Multiple POTA Activator Logging

I just completed my first POTA activation this week (:tada::tada::tada:), and overall, the WRL logger worked great — thank you for building such a smooth platform!

That said, I ran into a little hiccup when trying to log Park-to-Park contacts that involved two (or more) operators at the same park. After entering the first operator and park, and submitting it into my log, the park number disappears, which made it tricky to log the second op from the same location at least for me. I had to go back and manually add the parks, or ask for the park number again — which wasn’t great since the bands were quickly fading.

Not sure if this has been suggested before, but would it be possible to:
• Allow entering multiple operators for a single park (maybe separated by commas)?
• Or add an option to retain the selected park(s) after logging, for quicker dual-operator entries?

Totally just spitballing here, and I get that this might be a rare edge case — but I figured I’d throw it out there as usual!

Thanks again for everything you do. Really loving the platform and super happy that I chose WRL as my logging software!

73,
Daniel W2DIY

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Hi Daniel

Congratulations for first POTA activation.

I can well imagine how awkward it was to ask the second OM for the same park number again. :roll_eyes:

Your first suggestion, using one log entry for multiple QSOs does not seem like a good solution to me. The QSOs are one after the other and have different time stamps. I could only imagine something like that for a roundtable QSO.

Your second suggestion, seems to me good proposal. Making the last entry made in the P2P field be visible in some way so that it can be reused by clicking on it.

This is my humble opinion. 73 Pepe

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Now that you point this out, I completely agree.

I do think some sort of system to “retain” the park information would make the most sense in this instance, and I didn’t even think about the timestamp issue, so I appreciate the input!

I was fully just spitballing while running out of the house to work for the day and to get my thought out!

73!
Daniel W2DIY

@W2DIY Hey Daniel!

Congratulations!

We’ve got a mini feature already planned to handle multiple operators but with that said there may be a way that we figure out to retain the selected park without it causing an issue for hunters or other users. I could see it being a problem if its retaining the park number but you make contact with someone in a different park and forget to remove the park number that was retained. I’ll bring it to the team for a discussion though!

Thanks & 73
Brad K4AZE

Hi Brad @K4AZE

I completely agree with you. The P2P form field should be empty. That’s why I described the task as follows:

Possible solutions could be:

  • The last three entries are displayed below the P2P form field. If you click on an entry, it is copied to the P2P field.
  • Or as a pull-down menu for selection. When you select an entry, it is copied to the P2P field.

73 Pepe

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@HB9EVT Pepe,

Agreed. I’ll talk to the team and see what we can work out there. Good suggestions!

Thanks & 73
Brad K4AZE

Adding multiple activators in the Same park or parks separated by commas works great in other logging platforms. When you click add to log it creates separate entries for each activator. It’s awesome and a time saver for sure.

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I just tried adding a contact that was in 3 parks. It saved the 3 parks however only made 1 contact entry. 3 parks is 3 contacts correct?

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@WX4WG Hey Billy

No if you are hunting and make a contact with an operator doing an activation and it is a 3fer (or 2fer or whatever) it would only be one contact they are just as multiple parks.

Now if you were activating a park and doing a 2fer and you make a contact it would create two logs (or if you were doing a 3fer it would create three logs). Those logs will be available for export via the three dots under ‘Log Contacts’ → ‘Your POTA log’ (ie K4AZE@US-1234, K4AZE@US-4321, K4AZE@US-5678) Does that make sense?

Thanks & 73
Brad K4AZE

If I am activating and do a P2P and the other activator is in 2 parks it should log 2 separate entries one for each park. At least every other logger I use does that. The one I did earlier (testing) I setup myself as one park and entered a contact in 3 parks it saved the 3 parks but only as one entry instead of 3 entries ( one for each P2P).

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in that particular case it would log one entry in your logbook but give you 3 logs to export. go to the ‘log contacts’ page where it shows all your logbooks, then for that “activation’s log” click the three dots and you’ll see ‘Export US-1234’, ‘Export US-4321’, ‘Export US-5678’. This is all assuming you have created a logbook using the POTA logbook template and set the POTA activity and park your at.

I’m either very confused or we just aren’t on the same page. If I am activating 1 park and make contact with an activator that’s in 2 parks, why would it give me multiple logs to upload. I,m in 1 park.

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:rofl: YOUR not confused I"M confused lol lol your right we aren’t on the same page that’s completely my fault! My apologies i was misunderstanding. Your correct, in that instance it wouldn’t give you two logs. only if YOU were activating two parks would it give you two logs. I guess i need sleep been up since 4am. lol lol lol

what confuses me is looking at the mobile logbook you cant readily tell who is P2P and as far as my scenario, when someone else is in multiple parks you only see the one entry on the log, where most logging apps will make separate entries (one for each park for your P2P when the other activator is in multiple parks). For example my test log i put one contact that’s in 2 different parks. The log just shows 1 contact. Now i exported the adif and it does show the 2 parks so i assume if its uploaded to POTA its 2 contacts. The point im trying to say here is.

    1. We need somehow to see who is P2P when looking at the log on mobile devices.
  1. We need a way to enter multiple operators that are in the same park by typing the 1st call sign, comma 2nd call sign etc. Then the same if they are in multiple parks park#, comma park# etc. then when you click enter it creates entries for each operator and/or park you just worked opposed to having to log the 1st operator then create a new entry for the next. If that all makes sense. I’m available for any questions etc. anytime. Thanks for all you guys do behind the scenes!!!

+1 to this. Desktop tells you which contacts were P2P under the tags category…

… but on mobile there is nothing that marks a P2P

@WX4WG I am still new to POTA so please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe just the one contact that WRL creates is okay, because the P2P credit ultimately comes when the operator uploads their log, and then POTA matches up the QSO times. Therefore, even if you only have 1 entry, POTA will recognize the other activators upload from both parks and credit you for both (or all three) P2P contacts.

Once again, still learning everything with POTA so someone please fact check me on this!

73!
Daniel W2DIY

I find it a bit strange to enter one single QSO as multiple contacts in the logbook. In a paper log, I wouldn’t fill in multiple lines either.

The question is: Do every other logging app do this because this is the standard practice or because every other logging app is unable to store multiple parking numbers in their P2P field (and saving 3 contacts in the logbook is only the workaround procedure to solve the problem with 3fer).

My question is an open question. I don’t know the answer.

73 Pepe

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@WX4WG @W2DIY @HB9EVT

Billy, So we are adding a tree icon on mobile like @W2DIY shows in his screenshots for the desktop app, that will help identify that the qso was a park2park. We also have a ticket in place for having multiple operators that are at the same park as well. These two things should help the logging experience during pota going forward.

Pepe, i honestly am not sure about the answer to your question. Personally i think it is strange to add two log entries for one QSO just because they are at two parks but that’s just my personal opinion.

We should have these added upgrades over the next week or so, hopefully.

Thanks & 73
Brad K4AZE

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Let me try to explain this way.

A P2P counts as a contact correct?

If I am in park 1000 and you are in parks 2000 & 3000 and we have do P2P QSO. When you upload your logs for park 2000 & 3000 you have 2 logged QSOs one for each park log. When I upload I have 1 logged QSO but essentially worked both or your parks. I question this since that’s the way I’ve always seen logging software handle it this way. Am I mistaken that in the thought that working multiple P2Ps is counted as multiple contacts and not as one? POTA website accepts them as separate contacts? Note in the photo straight from my log on the POTA site. I worked AD0AA which was in 2 parks, logged as 2 contacts.

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If I am correct, POTA will automatically log it as two separate QSOs once the activator uploads their log. Only one entry is needed though, because only one QSO is needed for the P2P credit.

Think of it this way. Operator A at Park #1000 contacts Operator B at Park #2000 & #3000. They only made one contact, therefore it only creates one contact in your logbook. When Operator B uploads their log to the POTA site, it will be recognized as 1 QSO, with 2 parks.

I hope that makes sense, unless I’m just spitballing again! I love the conversation this thread has started!

73!
Daniel W2DIY

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I understand what you are saying. Im only saying I’ve never seen it done that way. POTA documents even suggest listing the same QSO multiple times with a reference to each park. Again if I am totally misunderstanding this I apologize and literally trying to understand. Not trying to upset the apple cart or anything.

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