Why I'm pushing for 'Greencube Terminal'

I have written up a list of the benefits of using the Greencube Terminal.
And I encourage you to read follows if you are on GreenCube.

- Note -
Greencube Terminal(by OZ9AAR) is abbreviated as 'GCTerm'
Greencube Digipeater(by UZ7HO) is abbreviated as 'GCDigi'


(1) Advantages for the pile-up handler

- In GCTerm, the callsign of the station calling you is stored in the CallingMe window, so there is no need to scroll the Traffic window every time to check it, as is the case with GCDigi.

- The CallingMe window displays the elevation angle of GreenCube at the called station and the estimated time to LOS, so you can select the station that will LOS first and answer.

- The Multi Call Rare Activation Mode allows you to respond to multiple stations at once. However, if this is used during busy times, the uplink may be difficult to digipeat due to longer packet lengths, so it should be used according to the situation. The latest version of GCDigi(v0.27) also allows batch responses to multiple stations, but to be honest, it is troublesome as callsigns have to be manually entered in the To field.

- There is an option to prevent caller's callsign from appearing in the CallingMe Window again once they have been logged. Check 'Do not insert call into CallingMe again after logging' in the Logging tab in Settings.

- Macros can be used in messages (e.g. [MYGRID], [MYGRID4]). By utilising these, the gridsquare in the message can always be unified.



(2) Advantages for callers

- The approximate elevation angle of the GreenCube at the station you want to QSO with is displayed, so you don't have to keep calling after the GreenCube is out of sight at him/her.

- Stations with Grid-New or Initial-New can be identified at a glance, allowing you to call the station that suits your purpose as quickly as possible. Note, however, that GCTerm does not have a function to highlight Entity-New like GCDigi. In particular, note that station which is Entity-New but you have confirmed his/her grid with another station displayed as initial New.

- Effective use of COSI list and Ignore list can make the selection of information more sophisticated. In my case, stations that are Grid-New but not expected to be confirm on LoTW (i.e. stations that are not LoTW users) are placed in Ignore list. I also put stations that I want to call immediately when I find them in COSI list, such as mobile stations and rare stations with prior information, and the above-mentioned "confirmed grid but Entity-New stations" that I saw by chance but did not result in a QSO.

- QSO by delayed message are considered invalid for DXCC and other awards (see this). In response to this, delayed messages are displayed with a grey background color to prevent wasted calls. Note that QSOs can also be made with stations outside GreenCube's FootPrint by making use of delayed messages, and we do not deny such enjoyment.


(3) Other benefits

- QSO data can be passed to other logging software via TCP and UDP connections. This prevents errors caused by manually transcribing callsign, etc. In my case, the other transcribed JK2XXK as 'JK2KKX' and uploaded it to LoTW, which could not be confirmed.

- In the above case, I am currently transferring the QSO data to N1MM+ and HAMLOG (via JT_Linker) via TCP connection as soon as it is confirmed. As a precaution, in the case of N1MM+, it was found that if the log window is closed, QSO data cannot be received (minimisation is fine). Similarly, in the case of HAMLOG, sometimes the transfer does not work (in this case, clicking the 'Resend' button on the JT_Linker solves the problem).


(4) Differences in the operation depending on the software used by the pile-up handler (consideration)

4-1 In the case of GCTerm
When a caller's signal reaches the handler, the his/her callsign puts in the CallingMe window of the handler. Therefore, if the caller's callsign has been digipeated once or twice, the caller can simply wait for a response from handler(i.e. there is no need to keep on calling without any thought), which helps to avoid missing a response to the caller (i.e. avoiding the possibility of reception failure due to overlap between the station's transmission and the signal from the other) and also helps to prevent the caller from missing a response to himself/herself by refraining from transmitting more than necessary. This also leads to an environment in which the uplink of the other station (or other stations wishing to QSO with the handler) is easily digipeated by refraining from transmitting more than necessary.

4-2 In the case of GCDigi
As there is only a Traffic Window, the pile-up handler follows the procedure of clicking on the station that is called and highlighted, setting it in the To field and responding to the call. At this time, the handler would like to respond to the station that called first, but in reality, it is difficult to scroll backwards through the screen that continuously displays the received packets, so the caller tends to respond to the station that called most recently. This means that the caller have no choice but to call and call and call. In this situation, someone who keeps sending the same message again and again in short time appear, only stations with sufficient facilities can uplink, etc., and uplinking becomes increasingly difficult for both the caller and the handler. This is a negative spiral, a total collapse.

4-3 Changing the perspective of the previous two paragraphs
Stations using GCTerm on the calling side know which software the pile-up handler is using, so they can change the calling method according to his/her software. On the other hand, stations using GCDigi have no way to determine which software the handler is using, and therefore can only call anyway.

4-4 What should be done then?
By using the GCTerm, both the pile-up handler and the caller can be more efficiently and reduce unnecessary transmissions, thus increasing the total number of QSOs.



(5) Are there any disadvantages to GCTerm?

- (Again) It is not possible to highlight Entity-New stations.

- Because of its multiple functions, there are significantly more setting points than GCDigi.

- When switching from GCDigi (i.e., transferring ADIF logs), the gridsquare of the worked station is not included in the log of GCDigi, so the grid search function of GCTerm does not work effectively unless it is added in some way.
Support tool is available (Excel 2007 or later required, LoTW user required).