<s>
Contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
refers	O
to	O
specialized	O
computer	B-Application
software	I-Application
programs	O
designed	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
competitors	O
in	O
amateur	O
radio	O
contesting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
is	O
written	O
by	O
individual	O
programmers	B-Application
who	O
are	O
active	O
radio	O
contesters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
purpose	O
of	O
contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
is	O
to	O
record	O
the	O
details	O
of	O
two-way	O
radio	O
contacts	O
made	O
during	O
amateur	O
radio	O
contests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
log	O
data	O
is	O
recorded	O
in	O
a	O
binary	O
or	O
ASCII	B-Protocol
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
packages	O
will	O
also	O
compute	O
a	O
running	O
score	O
for	O
the	O
contest	O
during	O
operation	O
and	O
will	O
help	O
track	O
which	O
multipliers	O
have	O
been	O
"	O
worked	O
"	O
and	O
which	O
have	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
includes	O
features	O
for	O
post-contest	O
processing	O
of	O
the	O
log	O
to	O
prepare	O
it	O
for	O
submission	O
to	O
the	O
contest	O
sponsor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
programs	O
offer	O
advanced	O
features	O
for	O
controlling	O
external	O
devices	O
;	O
this	O
can	O
include	O
controlling	O
the	O
frequency	O
of	O
a	O
radio	O
,	O
sending	O
Morse	O
code	O
over	O
a	O
serial	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
or	O
parallel	B-Device
port	I-Device
interface	O
,	O
interfacing	O
with	O
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
used	O
for	O
the	O
transmission	O
and	O
reception	O
of	O
digital	O
modes	O
such	O
as	O
RTTY	O
,	O
or	O
controlling	O
antenna	O
or	O
amplifier	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
,	O
whether	O
free	O
or	O
commercial	O
,	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
DOS	O
,	O
Linux	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
contesters	O
dedicate	O
older	O
computers	O
specifically	O
to	O
running	O
their	O
favorite	O
contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
contest	B-Protocol
logging	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
packages	O
are	O
widely	O
used	O
and	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
are	O
offered	O
for	O
sale	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
are	O
available	O
without	O
charge	O
under	O
various	O
licenses	B-License
.	O
</s>
