VKLogger - End of Life - 25 March 2019

[VK4ADC]

Well VKLogger's HF is gone, 6M is gone, 2M and above is still there as at today. 
For how long ? Don't know.

The spotting functionality has been reducing weekend by weekend.

The message just below the title bar has been changed to :
End of life: VK Logger will be ceasing operation soon due to being obsolete.     Discussion Forum will continue to operate if utilised.

Noted in the 2M chat window on VKLogger a short time ago:

00:06:35 ADMIN Sorry, but the old back end just cannot keep going.
00:06:02 ADMIN It wasn't until I forced the issue (Dec 2018) with a date, that people started. Oh well.
00:04:54 ADMIN Unfortunately, nobody was interested in any replacement when EOL was announced in 2017.
00:01:53 VK4WTN VK2BLS: its going to be a bit confusing when VKlogger goes, I think ON4KST is the only alternative atm
00:00:27 VK2BLS VK4WTN: No idea
23:59:18 VK4WTN is everyone moving to ON4KST region 3 logger

The "Discussion Forum will continue to operate if utilised." is news.  The last I had heard it was continuing. Now, maybe - or maybe not.
 

[VK2CSW]

I cannot say I have used an AR chat facility, but out of curiosity I had a squint at the ON4KST page.

The telnet chat server is almost enough to make me register - how retro? I hope it is an old fashioned BBS

[ZL3MF]

I noted the following paragraph in the VHF/UHF notes (Page 52) by Kevin VK4UH in the March/April Amateur Radio magazine (Volume 87 Issue 2 for 2019) :

"And first some good news to start this month’s report. As most regular VHF operators were aware the VHF-Logger, a service most of us had come to rely upon, is reaching end of life. After many revisions and updates, over many years, the end of the tunnel is in sight and lights were off. The imminent loss of this invaluable service has prompted a group response from the VKZL community. I am delighted to advise that a completely new and fully modelled application, to take the place of the VHF-Logger, has been created by a group of writers and is now at an advanced stage of testing before general release. More information will follow and it is hoped that all of the historical archived data and information stored within the old logger will be available in due course within the new application."

No obvious signs as yet... @ 31 March 2019

Has there been anymore updates om this? Apart from this forum have seen no other references anywhere else...

73's

Mike 

[VK4ADC]

The status bar at the top of the VKLogger reporting page now shows as :
 
"
End of life: VK Logger will cease operation on 24-April due to being obsolete.     Discussion Forum will continue to operate, if utilised.
"


I guess that says it all :  There is no replacement code appearing.
That is the way I read the April 24 close date.

I will take this opportunity to remind forum users that there is an AHRDF chat option available, with rooms for 6+2M, 70cm and up, digital, plus a general chat room. Use the bold red links at the top or bottom of the forum pages to gain access.

These are available for signal reporting, arranging skeds, general chatter.. Polite use please.

[VK4ADC]

Well it's the 23rd of April and by the wording on VKLogger, it is set to be turned off tomorrow - the 24th April. What time - don't know - but it may be a good time for a final visit today so you can recall the options it provided.

It will be sad / annoying / ...  to see it go after so many years of helping particularly VK & ZL amateurs figure out where propagation is - or isn't - happening, or managing skeds for MS etc.  It has been a useful tool for many, me included, but there will be other options arise. Adam has provided  tremendous service to the amateur community with the provision of the facility over so many years.

The 'new' news:

I am aware of one alternative Australian "logger" and "chat" facility that is on-line and being debugged as I type this. It is not yet 'public' but I was given the opportunity to have a look around it a few days ago and it looks promising as a virtual replacement for VKLogger.  It looks different & feels different but has mapping, spotting, chat and other options like beacons at present. Other options may be added over time. It will be a case of wait and see.

It may not be using the VKLOGGER.COM domain name (as I understand it) when it becomes available for public access, but you can be sure you will be able to find the details here on this Forum very early after it is made public. 

Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement in due course.

[VK4ADC]

Well at 5.30AM this morning (24/4)  when I tried to visit VKLogger, the login option was gone. 

"VKLogger : Liaise, Chat and Spot" is gone / dead / buried. 

Will there be a phoenix-like replacement arise on VKLogger.com ? 
Kevin VK4UH's article in AR (quoted in an earlier post) suggested there would be.

If not on VKLogger.com then elsewhere ?  Yes, definitely - I have seen one adaptation already but where it lands permanently isn't available to me at present. 

The VKLogger forum is still active (at the moment anyway) but for how long ?
 
Harking back to the previous "Discussion Forum will continue to operate if utilised." wording on the VKLogger page, it may not stay !