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howto:netspreadsheet

Net Roll Call Spreadsheet

The Google Spreadsheet can only be edited by the owners. Everyone else needs to download the Excel or LibreOffice version for offline use.

LibreOffice or Excel

If you don't have LibreOffice or Excel on your computer, you'll want to install LibreOffice first, which is a free and open source office suite.

Quick Demo

For those who don't like to read instructions...

Downloading The File

Currently, the file is not public, contact Patrick, VA7FI if you'd like access.

Once you have the link, you can download it as a Microsoft Excel file or OpenDocument File. Download the latter format if you use LibreOffice.

The date in the title of the file represents the last time the spreadsheet was updated. You'll want to download a fresh copy from time to time to take advantage of new entries that are added periodically.

Basic Idea

The spreadsheet has a few tabs that can be selected at the bottom of the page:

Local Data contains the actual information about a few hundred hams in the Vancouver Island area.
LogSheet (Local + ISED) is the “search / log” page used during the net.
LogSheet (Local) is a lighter version of the previous tab (for slower machines) that doesn't use ISED database.
LogSheet (ISED) is a version that only searches the ISED database. This could be useful for cross Canada nets.
Instructions links to this page.
What's New lists the recent updates to the spreadsheet (excluding edits to the “Local Data” sheet).
ISED Data is a hidden tab that contains over 80,000 entries from the ISED website. The last update uses data from Dec 20, 2020.

The most important thing to know is that you can type in and delete cells in green, but you should not edit or delete cells in orange.

The Local Data Tab

The Local Data tab contains information about each ham operator and a few formulas to flag important dates. This sheet is NOT the sheet you'll be using during the net, it's a sort of “database”:

Column(s) Edit Details
Column A Is hidden and contains formulas that the other tab needs.
Columns B ‒ M Contains information about ham operators.
Columns E, G, I, K Are dates that should be entered as so 'JAN 1. The apostrophe (') is important.
Columns N ‒ P Contains formulas and should NOT be edited.

To add a new entry, see the Adding Names section below.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

To see who is having a birthday or anniversary, filter column N or O (but not both at the same time):

  • Click on the upside-down triangle on the right of Today? in Column N or This Week? in Column O.
  • Remove the check mark on the left of (empty).
    Under Microsoft Excel, it's called (Blanks).
  • Press OK

This will show only the lines of people that have a birthday or anniversary on the day or week. Note the names and callsign of these people to acknowledge them during the preamble.

Once you've got that information, you can re-check the (empty) lines to unhide them.

The LogSheet Tabs

The three LogSheet (x) tabs are different ways of searching / logging checkins. The main differences between them are:

  • Logsheet (Local + ISED):
    • This is the tab that most people will use for nets in the Vancouver Island area.
    • It searches both the Local Data and the ISED Data.
    • It requires only the suffix of the callsign if the entry in the Local Data tab is unique.
  • Logsheet (Local):
    • It's very similar to the previous tab except it only searches the Local Data so it's faster for slower computers or mobile devices.
  • Logsheet (ISED):
    • Searches only the ISED Data.
    • Useful for trans Canada wide nets.
    • The full callsign must be used.

Using Logsheet (Local + ISED) as an example, during the net, all you need to do is type the suffix in Column A (not case sensitive).

  • In the first example aa was entered twice successfully. The second entry was flagged as a duplicate and was not counted in the total checkins at the top in cell E1.
  • When jh was entered in the suffix, the callsign asked for a Prefix? because two callsigns have the same suffix. Once the prefix is entered, the spreadsheet is able to fill in the rest of the information from the Local Data.
  • When aaa is entered, it's not found in the Local Data so it asks for the Prefix to look it up in the ISED Data.
  • When wek is entered, it's not found in either databases so it returns Not Found.

Here are a few more details:

  • The cells in orange should NOT be edited or deleted.
  • Information from the ISED tab will have “(ISED)” written in the cells (ex. VE7AAA)
  • Cell E1 shows the total number of unique checkins.
  • The top shows the number of Birthdays and Anniversaries, which are also flagged in column O.

When the net is done, simply delete what you typed in column A and B (NOT what appeared in the other columns).

A useful trick in LibreOffice is to freeze the first two rows so that as you go down the list, the header is always visible. To do this: Select Cell A3 → ViewFreeze Rows and Columns:

** Note that I made up Richard's (VA7AA) birthday for the sake of illustration.

Android Tablets/Phones

The spreadsheet was made to be used offline on computers, but some people might still want to use it on their tablets. Here as some instructions on how to do that for Android devices.

The first steps are to open the spreadsheet and make a copy of it to your “Sheets” app. You will need a Google Account to do this:

  • Open the link in the mobile browser.
  • Click on USE THE APP (you need “Sheets” installed).
  • Click on the three dots on the top right corner.

mobile_01.jpg mobile_02.jpg

  • Click on Make a copy.
  • Add the word “Copy” to the end of the name to distinguish it from the original.

mobile_03.jpg mobile_04.jpg

  • You are now using your copy, which you can edit.
  • At the bottom, select LogSheet (Local), which doesn't query the ISED tab and is quicker for mobile devices.
  • In your Sheets app, you should now see two versions:
    • The one on the left with the little shared symbol is the original which you can't edit.
    • The one on the right is your own personal copy.

mobile_05.jpg mobile_06.jpg

  • Every so often, you should delete your personal copy (or make a backup) and download a fresh copy so that you can have the latest database.
  • Please do NOT edit the database in your personal copy since no-one else will benefit from your edits. Instead, email Patrick, VA7FI the information that needs to be added / edited in the online version.

Submit Updates

To submit an update to the main online spreadsheet, use the Net Roll Call New Entry Submission Form, which has a link in the spreadsheet:

Which will take you to the form:

Notes for Admins

Adding Names

To add a new name to the Local Data sheet:

  1. Edit the Google spreadsheet directly in the browser (not your downloaded copy). That way everyone will benefit from your updates next time they download a fresh copy.
  2. Scroll down and use one of the empty lines below the current list. It doesn't have to be the very next line. For example, as of this writing, the last entry is in line 462, but you could use line 479. It really doesn't matter. All these empty lines at the bottom of the list have the formulas in Column A and N already pre-fielded.

Do not Insert a line somewhere in the middle of the sheet to keep names sorted by callsigns. The problem with doing this is that Column A (which is hidden) and Column N contain important formulas and inserting a line leaves those cells blank for the new line.

Now to sort, click on the upside-down triangle sign on the right of Suffix to see the filter menu for that column, and select Sort A → Z:

All the entries are now sorted by callsign suffix:

Deleting Names

To delete a name, do not Delete Row. Instead delete the green cells containing the information. Careful not to delete anything in the red cells in columns A and N which contain the formulas. Then resort the list to send the empty line back to the bottom.

Updating the "ISED Data" Tab

howto/netspreadsheet.txt · Last modified: 2021/08/09 09:28 by va7fi