Hello, my name is Oscar and my callsign is M7OJA. I am a new operator, and I sat my exam online during the 2020 lockdown period. At 16 years old, I entered the hobby with a digital mindset and, as a result, my callsign now has a strong online presence. I am an advocate of digital logging. While it might take a while to setup, it will save you hours of time (and provide lots of helpful features to you and the people you speak to!).

This article will be in three parts. In the first part, I will try to convince you to convert your paper log to digital logging. In the second part, I will explain how to setup Log4OM (My favourite free logging software), and in the third part, I’ll explain how much time you have now saved yourself!

If you are reading this article, you are most likely sitting in front of a paper log. Your logging experience probably involves scribbling down whatever details you hear, and looking on QRZ if you didn’t catch a name or QTH. You may not have setup eQSL or LoTW, and you may not be officially confirming any of your contacts. The most important thing to remember is that everything mentioned is COMPLETELY AUTOMATIC with computer logging software. You don’t have to be technically minded to set it up – as long as you own a computer and have a couple of hours spare, you’ll be saving yourself hours in no time! Just a brief list of the features that Log4OM can provide you with:

Automatic and failsafe logging (including alerting you if  you have worked a station previously).

Automatic information lookup from QRZ (You type in a callsign, and the Name and QTH fields are automatically filled in).

Automatic award tracking, including SOTA and IOTA reference tracking.

Easy exports to other services including to a .csv file for chasing awards or contesting.

Contesting mode – making the collection of grid references and the exchange of information easy.

Net mode, for keeping track and logging multiple callsigns at once.

Integrated DX cluster (Monitoring of reports on the DX cluster network, the ability to “spot” a station directly from the software, alerting you if there is DX opportunity, analysis of propagation and the generation of propagation reports, etc..)

Automatic E-confirmations on eQSL, LOTW, Clublog, etc..

Automatic backups (so your log will never be lost)

Solar data and propagation monitoring.

Integrated CAT control (if you have a radio that can be controlled from a computer).

Now for the second part of the guide. Remember, all the features above take a little bit of setting up but then require 
no maintenance afterwards (everything works perfectly!). While there are many free logging software options, I find Log4OM to be the best. Please note that this is a non-for-profit program, and that I am not affiliated with Log4OM in any way. The first thing you should do is head over to the download section HERE (link opens in new window). Make sure you download the full version and not the portable version. Upon running the program for the first time, the software will ask you to create a database. Simply select the SQLite option (if you are given the choice), and click the save or new button to create a new database. Save this file anywhere on your computer (unless you are planning on setting up Log4OM on multiple devices. If you do want to use it on multiple devices, save the file in Onedrive or Dropbox). You are now ready to go!

You will first want to customise the settings. I will guide you to setup the software in a common and useful configuration. First of all head to the Settings tab, and click “Program Configuration”. Firstly, head to the “Station Information” tab, and fill out your grid reference, name, address and callsign.  Then, head to the “Station Configuration” tab and add your radios, antennas, default power and default bands. Next, head to the “Confirmations” tab, and type a default QSL message. This will be attached to every log you upload. For example, I have my default message set as “Thanks for the contact! 73 de M7OJA”.

Next, head to the “External Services” tab. This is the most important section of the configuration, as this is where your links are created to external websites. I recommend making an account on QRZ, Clublog, HRDLog, eQSL, HamQTH and LoTW. You can pick and choose which ones you want to register on, but the more the better, and the higher the chance the software will have of retrieving accurate and correct details. Just a note, you can’t use the QRZ section of the “External Services” tab unless you have a valid subscription with QRZ. In order to configure the External Services, simply click on the service you wish to add, type your Username, Password and, for eQSL, your “QTH Nickname” which can be found on the eQSL website. Make sure you check “Automatic Upload on new QSO” in order for the software to automate the logging process. I recommend NOT to select the automatic upload option for LoTW, as this has caused the software to crash previously.

Once you have added the external services you wish to add, head to “User Preferences”. You can now select your preferred bands and preferred modes. If you have the capability to work a certain band or mode, you must select it here (otherwise you will not be able to log a contact from that mode/band). Also, check the “Set QSO Start Time when leaving callsign field” box, as this is a very useful feature.

Next, head to the “Cluster” tab. Select “Cluster auto-start”. You will now have access to the DX cluster within the software (more about this later). Next, select the “Info Providers” tab. I recommend setting QRZ.COM as your “Primary source” and HAMQTH as your “Failsafe Source”. You should provide login details for both of these sites (or just QRZ if you do not wish to make a HAMQTH account). Please remember that if you don’t select any options or type any details in here, your software will be unable to retrieve a station’s information and you will have to enter in manually.

You have now configured the software to run reliably and automatically. Click the “Save config” button and then the “Save and Apply” button.  

You will now see the logging software interface. Above the map is a row of options. Select the “Recent QSOs” option for now. You can type your callsign into the callsign box in the top left interface and watch your details appear. To make a log, all you need to do is type in the callsign, type the receive and transmit frequencies into the correct boxes (the software will auto-select a band), and select the Mode used (may be done automatically). Once you click away from the “Callsign” entry field, the start time of the QSO will already be logged. The QSO time will tick until you click the plus button on the right hand side to add the contact. You can type the other stations grid reference, a comment for the log, notes for yourself, and you can change the “My Station” and “Extended info” tabs to suit. If you are logging a SOTA station, for example, enter the information via the “Comment” section AND via the “Award Refs” tab.

Click the green Plus button on the right hand side of the screen in order to add the QSO. If you have set the software up correctly, within a minute or two, the contact will be confirmed automatically via the services you signed up to in the “External Services” configuration.

I will now show you how to setup the DX Cluster feature of the software. Head to “Connect” in the menu options, then to “Telnet Cluster”.  Click on the “Connection” tab in order to see the list of cluster servers that are available to use. Scroll down until you see the UK cluster feeds (beginning with G). You may need to select the “Disconnect” option before you can edit the list). I have added the following servers in this order:

G3LRS-2

GB7BAA

GB7HTL

(PRIMARY) GB7DXG-1

GB7UJS

GB7MBC

A small bug that I have noticed is that the program may go back to its old settings. If this happens, repeat the process above to add the cluster servers. Once you have done this, make sure you save the configuration (if there is an option to), and click the “Connect” button to start the cluster servers.
If you wish to “Spot” a station you hear, simply type the callsign and frequency of the station you are hearing. Click on the orange box on the right hand side of the “Operator Name” box (if this doesn’t appear, look in the top row and make sure the “Cluster” and “Super Cluster” boxes are green. You can also check on the very bottom of the screen to see if the “Cluster” icon is illuminated green). You can type a note for the log, and click select. This will now spot the station on all of the major DX cluster websites (including DX Summit). You can select the “Cluster” tab in order to see and filter the cluster spots in order to get a good idea of who is operating.

Another advantage of this software is the provision of Propagation Reports based on the DX cluster feed. Select the “Propagation” tab, then select “Propagation” again on the new menu, and select the band you wish to use. You can select the power you wish to use in the “My Station” configuration by pressing F4. Once you have done this, click “Generate” and a propagation map will be generated.

Hopefully you found this guide useful, and hopefully you are now setup on the logging software. There is a manual to download from the Log4OM website which contains an explanation of every feature this software can offer. There is a lot to play around with, and it might take a while to get it perfect, but trust me, it’s worth it!

Please share this article on Facebook or on your own website if you have found it useful – It is my aim to help out newer M7 operators, and hopefully this article will find its way to those who could benefit from it.
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​73 de Oscar M7OJA