Sweepstakes

To use Win-Test in the ARRL Sweepstakes contest, use the following as a guide.

Define your ARRL Section, Check, and Precedence

Specify your ARRL section, entry class, power level, and year first licensed (two digits only) on the contest configuration screen as shown:

Specify your entry class, power and year first licensed.

Program your CW Messages

Specify your ARRL Sweepstakes CW messages using the appropriate message variables. Note that the precedence must be entered manually (there is no $PREC variable yet):

Specify your CW message. Precedence must be entered manually.

ARRL Section "equivalence" file

Download the latest ARRLSEC.DAT file from http://download.win-test.com/files/equivalence/ARRLSEC.DAT and save it in the Win-Test countryFiles directory (do File | Explore | /countryFiles directory).

This is not the official ARRL Section List, but the list of "alternate spellings" of the official ARRL sections.

Super Check Partial file for ARRL Sweepstakes

Download the latest MASTERSS.DTA file from http://www.supercheckpartial.com and save it in the Win-Test databases directory (do File | Explore | /databases directory).

To ensure that it will be used, you must save the file with a new name, DEFAULT.DTA, not MASTERSS.DTA.

To verify that the DEFAULT.DTA file is being used, right click on the Check Partial window, as shown below:

Click Used files list to display the name of the Super Check Partial file that is being used. Make sure In log only is not checked.

Note that DEFAULT.DTA is being used, and that it is current.

Logging QSOs

Spacebar jumps between fields in exchange order: Callsign, number received, precedence, callsign (again), check, and section.

Use the [<] (less than) key, and the [>] (greater than) key to move the cursor left or right one field.

Use the indicated options to hide the redundant QSO number in the first column, and make the up and down arrow keys stay in the same column to make it easier to edit exchange data entered on a previous line:

Log entry for ARRL Sweepstakes. Right click on the logging window to change the Log options to those indicated.

Displaying Sections worked

Press [Alt-Z] to display the worked sections list. Right click and check Marks to order sections by call district:

Ordering ARRL section list by call district

Check your log after the contest

During the contest, Win-Test allows you to log just about anything in any column, including invalid QSO numbers like "1A" and invalid Precedences and non-numeric Check values. The Search for possible bad exchanges tool can be used to find and correct these.

How to search for possible bad exchanges anywhere in your log

The report indicates all QSOs with a problem:

Report showing a bad QSO number received column

To edit the bad QSOs:

1. Click Open in Notepad to view the report in a new window
2. Press the Close button to return to the logging window
3. Press [Ctrl-G] to open a pop-up window
4. Enter the QSO number that you want to edit, and press [Enter]
5. Update the QSO fields (use [Spacebar] to jump between them)
6. Press [Enter] to save the updates on that QSO, or press [Ctrl-Z] to "undo" all changes made to that line.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for all bad exchanges
8. When you are finished making updates, create a new updated Cabrillo file by selecting File | Create log files... from the menu.

You can return to the last line in the log by pressing [Ctrl-G] and [Enter] without entering a QSO number.