<div>Here's my personal recommended checklist of Win-Test options and settings, some pretty obscure, that you may want to check prior to starting CQ WW CW this upcoming weekend. Many are <i>not</i> the Win-Test defaults.</div>
<ol><li>Hide the (distracting, not useful) Win-Test toolbar to get more screen area (Options | Toolbar - uncheck)</li><li>Hide the distracting yellow bars in the Check Multipliers (F10) Window: Right Click, Display Options -> Sun Charts (uncheck)</li>
<li>Turn on hover help for menu items to see equivalent text command shortcuts (Help | Display text command tips for menu items - check)<br>(Text command shortcuts are entered in the logging window like a callsign, then press [Enter])</li>
<li>Make the log re-load automatically if you restart Win-Test (Options | Load Contest at Startup | Enabled - check). Shortcut: AUTORELOAD</li><li>Use only CTY_WT_MOD.DAT as your country file, and download the latest version via Options | Data files | Countryfiles. Shortcut: CTYFILES</li>
<li>Download <a href="http://supercheckpartial.com/MASTER.SCP">http://supercheckpartial.com/MASTER.SCP</a> and save it to the proper directory (File | Explore | /databases directory)</li><li>Right click on the Super-Check Partial Window</li>
<ul><li>Used Files List ...<br>Make sure it says MASTER.SCP</li><ul><li>If not, do File | Explore | /databases directory, Right click on MASTER.SCP and rename it to DEFAULT.SCP, then type REOPENNOW in the logging window to close and re-open the log. Check Used Files List again.</li>
</ul><li>Start search after two characters | Apply to both log and database search - check</li><li>In log only -- NOT checked!</li></ul><li>Allow CQ zones to be filled in automatically (Tools | Data Entry | Exchange Guessing | Automatically - check)</li>
<li>Turn off the distracting red messages about invalid callsigns (Tools | Data Entry | Callsign check | Disabled - check)</li><li>Turn off PC speaker (Options | CW | No sound). Shortcut: NOSOUND</li><li>Enable 6-baud spaces between words:</li>
<ul><li>Options | CW</li></ul><ol><ul><li>Shorted spaces (CT Spaces) - check. Shortcut: CTSPACE </li><li>Correction - Smart Correction - check (works with $CORRECT variable in PLUS message). Shortcut: SMART</li><li>
Remap keys in keyboard mode - check. (Allows remapped keys to work consistently even when using the Alt-K keyboard CW window)</li>
</ul></ol><ul><li>Options | WinKey Configuration</li></ul><ol><ul><li>Short spaces (CT Spaces) - check</li><li>PTT Lead/Tail - set both to 0 ms if radio to amp PTT timing works fine without Win-Test </li><li>CW message and paddle speeds - Synchronized - Only by the Win-Test commands (Alt-V/F9/F10) (prevents unexpected WinKey speed jumps)</li>
</ul></ol><li>Set automatic repeating CQ delay to 2.3 seconds (Tools | Automatic CQ Repeat). Shortcut: RPTDELAY.</li><li>Options | Log | Hide QSO numbers (check) - a needless distraction</li><li>Options | Log | Stay in field when moving up and down in the log - makes up / down keys work more naturally, as in a spreadsheet, instead of always jumping back to the beginning of the callsign field when you're in the zone column and press UP arrow)</li>
<li>Enable Run/S&P switching (RUNSP [Enter]) - allows VFO movement to clear logging window when doing S&P, plus second set of CW messages.</li><li>Windows | Clock (check) - to view RUN/S&P status (right hand side of clock window). Press Ctrl-Tab to toggle state between RUN / S&P.</li>
<li>Alt-R (Rate) window. Right Click.</li><ul><li>Display -> Instant Rate moving graph</li><li>Display -> QSO/Mult ratios</li><li>Display -> (Uncheck everything else)</li><li>(For Multi-Single and Multi/2, Display -> Band changes elapsed times)</li>
</ul><li>Right click on Radio 1 - Band Map. Select Properties:</li><ul><li>Set spots lifetime to 20 minutes</li><li>Randomize TX Frequency in CW (-100/0/+100 Hz) - check! This keeps everyone from calling on exactly the same frequency when a spot is posted.</li>
<li>Search & Pounce options: When leaving the operating frequency, Wipe the QSO (check, but note that it can be risky), Populate the bandmap (check)</li><li>Set spots bandwidth to 100 Hz</li></ul><li>Right click on DX-Cluster Window (Alt-O)<br>
</li><ul><li>Timeout Alarm -> 3 minutes (warning message you if you lose connectivity to your cluster)</li><li>Stream logging - uncheck (especially when connecting to Reverse Beacon Networks - RBN)</li></ul><li>Right Click on DX Announcements Window (Alt-A)</li>
<ul><li>Incoming spots logging - uncheck (especially when connecting to Reverse Beacon Networks - RBN)</li><li>Multipliers only (check). Uncheck it when things get too slow.</li><li>Displayed Bands - Current (for Multi-Op), All (for Single-Op Assisted)</li>
<li>Display Options: Time / Sender (leave the others display options unchecked)</li></ul><li>MSGS [Enter] -- Program CW messages.</li><ul><li>Use $RST to send "5NN", $ZONE to send your zone. Omit leading zero (REOPEN [Enter] to change it).</li>
<li>If you want to be decoded faster by CW Skimmers and prevent unexpected WinKey speed jumps, get rid of all the "++" / "--" characters in all messages</li><li>Perhaps reprogram F3 as "$CORRECT TU $CR" as quick QSL alternative to PLUS: "$CORRECT TU $MYCALL $CR"</li>
<li>If using Elecraft K3, FT-1000, FT-2000/FT-DX5000MP, download Win-Test scripts from <a href="http://bit.ly/wtscripts">http://bit.ly/wtscripts</a> and add a #CLEARRIT call at end of F1 (CQ) msg and PLUS (TU) messages.</li>
</ul><li>Make the PageUp and PageDown keys work the same as in N1MM software (CW Speed Up / Down):</li><ol><li>DEFINEKEYS [Enter]</li><li>Click [Add]</li><li>Press PageUp</li><li>Press Alt-F10</li><li>Click [Add]</li><li>
Press PageDown</li><li>Press Alt-F9</li><li>Click [OK]</li></ol><li>See <a href="http://docs.win-test.com/wiki/Menu:Tools#Redefine_keyboard_keys">this Wiki page</a> for other field-tested suggestions of useful keyboard re-mappings, especially if you don't like pressing PLUS and INSERT. Note that when you remap a key, the old key still works, you just now have two ways of doing the same function.</li>
<li>Use the new COPYLOGCLEAR command just before the start of the contest to save any pre-contest QSOs in a separate time-stamped .WT4 file, and clear the log,(not valid with networked computers, instead see this <a href="http://docs.win-test.com/wiki/Multi-op/Clearing_all_logs_before_the_start">link</a>.)</li>
</ol><div>GL to all in the CQ WW CW!</div><div><br></div><div>73,</div><div>Bob, N6TV</div>