so ive been going back and forth on this for a while now and figured id just ask here because the reddit threads are all like 3 years old. i currently use WSJT-X for FT8 and it logs to its own ADIF file which i then import into Log4OM every few weeks, which is kind of a pain but whatever, it works. the problem is when contest season rolls around i feel like log4om isnt really built for that and i end up just... not logging properly or i use N1MM for the contest and then have to merge everything after and inevitably something gets duplicated or the timestamps are off and its a whole thing.

someone at the club mentioned just switching to N1MM full time and letting it handle everything but i always heard N1MM is kind of overkill if youre not seriously contesting. like is it even reasonable to use it for casual ragchew logging and digital modes on a Tuesday night? i dont want to have to think about which software im in every time i sit down at the radio. does anyone actually run N1MM as their main logger day to day or is that kind of weird

yeah i ran into the exact same headache a couple years back. what i ended up doing was just committing to N1MM for everything and honestly it wasnt as bad as i thought. the everyday logging stuff works fine once you get used to the interface, which admittedly looks like it was designed in 2004 and never updated but hey it works. the WSJT-X integration is actually pretty solid if you set up the UDP broadcast correctly, N1MM will pick up the spots and log them automatically so you dont have to do the whole import dance. takes maybe 20 minutes to configure if you havent done it before.

the one thing i will say is that for pure station management stuff like awards tracking and QSL management Log4OM is genuinely better, its just not a contest logger. so some people run both and sync via ADIF export but if youre trying to simplify i get why that sounds annoying. for me just having one program open that handles everything during a contest weekend without switching gears was worth it even if i gave up some of the nicer award tracking features.

N1MM for casual logging is a bit like using a sledgehammer for a finishing nail but i mean it works lol. i do it. mostly because i cant be bothered to learn another program at this point and during field day or sweepstakes i dont want to context switch. the WSJT-X logging via UDP is the way to go like the other guy said, once thats set up you basically forget its even happening. just make sure your clocks are synced or you will get weird duplicate issues when you merge logs later, learned that one the hard way during last years CQWW.