NA-USER: Frequently Asked Questions

Last revised: 3 August 1997

This FAQ answers the following questions:

What is NA?
What is NA-USER?
How do I subscribe?
How do I unsubscribe?
How do I read old messages?
How do I obtain NA?
How do I obtain support and updates for NA?
How do I receive updates to the country file?

What is NA?

NA is a contest logging program written by Dave Pruett, K8CC. It has templates for 18 major contests, including "Create-a-Contest" custom contest module. It supports four different voice keyers, most popular ICOM, Kenwood and Yaesu radios, and works on all IBM PCs and compatibles. While it shares a common user interface with CT by K1EA, it includes templates for some contests that CT does not support, notably the NA QSO Party and the NCJ Sprints.

What is NA-USER?

[email protected] is an electronic mailing list ("reflector") for discussing the NA software. This is the place to ask questions, report bugs and suggest new features. In addition, updates to NA are announced here, as are updates to the country file (COUNTRY.DAT).

Each message you send to [email protected] will be sent out to all the other subscribers. Therefore, it's important to think about what you're going to say, and how you're going to say it, before you send the message.

Also remember that many subscribers receive their E-mail through commercial services such as CompuServe and MCImail. In essence, many people are paying for each byte of every message sent to NA-USER. So please follow the following simple rules:

Sign EVERY message you send with your NAME, CALLSIGN, and E-mail address! Many people do not see all the mail headers, so they can not determine who sent the message.
Make sure every byte of your message adds value to the reflector! Don't quote an entire message, only to add "I agree" to the end.
If you want to reply to the original sender only, PLEASE make sure to remove the mailing list address from your mail header! Otherwise everyone on the list will see your private comment.

How do I subscribe?

Simply send a message to [email protected] with the following text in the BODY of the mail message:

subscribe

A better way, however, is to include your name and callsign in the message to na-user-request, for example:

subscribe [email protected] (Dave Pruett K8CC)

This can also be helpful if you want your mailing address to be different than your usual REPLY address. For example, if you log into multiple workstations that are all in the same domain. Use your own E-mail address, name and callsign -- not what's in the example!

There is also a DIGEST format of this list. You will receive all the day's messages in a single message, mailed out about 11:45 p.m. Eastern time (USA). To subscribe, send a message to [email protected] with the following text in the BODY of the mail message:

subscribe

If you are subscribed to the digest, you will still be able to post messages to the NA-USER reflector.

How do I unsubscribe?

Send a message to [email protected] with the following text in the BODY of the mail message:

unsubscribe

If you subscribed with an address that was different than your usual REPLY address, you will have to include that address in the request, for example:

unsubscribe [email protected] (Dave Pruett K8CC)

If you want to unsubscribe from the digest, send a message to [email protected] with the following in the body of the mail message:

unsubscribe

Please do not send "SUBSCRIBE" or "UNSUBSCRIBE" requests to [email protected]!

How do I read old messages?

There is an archive of old messages available at:

http://lists.contesting.com/_na-user/

How do I obtain NA?

NA is distributed exclusively by:

Radio Bookstore
P. O. Box 209
Rindge, NH 03461 USA
800 457-7373 order line
603 899-6826 FAX
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.radiobooks.com

How do I obtain support for NA?

Support is offered through the DATOM web site:

http://www.contesting.com/datom/

For users without Internet access, the NA USER HELPLINE will be moved to DATOM and be supported on a one day per week basis. The HELP LINE will be manned at (313) 481-0696 on Wednesday evenings ONLY from 9-11 PM. At other times, the HELP LINE will forward into phone mail, and we will return calls from registered NA users.

K3LR has agreed to keep the LTA BBS (412-528-8877) on-line until the end of December 1997. Once the DATOM Web site is set up for NA program downloads, all current registered NA10 users will be granted privileges for a period of time up to a date twelve months from their last NA purchase, or September 1, 1997, whichever is later. Twelve month extensions available for $10. NA9 support will be phased out at the end of 1997 - prior to that time, registered NA9 users may still upgrade to a full package of the latest NA10 available from RBS at the reduced upgrade price.

How do I receive updates to the country file?

The country file is available via the DATOM support page:

http://www.contesting.com/datom/CTYDAT.ZIP

You can also receive it by sending a message to [email protected] with the following text in the BODY of the mail message:

GET country.dat

Or you can download the file from the NA BBS.

Please send mail to Dave Pruett, K8CC if you have questions about NA.

Please send mail to Jim Reisert <[email protected]> if you are having problems with the mailing list.