FOC: Marabella

Marabella for the 2024 Marathon

Update 2024-02-20

Well that's another Marathon in our logs. Marabella was used by about seven in 10 participants this year, an all time record. It was Marabella's 21st Marathon!

As always there were a handful of problems, mostly due to various log export errors. This year 4U1UN uncovered a long term bug that was fixed within 36 hours of the end of the Marathon. I have a few ideas for possible improvements in 2025 and would welcome any suggestions from FOC members.

Update 2024-02-08

Marabella V4.005.03 is available for download. This version fixes a bug when processing Cabrillo logs that have a very large number of spaces between fields. Cabrillo V3 removed the strict column alignment requirements for fields, so it is now legitimate (albeit quite unnecessary) to have many spaces between fields.

Update 2024-02-06

Two bug fixes completed and Marabella V4.005.02 is available for download

If Marabella was restarted then DXCC and Continent counters were not reset, resulting in double counting
4U1UN not correctly processed as a separate entity

Update 2024-02-04

The members callsigns database has been updated with some callsigns that popped up unexpectedly.
The application itself has been updated to fix a couple of very minor problems.

You will be automatically offered the updates when you start the program.

Update 2024-02-02
The latest database files and Marabella application are now available on the download page. Inevitably some new callsigns will turn up during the Marathon and I will include them in future updates so that by the time you come to use Marabella at the end of the event it is as up to date as it can be. Please let me know by e-mail if there are any problems and I will do my best to assist.

If you already have an earlier version of Marabella IV installed then you will be automatically offered the updates when you start the program.

Please note specifically that although I am now subscribed to the FOC reflector, posting about Marabella there may not be seen by me. Please contact me by e-mail.

Good luck in the Marathon! 73, John, G3WGV

Welcome to Marabella IV

Marabella is a Windows-based helper application designed to assist with scoring and fixing errors in FOC Marathon logs. It takes an export file (Cabrillo or ADIF) from your logging program and converts it into a fully scored set of HTML files that you can view using your usual browser.

In 2024 seven in 10 Marathon participants used Marabella.

What Marabella IV does

Creates browser viewable local HTML files comprising summary sheet, tick sheets and logbook in similar format to the paper version.
Fully and correctly scores the Marathon, including G*4FOC QSOs, 5/6 banders, Entity and Continent bonuses.
Carefully checks your log for errors. It is amazing just how often callsigns or FOC numbers are wrongly entered in the heat of battle and it can be very hard to find these problems, especially in a large log. Marabella to the rescue!
Creates a detailed error log to help you with fixing problems in your log, usually improving your score as well.

Download Marabella

If you know what you like and just want to download Marabella and get straight on with scoring your Marathon log then click on the big M! Want to know more? Read on.

Download Marabella

About Marabella

The Marabella project was conceived in 2002, when G3WGV had a particularly successful Marathon and became frustrated with the time it took to check and submit his entry. Marabella was first made available to FOC members in time for the 2003 Marathon, so 2024 marks the program's 21st anniversary.

The original Marabella only worked with one type of Cabrillo file and had a very basic user interface but it became quite popular with members and so in 2006 I launched Marabella II with much better Cabrillo file support and the ability to process ADIF files. Remarkably, Marabella II kept going for ten years but the many changes in computer hardware, operating systems, etc. meant that an update had become essential. Marabella III was created in 2015 on an up-to-date development platform and gave six Marthon events-worth of useful life.

By 2021, changes in the way logs are submitted to the FOC adjudicator meant that the built in submission facility was no longer needed and the Marabella output format was no longer acceptable to the adjudicator. Changes in Microsoft Excel made it necessary to move to an HTML-based solution and so Marabella IV was born. Marabella IV was updated for 2023 to reflect rule changes implemented by the Committee and again for the 2024 event to support Cabrillo V3 and improve file processing.

Marabella IV doing its thing on my 2022 Marathon entry

Marabella produces local web pages for cover sheet, tick sheet, logbook and warnings/error, which can be viewed directly using your browser. Click on the thumnail for a larger image.


Cover sheet	Logbook listing	Tick sheet	Warnings and errors

What you need to be able to use Marabella IV

Marabella is a Windows 32-bit application, which should run on all versions of Windows from XP upwards. Your logging program must be able to create one of the following text formats:

Cabrillo format. The preferred format is the default "CQWW" format but other formats are accepted and there is a user defined format option as well, so it should be possible to process any Cabrillo file.
ADIF format. If your logging program cannot create a Cabrillo output file then you should use ADIF format.

Your logging program Cabrillo/ADIF file must include the FOC number for each member worked. The Marathon rules state that "the number determines the point" so that is how Marabella works.

Running windows on other hardware/operating systems

I am unable to support Marabella running on operating systems other than Windows. I have various reports of Marabella working to at least some extent on the Apple Mac under Parallels and on Linux. It seems that the update facility doesn't work reliably on the Mac, so it will be necessary to manually update using files and/or do a complete reinstall. The files are available on the downloads page.

Availability

Marabella IV is available free of charge to all FOC Members. Please do not copy the software to other sites - provide a link to this page instead. Always get updates from this official site.

You may give Marabella IV to any other FOC Member but please do not circulate it outside of the club. Please only distribute the full installation package, complete and unaltered.

Contacting G3WGV

If you need further information on Marabella or are having difficulties with the program then please contact me directly by e-mail. Please note specifically that although I am now subscribed to the FOC reflector, posting about Marabella there may not be seen by me.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ken CT7AGZ/G4RWD and Pista VE3USP for their involvement as beta testers. Marabella IV is a better program as a result of their hard work.

What members have said about Marabella over the years

One tends to hear more from users that are for whatever reason having problems than one ever does from the many people that just run the program and get good results. So it's always nice to get some positive feedback!

"Marabella is a marvelous piece of work and I would like to thank you for providing it for us. It wasn't too many years ago that I spent hours filling in the tick sheets after the Marathon and was never totally confident of my score computation. Every time I counted the little blackened boxes I seemed to come up with a different count. This year, I was completely done with all of the paperwork 20 minutes after the Marathon ended." Bruce, N6NT

"Marabella is very good, your work on it is commendable: To provide to members such an easy-to-use way of scoring and seeing the relevant details of one's log with just a few clicks is Ham Spirit!" Hans, OH2EA

"I had never looked at this program before (Marabella) just sent in my log and prayed Hi Hi. What a nice piece of programming - and for me was easy install and run. The stuff some of you programmers turn out has to be a labor of love! Thanks for a great program." Hank, K7HP

"Thanks for developing such a great program!" Phil, G3SWH

"I am a long time user of Marabella and a huge fan of it. I sincerely appreciate G3WGV's contribution to Marathon logging. I believe I have used John's work since 2008." Vic, W9RGB

"I managed to get Marabella set up properly, for my log ADIF now and its working super. What an awesome piece of software. I shall certainly be using this from now on." Pete, G0PNM

"It worked right away and had no problem at all, very easy program to use, have used it several times in the past, and will also use it next year, if you still support it! Thanks a lot for supplying it to all of us in the club." Carsten, OY1CT

"On Monday I manually did the working out of my score. A long and tedious process as you are so well aware. Then I took a closer look at the cover sheet and read the information on the Marabella programme, downloaded it, made an ADIF file of my marathon log, and 'bingo', all done in a couple of minutes flat, and also came up with the same score as my manual effort. I encountered no problems at all, and I can only thank you kindly for an absolutely amazing utility. I would certainly be happy to recommend it to other members. You have my total, utmost and unbounded appreciation. Go well. Keep up the good work." Joe, 7Q7BP

"Just a quick email to say a huge thank you for all the work you put into making our lives so much easier with Marabella etc. It is all "magic" to me, I have enough trouble using software let alone trying to write any. I had to do some Pascal at Uni but it taught me that I wouldn't ever make a programmer." Tony, G3ZRJ

"A big thank you for your support with Marabella! It works great." Karsten, DL8LBK