so ive been using WSJT-X with Log4OM for a while now and honestly it works pretty well for day to day stuff, the integration isnt perfect but once you get the UDP ports sorted out it mostly just works. my problem is contest season. Log4OM is fine but its not really built for serious contest ops and i keep hearing people say just use N1MM for contests and Log4OM for everything else but that means im maintaining two logbooks basically and the duplicate checking across both is kind of a mess.

has anyone actually figured out a clean workflow here? i did try running N1MM during the last ARRL DX CW and it was great for the contest itself, the bandmap integration and the way it handles run vs S&P is really solid. but then after the contest i had to manually import everything into Log4OM and half the exchange data didnt come across right. im running an IC-7610 if that matters, CAT control works fine with both programs individually its just the logging handoff thats annoying me.

wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or if im just overcomplicating it and should pick one and stick with it

yeah this is basically the eternal question for anyone who does both casual operating and contesting. i went through the same thing probably three years ago. what i ended up doing is just accepting that N1MM is my contest logger, full stop, and Log4OM gets everything else. the ADIF import into Log4OM after a contest isnt too bad once you set up a mapping template, took me maybe an hour to get it right the first time and now it mostly just works. you do lose some of the contest-specific exchange fields but honestly how often do you need to look up what zone number you gave someone in a contest from two years ago.

the WSJT-X side of things i actually have pointed at Log4OM all the time and just dont touch N1MM for digital modes at all. when a contest comes around that allows FT8 i just deal with the import afterward. not elegant but its been working fine for me. the 7610 should make CAT handoff pretty painless at least, that radio plays nice with pretty much everything.

i tried to use Log4OM for a contest once and gave up pretty quickly, nothing against it its just not what its designed for. N1MM is kind of the standard for a reason. that said i dont really have a good answer for the two-logbook problem, i just accept it. do the contest in N1MM, export ADIF, import to my main log, call it done. takes maybe 20 minutes after a big contest and i've just built it into my post-contest routine along with submitting the Cabrillo file.

one thing that helped me was making sure the ADIF export settings in N1MM were set to include all the fields i care about, theres some options in there that are easy to miss. not sure if thats where your exchange data was getting dropped but worth checking.