There are a number of tasks in different categories that can be undertaken concurrently. These are outlined as follows:
Data Integrity
That data that has been captured in the database tables contains a number of errors. These are due to a number of causes, some systemic such as QTH Locator calculation, others are random such as keying errors. These are listed below:
QTH Locator: This needs to be in the 6 character QTH Locator format. Errors can arise in calculating the QTH Locator and/or the on-air reception of other peoples QTH Locators as well as typos when entering the data into the log. It is proposed to create files of all records in the database and either e-mail or allow people to download their data from the 5MHz database. The records may then be quite quickly and easily checked and corrected using EXCEL. The corrections can then be appended to the database table. During this process there will also be a need to identify some obviously wrong locations, where stations are apparently located in the sea off the coast of the UK!
Callsign: There are likely to be a number of incorrect callsigns, many of which can be corrected by inspection and comparison within the database.
SINPO: Errors are possible as this is a subjective assessment and one in which the rules may not have been consistently followed. Whilst the quality of this data can be assessed by means of inspection and statistical techniques, it is less likely that data quality can be improved. We can though flag up obvious errors and perhaps delete records where some of the SINPO elements are missing or out of range.
Channel, Mode, Aerial, Aerial height AGL, Polarisation and Orientation: need to be consistent with the required format (and reasonable, e.g. errors such as inputting Aerial height ASL rather than AGL should be obvious!).
Data Conversion
The main pre-work required on the data is to develop two programs, one to convert QTH Locator and SOTA data from the database to Lat / Long, and the second to take this data and calculate path length or angle of take-off/arrival. The formulae for these routines is well established; there are a number of online converters on the web. The project though needs a program that can be run which can do the necessary database export and calculation and then write back to the database. Using an online conversion tool is too slow and the keying of data from and to the database would be prone to error.
Propagation Data
As the analysis progresses we may need to import further propagation data into the database to facilitate our analysis. Expertise will be needed to identify and source suitable data as well as undertake the importation process.
Data input
Whilst the task of uploading both manually collected data from individual "Station Logs" and text files from the automatic monitoring software, gb3ral.exe, have gone smoothly the task has be made more automatic with significant benefit.
There is roughly half a day's data input each month required for keying in data from paper "Station Logs". A good eye, keyboard skills, time and an e-mail connection is all that is needed for this task!
