Release Notes

 

Build 9664 - Released June 17, 2026

  • In Radio Control Desktop, the memories can be moved around within the form and can be fully edited by exporting the list to Excel, editing the list in Excel, and then importing the list back into the program.
  • Bug fixes.

Build 9654 - Released June 7, 2026

  • Fixed a bug where the wrong URL for the support forum was in the application menu.
  • Refactored the code for the native Icom CI-V and Yaesu Text drivers for Radio Control Desktop and Radio Control Server. The new code is more efficient and should be more reliable.
  • The API Server and UDP Logging for SWLog will always be enabled for the first instance of SWLog. Subsequent instances of SWLog will not run these servers as only one server can be running on each PC per TCP or UDP port.
  • Resolved an issue with using the [F3] shortcut to view the latest Shortwave/Broadcast/Utility logs. It was only showing logs up to 0000 UTC on the current day, not 2359 UTC.
  • Added an additional check for matching frequencies on the Shortwave/Broadcast/Utility Add form if the user skips over the frequency field.
  • Improved the layout of the maintaince forms for the system tables. The form to manage Shortwave/Broadcast/Utility languages now has the ability to merge languages, which can help clean up variants.
  • Increased the maximum frequency supported by the Radio Control Desktop application for Icom radios that support VHF/UHF/SHF.
  • For the Radio Control Desktop application, the color of the frequency display can now be altered.
  • A diagnostic form has been added to the main SWLog application to display IPC messages coming from the Radio Control Desktop application.
  • For the Gray themes, the toggle buttons no longer show a light blue background. The background is now light gray.
  • Radio Control Desktop now has the shortcut keys [F1] to [F5] bound to several Application Menu items.
  • Optimizations for the WSJT-X monitoring forms with better background processing.
  • The AI Assistant now supports the OpenAI Responses API (input‑based). Compatibility with the depricated OpenAI Completions API (output‑based) is still supported, but the new input‑based API is recommended for better performance and reliability.
  • Additional work on support for the Icom IC-R8500 and IC-R8600 receivers with the native Icom CI-V driver.
  • Upgrade from Hamlib 4.7.0 to 4.7.1.
  • Fixed a bug in Propagation Prediction where drawing the map would crash if the value of the location was blank.
  • The CMUF (US Navy) and EINMUF (US Navy) propagation engines have been added.
  • A field to store the RDS or PI information for FM broadcasts has been added.
  • Support for SDRs from SDRPlay has been added to the Radio Control and Radio Control Server applications. This is accomplished by integration with the new SDRconnect softare.
  • Resolved an issue with the Web Control Server crashing during startup.
  • Revised the layout of several web pages in the Web Control Server program.
  • Updated the sources for the FCC Amateur database.
  • Modified the import routine for OFCOM as several fields in the latest version include NULL values that previously held data.
  • Increased the width of columns for OFCOM data.
  • The WPN (flat) forms now support an automatic refresh.
  • The Shortwave Add form (finally) supports the ability to use different propagation engines. This was admittedly long overdue.
  • The propagation prediction forms have been enhanced to support the new propagation engines.

Build 9590 - Released April 4, 2026

  • For the basic input form for Amateur Radio Logs, the submode field was not sorted. So the new FT2 mode was appearing at the bottom. It's now sorted.
  • With each new season of shortwave schedules, there is an issue. This A26 season brings and issue with the FCC HF Seasonal Schedules. The FCC has changed the format of the schedule, which broke the import routine. The current state of the FCC web site states that the 2026 schedules are there, but they are not. Until things get sorted out, this import source is temporarily disabled. This is sad as the FCC HF Seasonal Scheules list is a great resource. This will hopefully be resolved soon.

Build 9588 - Released April 1, 2026

  • This is a significant back-end upgrade:
    • The installation program has been changed to install SQL Server 2025. For existing users running an earlier verison, upgrading is optional. To upgrade, download SQL Server 2025 Express and follow the prompts.
    • The base application has been upgraded from .NET 9 to .NET 10.
    • A consequence of the upgrade to .NET 10 is that the minimum version of Windows required is 10.0.19041.0, which is Windows 10 Version 2004, May 2020 Update. Note that this version of Windows 10 is no longer supported by Microsoft, even with extended support. If running Windows 10, please ensure that it is up-to-date and current.
  • Fixed a bug importing ADIF files. A computed column was added to the underlying table that stores amateur logs. Bulk uploads do not work with computed columns.
  • Support for the new FT2 mode added. As FT2 is derived from FT4, it will also be a submode under MFSK. Note that currently this is under much debate in the official ADIF forum. Some members do not wish to support FT2 as the author is not releasing the source code. However, as the mode is being used by some, it is being added to SWLog. If the mode is not supported in the future, it can be removed or disabled in a subsequent release.
  • A rewrite of the license key validation code.
  • Expanded the scope of the SkipDBCheck registry setting from just checking for old versions of SQL Server and CUs to also disabling any pending updates and disabling the check for the minimum version of the application. This is for advanced users only and should be used with caution.
  • Resolved an issue in Radio Control Desktop with a synchronization issue where the radio status was not being set and displayed properly.
  • Rewrote the code that impots shortwave logs from DXtreme Monitor Log. The new code no longer uses the Microsoft Access driver, which is problematic on 64-bit versions of Windows. The new code actually uses an integrated Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and the Jackcess library to read the Access database.
  • Added a form to edit ADIF files.
  • Resolved an issue with reading data from the HamQSL web site.
  • Changed the code for Open Streets Maps to meet their new User-Header requirements. This resolved the issue with blocked map tiles.
  • Upgraded the HamLib library from 4.6.5 to 4.7.0.
  • Added a filter for Radio Control (Desktop) when selecting a radio from the Hamlib library.
  • The Check Database application can now manage license keys. This is useful as the Check Database application is a standalone application that can be used without having to run the main logging program.
  • Buyslight alerts are now supported for POTA and DX Cluster alerts. This includes both Kuando and Embrava busylights.
  • Themes inspired from Motif/CDE and NextSTEP are available for a nostalgic look and feel. Return to the look & feel of the mid-1990s!
  • Updated the package with new versions of the excellent COM Port Info and USB Tree View programs from Uwe Sieber.

Build 9538 - Released February 11, 2026 (For Hamcation 2026)

  • Significant refinements and enhancements to the AI Assistant.
  • Resolved a NULL error with the ARRL Satellite gold star certificate.
  • Resolved an issue with the ARRL DXCC 5-Band gold star certificate where the code was treating it as an America-only award.
  • Updated the map of the United States for heat maps. This new map no longer has Alaska and Hawaii distorted.
  • Added the ability to save the results from the AI Assistant as a user-defined report. These reports are now integrated into the Reports menu and can be recalled later. Also created a manual facility to define and edit user-defined reports.
  • Resolved an issue with a map bleeding out of its container for the country heat map analysis form.
  • Ported another feature from SWLog 6.0 - the Audio Encoder application.
  • Modified the code that detects valid amateur radio frequencies to support the new FCC Report and Order 25-60, which allows for a broader range of frequencies over what was the 3rd channel in the 60 meter band.
  • NLE import now will read a POTA park reference if it is included in the comments field.
  • Added the ability to download SOTA summits and to select a summit for ADIF functions and monitoring.
  • The importing of logs from DXTreme Monitor Log has been changed to read versions beyond v12.
  • Improved the processing of a priori messages from WSJT-X.
  • Added an interface to upload logs to Cloud Log.
  • The DateTimePicker control has been updated to use the current settings for the user for date and time formats. (This is a third-party control and it simply didn't support that feature out of the box.)
  • FlipClock will now toggle between UTC and local time via a single click. The double-click to exit the application remains.
  • Improved the layout and functionality of the user-defined reports.
  • Fixed several places where, when a fixed width font was selected as the theme, a proportional font was being used instead.
  • Fixed an issue with call sign lookups where some calls, especially from Germany, were not being properly resolved.
  • Improved the process for assigning CQ Zone and ITU Zone values. A new dynamic mapping method has been introduced that can dynamically find the correct CQ and ITU zones based upon a given latitude/longitude combination. Quite often the zones that are self-reported by the user in QRZ, Club Log, &c are incorrect. As a fallback, many databases (like DXCC) use just one location for a country. This is a decent approximation for small countries, but for countries like the United States of America, this can map every single user to a single CQ and ITU zone, basically putting everyone on the east coast, which is not correct. For contests like DX Marathon, having correct CQ and ITU zones is critical. N.B. This is optional. A new setting allows for the previous behavior of using the self-reported zones to continue.
  • Significant rework for the ADIF Export function to improve UI responsiveness and provide additional filtering. Additionally POTA and SOTA are no longer combined, but split. The front-end my look similar, but the back-end has is far different.
  • Resolved an issue where SINPO was required when editing a log, even when the setting to require SINPO was disabled.
  • Expanded the functionality of the dashboard. Now a date range can be used as well as being able to view all logs in the dashboard, not just those from the past year.
  • Minor updates to the form to upload logs to ARRL LoTW.
  • Refactored DX Watch HTML parsing to use multiple strategies for locating data rows, making the integration more resilient to DOM changes.
  • Added support for use of a Busylight for alerts.
  • The Wikipedia page for European Medium Wave stations changed its underlying format, thus breaking the import routine. Updated the code to reflect the new format.
  • eQSL.cc changed the path of its ADIF file that contains QSL cards. Per their notes, work did occur on their site. It looks like the path was changed then; however, their notes make no mention of the change. The code for SWLog was altered to match the new path/format of eQSL.cc.