so ive been using WSJT-X for a while now mostly for FT8 and it logs to its own file which is fine but i want something that actually ties everything together. right now my logging situation is kind of a mess, i have WSJT-X doing its thing, i did one contest last year and someone told me to just use N1MM for that, and then i tried Log4OM for a bit because a guy at our club swore by it.

my question is basically does anyone actually run both N1MM and Log4OM or is that just asking for duplicate log entries and headaches. i get that N1MM is kind of the gold standard for contesting but the everyday interface feels really utilitarian to me, like its all business and nothing else. Log4OM feels a lot nicer to just sit down and work some DX casually but i honestly have no idea how it handles contest mode or if it even really does.

the WSJT-X integration is also a thing i care about, i want QSOs from FT8 sessions to actually end up in the same place as everything else without me having to import ADIF files every time. is that even realistic with either of these or am i just going to be doing it manually forever

yeah i ran into the exact same thing a couple years ago. what i settled on was Log4OM as my main shack log and N1MM only when im actually in a contest, then after the contest i export the ADIF from N1MM and import it into Log4OM. its an extra step but honestly it takes like two minutes and you only do it a handful of times a year if you're doing maybe 4-5 contests. the duplicate thing is real if you're not careful, Log4OM will just happily import everything including QSOs you already have if you dont filter the date range first.

for WSJT-X i have it set up to UDP log directly into Log4OM in real time so every FT8 contact just shows up automatically. you have to enable the UDP server in Log4OM and point WSJT-X at the right port, i want to say its 2237 by default but check the Log4OM docs because i may be misremembering. once thats set up it really does just work, havent had to touch an ADIF import for FT8 in like 18 months.

N1MM for contests, full stop. i tried doing a sprint with Log4OM once and i dont want to talk about it. the rate display alone in N1MM is worth it, plus the way it handles dupe checking mid-run is just faster than anything else ive tried. outside of contests though i barely open it, the UI really is pretty spartan.

the WSJT-X thing though, thats worth sorting out properly. if you're running Log4OM as your main log the UDP integration is solid, been using it for a couple years now. just dont try to run N1MM and Log4OM at the same time listening on the same UDP port from WSJT-X, found that out the hard way during a FD a few years back and had a real fun time figuring out why half my contacts werent showing up anywhere