We, amateur radio operators, are a strange lot. Considering the nature of our hobby, it may appear to the casual observer that some of us obsess over technical aspects of our rigs, antennae, power, feed lines, etc. It’s a hobby, they said. It’s for fun, they said. Just get on the air, they said. Yet, many operators are fascinated over the details. It could be a vocational hazard. However, the one thing I have not seen in my four years as an operator is a detailed analysis of an operator’s electronic contact log. So, of course, I will share how I analyze my log in detail.

My initial goal was to have a quick way to tally certain aspects of my log. I use N3FJP’s Amateur Contact log, and it uses Microsoft Database to manage its data. This file, which was named “W1SAVLog.mdb”, in the default file location used by N3FJP, is also accessible through MS Access and MS Excel. My initial method was accessing the data via Excel and using Power Query to automate queries and processes. My intent was to create a dynamic visual dashboard to analyze my log at will. To do that I used Tableau Public. Tableau Public is an interactive data visualization platform focused on business intelligence. I used this platform to create visualizations of logistical data while working for American Honda prior to my retirement.

Considering that Tableau Public has a free online version, I use that platform for my dashboard. The design of the dashboard has been very fluid. I would modify, add, and delete elements to serve my purpose. However, it began to settle down to the point where I am now only considering the color aspects of the dashboard. Now that I have this tool, I wanted to share this with other operators who may have the same inclination. There are two ways you can access my dashboard, and one way is to click on this address. The other is to go to my QRZ page and click on the first image in my Bio. Both methods end up on a page that displays additional information about the dashboard. Additionally, the dashboard is compressed somewhat therefore some elements appear truncated as there is not enough space to show everything. The dashboard is designed for the full screen. Scroll the web page down until you see the lower-right corner of the dashboard, then click on the “Full Screen” icon to render the dashboard to the complete resolution of your monitor.