contestReplay XML file specifications

The data file used by contestReplay must be an XML text file including the following elements :

The root element is qsos

Each child element qso must contain the following attributes :

time : Expressed in Unix timestamp format
band : Expressed in meters
callsign : Uppercased
lat : Expressed in decimal degrees. Positive values are North and negatives are South
long : Expressed in decimal degrees. Positive values are West and negatives are East

Sample file

<qsos>
  <qso time="1161993656" band="20" callsign="KA9FOX" lat="41.50000" long="87.40000"/>
  <qso time="1161993685" band="20" callsign="K1LU" lat="43.00000" long="87.90000"/>
  <qso time="1161993710" band="20" callsign="K2BA" lat="43.00000" long="87.90000"/>
  <qso time="1161993716" band="20" callsign="N4JF" lat="43.00000" long="87.90000"/>
  <qso time="1161993738" band="20" callsign="WA8WV" lat="43.00000" long="87.90000"/>
  <qso time="1161993748" band="20" callsign="W6NV" lat="38.40000" long="121.30000"/>
  <qso time="1161993791" band="20" callsign="JA7YRR" lat="40.82000" long="-140.74001"/>
  <qso time="1161993844" band="20" callsign="NI7T" lat="43.40000" long="116.10000"/>
  <qso time="1161993897" band="20" callsign="K9JE" lat="41.50000" long="87.40000"/>
  <qso time="1161993906" band="20" callsign="V49A" lat="17.30000" long="62.60000"/>
  <qso time="1161993944" band="20" callsign="JA1UTQ" lat="35.70000" long="-139.80000"/>
  <qso time="1161993955" band="20" callsign="9Z4CT" lat="10.50000" long="61.30000"/>
  <qso time="1161993967" band="20" callsign="N7CW" lat="43.40000" long="116.10000"/>
  <qso time="1161993977" band="15" callsign="N2IC" lat="43.00000" long="87.90000"/>
  <qso time="1161993986" band="20" callsign="WA2NHA" lat="42.40000" long="73.50000"/>
  ...
</qsos>

How can I create such a file with my logger ?

Your logger must be able to export QSO data in a text file which includes the data above, even in different format. If so, it is only a matter of text massaging to convert data in the XML needed format.

If you're using Win-Test, you're in luck ;-)

From version 3.9.0, all required data are directly available in the text export fields :

Date / Time Unix timestamp
Band
Callsign
Latitude
Longitude

Note: This web site doesn't compute any coordinates from your file. They MUST be embedded in your XML file.

In Win-Test, the geographical coordinates are given by the country file used (CTY.DAT, CTY_WT.DAT or CTY_WT_MOD.DAT), or the QTH locator (if any) in the QSO record (VHF contest files).

Once you get this text file, you need to convert it in an XML file.

The easiest way is to use an AWK script which does it in few seconds.

Here is an example of such a script :

# Text to Google Maps XML converter
#
# Usage : (g)awk -f txt2gmmxl.awk fileIn.txt > fileOut.xml
#
# Text file format : UnixTimeStamp Band Callsign Lat Long
#
# Lat and Long are expressed in decimal degrees.
# Lat : + = North and - = South
# Long : + = West and - = East
#
BEGIN {
  print "<qsos>"
}
{
  if ($0)
    if ($0 !~ /^#/) {
      printf("  <qso time=\"%s\" band=\"%s\" callsign=\"%s\" lat=\"%s\" long=\"%s\"/>\n", $1, $2, $3, $4, $5)
    }
}
END {
  print "</qsos>"
}

You can find a native Win32 port of gawk here.

For those who are reluctant to use the command-line prompt, I wrapped the above script and gawk.exe with a Win32 GUI in an executable file named txt2gmxml.exe you can find here. You just need to provide the full path of your TXT source file (which must have the specs described above), the full path of the target XML file, and hit OK. The XML file will be automagically created.

Have fun with contestReplay !

Larry - F6FVY