so ive been using WSJT-X for FT8 for a couple years now and it logs to its own adif file which i then import into Log4OM and that's been working fine for general station logging. but contest season is coming up and a few guys in my club keep telling me i really need N1MM for any serious contesting and i get that, N1MM is basically the standard for that stuff.

my question is more about workflow i guess. do people actually run Log4OM as their main everyday logger and then just fire up N1MM when a contest happens, and then import the contest log back into Log4OM after? that seems like it would work but i keep hearing about duplicate QSOs and weird adif import issues and honestly i dont want to spend a weekend contest only to have my logging situation be a mess afterward.

also does WSJT-X play nice with N1MM during contests or do you have to pick one to be in control of the CAT stuff and just let the other one follow along? i know theres the UDP broadcast thing but ive never actually set that up and i'm a little fuzzy on how it all hangs together. anyone running this kind of multi-software setup who can just tell me how they actually have it configured?

yeah i run almost exactly that setup. Log4OM for day to day stuff, N1MM only comes out for contests. the import back into Log4OM after a contest is honestly fine as long as you set the adif fields right - the main thing that trips people up is that N1MM exports some contest-specific fields that Log4OM either ignores or handles weirdly depending on version, but the core QSO data lands correctly. i just do a quick review of the import and havent had real problems in maybe three years of doing it this way.

for WSJT-X and N1MM together during a contest - you basically want N1MM to own the CAT control and WSJT-X running in a kind of slave mode where it gets its frequency from the radio via a shared virtual COM port setup, or some people just dont run WSJT-X during a contest at all which is honestly simpler. the UDP stuff works but its one more thing to go wrong on a Saturday morning when youre trying to work a pile-up.

i had duplicate QSO issues once importing from N1MM into Log4OM and it turned out i had accidentally imported the same file twice, wasnt actually a software bug lol. Log4OM has a duplicate check on import but you have to make sure its enabled, theres a checkbox somewhere in the import dialog that i always forget about.

one thing i'll add is that for FT8 specifically during like a FT8 roundup or similar digital contest, some people just let WSJT-X handle everything and use its built in contest mode logging rather than trying to bridge it to N1MM. its a bit limited but it avoids the whole multi-program headache. depends how serious you are about the score i guess.