so ive been using Log4OM for general logging for about two years now and i really like it for day to day stuff, tracking QSOs, looking up callsigns, that kind of thing. but every time a contest comes around i feel like im fighting the software. tried to use it during the ARRL DX CW last month and i just kept fumbling around looking for things that should be one keypress away.

a buddy of mine keeps telling me to just run N1MM for contests and not fight it, and yeah i know N1MM is basically the standard for serious contesting but i really dont want to manage two separate logs and then have to merge everything back into Log4OM afterward. does anyone actually do that workflow regularly or is it a pain. also curious if the ADIF import from N1MM into Log4OM is clean or do you end up with duplicates and weird fields everywhere.

side question — is anyone running WSJT-X alongside N1MM during a contest or does that get complicated with the UDP ports and everything fighting over the radio

yeah the two-logger workflow is annoying but honestly once you set it up it becomes muscle memory. i run N1MM for every contest and just export the ADIF at the end and drop it into Log4OM. the import is mostly clean, i did have some issues early on with the contest exchange fields showing up weird but i think there was a setting in N1MM about ADIF output format that fixed it, been a while so i dont remember exactly which one.

the real reason to just accept N1MM for contests is the function key macros and the way it handles dupe checking in realtime. Log4OM is great software but its not built around the idea that youre going to be doing 800 QSOs in 24 hours and need everything to be a single keystroke. different tools for different jobs basically. ive tried to force other software during contests before and it always costs me rate when it matters.

the WSJT-X plus N1MM thing is doable but you kind of have to decide whos in charge of the radio. i tried it once during a mixed mode sprint and it was more trouble than it was worth, kept getting into this situation where N1MM thought it had CAT control and WSJT-X was also trying to do things and the rig just sat there confused. there are guides online about setting up a virtual COM port splitter to let both programs share the serial connection but i never got it totally stable on my machine.

for actual FT8 contesting though like FT Roundup or whatever, most people just run WSJT-X by itself and use its built in log and then export after. its not perfect but trying to tightly integrate the two during a live contest seems like a recipe for something breaking at the worst time