Provided by: tlf_1.4.1-327-g7b714df-4_amd64 
NAME
Tlf - amateur radio contest keyer/logging program for Radiosport
SYNOPSIS
tlf [-?dilnrvV] [-f config_file] [-s user:password@host/dir/logfilename] [--debug] [--config=config_file]
[--import] [--list] [--no-cluster] [--no-rig] [--sync=user:password@host/dir/logfilename] [--verbose]
[--version] [--help] [--usage]
DESCRIPTION
Tlf is a console (ncurses) mode general purpose CW keyer, logging and contest program for amateur radio
operators. It supports the CQWW, WPX, ARRL-DX, ARRL-FD, STEWPERRY, PACC, FOC Marathon and EU SPRINT
contests as well as a lot more basic contests, general QSO and DXpedition mode. It interfaces with a
Morse Code generator, a number of radios via the Hamlib library, and with a DX Cluster via telnet or
packet radio. Tlf can project DX cluster data into the excellent Xplanet program, written by Hari Nair.
Contest operation mimics the popular TR-Log program for DOS, the output file is TR-Log compatible. The
log can be exported in ADIF or Cabrillo 3.0 format.
The program was written for console mode on purpose, which allows it to run on smaller machines, or
remotely via SSH or a modem link.
CW keying via cwdaemon is fully supported, featuring direct mode for the keyboard and output to parallel
and serial ports and speed and weight control from the keyboard, and band info output on the parallel
port. Likewise, CW keying via Hamlib is supported for rigs that feature the capability. Tlf can set the
CW speed, and at the same time read back the speed if changed using the knob on the rig.
For users of the K1EL series of “Win Keyers”, the winkeydaemon is available from GitHub. Setup is the
same as for cwdaemon(1).
For radio control Tlf works with Hamlib (version >= 1.2.8), you can find it at www.hamlib.org.
Tlf provides full TCP/IP networking between Tlf nodes, syncing/distributing log, packet data, frequency
data, local talk, serial numbers, time sync etc.
OPTIONS
Options given to Tlf on the command line.
-?, --help
Print a summary of options to the screen and exit.
-f config_file
--config=config_file
Start with a non-default configuration file:
tlf -f PA0R
Defaults to logcfg.dat in the current working directory.
-s user:password@host/dir/logfilename
--sync=user:password@host/dir/logfilename
Synchronize log with other node
tlf -s user:password@host/dir/logfilename
-n, --no-cluster
Start without packet/cluster.
-r, --no-rig
Start without radio control.
-l, --list
List all built-in contests.
-i, --import
Import an existing Cabrillo file and generate Tlf log files.
When Tlf starts, it looks for YOURCALL.cbr file in the current directory, reads the configuration
and rule files, and based on the current setup generates the log(s). If the contest is WAE and
you have QTCs in Cabrillo, then Tlf generates the QTC logfiles. Tlf will not write over the
existing log(s).
The generated import will be IMPORT_CONTEST.log, where the CONTEST is the name of contest in the
config. If QTC exists, then the files IMPORT_QTC_sent.log and IMPORT_QTC_recv.log will be
created.
-v, --verbose
Verbose startup.
-d, --debug
Debug rigctld(1).
-V, --version
Print the version information to the screen and exit.
--usage
Print a short usage message to the screen and exit.
USAGE
Tlf has been written for console mode. If you want to run Tlf from a terminal in X or Wayland, you will
probably get the best results if you set TERM=linux and use a Linux console terminal. Both KDE and GNOME
terminals have a facility to start a Linux console in an X terminal as does Xfce-terminal.
By default, xterm(1) or urxvt(1) may give unreadable colours. If so, you will have to set different
colours in logcfg.dat or prepare $HOME/.Xresources to the preferred colour scheme (a sample Xresources
file that contains usage instructions is included in the doc directory). One advantage of xterm or urxvt
are that they do not consume the F11 key which other terminal emulators reserve for full screen mode nor
Ctrl-PgUp/Ctrl-PgDn which may be used for tab switching in other emulators.
Recent efforts have resulted in improved keyboard handling. If you find keys that do not work, the
developers would like to receive your report of which keys and which terminal have the problem. Please
send the report to the mailing list shown in the BUGS section below.
There are excellent results with the latest KDE, GNOME, and Xfce terminal emulators (vi colours are
preferred by some). As Tlf uses ncurses to format its display you must use a proper font. (Good choices
are the Linux font, Inconsolata, Hack, or any monospace font that dots or slashes the zero character).
If you have problems, try the linux text console first and work from there.
Normally you start or restart Tlf in fast mode with “tlf”. During debugging of a logcfg.dat file you can
start in verbose mode, to have a look at the startup messages. The config file can also be specified on
command line:
tlf -f config_file
If you have the packet cluster enabled you will first see the packet screen (if you are using telnet and
you have provided your callsign in logcfg.dat you will be automatically logged in switched to the main
logging screen). Log in with your callsign, if needed, and switch to the main logging screen with the
‘:’ command. You can come back to the packet screen later with the :PACket command from the call input
field of the main logging screen.
You can exit and close Tlf with the :EXIt or :QUIt commands or with Alt-X.
At restart Tlf recalculates the score, which may take some time depending on the number of QSOs in the
logfile and the speed of your system. Tlf takes the points as they are in the log, and calculates the
multiplier from either callsign or exchange field (depending on the contest).
COMMANDS
These commands are entered in the callsign field of the main logging screen. Each command consists of
the leading ‘:’ and at minimum the upper case characters of the command name plus any needed parameters
separated by ‘Space’.
:ADIf Writes the log to an Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) file logfile.adif.
:CHAr Input the number of characters for CW auto-start or ‘m’ for manual start. Possible values are:
‘0’ (off), ‘2’...‘5’ or ‘m’ (manual).
After typing as many characters in the input field or after pressing the ‘Enter’ key in manual
mode Tlf starts sending the callsign without further keystrokes. You can type in the rest of the
call (but quickly). As soon as the sending catches your last typed character Tlf automatically
sends the exchange and the cursor jumps to the exchange field.
‘Escape’ stops sending.
This works only in CW contests in RUN mode.
:CHEck
:NOCheck
Turn the dupe check window On|Off.
:CQDelay
Change Auto_CQ delay (in 1/2 seconds, with PageUp/PageDown keys).
:CLOff No cluster information (non-assisted contest operation).
:CLUster
:MAP Show cluster window or bandmap.
:CONtest
Toggle contest mode On|Off.
:CTY
:ZONe
:MULt Show needed country multipliers, zones, multipliers per continent (depends on the contest).
:CWmode
:SSBmode
:DIGimode
Switch TRX to CW|SSB|DIGi mode.
:EDIt Edit the log with your favourite editor. Be careful!
:EXIt
:QUIt Exit Tlf (synonym to Alt-X, but without asking for confirmation).
:FILter
Filter cluster info (announce, dx-spots, all).
:FREq Show frequency or band/score information of your other tlf nodes.
:FLDIGI
Toggle Fldigi communication On|Off.
:HELp Show online help (displays help.txt from working directory or from /usr/share/tlf if no local one
exists).
:INFo Show network status.
:MESsage
Edit CW (Morse Code) messages.
:MODe Toggle TRX mode (CW|SSB|DIG).
:PACket
Switch to the packet terminal. Switch back to the main logging screen with ‘:’.
:REConnect
Re-opens the connection to the DX cluster in case it was disconnected.
:REScore
Recalculates the values in the score window (e.g. after deleting or editing QSOs).
:RITclear
Toggle the RIT reset after QSO On|Off.
:SET
:CFG Edit various parameters in logcfg.dat file and reload it.
:SCOre Toggle the score window On|Off.
:SCVolume
Adjust the soundcard volume for the sidetone (Up|Down).
Range: 0–99.
:SIMulator
Toggle simulator mode On|Off. In simulator mode you can work a complete CQWW CW contest in TR-Log
mode. Set CONTEST=cqww.
:SOUnd Opens the sound recorder menu.
The sound recorder is a utility for recording the voice keyer messages and enables recording a
complete contest in chunks of 1 hour to the hard drive.
Using the sound recorder requires the installation of the sox(1) package, which provides the rec
utilities used by the script.
For recording voice messages, the keys F1–F12, s, or c will record the voice keyer message for
that key.
The sound recorder uses the /usr/bin/soundlog script which should already be installed to a
location in the $PATH. The recording is written to the ./soundlogs directory by default.
The soundlog script now defaults to the rec utility provided with the Sox package. The command
syntax is not compatible with the previous default rec utility.
The previous default rec utility is assumed to be from the Open Sound System (OSS) package (sound
system used on Linux prior to ALSA). Its default soundcard device is /dev/dsp. To enable the OSS
version uncomment the needed line in the soundlog script and comment the Sox rec line.
The recorded file extension is .au, the Sun μ–law format.
The recorder produces less than 60 MegaBytes per hour in single channel mode. Recording a
complete 48 hour CQWW event requires less than 3 GigaBytes of disk space. If local disk space
must be preserved, the sound file can be moved to another host using FTP, rsync, scp, or any other
network transfer protocol.
Sound recorder menu:
1: Start/Stop contest recording to ddhhmm.au.
2: List contest recordings and play back selected recording ddhhmm.
To create a new file every hour add a crontab(1) job to run the following command every hour
(syntax for SoX rec shown):
/usr/bin/pkill -x rec
Running the crontab job at other intervals will create sound recordings of the interval
period in length.
Once started the recorder will run until the lock file $HOME/.VRlock is removed and the script
gets stopped (performed by menu item 1).
If you leave TLF with the recorder running TLF will ask for confirmation. Depending on your
answer TLF can stop it or keep it running. In the latter case just restart TLF and use :sound
again to stop it.
Cabling and setting up the radio to record both received and transmitted audio is left as an
exercise for the reader simply due to the variety of radios and station configurations.
To ease the adaption to the local environment record and play back commands for voice keyer
messages and contest audio can be configured by the following keywords: VK_RECORD_COMMAND,
VK_PLAY_COMMAND, SOUNDLOG_RECORD_COMMAND and SOUNDLOG_PLAY_COMMAND. The directory where soundlogs
gets stored can be configured with SOUNDLOG_DIRECTORY. See “Sound Commands” section below.
:SYNc Synchronize the logfile of this node with the logfile pointed to by the parameter
SYNCFILE=user:password@host/dir/logfile. Tlf will wget(1) the logfile from the relevant node,
make a dated backup of your local logfile, and merge the 2 files. The score will be recalculated.
:TONe [dd]d
Set PC sidetone frequency in Hertz.
Range: 300–900, 0 = Off.
:TRXcontrol
Toggle rig control On|Off.
Default is Off unless RADIO_CONTROL is given in logcfg.dat (only makes sense with rig control
capability).
:VIEw View the log with less(1).
:WRIte Write Cabrillo file according to specified format (see CABRILLO statement in the RULES section).
The file is created in the current directory as YOURCALL.cbr (with slashes as part of YOURCALL
converted to underscores, such as WX9XYZ/8.cbr to WX9XYZ_8.cbr).
KEYS
Work has been ongoing to unify the key map between the Linux text console and the various X terminals.
It may be slightly different on certain X terminals depending on which keys they consume for their own
use. Turn off any key recognition by the terminal for its own purposes (menu access, help display, etc.)
if possible. Pay special attention to the F1-F12 and Alt-<char> keys. Moreover, on some systems you
must set the TERM=linux or TERM=rxvt environment variable, although variables such as xterm, xterm-color,
or xterm-256color should work. This also works under VNC.
Certain key combinations will probably not be usable as the Linux console consumes Alt-F1 through Alt-Fx
(often F7, but could be greater) for switching its virtual consoles. Likewise, the various desktop
environments consume key combinations for their own use. Ctrl-F1 through Ctrl-Fx are used to switch
desktop workspaces. Alt-Fx combinations are used for various desktop features and are unavailable for
Tlf use.
Some desktop terminal emulators are capable of being configured to allow the application running in them
to get all of the keys the desktop environment does not consume. In testing good choices seem to be
Gnome Terminal, Rox Terminal, or the classic Xterm (although its default color presentation differs
slightly from the Linux console and other terminal emulators) or URxvt (with a very distinct default
color palette). Xfce Terminal is known to consume F11 and Ctrl-PageUp and Ctrl-PageDown. The Tlf
developers have implemented Alt-PageUp and Alt-PageDown as a work-around for the Ctrl counterparts.
Reports of success with other terminals are welcome.
Call Input and Exchange Fields
The Call Input and Exchange Fields are the two main entry fields of Tlf where the majority of the
keyboard entry takes place. The call input field is active when Tlf completes its initialization and
presents the main screen.
Most key sequences are the same in both fields. Differences are noted as necessary.
A-Z, 0-9, /
Call input: ASCII letters, numerals, and the / character that make up an internationally
recognized amateur radio callsign plus temporary location identifiers. Spaces are not allowed.
Exchange: information provided by the other station possibly separated by spaces, such as ARRL
Field Day and ARRL Sweepstakes.
Space Switch from call input to exchange field.
Separates exchange field elements when multiple exchange elements must be entered, such as ARRL
Field Day and ARRL Sweepstakes.
Tab Switch between call input and exchange fields (jump back to call input from exchange field).
Enter Smart key depending on contest mode.
Tlf follows the TR operating style which has two modes, CQ and S&P (Search and Pounce).
CQ mode is used for “running”, that is staying on one frequency and having other stations answer
your call.
S&P mode is for tuning up or down the band and answering the calls of other stations.
In CQ Mode:
• With the call input field empty, Enter sends the F12 message (Auto CQ).
• With characters in the call input field, Enter answers the calling station by sending the F3
message (RST) and moves the cursor to the exchange field.
• If the exchange field is empty, Enter repeats the F3 message (RST).
• After the exchange information received from the other station is entered, Enter sends the
CQ_TU_MSG message if defined, or “TU” (CW mode) and your call otherwise. Afterwards it logs the
QSO, and returns the cursor to the call input field to answer the next call.
In S&P Mode:
• When the call input field is empty, Enter sends the S&P_CALL_MSG if defined, or your call
otherwise.
• When the exchange field is empty, Enter sends the S&P_CALL_MSG if defined, or your call
otherwise.
• When the call input field has been filled, Enter sends the S&P_CALL_MSG if defined, or your call
otherwise. Afterwards it moves the cursor to the exchange field.
• Once the exchange has been received, Enter sends the S&P_TU_MSG if defined, otherwise it sends
your call followed by the F3 message (RST). Afterwards it logs the QSO and returns the cursor
to the call input field to answer the next call.
Backspace
Erase the character to the left of the cursor and moves the cursor one position to the left.
Escape Stop CW transmission, clears characters, returns to call input field, keyboard off (universal
undo).
Note: Some changes are being considered to modify the behavior of Escape slightly. The intent
will be to have Escape only stop sending on first press and not clear any entered information. It
is planned that Escape will stop the playback of the voice keyer as well.
As an example, characters have been entered in both the call input and exchange fields, the cursor
is in the exchange field, and the transmission of a CW message is in progress.
The first press of Escape will stop the CW transmission and clear the exchange field and position
the cursor to the leftmost position of the exchange field.
The second press of Escape will move the cursor to the right of the last character in the call
input field.
The third press of Escape will clear the call input field.
You can disable the above described UNDO functionality by setting ESC_STOPS_TX_ONLY (see below).
← (Left-Arrow)
Call input field is empty: change to next band lower in frequency or wrap to highest band if
already on the lowest band.
Characters in the call input field: enter edit mode while moving the cursor to the left onto the
rightmost character. In edit mode successive presses will move the cursor left until the first
character is reached.
→ (Right-Arrow)
Change to next band higher in frequency or wrap to the lowest band if already on the highest band
when call input field is empty.
F1 In CQ mode, send message F1 (CQ).
In S&P mode send message F6 (MY).
Shift-F1
Restore previous CQ frequency from MEM and send message F1 (CQ).
F2-F11 Send CW, RTTY or VOICE messages 2 through 11. If the callsign field is empty the messages will be
sent with the preceding qso data.
F12 Start Auto_CQ (only activated from the call input field). Sends F12 message repeatedly pausing
for Auto_CQ delay time between messages. Auto_CQ is cancelled with first character entry into the
call input field.
+ (Plus)
Toggle between the CQ and S&P modes.
PgUp Increase CW (Morse Code) speed (from call and exchange fields).
If the cursor is in the call input field and it is not empty and CHANGE_RST is set: increase sent
RST.
If the cursor is in the exchange field and it is not empty and CHANGE_RST is set: increase
received RST.
PgDown Decrease CW (Morse Code) speed (from call input and exchange fields).
If the cursor is in the call input field and it is not empty and CHANGE_RST is set: decrease sent
RST.
If the cursor is in the exchange field and it is not empty and CHANGE_RST is set: decrease
received RST.
Ctrl-PgUp
Alt-PgUp
Increase Auto_CQ delay pause length (+1/2 sec).
Set Auto_CQ delay to message length + pause length.
Ctrl-PgDown
Alt-PgDown
Decrease Auto_CQ delay pause length (-1/2 sec).
As some terminals, Xfce Terminal is one such, consume Ctrl-PageUp/Ctrl-PageDown, the Alt-
PageUp/Alt-PageDown combinations allow for setting the Auto_CQ delay pause length.
Note: If neither key combination works try :CQD instead.
? (Query)
In CW or DIGIMODE sends the partial call followed by “ ?”. In VOICE mode sends recorded message 5
(F5).
; (Semicolon)
Insert note in log.
, (comma)
Ctrl-K Activate Morse Keyboard.
" (Double quotation)
Send talk message to other Tlf nodes.
- (Minus)
Delete last QSO (Use :REScore to correct scoring afterward).
↑ (Up-Arrow)
In empty call input field: Edit last QSO: Insert, overwrite, and delete; + log view.
Increment serial number in exchange input field.
↓ (Down-Arrow)
Decrement serial number in exchange input field.
= (Equals)
Confirm last call.
_ (Underscore)
Confirm last exchange.
{ (Open brace)
In RTTY (DIGIMODE), keyboard mode switch TX on.
} (Close brace)
In RTTY (DIGIMODE), keyboard mode switch TX off (RX).
\ (Backslash)
Log QSO without CW output.
In RTTY (DIGIMODE), keyboard mode switch controller to command mode (back to operating mode with
‘K’Enter).
# (Hash)
Transceiver VFO frequency → MEM, MEM → transceiver VFO frequency.
$ (Dollar)
Pop MEM frequency: MEM → transceiver VFO frequency and clear MEM.
% (Percent)
Swap transceiver VFO frequency and MEM.
! (Exclamation)
Get a new shell. Come back with “exit”.
Alt-,
. (Period)
Change bandmap filter configuration. You can filter to show spots from all or own band only, from
all/own mode only and if you want to see dupes or not (see the help (Alt-H) display), only new
multiplier or all call (only CQWW).
Ctrl-A Add a spot to bandmap and broadcast it on the local network.
Ctrl-B Send a spot to the DX Cluster (a connection to a DX cluster must exist). TLF prepares a minimal
spot line and allows you to edit it. Finish editing and send the spot with ENTER or abort sending
by pressing the ESCAPE key.
Ctrl-E End modem capture for RTTY mode in QTC window (started with Ctrl-S).
See /usr/share/doc/tlf/Manual.md for more information.
Ctrl-F Set frequency. Use Up/Down-Arrow for 100Hz steps and Pg-Up/Pg-Down for 500Hz steps. Return to
logging with Escape.
Ctrl-G Grab next DX spot from bandmap. The indicator on the right of the bandmap shows the current
grabbing direction. It can be toggled with Ctrl-V.
Ctrl-K Keyboard (CW and RTTY).
Ctrl-L Reset the screen.
Ctrl-P Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) display.
Ctrl-Q Open the QTC window for receiving QTCs if QTC=RECV or QTC=BOTH or sending QTCs if QTC=SEND is set
in logcfg.dat. Same as Ctrl-S if QTC=SEND.
See /usr/share/doc/tlf/Manual.md for more information.
Ctrl-R Toggle /dev/lp0 pin 14 (Mic/Soundcard switch | trx1/trx2 switch).
Ctrl-S Open the QTC window for sending QTCs if QTC=SEND or QTC=BOTH in logcfg.dat. Saves QTCs while in
QTC window.
In RTTY mode starts capture from the modem after the window has been opened with Ctrl-Q. End
capture with Ctrl-E.
See /usr/share/doc/tlf/Manual.md for more information.
Ctrl-T Show talk messages. In the QTC window shows RTTY lines.
Ctrl-U Wipe out whole input line (call input and exchange), clear all information about current contact.
If entered by accident a second Ctrl-U restores the line.
Ctrl-V Toggle grabbing direction in which Ctrl-G looks for a spot.
Ctrl-W Wipe actual field the cursor is in (call input OR exchange). If entered by accident a second
Ctrl-W restores the field.
Ctrl-Z Suspend Tlf returning to shell prompt. To return to Tlf use the ‘fg’ command (Bourne Shell) or
the equivalent command for your shell.
Alt-0...Alt-9
Send alternate CW (Morse code) messages. If the callsign field is empty the messages will be sent
with the preceding qso data.
Alt-A Cycle cluster window: NOCLUSTER → CLUSTER → BANDMAP → ...
Alt-B Band up in TR-Log mode.
Alt-C Toggle display of checkwindow.
Alt-E Enter QSO edit mode.
Alt-G Grab first spot from bandmap which has the characters in the call input field in its call. Allows
the operator to selectively grab a specific call from the bandmap.
Alt-H Show help file /usr/share/tlf/help.txt.
Alt-I Show talk messages.
Alt-J Show the frequencies of other local station(s).
Alt-K Keyboard (CW and RTTY).
Alt-M Show multipliers.
Alt-N Add Note to log.
Alt-P Toggle PTT (via cwdaemon).
Alt-X Exit Tlf (synonym to :EXIt and :QUIt, but asks for confirmation).
Alt-R Toggle score window.
Alt-S Toggle score window.
Alt-T Tune your transceiver (via cwdaemon). Activates PTT and Key output, by default for 6 seconds.
Stop tuning by pressing any key. You can override the default value using the TUNE_SECONDS
configuration statement. In addition to cwdaemon, tune also works with winkeydaemon (tested with
v1.0.10).
Alt-V Band down.
Alt-W Set CW weight.
Alt-Z Show zones worked.
CT Compatible Mode
Tlf has limited support for the logging sequence keys used in the once popular CT logging program.
Unlike the default Enter Sends Message (ESM) mode, the CT Compatible mode uses the Insert and + keys in
the logging sequence and Enter logs a complete QSO. Unlike ESM mode, CT mode does not have separate CQ
or S&P modes.
CT Compatible mode is enabled with the CTCOMPATIBLE keyword in logcfg.dat (see the PREFERENCES section
below).
The following keys differ in behavior in CT Compatible mode.
Enter Log the complete QSO without sending any message macro.
If the callsign field is empty, pressing Enter will activate the Auto-CQ function. If the
exchange field is empty, pressing Enter in either the callsign or exchange field will result in no
action.
Insert Send the RST (F3) macro.
Since the RST macro includes the other station's callsign by default, the HIS macro is not sent
first. This differs from classic CT, but is a compromise to use the default Tlf macros.
+ (Plus)
Send the TU macro and log the QSO.
The + key checks if the exchange field is empty and if it is nothing is sent or logged. In rare
cases where nothing needs to be entered in the exchange field, such as when working DX from USA in
ARRL 160, simply enter a space to allow the + key to send the TU message and log the QSO.
Alt-V Change CW speed.
PREFERENCES
Tlf can be fully configured by editing the logcfg.dat file. Normally you keep one logcfg.dat file,
setting up your callsign, the log file name, the ports and addresses for packet, the radio, the network
etc., and a separate rules file per contest.
The logcfg.dat file can be edited from within Tlf by the :CFG or :SET commands (or with any other plain
text editor before starting Tlf). It contains keyword-argument pairs, one per line. Lines starting with
“#” and empty lines are interpreted as comments and are ignored.
You can set your favourite editor in the logcfg.dat file.
The rules file is associated with the statement RULES=contest_rules_file_name in logcfg.dat.
Note: Both logcfg.dat and rules file support the same configuration parameters except RULES which is
allowed only in logcfg.dat.
Tlf will first look in the current working directory for a logcfg.dat file, and if it cannot find one it
will look in /usr/share/tlf for a default one. Make sure you edit the logcfg.dat file for at least your
callsign and your preferred system configuration.
Parameters requiring a boolean value (like true/false) can have an optional case-insensitive argument.
Alternatively, both yes and on are treated as true. Similarly instead of false also no or off can be
used. Without the argument the default assigned value is yes.
logcfg.dat STATEMENTS
Configuration parameters are set in logcfg.dat which is located in the working directory (where Tlf is
started).
Tlf Setup Commands
RULES=contest_rules_filename
Name of the rules file to load.
It helps to name the rules file according to the contest you want to describe. The rules file is
located under the rules directory of the working directory.
SYNCFILE=user:password@host/dir/syncfile
File on remote host you want to synchronize with (use wget(1) syntax).
CTCOMPATIBLE[=<ON|OFF>]
Do not use the TR-Log QSO sequence, but use +, Insert and Enter to log the QSO.
The default mode of operation is the TR-Log sequence which uses + to switch between CQ and S&P
modes, in which Enter is the sole key used to call the other station, send the exchange, and log
the QSO.
TLFCOLORn=FG/BG
Defaults:
TLFCOLOR1=23 (Header and footer)
TLFCOLOR2=67 (Pop up windows)
TLFCOLOR3=70 (Log window)
TLFCOLOR4=57 (Markers/dupe colour)
TLFCOLOR5=43 (Input fields)
TLFCOLOR6=63 (Window frames)
The numbers are given in octal, FG/BG or BG/FG (some experimentation likely required).
You should only specify these if you wish to modify the standard colours of Tlf. In some
Terminals you can set a special profile for Tlf with your own colours. Another way is to define
the colours via the $HOME/.Xresources file for XTerm and rxvt.
Note: A sample /usr/share/doc/tlf/Xresources file has been provided that sets the colour scheme
for XTerm and rxvt to the same colour pallet as the Linux console. Most other terminals have
their own way of setting the colour pallet.
RXVT[=<ON|OFF>]
Use rxvt's colours.
EDITOR=nano | vi[m] | <your_favorite_editor>
Editor used to modify the QSO log or logcfg.dat. The command specified receives the file name as
an argument.
When using a GUI editor that runs in the background (such as gvim) make sure to exit the editor
before logging new stations. Use the :RES command to rescore the log. It is best to force such
an editor to stay in the foreground (such as with ‘gvim -f’).
CALL=PA0R
The station callsign used in messages; also used to determine the station's country, zone and
continent.
OPERATING_MODE=CQ|S&P
Set operating mode for start up. Use CQ for "run" and S&P for "search and pounce". The default
mode is CQ.
TIME_OFFSET=0
Used to shift the Tlf time with respect to the computer clock. Normally 0.
Range: 0–23.
TIME_MASTER[=<ON|OFF>]
This node transmits the time over the network (only one master allowed!).
ADDNODE=Node_address[:Port_number]
Adds an IP address (and optionally a port number) to which we broadcast stuff. (WARNING: Only add
addresses of other nodes).
THISNODE=A
Node designator (default “A”). If Tlf hears its own node ID on the network it will exit and ask
you to pick another one!
Range: A–H.
LAN_PORT=Portnumber
Specifies on which port number (default “6788”) Tlf is listening for broadcasts from other
instances.
LANDEBUG
Activates the debug function for recording Tlf network traffic.
Dumps all Tlf net traffic received on this node into a file named debuglog in the working
directory. This log can be used as a backup log for the whole network, as it is easy to retrieve
QSO data, cluster messages, gab messages etc. after the contest. Some users have this enabled all
the time.
SSBMODE
Start Tlf in SSB mode (default is CW).
RTTYMODE
Start Tlf in RTTY mode (default is CW)
GMFSK=$HOME/gMFSK.log
Tell miniterm(1) where to get the data.
DIGIMODEM=$HOME/gmfsk_autofile
Tell Tlf where to send the macros.
MARKERS=file_name
Generate marker file for Xplanet.
Xplanet (a GUI program for the X Window System) will show the last 8 DX cluster spots on an
azimuthal map. See the relevant Xplanet documentation.
Use azimuthal projection and center the map on your QTH (station location).
BAND_NN=bottom,cw_end,ssb_start,top
Define band edges. NN is the band designator (wavelength), allowed values are: 160, 80, 60, 40,
30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10.
All 4 comma separated parameters are mandatory and shall be specified in integer Hz units with an
optional k suffix.
Example specification for Region 1 40 m band:
BAND_40 = 7000k, 7040k, 7050k, 7200k
Internal default band definitions are based on a superset of all Regions. For example, 40 m ends
by default at 7300 kHz. In addition to configuring the legal limits BAND_NN can also be used to
fine tune actual band configurations for a specific contest.
Morse Code Keyer Commands
NETKEYER
Activates the CW keyer.
Only the IP networked keyer cwdaemon or any other program that emulates cwdaemon such as
winkeydaemon is supported. You may also need the keyer for PTT control or band info output.
NETKEYERPORT=port_number
Default port is 6789.
NETKEYERHOST=host_address
Default host is 127.0.0.1 (localhost).
HAMLIB_KEYER
Activate CW keying via Hamlib.
Note: The + and - macros to control speed from within messages are not yet supported.
MFJ1278_KEYER=serial_port
Activates support for the MFJ-1278B multi-mode controller.
The MFJ-1278 supports CW as well as RTTY contesting. The serial port rate is fixed at 9600 bps.
CWSPEED=speed_in_WPM
Set the initial CW (Morse Code) speed.
Can be changed with PgUp (increase), or PgDn (decrease) while sending CW messages or logging.
Range: 4–69.
WEIGHT=weight_ratio
Set the CW (Morse Code) dot to dash ratio.
Only for the NETKEYER.
Range: -45–50.
TXDELAY=PTT_delay_in_mS
Delay activation of the Push To Talk pin.
Range: 0–50.
KEYER_BACKSPACE[=<ON|OFF>]
Support backspace key in keyer window.
Sound Commands
SOUNDCARD[=<ON|OFF>]
Use soundcard for CW sidetone output.
SIDETONE_VOLUME=soundcard_volume
Set soundcard sidetone volume (default is 70).
A value of 0 turns off sidetone output (even for the console speaker).
Range: 0–99.
CQDELAY=Auto_cq
Set automatic CQ pause delay in 1/2 seconds increments between message transmissions.
Range: 3–60.
CWTONE=sidetone
Set the PC speaker or soundcard frequency.
A value of 0 switches the sidetone off.
Range: 0–999.
(Due to a bug in cwdaemon it also turns off the Alt-T tune function. Use SIDETONE_VOLUME=0
instead).
VK_PLAY_COMMAND=command
The command to play a voice keyer message file.
It default to “play_vk $1”, where “$1” will be replaced by the file name to play.
VK_RECORD_COMMAND=command
Command to record voice keyer messages.
“rec -r 8000 $1 -q” is used by default. Again “$1” stands for the file to write during recording.
SOUNDLOG_PLAY_COMMAND=command
Playback command for soundlog recordings (default is “play -q $1 2> /dev/null”):
SOUNDLOG_RECORD_COMMAND=command
Command to record contest audio stream. Runs out of the SOUNDLOG_DIRECTORY.
The script “soundlog” which is part of TLF is used by default. See :Sound for details.
SOUNDLOG_DIRECTORY=directory
The directory in which recorded contest sound files are stored (default “./soundlogs”).
Band Switching Commands
BANDOUTPUT
Outputs band information to pins 2, 7, 8, 9 on the parallel port.
Output is 1 (160m), 2 (80m) ... 9 (10m).
This format is compatible with the standard interface for antenna switches, band filters etc.
BANDOUTPUT=124181818
Output pin 2 for 160, 30, 17 and 12, pin 7 for 80, pin 8 for 40, and pin 9 for 20, 15 and 10.
This comes in handy when you have 3 dipoles and a 3-band beam (...).
NO_BANDSWITCH_ARROWKEYS[=<ON|OFF>]
This will prevent unwanted band switching when you are not using rig control.
Band up = Alt-B, band down = Alt-V (TR-Log mode).
DX Cluster Commands
TELNETHOST=cluster_address
Use Telnet to connect to a DX Cluster node using a DNS name or IP address, such as
claudia.esrac.ele.tue.nl or 131.155.192.179.
TELNETPORT=telnet_port_of_cluster
DX Clusters often use a non-standard port for Telnet, e.g. 8000.
CLUSTERLOGIN=yourcall
Automatic login for the telnet client.
CLUSTER_LOG[=<ON|OFF>]
Write clusterlog to disk.
TNCPORT=serial_port
You can use /dev/ttyS0, /dev/ttyUSB1, etc. anything that looks like a tty.
TNCSPEED=serial_rate
Tlf supports 1200, 2400, 4800 and 9600 bps.
FIFO_INTERFACE
The FIFO (First In First Out) interface is used when you want to receive cluster info from the
network, or from another source. The FIFO interface uses a special FIFO file in the working
directory called clfile. Anything you dump into this FIFO will be displayed by the packet
interface.
Radio Control Commands
RADIO_CONTROL[=<ON|OFF>]
Switches the radio interface on. The rig interface makes use of the Hamlib library which supports
a number of different rigs.
RIGMODEL=rig_number
Look at the Hamlib documentation for the rig_number.
Hint: rigctl -l and its manual page (rigctl(1)).
RIGSPEED=serial_rate
Speed of the serial port for rig control.
RIGPORT=serial_port
You can use /dev/ttyS0, /dev/ttyUSB1, etc. anything that looks like a tty.
For rigctld(8) set RIGPORT=localhost and RIGMODEL=2. In this case RIGSPEED is ignored.
RIGCONF=rig_configuration_parameters
Send rig configuration parameters to Hamlib.
e.g. RIGCONF=civaddr=0x40,retry=3,rig_pathname=/dev/ttyS0
RIT_CLEAR[=<ON|OFF>]
Clears the RIT after logging the qso.
This only works if the rig, and the Hamlib routine supports it (tested on the OMNI 6+).
RIGPTT Declares that Hamlib CAT PTT capability should be checked at startup and if available used to
activate the radio's PTT for sending voice messages instead of the cwdaemon PTT.
CWBANDWIDTH=width
Sets the CW bandwidth of your rig when changing bands.
If unset or 0 the default bandwidth (as determined by Hamlib) is used. (a valid bandwidth for the
radio model must be used).
DIGI_RIG_MODE=mode
If set along with RADIO_CONTROL option, specifies the mode to change the radio to when :DIG mode
is selected.
mode may be one of “USB”, “LSB”, “RTTY”, or “RTTYR”. If this parameter is not set, “USB” is used
if the FLDIGI parameter is set else “LSB” is used.
User Interface Commands
CLUSTER
Show DX Cluster window at startup.
BANDMAP
Shows cluster bandmap on startup.
Use . (period) to change bandmap filtering.
BANDMAP=xyz[,number]
Show cluster bandmap on startup and set start values for filtering.
<xyz> string parsed for:
“B” - show DX spots only on operating band
“M” - show DX spots only on operating mode
“D” - do not show dupes
“S” - skip dupes during grab_next (Ctrl-G)
“O” - show only new multipliers
“X” - show also out-of-band spots when in all-band mode
<number> lifetime for new spots in seconds (number >= 30)
SCOREWINDOW[=<ON|OFF>]
Show the score window (same as Alt-R).
CHECKWINDOW[=<ON|OFF>]
Show the country/call check window.
PARTIALS[=<ON|OFF>]
Show a list of possible contest calls.
See CALLMASTER in the RULES section below for partials file specification.
USEPARTIALS[=<ON|OFF>]
Use the auto-complete utility (takes some practice...).
Tlf will complete the call as soon as it is unique in the database.
This can lead to strange effects, but in practice there are far more hits than misses. Sometimes
you must edit the call because it has locked on a unique call. Try it, and switch it off when you
don't like it.
LOGFREQUENCY[=<ON|OFF>]
Put frequency (kHz) into QSO number to enable logging of frequency (only in QSO or DXPED modes).
IGNOREDUPE[=<ON|OFF>]
Enables logging multiple QSOs in a contest with the same station (considered a good idea these
days as contest bots that parse the submitted Cabrillo file will determine such dupes (duplicate
contacts)).
SUNSPOTS=SSN
Set the sunspots number value which is used to do a rough calculation of the MUF (Maximum Usable
Frequency).
If the cluster interface is used the SSN will be updated by WWV or WCY messages.
SFI=Solar_flux_value
Set SFI used to calculate SSN.
The SSN value is used to do a rough calculation of the MUF. If the packet interface is used the
SSN will be updated by WWV or WCY messages.
CHANGE_RST
If set in logcfg.dat, PgUp and PgDown will change sent/received RST instead of CW speed if you are
in call/exchange field and call field is not empty.
Default is these keys only change CW speed.
CHANGE_RST=33, 43, 47, 499, ...
Provide a comma separated list of RS(T) values which are used for the sent RST.
Received RST will always be 33–39, 43–49, or 53–59.
Providing a value for T is optional but will be ignored.
In CW and DIGI modes T will always be 9.
NOB4[=<ON|OFF>]
Do not send automatic “QSO B4” message.
Default is to send such messages.
NOAUTOCQ[=<ON|OFF>]
No automatic CQ when pressing Enter or F12.
Default is that these keys will start an automatic CQ (see their descriptions in the KEYS section
above).
ESC_STOPS_TX_ONLY[=<ON|OFF>]
Pressing ESC key does only stop sending CW or voice macros. No further action is taken.
SEND_DE[=<ON|OFF>]
Sends a “DE” word before your callsign, as in “DE W1AW”.
There is a special case; if SEND_DE is present in logcfg.dat, and Tlf if is in :DIGimode, then the
other station's callsign will be sent before “DE”, such as “DL1A DE W1AW”.
RESEND_CALL=FULL | PARTIAL
Sends the full or partial callsign again at the end of the QSO in RUN mode if the call of the
other station was corrected. In case of FULL the whole callsign will be sent again. If the value
is PARTIAL, then TLF figures out which part of callsign has to be sent. Eg.: if the received call
was AB1CD, but later it is corrected to AB1CB, then CB is sent.
SHOW_TIME[=<ON|OFF>]
Show last worked time instead of QSO number in the worked window.
RULES
The contest rules can be put into separate files. Tlf will first look for a directory called rules/ in
the working directory, and a file named for the contest, for example, cqww. If Tlf cannot find such a
file, it will look into the directory /usr/share/tlf/rules. A rules file contains contest specific
parameters like multipliers, scoring rules, CW and voice keyer messages, etc.
Note: The rules file overrides settings from the logcfg.dat file!
WARNING! It is your own responsibility to try these rules well BEFORE the contest. The authors of Tlf
cannot possibly check all rules for all contests :) and during the contest there is normally no time to
fix it. Of course, Murphy's Law always applies! These commands can generally appear in any order.
RULES Configuration
General configuration options for the RULES file.
CONTEST=xxxxx
Name of the contest (same as the file name contest_rules_filename given to the RULES parameter
referenced above in logcfg.dat). Some contests, like CQWW and WPX, are pre-programmed. Look for
the relevant rules file in /usr/share/tlf/rules.
LOGFILE=log_file_name
Mandatory!
By convention contest_rules_filename.log, but can be anything meaningful.
CABRILLO=format
Specify the name of the Cabrillo QSO and QTC line format. For most cases UNIVERSAL is a good
choice. For further Cabrillo related information see CABRILLO CONFIGURATION below.
CONTEST_MODE[=<ON|OFF>]
Sets Tlf into contest mode.
Do not use this parameter for normal QSO logging!
SHORT_SERIAL
Uses short form for serial number (9=N, 0=T).
LONG_SERIAL
Uses long form for serial number (default).
LEADING_ZEROS_SERIAL[=<ON|OFF>]
Controls sending leading zeros in serial number. By default serial numbers are sent with (up to 2)
leading zeros.
NO_RST[=<ON|OFF>]
Do not use RST in contest, such as for CW Open, ARRL Sweepstakes, ARRL Field Day, or various QSO
parties and such events.
In such a case when writing a Cabrillo log format template you must provide a conforming format
definition without RST values.
MIXED[=<ON|OFF>]
Stations can be worked in any mode (CW, SSB and DIG) on a given band without being counted as a
DUPE.
SSBMODE
Start Tlf in SSB mode.
If radio control is active, the radio will be placed in SSB mode, if not in SSB mode already.
Normally Tlf starts in CW mode and will set the radio to CW mode if needed.
Note: At this time Tlf does not follow mode changes on the radio. When switching modes use the
:CW, :SSB, or :DIG commands to set both Tlf and the radio mode.
CQWW_M2
Put the node ID into the logline (just after the QSO number) to support Multi/2 operation where
the station logging the QSO must be in the Cabrillo file. This can also be used for M/1 and M/M,
to enable post-contest analysis of the nodes.
FKEY-HEADER="short description of your defined F-keys"
The actual F-key assignments shown on the top of the main logging screen. Maximum length is 59.
The default is: “1=CQ 2=DE 3=RST 4=73 5=HIS 6=MY 7=B4 8=AGN 9=?”
TUNE_SECONDS=tuning-seconds
Specify how many seconds you allow tune (Alt-T) remain active before automatically terminating
transmit.
Range: 1–100.
The default value is 6, to maintain compatibility with previous TLF versions. After 100 seconds,
tuning will automatically be terminated, to allow your PA (and perhaps you too ;-) ) to cool down
a bit...
CALLMASTER=callmaster
Use a different file name as the callmaster database (default is callmaster in the working
directory).
Often downloaded as MASTER.SCP from the Supercheck Partials Web site. See the PARTIALS and
USEPARTIALS commands in the User Interface Commands section above and the FILES section below for
obtaining Supercheck Partials updates.
BMAUTOGRAB[=<ON|OFF>]
If set along with the RADIO_CONTROL and BANDMAP (mandatory for this parameter) options, Tlf will
grab the callsign from the bandmap, if the TRX (radio) frequency is equal with the displayed
bandmap frequency.
BMAUTOADD[=<ON|OFF>]
If set along with the RADIO_CONTROL and BANDMAP (mandatory for this parameter) options, Tlf will
add the callsign from callsign field, if at least 3 characters have been entered.
Use “S”kip dupes in BANDMAP settings to control if it should also grab dupes.
SPRINTMODE[=<ON|OFF>]
If set, Tlf will automatically switch its mode between LOG and S&P after every QSO.
FLDIGI If you work RTTY (or any other digital modes), you can communicate with Fldigi through XMLRPC.
This parameter activates the interface.
By default Tlf connects to:
http://localhost:7362/RPC2.
If you run Fldigi's XMLRPC server on an different port use FLDIGI=http://localhost:port_#/RPC2
MINITEST[=NNN]
Use this option when the contest is a minitest like contest.
In such contests the full contest interval is divided into shorter sections (e.g. 6 * 10 minute
sections in an hour). Any station can be worked once in each of the time sections without
counting as a dupe. The default length of the sections is 600 seconds (10 minutes), but you can
pass another value (in seconds) after the ‘=’ sign.
There must be an integral number of time sections per hour!
CW, Digimode and Voice Keyer Macros
The following parameters configure the CW, Digimode and voice mode keyer message macros.
Macro characters in the message strings
% = my call, @ = his call, # = serial number, [ = RST, + = increase cw speed, - = decrease cw
speed, * = AR, = = BT, < = SK, ( = KN, ! = SN, & = AS, > = BK, ! = his serial (e.g. confirm
exchange of station in DIGimode), | = carriage return (only in digi mode messages).
Be aware that unspecified digimode messages gets the value of their CW counterpart prepended with '|'.
F1="cw message 1"
CQ message, (e.g. CQ de PA0R TEST).
F2="cw message 2"
S&P call message, (e.g. @ de %).
F3="cw message 3"
Exchange message, (e.g. @ ++5NN--#).
F4="cw message 4"
TU message, (e.g. TU 73 %).
F5="cw message 5"
Call of the other station (e.g. @).
F6="cw message 6"
Your call (e.g. %).
F7="cw message 7"
QSO B4 message (e.g. @ sri qso b4 gl).
F8="cw message 8"
Again message (e.g. AGN).
F9="cw message 9"
Query message (e.g. ?).
F10="cw message 10"
QRZ message (e.g. QRZ?).
F11="cw message 11"
Please reply message (e.g. PSE K).
F12="cw message 12"
Auto-CQ message (e.g. +++TEST %---).
CQ_TU_MSG="cw message 13"
Auto Exchange message in CQ mode (TR-Log mode), (e.g. TU %).
S&P_TU_MSG="cw message 14"
Auto Exchange message in S&P mode (TR-Log mode), (e.g. TU 5NN #).
S&P_CALL_MSG="cw message 25"
Custom call message in S&P mode.
Allows replacing the auto-generated S&P call message.
Alt_0=<...> ... Alt_9=<...>
Up to 10 additional messages.
VKM1=voice message file name 1 ... VKM12=voice message file name 12
Use F1 ... F12 keys to send recorded messages for phone.
VKCQM=voice_message_file_name
Auto Exchange voice message in CQ mode (TR-Log mode)
VKSPM=voice_message_file_name
Auto Exchange voice message in S&P mode (TR-Log mode)
DKF1=digi keyer message 1 ... DKF12=digi keyer message 12
Use F1 ... F12 keys to send recorded messages for digital.
DKCQM=message
Auto Exchange TU digi message in CQ mode (TR-Log mode)
DKSPM=message
Auto Exchange TU digi message in S&P mode (TR-Log mode)
DKSPC=message
Auto Exchange call digi message in S&P mode (TR-Log mode)
Scoring
The following parameters configure Tlf's scoring calculations.
ONE_POINT
One point per QSO (regardless of mode).
TWO_POINTS
Two points per QSO (regardless of mode).
THREE_POINTS
Three points per QSO (regardless of mode).
CWPOINTS=d
Points per CW QSO.
SSBPOINTS=d
Points per SSB QSO.
Note: SSBPOINTS and CWPOINTS need to be set for both to work!
MY_COUNTRY_POINTS=d
Points for working your own DXCC entity (often zero (0)).
MY_CONTINENT_POINTS=d
Points for working countries in your own continent.
DX_POINTS=d
Points for working a station in other continents.
2EU3DX_POINTS
Deprecated.
Use MY_CONTINENT_POINTS and DX_POINTS instead.
COUNTRY_LIST_POINTS=d
Points for countries in country list.
USE_COUNTRYLIST_ONLY[=<ON|OFF>]
Score zero points for countries not in the list.
COUNTRYLIST="comma separated list of prefixes"
e.g. SM,LA,OZ,OH.
COUNTRYLIST=file_name
File with a list of prefixes. It can contain multiple records (lines). The one starting with the
current contest name is selected. E.g. Scandinavia:SM,LA,OZ,OH.
Not to be confused with so-called "country" files maintained by AD1C.
PORTABLE_MULT_2[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiply points x2 for portable stations (e.g. R1 field day).
LOWBAND_DOUBLE[=<ON|OFF>]
Double all points for lowband (40, 80, and 160m) QSOs (can be combined with any other value).
(Will be deprecated in future! Use BANDWEIGHT_POINTS instead.)
POWERMULT=power_multiplier
Use this value to multiply the final points.
If the contest rule allows one to use the power multiplier (such as Stewperry, ARRL-FD, various
QSO parties), set it here.
Note: The value type of POWERMULT is a float, as in POWERMULT=1.5, but the final score will be
rounded by the C library floor(3) function, which gives the largest integer value that is not
greater than multiplied score.
WYSIWYG_MULTIBAND[=<ON|OFF>]
Exchange is the multiplier, per band, whatever you enter.
Tlf builds its own list of multipliers as QSOs are logged.
WYSIWYG_ONCE[=<ON|OFF>]
Exchange is multiplier, whatever you enter.
Counts once per contest, not per band.
WAZMULT[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiplier is the CQ zone (per band).
ITUMULT[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiplier is the ITU zone (per band).
PFX_MULT[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiplier is prefix (PA0, DA2, VE7, etc.).
Counts once per contest, not per band.
PFX_MULT_MULTIBAND[=<ON|OFF>]
Same as WPX, but the WPX only used CQ-WW-WPX, and there a single prefix multiplier only once, not
all band.
With this option, the PFX counts as multiplier on all band. This usable in the All Asia DX
contest (AA-DX).
COUNTRY_MULT[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiplier is the DXCC entity (per band).
Relies on a so-called "country" file by AD1C. An outdated version is supplied in
/usr/share/tlf/cty.dat. See the FILES section below.
MULT_LIST=file_name
Name of multipliers file (often sections, provinces, states, counties).
May contain comment lines starting with “#” in the first column. Each multiplier resides on a
single line by itself.
Starting from Tlf-1.4 aliases may be defined for the multipliers. Define the aliases as:
multiplier:alias1,alias2,alias3
If you log a QSO with one of the aliases it will be counted as the multiplier. You can have more
than one line for the same multiplier.
This is useful for state QSO parties as an instate participant where instate operators exchange
county abbreviations rather than the state but the state can only count once (Kansas QSO Party is
once such example).
SECTION_MULT[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiplier is section from multipliers file.
Counts per band.
SECTION_MULT_ONCE[=<ON|OFF>]
Multiplier is section from multipliers file.
Counts once per contest, not per band.
CONTINENTLIST="comma separated list of continents"
Valid values are: SA, NA, EU, AF, AS and OC.
CONTINENT_LIST_POINTS=d
Points for stations from continents in CONTINENTLIST
USE_CONTINENTLIST_ONLY
Score zero points for station from continents not in the list.
BANDWEIGHT_POINTS
Define a point weighting factor for different bands.
For example, setting:
BANDWEIGHT_POINTS=160:3,80:2,40:1,20:1,15:1,10:2
for use in the All Asia DX (AADX) contest will multiply all QSO points by 3 on 160m, by 2 on 80m
and 10m and on all other bands only by 1.
Bands not in the list are weighted by 1.
BANDWEIGHT_MULTIS
Allow a weighting factor for multipliers on different bands.
For example, setting:
BANDWEIGHT_MULTIS=80:4,40:3,20:2,15:2,10:2
for use in the Worked All Europe DX Contest (WAEDC) will multiply the number of multipliers on 80
by 4, on 40 by 3 and on 20/15/10 by 2.
The multiplication is executed after any other multiplier calculation.
Bands not in list will be weighted by 1.
PFX_NUM_MULTIS
In WAEDC (and maybe with other contests too) the multipliers are the different countries, but
there are some exceptions where the prefix of certain countries is a different multiplier.
In WAEDC these countries are: W, VE, VK, ZL, ZS, JA, PY, RA8/RA9 and RAØ. With this option, you
can define the country prefixes:
PFX_NUM_MULTIS=W,VE,VK,ZL,ZS,JA,PY,UA9.
Tlf will read this list, perform a lookup in a countrylist for a country code, and that code will
be used. If you include the UA9 prefix and then make a QSO with a station from Asiatic Russia,
the PFX number will evaluated with a new multiplier, but European Russia will not.
EXCLUDE_MULTILIST
Some contests have a special multipliers list, which is easier to write by excluding a predefined
set.
For example, the main set could be COUNTRY_MULT, and you need to exclude from that list just a few
countries, (e.g. the SAC contest excludes the Scandinavian countries as they are not multipliers).
In that case you can use this configuration:
COUNTRY_MULT
COUNTRYLIST=JW,JX,LA,OF1,OF0,OJ1,OJ0,OX,OW,OZ,SM,TF
EXCLUDE_MULTILIST=COUNTRYLIST
Another useful example is the WAEDC RTTY contest where all stations can work each other, however,
for EU stations only the non-EU stations are the multipliers, and the opposite for non-EU stations
where only the EU stations are the multipliers. In that case the EU stations can use this
configuration:
CONTINENTLIST=EU
COUNTRY_MULT
EXCLUDE_MULTILIST=CONTINENTLIST
and all countries are multipliers, except for the EU stations.
Also, in this contest the non-EU stations can use this configuration:
CONTINENTLIST=SA,NA,AF,AS,OC
COUNTRY_MULT
EXCLUDE_MULTILIST=CONTINENTLIST
and all EU countries are multipliers and not those from the SA, NA, AF, OC and AS continents, so
only the EU stations remain as multipliers.
UNIQUE_CALL_MULTI=ALL|BAND
Multiplier is the callsign.
The argument tells Tlf, how to score the callsigns as multipliers:
ALL means the callsign is a multiplier once per the contest, independent of band.
BAND means the callsign counts as a multiplier per band.
GENERIC_MULT=NONE|ALL|BAND
Use generic multiplier determined by the contest plugin.
The argument specifies the multiplier counting rule (see above). Default value is NONE
(disabled).
PLUGIN_CONFIG
Specifies the argument to the contest plugin's init function. See the PYTHON PLUGIN section
below.
Exchange
The following parameters configure Tlf's handling of the exchange.
SERIAL+SECTION[=<ON|OFF>]
Exchange is serial number and section, multiplier is section from multiplier file.
Counts per band.
SERIAL_OR_SECTION[=<ON|OFF>]
Exchange is serial number or section.
This option is similar to SERIAL+SECTION, except the exchange could be a serial OR the section.
This option was introduced for HA-DX, where HA stations give the shortest form of their county,
other stations give serial.
SERIAL+GRID4[=<ON|OFF>]
Exchange is serial number and grid (e.g. 001 JO21QI), multiplier is 4-character grid (JO21).
Counts per band.
DX_&_SECTIONS
Multiplier is DXCC country or section from multiplier file.
RECALL_MULTS
Exchange can be recycled, will be filled into exchange field when it is known (see also
INITIAL_EXCHANGE).
INITIAL_EXCHANGE=exchanges.txt
The file must contain a comma-separated list of exchanges.
If the exchange is the name of the operator, the file should contain lines like:
PA0R,rein
PG4I,joop
OK1RR,martin
If RECALL_MULTS is set, Tlf will look in this list for the exchange and fill it in for you. There
are various contests which have a standard exchange, such as the FOC Marathon. The module also
recognises embedded calls (e.g. CT3/PA0R/QRP).
CONTINENT_EXCHANGE[=<ON|OFF>]
Exchange is a continent (NA, SA, EU, AS, AF, OC).
SERIAL_EXCHANGE
Exchange is a serial number (formats received exchange and configures Cabrillo exchange). Set
this only if both sent and received exchanges are plain serial numbers.
MYQRA For the “Stewperry” contest, this option is used to set the QRA (Maidenhead) locator, (e.g. JN97,
or the full form: JN97OM).
In Stewperry, the points are calculated based on the distance between the stations as calculated
between this setting and the locator entered into the exchange field.
QTC
The following parameters configure Tlf for the Worked All Europe DX Contest (WAEDC) exchange of QTCs.
QTC=direction
Send or receive QTCs in a contest (usually on WAEDC).
direction is one of: RECV, SEND, BOTH
Note: Currently just the RECV direction is implemented. For more information, please see the
/usr/share/doc/tlf/Manual.md file.
QTC_CAP_CALLS=list_of_qtc_capable_callsigns.txt
Indicate that the station is QTC capable and highlight it in the bandmap or worked window.
Put the callsigns of such stations in a file in the working directory, one callsign per line, and
give its name as an argument to this parameter.
QTC_AUTO_FILLTIME[=<ON|OFF>]
If you use the QTC feature and you are an EU station in CW or SSB modes, then you can only RECEIVE
the QTCs.
Most sending stations send their QTCs as a short form. For example, after the first line the
first two characters of time field are not sent.
If you set this option, then when you fill the first QTC line, Tlf will fill the other time
fields, but only the first two characters. If you change the hour (e.g. if there is a time of
2059 and the next one is 2100), then all next time fields will be changed.
QTC_RECV_LAZY[=<ON|OFF>]
If you use the QTC feature, and you are an EU station in CW or SSB modes, then you can use this
feature.
By default, Tlf validates all received QTC lines (i.e. the time field must be four characters
long; callsign and serial fields must not be empty).
If you set this parameter, Tlf will not perform validation.
CABRILLO CONFIGURATION
This section covers the configuration of Cabrillo processing.
The fields of the generated Cabrillo file can be either
• set to a fixed value,
• input interactively,
• or disabled.
Note: A template file defines the values used in the headers of the Cabrillo file. A format file
defines the fields of the QSO lines in the Cabrillo file.
Using a Cabrillo template
A Cabrillo template is used to provide station specific values that will be placed into the generated
Cabrillo file. Tlf will not prompt for values listed in this file when the :WRI command is issued.
Note: The template keywords are the same as the parameters below with the CABRILLO- prefix omitted.
Cabrillo keyword definitions can be found at the World Wide Operators Foundation Cabrillo specification
page.
CABRILLO-TEMPLATE=file.cbr
The specified file is parsed and the values from relevant lines are taken the same way as if they
were added via a config file.
The header, footer, comment and QSO lines are ignored.
One can, for example, re-use a file from a previous contest or use a sample file provided for the
contest. Another possibility is to summarize the station-specific values in a station.cbr file
(see as an example /usr/share/doc/tlf/station-sample.cbr). As multiple CABRILLO-TEMPLATE
parameters can be specified, it allows for separating the contest and station specific parts.
This is an optional configuration as the same effect can be reached by plain configs (via the
logcfg.dat and rules files).
Note: The CABRILLO- prefix is required in the config files.
Internal configuration
Following parameters control the generation of QSO lines.
CABRILLO-EXCHANGE=format
Specifies the sent exchange format.
The hash mark (“#”) stands for QSO serial number. For a contest using a fixed exchange enter the
value here (limited to 39 characters).
CABRILLO=format
CABRILLO-QSO-FORMAT=format
Set the format of QSO and QTC lines including the separator character for the received exchange.
The format descriptions are contained in cabrillo.fmt either in the current directory or in
/usr/share/tlf. The specified format file is used both to generate Cabrillo output and also for
Cabrillo import. For technical details see /usr/share/doc/tlf/Manual.md.
A cabrillo.fmt format file is used to generate a Cabrillo file when a predefined format in
/usr/share/tlf/cabrillo.fmt does not exist. For many events the UNIVERSAL format is adequate,
otherwise you'll need to roll your own based on the log submission rules of the contest
organizers.
Configuring header information
Cabrillo header fields can be set using the keywords listed below. The value assigned to the keyword
controls the processing of the field:
• value not in parentheses, e.g. “9ACW” taken verbatim,
• value in parentheses, e.g. “(YES,NO)” will be asked interactively, with the provided text as hint
• a single dash ”-“ value disables the field (neither asked nor output) keeping its value,
• no value (i.e. a keyword without equal sign) just enables the field without changing its value.
Note: The order of the headers in the Cabrillo file is fixed and independent of the order they are
present in a config or template file.
Header Keywords
Note: These keywords and the internal ones can also be used in a Cabrillo template just by removing the
CABRILLO- prefix and using ”:“ as value separator.
CABRILLO-CONTEST
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-ASSISTED
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-BAND
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-MODE
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-OPERATOR
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-POWER
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-STATION
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-TIME
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER
CABRILLO-CATEGORY-OVERLAY
CABRILLO-CERTIFICATE
CABRILLO-CLAIMED-SCORE
(Score value is replaced with the calculated score. It can be disabled but not set.)
CABRILLO-CLUB
CABRILLO-LOCATION
(Locator automatically filled, if enabled and MYQRA is set.)
CABRILLO-GRID-LOCATOR
CABRILLO-NAME
CABRILLO-EMAIL
CABRILLO-ADDRESS
(3 generic address lines available)
CABRILLO-ADDRESS(2)
CABRILLO-ADDRESS(3)
CABRILLO-ADDRESS-CITY
CABRILLO-ADDRESS-STATE-PROVINCE
CABRILLO-ADDRESS-POSTALCODE
CABRILLO-ADDRESS-COUNTRY
CABRILLO-OPERATORS
CABRILLO-OFFTIME
CABRILLO-SOAPBOX
(3 soapbox lines available)
CABRILLO-SOAPBOX(2)
CABRILLO-SOAPBOX(3)
PYTHON PLUGIN
Tlf uses Python plugins to customize or extend functions beyond the built-in features. Two notable use
cases are adding a specific scoring logic and determining multipliers.
The Python plugin file is loaded the same way as the RULES file but the file must have py extension.
tlf Python module
Tlf core functionality and constants can be accessed via the pre-imported tlf module.
Constants
CWMODE: int
SSBMODE: int
DIGIMODE: int
MY_CALL: str
MY_LAT: float
MY_LONG: float
Functions
def get_qrb_for_locator(locator: str) -> Qrb:
Returns the distance (in km) and bearing (in degrees) to the specified locator from the current
location.
def get_dxcc(call: str) -> Dxcc:
Returns the DXCC information for the given call using the cty.dat file.
Data structures
Qso
call: str callsign
exchange: str received exchange
band: int band in meters
mode: int one of tlf.CWMODE, tlf.SSBMODE or tlf.DIGIMODE
utc: int time in integer seconds since epoch
Qrb
distance: float distance in km
bearing: float bearing in degrees
Dxcc
country_name: str
main_prefix: str
main_cq_zone: int
main_itu_zone: int
main_latitude: float
main_longitude: float
main_continent: str
main_timezone: float
starred: bool
prefix: str
cq_zone: int
itu_zone: int
latitude: float
longitude: float
continent: str
timezone: float
exact: bool
Functions
All plugin functions are optional.
def init(cfg: str) -> str:
Called once on Tlf start up. It shall initialize the internal state of the plugin.
The parameter cfg contains the value provided to PLUGIN_CONFIG. It can be used to control the
internal logic of the plugin. If no PLUGIN_CONFIG is specified then an empty string is passed.
The return value is a string specifying the minimal required Tlf version (e.g. '1.5'). In case of
no version dependency None shall be returned.
def setup() -> None:
Called whenever the QSO list is initialized (e.g. on inital loading of the log file or before
rescoring it). It shall reset any internal structures related to QSOs.
def score(qso: Qso) -> int:
Called before actually logging a QSO. It shall return a non-negative score value.
def check_exchange(qso: Qso) -> Dict[str, str]:
Called when exchange is received or updated. From the returned dictionary these (optional)
entries are evaluated:
mult1_value: str
normalized_exchange: str
mult1_value is used as a multiplier without further conversion. The handling of this multiplier
is controlled by the GENERIC_MULT parameter.
normalized_exchange replaces the received exchange in the finally logged QSO.
FILES
/usr/share/tlf/logcfg.dat is a recent example of a generic configuration file. Tlf will copy it into the
current working directory if it does not find one there. It is recommended to copy it into the working
directory and edit it to match the contest.
It contains, amongst other settings, the name if the rules file, your call, info about ports for CW
keying, packet or rig control, etc. related to your station. You should test your settings well before
the contest!
/usr/share/tlf/rules/contestname contains the rules of the various contests. You can easily write one
for your favourite contest making use of the various multiplier and points capabilities. Test it before
the contest and send a message to the Tlf development list if anything is wrong (or right!).
It contains name of the log file, contest rules, points, multipliers, and other parameters related to the
contest,
/usr/share/tlf/cty.dat contains a flat ASCII database of info about countries.
This is the same file as used by CT or TR-Log. Updated versions from Jim, AD1C, are available from:
Country Files.
Tlf looks for this file first in the current working directory, so an update is possible without root
rights to replace the package installed version (likely well out of date).
/usr/share/tlf/callmaster contains a flat ASCII database of known contest callsigns.
Updates are available from Super Check Partial. Save the master.scp file as callmaster in the working
directory (or use CALLMASTER=master.scp to use the default file name). It will take precedence over the
system installed callmaster file which is likely well out of date.
Section files contain a flat ASCII database of multipliers like states, sections, provinces, districts,
names, ages, etc. They are used by including MULT_LIST=section_file_name in the rules file.
Some of these files are supplied by Tlf while others will need to be written by you. Please offer your
files to the developers for inclusion in the distribution or placed on the Wiki (see below).
DOCUMENTATION
The documentation page at GitHub contains some more information.
An FAQ and other useful tips are installed /usr/share/doc/tlf.
The project Wiki will host various contest specific information and files.
BUGS
Please send bug reports to the Tlf development list.
AUTHORS
Tlf was originally written by Rein Couperus aka Rein Couperus and is maintained from 2009 onward by
Thomas Beierlein.
A lot of valuable contributions have been received from PG4I (Joop PA4TU), PA3FWM, LZ3NY, VA3DB, OM4AA,
OK1RR, DH5FS, G4KNO and various other contributors. (See the AUTHORS file for more). Thanks to all for
improving Tlf!
Beta testers and feedback are always welcome!
TLF Tlf 1.5~git, 2022-09-18 TLF(1)