These notes give additional information on using the xmlog1 converter.

Background
XMLog (http://www.xmlog.com) is my current amateur radio log software.
It conveniently keeps track of the DXCC countries I have worked on the bands.
I do not actually use XMLog on line, preferring to also maintain a paper log
and transfer QSOs into XMLog 'post event' in batches.
It is therefore convenient to have a paper checklist of countries worked
in front of the rig for easy reference.
I used to keep my dxcc countries in an Excel spreadsheet (or rather OpenOffice
spreadsheet). This in itself was laborious to maintain as all the data had
to be entered manually. Once I started using XMLog this was only done rarely.

XMLog has a feature to print your current standings (to screen/file or printer).
But its format was rather different to what I was used to, and was not that easy
to make a compact printable version for use as a checklist.

This program takes the XMLog output file and converts it to a comma-seperated-variable
(CSV) file with the data I require in the format I like. When imported into a spreadsheet
I can now produce a printout identical to what I had before.

Use of program
1. In XMLog:
Select the range of QSOs you want to produce a checklist for - ie all QSOs/current year.
Select 'Awards/DXCC/DXCC checklist'
Check the 'Screen' and 'File' boxes and click OK
Choose an appropriate folder and filename when prompted (eg c:\temp\dxcc.txt)
The XMLog file will now be saved.

2. Extract xmlog1.exe from this archive to a suitable folder. Double click to run it.
Hit a key to continue and a Window will open to select your file. Browse for the file and
double click to select.
The program will convert the file and respond with 'Done'
Double click the X in the top right hand corner to close the window and exit the program.

3. In Excel or OpenOffice
I have used OpenOffice, the procedure may be different with MS Excel.
Open the file which xmlog1.exe has generated - this will be the same as the original
file but with a .csv extension (ie dxcc.csv).
OpenOffice will open this as an Excel spreadsheet.
Select the following formatting options:
Page Format - set 'sheet' to print the output onto 6 pages - if you get your printer
to print two pages per sheet as double sided it will fit conveniently on two sheets of paper.
Column width - 1cm
Grid - on
Headers - off
For the nine country columns:
Font - Courier New Bold  - Text align centre
You may prefer other settings here.
Save as an excel file of your choosing (eg dxcc.xls) and print.

Notes on the format
The first two columns are prefix and country name - directly from XMLog which you
will notice gives Antarctica the prefix KC4... The deleted countries at the end of
the XMLog output (prefixed with a *) are not included.
Columns 3-11 are the status for bands 160m-10m.
For confirmed contacts (based on a QSL received date in the XMLog log box) an X is shown
For worked but unconfirmed (regardless of whether a card has been sent) a / is shown
No distinction is given for SSB,CW, or other mode. If you operate various modes
you may like to produce different listings for the different modes.

The program is written in BBC Basic for Windows by Richard Russell (http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/)
and the supplied program is a compiled version which can be distributed licence free. I have
included the source code in plain text format - source.txt. A demonstration version of
BBC Basic for Windows which is limited in various aspects is available from the above site
and may be used to run this program if you want to make improvements.

Dave Sergeant
21 May 2005
