[DogParkList] Where's the Overview or Intro to MacLoggerDX Video or PDF?

[KE1B]

On Mar 30, 2017, at 5:42 PM, Rick Hubbard (RHE) <rick.hubbard.email at gmail.com> wrote:

> MacLoggerDXers,
> 
> Although MacLoggerDX’s Help Files have an abundance of “How to…” entries useful for the already knowledgable, there’s virtually zilch, nada, nil, {empty set} that I can find regarding “What…” can be done with MacLoggerDX.
> 
> For someone who is new to using MacLoggerDX, the help files are the equivalent of tossing a few dozen components on the table and telling them… “there you go! Now, build something.”
>  
> Which would be OK if the hapless newbie (like myself) knew what could be built with the components that were provided. For those of us who lack such prior knowledge…MacLoggerDX seems…well as impenetrable as a random pile of foreign components whose purpose and functioning is unknown.
> 
> Where is the “Welcome to MacLoggerDX! Before you dive into the ‘How to…’ Help Files, here’s an Overview of All the Cool Things You Can Do with MacLoggerDX”? 
> 
> A comprehensive video Intro/Overview would be IDEAL…a PDF would be helpful.
> 
> Regrets, if there is such a thing as an Overview or Intro to MacLoggerDX video or PDF…I can’t find it (after several attempts and many, many, many searches).
> 
> Suggestions? URLs? Pointers? Are there Intro/Overview resources lurking somewhere that a newbie can access prior to trying to assemble MacLoggerDX’s “pile of components?”
> 

Interesting. I look at the issue exactly the REVERSE of you. You are asking “What can MLDX do?” apparently in an effort to flex or learn the capabilities of the program. I, instead, look at “What do *I* do with my radio (e.g, contest, chase DXpeditions, use LoTW, etc.) and then see if MLDX can support my needs in an efficient manner. There are a ZILLION features of many large programs (Word, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) that almost NO ONE uses, except the rare professional who appreciates the feature. If you don’t know what something means (there are a lot of features in Photoshop that I am clueless about, but I can still use the program to do what I want to do), then it probably isn’t immediately relevant to your style of operating. So be it.

Many people use MLDX, and I’m sure Don will tell you, there is no “one right way” to use it. That’s part of why MLDX is so flexible; it supports a wide range of use models, from the casual ragchewer who just wants to keep a clean log, to the heavy DXer who wants to deeply analyze and track awards and QSLs; there are people who use the cluster HEAVILY, with its rich feature set, and those that never connect to a cluster node and could not care less.

On top of that, Don is constantly adding functionality and flexibility, and a “This is MLDX” file would quickly become outdated.

I suspect (and Don may confirm) that I am one of the more “power users” of MLDX; I push some of its features to the limit (occasionally breaking it). I use dozens of callsigns and have logs with hundreds of thousands of QSOs. I am almost NEVER disconnected from the cluster, and use Don’s rich set of alarms and filters. However, I don’t think I have ever touched the Schedules, QSLs, Labels, or History panels (other than to see if there’s anything there I need). So what? It’s not part of my workflow, so I don’t care how it works. Obviously, some people use MLDX to generate electronic QSLs and care about all the features on that panel. Some people use MLDX to print their QSL labels for mailing or affixing to a card. (I don’t, primarily because it doesn’t efficiently support someone with dozens of callsigns, and who can make a few thousand QSOs per week. I developed my own separate program to handle QSLs and labels, and am grateful for the “Export Report” feature of MLDX to support that. I doubt many others use, know about, or care about that feature.)

My bottom line is, don’t worry about what MLDX *can* do; just think about how YOU operate, and look for features that make life easier for you. MLDX may be the “nerve center” of your operation (it is for me, except when contesting), but don’t look to MLDX to explain how the cluster works, or how QRZ lookups are used, or how LoTW/eQSL operate. MLDX supports all of these, but Don didn’t *create* them, he built in functionality to *support* them. Many of the threads I see here are about lack of knowledge of the cluster, or some serial interface glitch, or LoTW confirmations. None of this has anything to do with MLDX, except to the extent that the program supports all of these.

And remember, Don is (essentially) a one-man show. Given his resources, he puts on a pretty good show.

If someone wants to start a wiki on all the facets of ham radio that are supported by MLDX (or not supported, like heavy-duty contesting), go for it. But it’s not Don’s job to teach you all the facets of ham radio that are out there to be used and enjoyed. It’s hard enough supporting the myriad of radios, operating systems, rotators, serial interfaces, and use models.

Rich KE1B

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