Importing QSOs
To import QSOs from an ADIF file,
On the Configuration window's Log tab, click the Backup button; this makes it easy to effectively undo an import operation if you decide you'd like to import with a different set of options enabled
Select the Main window's Import QSOs tab
in the Options panel,
- uncheck all boxes except
the Record import errors in error file box, which should be checked
the Check duplicates on import box, which should be unchecked to maintain import performance unless there is any possibility that file you'll be importing contains duplicate QSOs, or contains QSOs already present in the current log
set the ADIF style options panel to Import standard ADIF unless your ADIF file was generated by one of the applications listed in this panel, in which case you should select that application
The ADIF specification precludes characters whose code is less than 32. Importing a file containing a character whose code is less than 32 can prematurely terminate the import process, preventing all QSOs in the file from being imported. If there is any possibility that the file you are importing contains characters with codes less than 32, enable the Ignore tags with binary data option, which will pre-scan the file to remove fields containing character codes less than 32.
- uncheck all boxes except
- If the QSOs being imported will require mass modification to fill in missing information or correct erroneous information
review the Substitution options and Replacement options panels to see if the modification can be accomplished during the import operation with settings in these panels
- if the modification can't be accomplished during the import operation
click the Clear Select button at the bottom of the Import QSOs tab
check the Set Select in imported QSOs to Y box in the tab's upper-right corner
click the Start button in the window's lower-left corner; a standard Windows file selector window name ADIF Import will appear
use the ADIF Import window to select the ADIF file you wish to import; when you click it's Open button, DXKeeper will import the contents of the selected file into your log; if errors are encountered during this process, DXKeeper will display a file describing these errors when the import process has completed.
if you checked the Set Select in imported QSOs to Y box in step 4.b above, then on the Main window's Log QSOs panel, click the Filter panel's Sel button; the Log Page Display will filtered to contain only the QSOs you imported, making it easy to make modifications that apply to each of them
Specific instructions for importing QSOs exported by N1MM are here.
DXKeeper can also import QSOs from a tab-delimited file, which can be created from a spreadsheet application.
An imported record that does not specify both a Callsign and a QSO Begin date and time will be reported as illegal, and rejected. All other imported records will result in the creation of a logged QSO; if the logged QSO contains fatal or non-fatal errors, the errors will be reported, and the QSO will be considered broken.
When importing a QSO record for a station in the United States, Alaska, or Hawaii, DXKeeper corrects frequent county misspellings, e.g. IL,Du Page => IL,DuPage. It also replaces counties that specify an independent city name with the name of the surrounding county, e.g. VA,Frankin => VA,Southampton.
There are three primary issues when importing an ADIF log exported by another logging application:
- recovering each QSO's DXCC entity
- importing QSOs made from different locations
synchronizing with the ARRL's Logbook of the World (LotW)
Recovering each QSO's DXCC entity
The ARRL defines a unique, immutable Entity Code for each DXCC entity in http://www.arrl.org/files/file/DXCC/dxcclist.txt
The ADIF specification provides a tag named DXCC to convey each QSO's Entity Code. If your ADIF file specifies a DXCC tag for each QSO, then DXKeeper will accurately recover the DXCC entity you logged with each of your QSOs with no additional action required on your part.
Unfortunately, some logging applications do not include the DXCC tag in exported ADIF files. When DXKeeper imports an ADIF record that doesn't specify an Entity Code, it determines the QSO's DXCC entity by analyzing the callsign -- using today's callsign-to-entity rules. If you logged a QSO with KA1DX back in 1952, and your logging application exports this QSO without the Entity Code for Minami Torishima (which in ADIF would be <DXCC:3>177), then DXKeeper will assign the imported QSO's DXCC entity to be the continental US (Entity Code 291). To automate the correction of such QSO's, Joe W4TV created a set of Fix scripts that inspect each QSO in DXKeeper's log, apply the callsign-to-entity rules in force as of the date of the QSO, and if appropriate modify the QSO's DXCC entity, CQ zone, ITU zone, Continent, and IOTA tag. You'll find these scripts in DXKeeper's Scripts sub-folder:
- FIX_EU.txt
- FIX_USSR.txt
- FIX_KH.txt
- FIX_MISC.txt
To run a script, click the button labeled ~ in the Filter panel at the bottom of the Main window's Log QSOs tab; this will cause a Scripts button to appear. Click the Scripts button, and use the resulting Run Script window to navigate to DXKeeper's Scripts sub-folder and select the Fix script you wish to run.
If you select a script that potentially modifies your QSOs (as all Fix scripts do), you'll be given the opportunity to make a log backup before running the script; agreeing to create such backups is a good idea. After a script runs, DXKeeper will display a report that summarizes the changes made. More information about Scripts can be found in http://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxkeeper/Help/Scripts.htm, or by clicking one of DXKeeper's Help buttons and navigating to the Filtering, Modifying, and Reporting with Scripts topic in the Logging and Managing QSOs section.
Importing QSOs made from Multiple Locations
Define a My QTH for each location from which you have operated
to Import an ADIF file containing QSOs all made from the same location with the same Station Callsign,
on the Main window's Import QSOs tab,
in the Replacement options panel, check the box to the left of Station Callsign, and specify the appropriate Station Callsign in the textbox to the right of of Station Callsign
in the Substitution options panel, check the box to the left of Substitute for missing QTH identifiers, and use the selector to the right to choose the appropriate my QTH ID
- proceed with the Import procedure described above
after all ADIF files have been imported, on the Main window's Import QSOs tab,
in the Replacement options panel, check the box to the left of Station Callsign
in the Substitution options panel, check the box to the left of Substitute for missing QTH identifiers
Importing Fields not Supported by DXKeeper
DXKeeper can record more than 100 items with each QSO, but not every field defined in ADIF is included. DXKeeper does provide 8 user-defined items that you can employ as you wish. If you enable a user-defined item's ADIF setting, then when importing an ADIF file, any field whose name matches that user-defined item's Caption will be imported into that user-defined field. For example, you could setup user-defined item #1 with a Caption of SOTA_REF and enable its ADIF setting on the Configuration window's User Items tab. Then the information in SOTA_REF fields within an ADIF file being imported would be placed in each QSO's user-defined item #1, which would be labeled SOTA_REF. When subsequently exporting an ADIF file from such QSOs, the information in user-defined item #1 would be exported in a SOTA_REF field.
Synchronizing with LotW
Increasingly, logging applications are tracking LotW status independently of hardcopy QSL card status for each QSO. ADIF was slow to define a standard way to do this, so many logging applications defined "private" tags for this purpose. DXKeeper can read the private LotW status tags exported by Logger32 and DX4WIN, but there's an alternative: direct DXKeeper to review all of the QSOs you've uploaded to LotW and all of the QSLs that LotW has generated in your account, and to then update your logged QSOs to reflect the status information reported by LotW. Step-by-step directions for doing this are provided in Handling QSOs already uploaded to LotW; before doing this, you must first Configure DXKeeper for Interaction with LotW.
Post a question or suggestion on the DXLab Discussion Group
Importing and Exporting ADIF Modes and Submodes