UKBOTA Mad March Hare Event Tracker FAQ
Known issues
(1) The tracker is awarding a non 40m bonus for 40m QSO
Yes, it seems to be an issue with the formula. Fear not! The Mad Hare has considered the matter and is happy to award this bonus irrespective of band including 40m. Thanks Hare!
(2) There is a problem with the notes column in some rows, it doesn’t display and some bands cells are formatting as dates. This is fixed at V1.2.
Getting started
Do I have to use a tracker?
Absolutely not! Trackers are merely an aid to keeping track of what you have activated / worked / heard and to automatically calculate your running score. It is perfectly possible to take part in the event and to apply for an award using a paper log alone, you could also use BunkerBase in a similar way. There is no requirement to send a copy of your tracker to the awards manager in order to make an award claim.
What software do I need?
The trackers were developed in MS Excel 2021 Enterprise and tested with Office 365 and Excel 2019 on PC and Mac (Win 10, 11 and macOS 15 Sequoia). They may work with all, or with partial functionality, on older versions of MS Excel, or with free applications such as Google Sheet and Libre Office, however those applications are not supported and have not been tested. The trackers are not designed to work with Mobile Excel versions.
Where can I download the tracker?
Both the activator and the hunter/SWL trackers can be download from the MMH25 webpage.
I get an error at the top of the screen telling me the spreadsheet cannot be edited because of protected cells.
That is normal behavour for MS Excel when working with protected workbooks. Accept the ‘error’ and it will not appear next time you open the tracker.
What do you mean by ‘Protected’ and ‘Workbook’?
Protected means that the designer has decided to lock some parts of the spreadsheet so that they cannot be edited. The reason for doing this is to protect information and formulas that the designer does not want you to change because doing so may break the spreadheet formula.
Workbook is the word Excel uses to comprise a series of views, tables and charts each stored as a Worksheet. Each tracker contains 3 worksheets but only one is visible in the protected view.
Can I get an unprotected version of the tracker(s) or the unprotect password?
Yes, Private Message M0ICR on WhatsApp or email to m0icr@live.com to discuss your interest.
Can make my hybrid version of the tracker(s).
Yes, no problem. Clearly anything you make or change can not be supported. To prevent confusion and enable version control we would also ask you not to share (or discuss on our public forums) any hybrid solutions you come up with.
Viewing the tracker
The tracker is too large for my screen.
The trackers will work best when viewed on a modern screen in landscape mode. The trackers will display full screen width at 100% on a 1080p monitor. If your screen resolution is lower than 1080p then your options are: Zoom in and out (use the Excel menu or a shortcut is CTRL + (Mousewheel UP/DOWN)) or use horizontal scroll on the Excel application. The trackers are not designed for use on smartphones.
What is the ‘bingo card’ map I have heard people refer to?
In the top left hand corner of each tracker is a matrix representing the Large Squares of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. As a Large Square is activated, worked or head, it will automatically be coloured-in on the bingo card map. Green colouring represents HF only, Yellow colouring represents VHF only, and Purple colouring represents HF and VHF. The bingo card map is a good way of checking which Large Square multipliers you need.
Entering QSO data
I don’t seem able to enter data in all of the cells.
See the FAQ above regarding protected workbooks. The only cells you should need to enter data are the white cells beneath HF, VHF and Notes in the main table.
It’s not accepting the correct date format for March.
There are a number of things that can cause this. The first thing to do is check that you device/computer is set up for the date format DD/MM/YY or DD/MM/YYYY where DD is 2 digit day, MM is 2 digit month and YY 2 digit year, or YYYY is 4 digit year, eg. 17th March 2025 is 17/03/25 or 17/03/2025. Most application are intelligent enough to realise that 17/3/25 is the same as 17/03/25 so leading zeros for day and month are usually not required. The biggest issue with dates is caused by systems set up for US Date Default format of MM/DD/YYYY, ie. Month before Day.
Other tips with dates: To enter today’s date a Windows shortcut is CTRL + ;
How do I enter a band?
The band field works identically on the HF and VHF part of the trackers. You can either enter the band manually or select from a drop down menu (click bottom right of the field). You should only enter the band a numerical digits, eg. forty metres is 40 not 40M or 40m or 7 or 7MHz. The field has ‘data validation’ and will give an error if you enter an invalid value. Note that the VHF bands for the purposes of this event are 6, 4, 2 and 70 (where 70 is 70cm). Activators: If you activated on more than one band on HF you can enter any band you activated on, it is not necessary to work all (minimum) 25 QSO on that band.
What do I enter in the SQ field?
SQ refers to the Large Square. The Large Square is one (for Northern Ireland) or two letters (for the rest of the UK and CI). The Large Square can be entered manually or using the drop down list (click bottom right of the field). Like the band field, only valid Large Squares will be accepted by the tracker. This is NOT the ‘full’ WAB square which also comprises 2 numbers, the tracker will not accept a 3 or 4 character WAB square in the SQ field.
What do I put in the QSO field?
This is simply the number of QSO from that bunker on HF, or if under the VHF section, for VHF. (Activators Only)
What do I put in the B2B field?
This is the number of UKBOTA Bunker to Bunker QSO made from that bunker, in that section. Note that B2B with non-UKBOTA bunkers do not count!
What do I put in the QRP field?
If you were QRP (for this event that means 5W or less, irrespective of mode) then enter a y or Y. On the hunter tracker this does not refer to whether the activator was QRP or not!
What do I put in the N Owl field?
If it was a Night Owl activation then enter a y or Y.
Help - I'm still having problems!
Whilst we are unable to provide an immediate IT help-desk we will try and help when and where we can.
In the first instance you should make sure that you have read both the rules of the event on the main MMH25 page and these FAQ. Check that you have not made a typing error, eg. the spreadsheet will not count the letter O as a zero even if they look similar!
If you continue to have issues check that nothing has changed in the setup of your device. If your issue persists then the best place to get help is the UKBOTA WhatsApp channel or the UKBOTA Facebook Group where one of the Management Team, or community members, will try and assist.
In reporting any issues please let us know:
*The nature of the problem in as much detail as possible,
* Your device (eg. Windows 10 PC),
* The application and version you are using (eg. Office 365) ,
* The version of the tracker you are using (eg. not a beta or preview version).
“It’s not working” is unlikely to resolve your issue quickly!
To return to the main Mad March Hare 2025 page click here.
