganmacgyver2625]

according to my study material over here in hungary you still have to log the qsos except when mobile. like fisherman have to log what they have caught

[@craigszwed]

As always, Dave, your info for us newbies is very helpful, though still overwhelming at times. One thing I cannot find among your videos is the topic of HF mobile setup, especially with regard to selecting and mounting effective and affordable HF multiband mobile antennas. For some of us going HF mobile with a multiband is our only affordable first step into ham radio for both philosophical and practical reasons. If you look me up on KZbin you'll see two videos I just posted about starting to get my own vehicle up and running with HF multiband. K0BG has graciously sent me comments on my work in progress and I'd appreciate your own thoughts as well. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge in easier to understand language.

[@davecasler]

+Craig Szwed Hi Craig, I haven't addressed mobile much except for the General lessons, and even then I had Lew French show his mobile setup, as I have none. Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q56llHylp9ibeJI

[@1fanger]

gOOD STUFF, THANKS

[@timbaeten]

Thanks again for your great videos! One important note, UTC is not the same as GMT. GMT observers daylight savings time while UTC does not.

[@davecasler]

GMT is astronomical time, whereas UTC is atomic time, so there is always a subtle difference. GMT itself doesn't have daylight savings time, but the British do. During the summer they spring forward by one hour and call it BST: British Summer Time.

[@lightnin_lou]

Dave, How does my signal report and his signal report compare to sent signal report and received signal report? For example, QRZ logbook don't show mine or his signal report, it shows sent and received.

[@jerry_satcom]

Mac users: MacLoggerDX or RUMLog? (Or, as I run Win7 in VMWare, one of the Win programs? Would rather run a native MaxOS program though.)

[@CraigMullins1]

Love to see a video on using the cumbersome logbook of the world from install to logging.

[@davecasler]

+Craig Mullins Check out this link: dcasler.com/2015/02/21/logging-and-qsling-for-the-radio-amateur-in-the-electronic-age/. It's a presentation I gave on the subject to our local club. Getting LOTW working isn't trivial: there are many ducks and they all need to be in a row. I'll add LOTW to my list for future Ask Dave videos. 73, Dave, KEØOG

[@CraigMullins1]

+David Casler Yea, it's a real PAIN! :)

[@jamesbaxter2812]

Sir, I am not a ham as yet, but can you place a ham into a computer with a few key strocks. A computer that work along with it

[@steveprudhomme6581]

If I am on a Network and I hear somebody talking but I don't communicate with im. Can I log in and what kind of log entry is this ?

[@scotreece5795]

Great videos, ? What size coax do you want/need to use for HF 6m to 160? And why? Learning spot from your videos. ? Have you thought of putting together a set on dvd. A BIG THANK YOU AGAIN de KN4CB

[@420bakersarmy]

Didn't realize you lived near "The million dollar highway". A terrifying road, especially in the winter

[@rvnmedic1968]

Interesting topic. Was hoping you would touch on electronic QSL cards. I thought I read that the paper cards weren't used as much as in the past and replaced by electronic versions. Regardless, I'm watching all your vids and enjoying/learning each time. 73, Bob, kD2MCH

[@davecasler]

Indeed paper QSL cards are getting rarer. I'll add electronic QSLing to my list for future videos. Unfortunately, ARRL's Logbook of the World is not simple to set up. 73, Dave

[@jaywardjulian756]

HELLO THERE how to delete an old logs from N1MM logging software? thank you and my 73

[@Reynir3006]

Dear Dave, I thoroughly enjoy your videos and your series for the technician license came in handy when I took my exam here in Denmark. I have one question about this video: You are using a stamp to insert in your book your QSO information. Do you recommend a particular stamp manufacturer or distributer? Where did you acquire your stamp? 73 OZ1II

[@davecasler]

+Reynir S. I had the stamp specially made at a stationery store. To provide more information, I wrote a blog post about it with photos and an example of its use. See dcasler.com/2016/03/16/rubber-stamp/

[@Jason-jd1jv]

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of differences between the way HF and UHF/VHF are handled and this seems to be one of those differences. I've worked repeaters on 2m so far but nothing futher than 75 miles or so. Out of all the contacts I've made, no cards were exchanged or even asked about, no logging seemed to be taking place, no CQ call, in fact, the whole affair seemed very informal. It was more like being on CB than ham. Could you please go into a bit of detail on why these differences exist and what is standard procedure for 2m repeaters? So far I've not made any simplex contacts at all though and I'll probably not be making any until I get my mobile rig operational once more. I love the videos and they are very helpful. I wouldn't have passed my exams so easily without your videos to help. Keep up the awesome work Dave. 73's

[@davecasler]

+Jason I wish the answer to your question were simple! You're right, there's a world of difference between HF and VHF/UHF. For VHF/UHF, most contacts are line-of-sight, and 75 miles is pretty good. I can't ever remember exchanging QSL cards for a VHF/UHF contact. It is all rather less formal, often because I'm hearing the same people over again, so most contacts are along the lines of "Hi, Dave, how'd your trip to the auto show go?" People tend to hang on one repeater with people they know well, for example a club repeater. Rather than call CQ, one simply states "KEØOG listening." If someone wants to call you, they will. But more often I get into conversations simply by inserting my call during the squelch tail, in the hopes that those talking will let me into the conversation. As far as simplex contacts, most of the QSOs on VHF/UHF are made via repeaters. Sometimes there are local simplex frequencies in use. Now, to make a great leap here, my personal opinion is that the magic in ham radio is to be found on HF.

[@Jason-jd1jv]

I've certainly come to realize that the majority of traffic and interest lies on the HF bands. Unfortunately I've only gotten my Tech license and working 7 days a week has pretty much ensured that I won't be upgrading anytime soon. I'll be using my very infrequent spare time studying for the general and extra exams in the hopes that someday soon I'll be able to upgrade. Thank you for the amazingly fast reply. You are a Q&A ninja lol. 73's

[@austinwilliams5094]

Hi Dave. I have a question about logging QSO's when on the road. Using a semi-arbitrary example, let's say that a California-based station--let's call him Fred--is driving thru Alaska and decides to do some portable DXing. Since Fred is not a "California station" while he's in Alaska, how does he log any contacts he makes? How do the other stations log their contacts with Fred? If during this trip he contacts a nearby Alaska station, for example, it would seem that Fred can't claim he's worked Alaska from California since he's in Alaska when the QSO occurred. Adding to the confusion, what happens if Fred makes contact from Alaska with a California station? When the other station looks Fred up, QRZ shows that he's a California station. Obviously, there are numerous variations on this theme. Are there "best practices" when involved in this kind of contacting? Thanks!

[@davecasler]

+Austin Williams It used to be that one was required to add the call area if one was operating portable or mobile, but that requirement is gone. Best practice is to use it. Fred would sign K6ABC/KL7, and annotate his log that he was operating portable or mobile from Alaska. Any QSLs he sends should indicate that too. On voice, one IDs as K6ABC portable KL7 or portable Alaska or somesuch. Hope that helps!

[@gateway3456]

I am looking for a simple to use logging program for casual operating. I have a SteppIR antenna and a FLEX-6500 radio. Do you think the AC Log would be a good program for me?

[@davecasler]

It's what I use.

[@hangfire5005]

David do you live near Durango? I've been there a lot, it's really beautiful in the winter. Never got to ride that train tho, I want to go back and do it at some point..

[@davecasler]

+Jarrod P We're on the north side of the San Juans, and Durango is on the south side. We're on the order of 75 miles north by road. I love the train museum in Durango!

[@inmatruckyo1400]

Dave, you remind me of Howard Cunningham.

[@JxH]

3:45 Oops. JA8IZP becomes "JA1IZ" on your reply. Oh, I see....different QSO, different date, etc.

[@dalemyers9265]

i've wished paper qsl cards made a resurgence. and i'm thinking on doing it on cb again. most hams can say what they will about cb. but everyone who does are putting down a lot of good people and good operators. that makes those who will, just as bad as a chicken band'er. as they most often call tune types boat anchors. and if you not on the right radio, your an undesirable. i know of a few of these types in n.c..

[@SparksTheFolf]

dear david, is hf, vhf, and uhf the same?

[@davecasler]

Technically yes, but most logging is done on HF. At VHF and above, logging is often done for non-FM contacts (CW, SSB, moonbounce, meteor scatter, etc.) Hope that helps

[@SparksTheFolf]

thanks for the help!

[@k5wxp22]

Hey Dave, great video! Not sure if you have played with Log4OM or not. It is free, very intuitive, links to my FTdx-3000 via Omni-rig, and works great!

[@davecasler]

Thanks for the tip about Log4OM. I haven't heard about it before. Looks interesting.

[@swashington942]

Is that you in the old pictures?

[@davecasler]

+ELiTE_OpTiic Yes, I'm in a few of them. Long time ago!

[@swashington942]

+David Casler I found the old pictures of you and your station interesting. I'm sure you've forgotten more than I'll ever Learn. lol. Keep up the good work. Thumbs up!

[@bernasca1965]

Is there any logging app for smartphones ?

[@davecasler]

I don't know of one, but you could try Google or Bing

[@bernasca1965]

not found yet.

[@w5mvmem055]

Augusto Bernasconi HamLog is a very good logging app with lots of customization

[@rypdx]

Bruh what is this guy even talking about ?😂😂