so ive been using WSJT-X for a while now mostly doing FT8 and the built in logging is fine for casual stuff but im starting to get into contesting a bit more and everyone keeps saying N1MM is the way to go for that. problem is i also want something that handles my everyday QSOs and general logging without being a pain to set up every time i fire up the radio.

someone on my local club net mentioned Log4OM and honestly it looks pretty feature-rich but i cant tell if its overkill or if its actually better than just keeping N1MM around all the time. like do people run both and just use whichever fits the situation or is there a way to make one of them do everything without a bunch of headaches

my main thing is i want WSJT-X to feed into whatever i use automatically, i had it set up with UDP logging into Log4OM once and it mostly worked but sometimes dupes werent getting flagged right during a contest and that started to worry me. probably a config thing but i never fully sorted it out

anyone run a setup thats actually stable for both casual logging and contest ops without constantly messing with settings

honestly for contests just use N1MM, theres really no debate there. the dupe checking is solid, the bandmap works great, cabrillo export is painless and the super check partial is hard to beat when youre running a pileup. i tried to use Log4OM for a contest once and it just felt clunky compared to N1MM for that specific use case.

what i actually do is run Log4OM as my main everyday logger and then when a contest weekend comes around i spin up N1MM and after its all done i import the ADIF into Log4OM to keep everything in one place. takes maybe 5 minutes and ive never had a problem with it. WSJT-X i just have pointed at Log4OM via UDP all the time since thats where i want my FT8 contacts to live anyway. during a contest i switch the UDP target to N1MM temporarily and then switch it back after. bit of a workaround but once you do it a couple times its second nature

the dupe flagging issue with Log4OM and WSJT-X during contests is almost always the contest module not being active when you think it is. Log4OM has a separate contest mode you have to explicitly enable and if you started logging before turning it on the dupe logic doesnt always catch stuff that came in before. at least thats been my experience with it

N1MM is really the standard for contesting and i dont think anybodys seriously challenging that. but for day to day stuff its a bit spartan depending on what you want out of a logbook. i keep both installed and honestly its not that big a deal, theyre not fighting over resources or anything