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![Previous (earlier) Story](/images/sty-down.gif "ARRL Offers Alternate Approach to "Regulation by Bandwidth""){kind=small} Previous: ARRL Offers Alternate Approach to "Regulation by Bandwidth" |  Next: Surfin': X Marks the Spot on APRS Maps |
Kelly Klaas, K7SU
k7su@arrl.net
March 26, 2007
Sometimes the easiest answers are the simplest answers. When you take the resources you have in front of you and tailor them into something that meets your needs, you come out ahead.
I have tried many of the computerized Amateur Radio logbooks that are available today. Many are very sophisticated and capable of logging just about anything you would want to log, and the results available at the push of a button or a mouse click. But for my use, most of them are overkill. I would probably not use 80 percent of what is available in many of those programs. I’m a KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) kind of guy. My idea of a simple logbook is the paper type that’s been available since ham radio came into existence.
Homebrew
With that in mind, I set out to design my own easy-to-use computerized logbook that wouldn’t overwhelm me with lots confusing information. I’m not a very organized person but when I think of a ham radio log, I think of neat columns and easy entry, rather than a database with input cells all over the screen. With a database type of log book, I panic when I enter the information and it disappears from the screen. It’s still available in the invisible database, but getting it back can sometimes confuse a simple mind such as mine.
I have played with computer spreadsheets since my introduction to computers back in the early 1980s. I figured a good spreadsheet log book would be just my cup of tea, and it would emulate the paper log book that I had come to know and love after 30 plus years of hamming. A couple of years ago I built one using Microsoft Excel, and it’s been a work in progress ever since. You might say my two year old log book spreadsheet is a “beta” version. But then again, isn’t all software?
The advantage of using a high-powered spreadsheet program like Excel is that it already has very powerful search, find and sort features built into it. I wouldn’t have to re-invent the wheel — I would only have to build a spoke. Excel also has powerful macro capabilities, enabling me to automate most of the complicated and sophisticated stuff so they would execute with the mouse click of an on-screen button.
Functions and Features
Once I have entered information on several contacts, I can start using the powerful features available in Excel. Here’s what I can do with my spreadsheet just by pushing a button:
• Automatically insert a date/time stamp with a single mouse click.
• Automatically copy contents of a cell directly above to “ditto” the entry.
• Search for any information of a contact that is practical.
• Search for a particular call sign
• Search for a date or range of dates
• Search for a name or any information in the REMARKS column
• Search for user-mandated information
• Search for a single instance or a group of the same or similar instances
• Print the results to a printer
In fact, using the power of Excel, I can find just about anything I want to find at the push of a button or two.
As examples, I can find how many QRP contacts I’ve made on 20 meters between June 1 and June 15. Or, if I worked a guy named “Rick,” but can’t remember when or where, I can put “Rick” in the search criteria in the REMARKS column and find it. The searching capabilities are practically infinite. In other words, if I logged it, I can find it.
I can even find information using wildcard characters, so if I remember only part of a call sign, for instance, I can put in what I remember and find all the call signs that contain what part I remember. One of those will be the one I’m looking for, depending on how much of it I remember. If I remember WA7, but only remember there is a Q in it somewhere, I can use the wildcards to find “WA7*Q*. That should narrow it down considerably; however, if I only remember it is WA7 and nothing else, the search will show me many more calls that may fit the criteria, all containing WA7.
Spread Out Over the Spreadsheet
My spreadsheet can have over 65,000 entries. Now I realize that for some prolific hams, that may be just a few months of operating. But for me, 65,000 contacts will very well take me the rest of my life. If I were to run out of log space, I can always save the full one, clear out the information and start again. I could save a log based on a single year of operating if I wanted and start with an empty sheet on January 1.
I am not a contester, so it’s not that important to me to be able to enter the information at lightning speed. It is quite easy, however, to enter information into this sheet rather quickly. I’m not a big DXer, although I will take it when it presents itself. I can configure the spreadsheet to keep track of any DX information I want. I’m mainly a rag chewer so I can configure it to keep track of FISTS numbers, grid locators and such.
There are at least three columns in this spreadsheet that allow me to log information that I want to remember and I can search for it as easily as entering it. I have protected the worksheet so I can’t accidentally overwrite a formula or other default information, but that can be easily disabled so I can change things like column headings. Excel uses column headings in its search and sort (database) features.
Progressing and Evolving
As I said, my log is a work in progress — not only the contacts I have logged, but also the way the spreadsheet handles the contacts. I may be lying in bed or sitting in church and I think of something else to can do with it. If I decide I need more information in my log, I can simply add another column or two. Or, if I think of another way to speed the entry of contact information (like the date/time stamp), I just have to come up with a macro to do it.
I have also included some extra stuff on separate sheets included with my logbook. I have one sheet with the current Amateur Radio band plan for a quick reference. I have another sheet with some often-used formulas that allow you to enter a frequency and calculate the length of a dipole antenna. Another formula allows you to enter the forward and reflected power and calculate the VSWR. I have included a button on the log page that connects you directly to www.qrz.com for call sign lookups if you have an Internet connection. By the time you read this, there may be even more enhancements to it. That’s all part of the fun — coming up with new things to add to it.
The bottom line is when I log my contact information, I’m logging it the way I want it logged. The other programs that are available are wonderful, and each fills a niche. Mine fills the niche for me. That’s what’s nice about building your own: Homebrewing doesn’t have to just include wires and components. And what’s more, it’s fun!
I have made several improvements to my spreadsheet while sitting here at my operating desk, participating in the VHF QSO Party. Logging my contact information gives me more ideas to incorporate into my spreadsheet.
Customize It to Fit Your Needs
I used Excel because I had it. But this type of a logbook can be built using just about any spreadsheet. There are several commercial spreadsheet programs available, as well as some shareware and freeware programs. A Google search of the Internet can find several.
I built my logbook using Microsoft Excel Version 2002, and I will be happy to share it with anyone who wants it. Newer versions of Excel are usually backward compatible, while older versions of Excel may not work properly. If you would like a copy, just send me an e-mail and I will reply with the empty spreadsheet attached. It’s not for sale — it’s free!
Feel free to make any changes you like or use it as a springboard to something bigger and better. You can use it as a guide for another spreadsheet program. I have been offering mine free from my Web site for some time. I do not support it or make any guarantees either assumed or implied. I simply offer it for free to anyone who wants to look at it, use it, change it, criticize it or delete it. You can see a screenshot of it at here. The screenshot you see may or may not be the latest one available.
Most of the other logging programs I’ve seen have been written in database programs. Mine differs in that it is a spreadsheet with database capabilities built into Excel. I hope this article gives you some ideas of your own. And if you will, please e-mail me and let me know what you come up with.
Kelly Klaas, K7SU, has been licensed since 1966 when he was 14. He has been involved in radio broadcasting since he was 16 when he was an announcer. Kelly still involved in broadcasting as a radio news announcer and radio broadcast engineer; he also serves as the IT director at his radio group in Twin Falls Idaho. He has had experience in Excel and Access, as well as other software programs, and has developed spreadsheet templates not only for Amateur Radio, but for agricultural uses.
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