September 4, 2020

Migrating Ham Radio Deluxe to a New Computer

I have been migrating my applications and data to a new computer.  My old computer served me well for many years and has been exhibiting a growing number of issues indicating it was time to be retired. The next step in the transition process was to migrate Ham Radio Deluxe (version 5.24.0.38) to the new computer running the latest version of Ham Radio Deluxe (version 6.7.0.301).

I am very excited about this upgrade to HRD as I am looking forward to running a well supported high-quality application and discovering new features and enhancements.  HRD has been the rug that really tied the shack together.  This will also be the first version of HRD that I have had to pay for as I have always relied on the free version.


My strategy was to migrate my HRD log using a backup as well as custom DM780 macros and then manually configure the application.  I chose this strategy since it was straightforward and would assure a clean migration.  This strategy would also afford me the opportunity to review the HRD configuration for new settings and features that have been introduced since the old freeware version.

I have shared my migration procedures below in case this information is helpful.  If you have any additional tips or advice regarding upgrading and migrating Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) to a new computer, please be sure to leave a comment.

Migrate HRD Log Procedure

1) Install the latest version of HRD on the new computer.

2) Backup the HRD log files on the old computer and save the backup to cloud storage (e.g. Google Backup and Sync, Microsoft OneDrive, ...).
  • HRD Logbook --> More --> Backup --> Options
    • Change the backup location to use cloud storage
  • HRD Logbook --> Backup
3) Restore the HRD backup files from cloud storage on the new computer.
  • HRD Logbook --> Backup --> Restore
    • Add the cloud storage location of your backup file
    • Click Restore
    • Confirm the number of records to restore and click, "yes"
    • Confirm the number of restored entries and click, "OK"
    • Click "Finish"

Reconnect HRD to the ARRL LoTW

1) HRD Logbook --> More --> LoTW --> Download
2) Add the LoTW username and password
3) Click download to confirm it is working properly

Migrate HRD DM780 Macros Procedure

1) Save the old Macros to a file on cloud storage
  • Digital Master 780 --> Tools --> Macros
  • Save the file to cloud storage
2) Load the old Macros into the new HRD
  • Digital Master 780 --> Tools --> Macros
  • Load the macro file on cloud storage
Confirm the old macros are available

Reconfiguring HRD Procedure

I choose not to attempt to migrate HRD configuration settings from my old version of HRD to the new version of HRD on the new computer.  I didn't want to deal with having to clean up self-created migration messes to save a few minutes of configuration.  Manually configuring HRD would work just fine for my needs and this would also provide me with an opportunity to discover new configuration settings and options.

1) HRD Logbook --> Callsign (My Info)
  • Name
  • Locator
  • QTH
  • E-Mail
  • HomePage
  • Radio
  • Antenna
  • Power
2) HRD Logbook --> Clock
  • Format - change to GMT/UTC

Reassociate Keyhole Markup Language with Google Earth

During testing, I found that HRD would not launch Google Earth when attempting to do a lookup on a contact.  Instead, Adobe Reader was being launched due to a mis-association in Windows with Adobe and .KML (Keyhole Markup Language) files.  The solution was to re-associate .KML files with Google Earth in Windows.
  1. Go to https://developers.google.com/kml
  2. Click on "Half Dome hike" to save a .kmz file to downloads
  3. Right click on the .kmz file in the downloads folder
  4. Select "open with"
  5. Select Google Earth and check "Always use this app to open"


Good DX and 73, NJ2X




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