• Recompiled to run on a 386 or better, with expanded memory support.

SDIOTA:

• When entering callsigns, the letter M above the callsign indicates this would be a multiplier on the current band and mode. However, if worked previously, (auto check partial tells you), and no M is shown, it will not be a multiplier.

  V9.38 was incorrect in this respect - but scores and multiplier totals were not affected.

Key File - SD.KEY:

• When starting SD, SDC, SDX, SDU and SDV, the key file is checked, and you’re asked for your registered callsign. Any discrepancy is now reported before the program continues in DEMO mode.

  Possible key file errors are:

  • Corrupt
  • Out of date
  • Wrong callsign
  • HF only
  • VHF only

  If your key file is not in the same directory as the program you’'re running, there will be no error message, but the program will run only in DEMO mode.

SDV - VHF Contests:

• If you TABBED across to enter a locator and then returned to enter the callsign, the QSO was scored with 0 points. Fixed.

• Broken code caused the callsign to disappear when any keyer memory, F1 to F9, was played. It’s fixed in V9.38 on the website.

SDIOTA.CTY - county reference file for SDIOTA:

• It’s been updated to give a better analysis of Italian islands, and to include Turkish islands which were omitted.

  SDIOTA.CTY is zipped as IOTACTY.ZIP and it may be downloaded directly from http://www.ei5di.com/sd/iotacty.zip (15 kb) and it’s also included in SDIOTA.ZIP on the website (284 kb).

Expanded memory manager for SDX and SDIOTA:

• If you have difficulty running either of these programs, please ensure the following commands are included in your CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory.

  DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
  DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM

  If necessary, add them to the start of your file.

• The operator’s callsign is displayed in the Score Summary window.

Summary Sheet - CQ WW Contest:

• SDCHECK now analyses country and zone multipliers separately.

SDV:

• Parallel Port keying added.

Initial band - all HF programs:

• With radio control enabled, your initial band is determined by the radio. Otherwise, it’s whatever band you last used (stored as SD_BAND in the configuration file SDCONFIG.TXT).

  The band will be 20 m when there’s no entry in the configuration file, or if the configuration file band would be inappropriate (for example, no 160 m in the IOTA Contest).

• The command AUTOMULT will toggle this feature ON and OFF. The default is ON. Your chosen setting is held in the configuration file. The STATUS command displays your current settings.

F10 - Recall Quick Memory:

• F10 opens the Quick Memory Window, and then Enter is needed to retrieve any highlighted entry. Now F10 can be used as a substitute for Enter. This means you can retrieve the most recently stored entry by pressing F10 twice.

  With radio control, and after a QSY by entering the new frequency, pressing F10 twice will return your radio to the original frequency (and mode).

TUNE Command:

• This command enables continuous keying as soon as you press Enter. Any other key stops keying.

  TUNE is now stored in Quick Memory and can be recalled with F10. Once recalled, keying starts immediately - there’s no need to press Enter.

  In effect, once you’ve started TUNEing, you can toggle it ON and OFF using only the F10 key. Here’s the sequence:

  TUNE + Enter   Keying ON
           F10   Keying OFF
           F10   Displays Quick Memory, Keying OFF
           F10   Recalls TUNE, Keying ON
           F10   Keying OFF

Audible Prompts:

• I’ve restored the audible CW prompts (R, ML, V), as they’re needed by many users. They can be switched On and Off with the SOUND and NOSOUND commands.

CW Speed:

• When operating CW, with keying enabled, the speed is shown under the logging line.

SDV - Initial Band:

• Many users preferred to choose the initial band, rather than having SDV default to 2 m. Restored.

SDX and SD:

• Auto load of .LST reference files. This was unpopular with many users, so I’ve disabled it. Use the LOAD command to manually load your file(s) to (M)emory or (D)isk.

JAPAN.MLT:

• Updated with Prefecture names and additional codes.

SDIOTA: Multi-op, mixed mode. (See V9.29):

• Entering a callsign of the type Q28S reserves a 10 metre SSB QSO for the multiplier station, but allows the run station to continue on the same band and mode as before.

  The correct callsign, RST, Serial and IOTA Ref are recorded by editing the reserved QSO. The Serial Received was copied from the previous QSO. Now it’s left blank.

SDCHECK (and all Post-Contest programs):

• After any edit, points and multiplier totals are recalculated to ensure that the Summary Sheet figures are consistent. (Note, they will reflect whatever edits you do - so they may be wrong).

Serials in SD and SDX:

• Broken code caused edits of Received Serials to corrupt the serial. Fixed.

• I’ve been developing SDW (SD for WRTC 2000). In this event no partial prefix (stations already worked) or super partial (callsign database) checks will be permitted. So, I’ve introduced another method of indicating in real time, as each callsign character is typed, whether or not the prefix indicates a potential or actual dupe, or a potential or actual country or zone multiplier.

  A potential dupe is indicated by the character þ above the callsign. If it’s an actual dupe you’ll see the letter D above the callsign, and the usual information below (except that you see this before you leave the callsign field).

  (Note: This character is ASCII(254) and looks like a small square in DOS - if you’re not running DOS it may look different).

  If neither þ nor D is visible, you know for certain the callsign will not be a dupe.

  Zone and Country multiplier checking.
  The callsign is checked (from the first character typed) against the .CTY file to identify the country (and zone, where relevant). A definite country multiplier is identified by C above the callsign and a definite zone multiplier is identified by Z.
  Note: In identifying and testing zones, the programs assume the default zones from the .CTY files.

  In contests with area multipliers, where the data cannot be identified from the callsign alone, but is supplied in the exchange, a possible multiplier is indicated by "m" above the callsign. If the full callsign is the same as already worked on another band, with an area code wanted on this band, then M is displayed above the callsign.

  If you don’t see Z (or M) or C, the QSO will not be a multiplier.

  This may all sound a bit complicated, but it means you’ve access in real time to most of the information you need without having to take your eye away from the logging line or calling up other windows. It doesn’t replace any other program features - it complements them.

  It’s possible that, on a 386 or older processor, the additional processing will slow down callsign entry. If preferred, I’ll reserve this feature for SDX - which already needs a 486 or better. Please let me know, to sd-user@blacksheep.org, what you think.

  Since you know whether or not the QSO will be a dupe or a multiplier before leaving the callsign field, there’s no longer any point in keeping the audible CW prompts (R, ML, V etc.) and I’ve removed them.

SDV - VHF programs with no district multipliers:

• Broken code in V9.34 caused the Partial Call window to be overwritten with QSO Rate info. Fixed.

SDV - Choice of variable or fixed RST Sent:

• The command RST toggles between variable and fixed RST Sent. The setting remains permanent for SDV (it’s held in the SDCONFIG.TXT file) until you change it.

  With variable RST Sent, you’re taken through all fields in sequence - as before.

  Callsign

  RST Sent

  RST Received

  Serial Received

  Locator

  District (if relevant)

  Notes

  With fixed RST Sent, and using Enter after each field, the sequence is:

  Callsign

  Serial Received

  Locator

  District (if relevant)

  This is much faster if you receive 59(9) most of the time. If you’re sent an RST other than 59(9) use Enter, in the empty Serial Received field, to be taken to the RST Received field. To record no serial, enter 0 (zero) in the serial field.

  If you want to record some notes, TAB to the Notes field (from the Serial or District fields), otherwise edit the QSO after you’ve logged it.

SDV - District Codes:

• To give more flexibility when using your own .MLV area multipler files, you can now enter letters and numbers.

.CTY Files:

• Updated with latest prefixes for Scotland, Wales and Asiatic Russia as per CTY.DAT maintained by AD1C.

• RSGB contests for UK entrants: A timing error, related to the QSO rate calculation every 10 seconds, caused intermittent crashes. Fixed.

All programs - Q command:

• Use the Q command to repeat the callsign from the previous QSO - for example, after you move a station to another band or mode to pick up a multiplier.

CQ WW and IARU Contests - SD and SDX:

• 9.33 omitted a default Zone. Fixed.

DXpedition Mode - SD and SDX:

• Use Type 11 (not RoPoCo). Normally, you have to enter some data, in addition to the callsign, before SD will log a QSO. That’s no longer necessary, but only with Type 11. Use SDX to log up to 11,000 QSOs in the one file.

• RSGB contests for UK entrants: Broken code in 9.32 prevented you from logging data, other than serials, from DX stations. Fixed.

  ARI Contest: If you entered an Italian call and area code, and then tabbed to amend the call, the area code was not logged. Even worse, you couldn’t then edit the area code field. Fixed.

All programs:

• You can no longer use a contest name which is the same as any of the .MLT or .CTY files. This helps to prevent confusion.

  When starting a new contest log with a registered program and key file, the callsign field on the opening screen defaults to your callsign.

• In contests with multipliers, callsigns in the partial call window are highlighted if they would be multipliers on the current band (and mode - for SDI/SDIOTA only).

  This applies to callsigns already worked, but not to callsigns listed by Super Check Partial.

SD and SDX:

• With variable RST Sent enabled, minus in the RST Sent field, to wipe a dupe, logged a dupe. Fixed.

SDV:

• Partial call checking broken in 9.31. Fixed.

• When logging a callsign, Up Arrow lets you select any corresponding callsign (needed on the current band) from the Partial Call window. Broken code in 9.29 or 9.30 caused crashes. Fixed.

Contests with Area and Country Multipliers:

• Broken code meant that non-area QSOs could not be logged in Type 10 contests. Fixed.

New Website:

• The programs are now available from http://www.ei5di.com/ Please update any links you may have.

• Scoring clarified by RSGB. QSOs with IOTA island stations (where you receive an IOTA reference) score 15 points, unless you’re on an IOTA island and the IOTA reference you receive is the same as the one you sent, in which case the score is 3 points. All other QSOs score 3 points. SDI and SDIOTA updated.

SDC - Commonwealth Contest:

• SDC sometimes did not flag dupes and bonus QSOs. Fixed. If you’re currently registered and need your 1999 log checked, please zip and email your .ALL file as YOURCALL.ZIP.

Memory keyer - all programs:

• The CWZERO command gives a choice of 0, O or T for non-leading zeros. It’s been extended to offer A or 1 for 1, and N or 9 for 9.

RUSSIA.MLT:

• Updated multiplier file supplied for the Russian DX Contest - use SD or SDX Type 10.