Multi-Op Contest

For contest operations with multiple operators (club station, Field Day team, MM setup). HAM-Tools keeps an operator list per contest log and writes the currently active operator into every QSO.

Prerequisites

• At least one existing contest log, or create a new one directly
• A list of participating operators (initials + full calls)

Step 1 — Create a Log with a Multi-Op Category

1. Main window → sidebar → "Contest"
2. Toolbar "+ Log"
3. In the sheet:
   • Choose a contest template (e.g. CQ-WW SSB 2026)
   • Category-Operator: MULTI-OP-SINGLE (1 transmitter) or MULTI-OP-MULTI (several transmitters in parallel)
   • Category-Transmitter: ONE or TWO (Cabrillo)
   • Station call: the club call or the Field Day license (overrides your default from Station settings for this log only)
4. "Create"

Step 2 — Add Operators

1. Log toolbar top right → gear icon "Edit log"
2. Section "Operators"
3. Enter per operator:
   • Short ID (e.g. HJI, OXX, CM) — shown in the table
   • Full call (e.g. HB9HJI, HB9OXX) — goes into the ADIF OPERATOR field
   • Note optional (name, role)
4. Any number of OPs allowed

Where is this stored?

In the .htlog SQLite under log_meta.contestOperators (JSON array). Per QSO, the full-call form lands in qsos.operator. The Cabrillo export writes OPERATOR: <full-call> into the header and per line in the QSO format, if the template calls for it.

Step 3 — OP Switcher in the Form

As soon as at least 2 operators are set up, a "Operator" dropdown appears top right in the contest form header bar.

• Click the dropdown → all operators as a list
• The selection is saved persistently (even after an app restart)
• Every new QSO gets the operator selected there

Quick-switch workflow: On an operator change (e.g. every 2 hours):

1. Open the dropdown
2. Click the new OP
3. Keep logging — all following QSOs are assigned to the new OP

Set the operator before the QSO!

If you only notice after logging "oops, that was still the old OP" — there's no quick fix via the UI. Workaround: double-click the QSO → edit sheet → change the operator field manually. On long shifts, a staggered alarm pays off.

Step 4 — Operator Distribution in the Stats Panel

New in 1.10.7

As soon as at least two operators appear in the log, the contest stats panel (right sidebar) shows an "Operator distribution" section below the score matrix: per operator, the QSO count and the % share of the total log.

Handy for a quick look at who contributed how much — e.g. at Field Day or for splitting the pizza at the end. (The points and multiplier scoring remains an overall score for the log; there's no per-operator point breakdown.)

Step 5 — Cabrillo Export

1. Log toolbar → "Export" → "Cabrillo (.cbr)"
2. HAM-Tools generates the header with:
   • CATEGORY-OPERATOR: MULTI-OP-SINGLE (from Step 1)
   • OPERATORS: HB9HJI HB9OXX (all listed OPs in the header)
3. Per QSO line, the template writes the respective operator call, if the contest requires it (e.g. CQ-WW: no — the header is enough; ARRL Field Day: yes — per QSO)

Output: ~/Documents/HAM-Tools/Exports/CQ-WW-SSB-2026-MULTI.cbr

Upload the file directly to cqww.com, contestonline.com, or the respective contest robot.

Common Problems

OP dropdown doesn't appear
→ Only visible from 2 operators on. With just one OP it would be redundant — the per-log callsign logic covers that.

Wrong OP assigned to QSOs
→ Open the edit sheet per QSO (double-click the table row) and fix the operator field. There's no bulk correction ("all QSOs between 14:00 and 16:00 → OP=HJI") right now — for shift handovers it would be worth a feature request.

Cabrillo shows only 1 OP in the header
→ Is the operator list in the log edit sheet filled in? If only one is in there, the export can only output one too.

ADIF export has an empty OPERATOR column
→ Per QSO, qsos.operator is written. If the field is empty, you had no OP-switcher value when logging (it was still single-op or default). Fill it in afterwards via the edit sheet per QSO.

Multi-Single vs. Multi-Multi — Which to Pick?

Category	Transmitter count	When
SINGLE-OP	1	You alone, all modes/bands
MULTI-OP-SINGLE	1 at a time	Several OPs on the same TRX, shift changes
MULTI-OP-MULTI	2+ in parallel	Run-multi on 2 bands, or Run+S&P in parallel
MULTI-OP-DISTRIBUTED	any, distributed	Field Day with stations at different QTHs

Every contest has its own permitted rules — the respective regulations determine what counts.

Next Steps

• Contest with Macros — F1–F8 in a multi-op setup too
• Contest module — all 39 templates, scoring details
• Logbook module — multi-log, sub-tabs, export