Free HPM 150th Birthday Event Logging Software Now Available

Scott Davis, N3FJP, perhaps best known for the ARRL Field Day software that bears his call sign, has developed a free logging program for ARRL’s Happy 150! Hiram Percy Maxim Birthday Celebration on-the-air event that gets under way on August 31 and runs for 9 days. Davis calls his software Hiram Percy Maxim Contest Log 1.0. Maxim, 1AW, who cofounded ARRL, was born on September 2, 1869.

“I’ve never created a program for a non-recurring event before, because the coding time required is too large,” Davis said in a post to the N3FJP software user group. “I’ve made this exception because this is a really nice, simple rule set with the very popular field day-style exchange that has the added bonus in schedule flexibility of running for 9 days. The Hiram Percy Maxim celebration sure looks like a well-designed event that will be a lot of fun for us all.”

The Happy 150! event will begin at 0000 UTC on August 31 and continue until 2359 UTC on September 8. It is open to all radio amateurs. The goal is straightforward: Contact as many participating stations as possible. W1AW and all ARRL members will append “/150” to their call signs during this event (DX operators who are ARRL members may operate as <call sign>/150, if permitted by their country of license.) Participating stations will exchange a signal report and ARRL/RAC Section. DX stations will send a signal report and “DX.” All Amateur Radio bands but 60, 30, 17, and 12 meters are available. Permitted modes are CW, any voice mode, and digital.

Davis said Hiram Percy Maxim Contest Log 1.0 is full featured and “very easy and intuitive to use.”

“If the Hiram Percy Maxim celebration is received as strongly as it appears, my hope is that ARRL will decide to make this an annual event,” Davis allowed. “After all, birthdays come once a year, and we now have the infrastructure to continue in place.”

Source:ARRL