Logging New QSOs with the Capture window

DXKeeper Online Help Contents

To facilitate rapid real-time logging with minimum screen space consumption, DXKeeper provides a QSO Capture window, activated by clicking the Capture button located on the Log QSOs tab. The QSO Capture Window records 48 items, all but four of which (call, DXCC, tx frequency, and mode) are optional. By dragging the Capture window's lower border up or down, the Capture window can be configured to display from as few as two items to all items. Clicking the Cfg button in the Capture window's upper-right corner displays the Capture Layout window, which provides row-by-row control over which Capture window items are visible.

Clicking the Lookup button,  or striking the Enter key in the Call textbox, or striking the Tab key in the Call textbox results in the following actions:

The eQSL AG and LoTW databases used to determine participation in these services can be installed via the Databases tab of DXView's Configuration window.

Allowing the mouse cursor to linger over the DXCC item when it contains a DXCC entity prefix will prompt DXKeeper to display a popup window containing the full name of the DXCC entity. Similarly, allowing the mouse cursor to linger over a State or Province item will prompt DXKeeper to display a popup window containing the full name of the state or province.

Typing a question mark (?) character in the Call textbox starts a timer and display a red line above the Call textbox.. When the timer expires after the specified number of seconds, the red line will disappear, and the next character you type into the Call textbox that isn't a question mark character will replace the left-most question mark character. Typing a space character while the red line is visible will cause the timer to immediately expire and the red line to disappear, so the next character you type into the Call textbox that isn't a question mark character will replace the left-most question mark character. 

If the first letter of the callsign you enter is an exclamation point, DXKeeper assumes that you are logging a CQ, an unsuccessful call, a test, or some other transmission that you wish to record but does not represent a QSO. Such log entries are not assigned a DXCC prefix, do not initiate a Callbook database lookup, and are not included in award tracking statistics.

Double-clicking or striking the Enter key in the Grid 1 textbox updates DXView's display to show the specified grid square as its current position. Depressing the CTRL key while double-clicking the Grid 1 textbox updates DXView's display and rotates the antenna to the short-path heading; depressing the ALT key while double-clicking the Grid 1 textbox updates DXView's display and rotates the antenna to the long-path heading.

Clicking the Begin button, striking Alt-B in any Capture window field, or striking CTRL-B in any Capture window field

If the QSO's start time has not already been set,  typing a received signal report into the RST rcvd textbox with the Set QSO start when RST Rcvd box checked will also perform the above 4 actions.

Clicking the End button or striking CTRL-E in any Capture window item

Checking the QSL Requested box indicates that a QSL card or label should be sent and a confirmation requested. If logged, the QSO's QSL Sent and QSL Rcvd items will be set to 'R' (for requested); when you later run the QSL Workflow, the Add Requested button will automatically generate a QSL card or label for this QSO; printed cards and 2-column labels will bear a "please!" in their QSL? column.

Checking the use bureau box indicates that the QSL should be sent via the QSL bureau. If logged, the QSO's QSL Sent Via item will be set to 'B'.

Checking the LotW member box indicates that the callsign participates in the ARRL's Logbook of the World. If logged, the QSO's LotW Member item will be set to 'Y'.

Checking the eQSL.cc member box indicates that the callsign is an Authenticity Guaranteed member of eQSL.cc . If logged, the QSO's eQSL.cc Member item will be set to 'A'.

Checking or unchecking the contest-mode box enables or disables Contest-mode.

Double-clicking the RST_Sent or RST_Rcvd item with a Mode selected will set the item to 59 (if the selected mode is a phone mode) or 599 (if the selected mode is not a phone mode).

Double-clicking the QSL Via item invokes the Address Editor .

Double-clicking the Comment item will invoke a Comment editor window  that makes it easier to enter or modify lengthy content; click the Save button to preserve your changes, or the Cancel button to abandon them.

Double-clicking an item's label will filter the Log Page Display to show all QSOs whose item matches the value in the Capture window.  If the Capture window's IOTA item contains OC-005, for example, double-clicking the IOTA label will filter the Log Page Display to show all QSOs whose IOTA item is OC-005.

If an item has a default value, Ctrl-double-clicking that item's label will display the Configuration window and place the mouse cursor in the default value,

Uncapitalized first letters of each word entered into the Name or QTH items will be automatically capitalized unless the word contains a capitalized letter.

Striking the Enter key in the QTH item initiates a word-by-word inspection of the QTH item.

Clicking the Clear button with Contest-mode unchecked requests confirmation (if Prompt on Capture Clear is enabled) and then clears all Capture items, presents the Begin button, clears the Log Page Display filter, and selects the last QSO in the Log Page Display; if Contest-mode checked, the TX# item is not cleared.

Clicking the Log button 

Note that striking CTRL-<enter> or CTRL-L in any Capture Window item is equivalent to clicking the Log button.

If the Log Page Display is filtered to show previous QSOs with the station in the Call item, the number of previous QSOs is parenthetically appended to the Call item's label, whether or not the main log window is visible. Clicking on the Call item's label will display the main log window, should it be minimized. Information about the most recent QSO -- date, time, frequency, mode, and QSL status -- is displayed in the Capture window is appropriately resized; click the window maximize button on the right side of the title bar to expand the Capture window enough to show all information.

With Contest Mode disabled, a  Log Page Display entry will be rendered in red font if its Callsign, Band, and Mode match those in the Capture window; this can help avoid duplicate QSOs; with Contest Mode enabled, a  Log Page Display entry will be rendered in red font if its Callsign, Band, Mode and Contest ID match those in the Capture window.

If required items are missing or contain invalid values, clicking the Log button highlights the labels of these items in red, but does not enter the QSO into the current log. Frequencies not falling within a defined band are considered invalid. Callsign validity checking can be enabled or disabled via the Flag Invalid Callsigns setting. If a Capture item's data exceeds its specified maximum length, its label will be highlighted in red and the Log button will not enter the QSO into the current log. 

You can include substitution commands in the QSL msg item to include information determined by your current location.

Uncapitalized first letters of each word entered into the Name or QTH items will be automatically capitalized unless the word contains a capitalized letter.

To allow operation without removing one's hands from the keyboard, `DXKeeper provides keyboard shortcuts for navigating among the Capture Window's items.

Clicking in the call box or tx freq box with the middle mouse button will direct Commander to activate its Bandspread window.


Generating an Outgoing Spot with Information from the Capture window

If SpotCollector is running and has been configured to generate cluster spots, then clicking the Spot button will use the Capture window's Call, TX frequency, and Mode items to generate a DX spot,

While clicking the Spot button,

If WinWarbler is running and Capture window F-Keys via WW is checked, then striking the function keys F5 through F12 in a Capture window textbox will invoke a WinWarbler macro, with Shift key and Alt key modifiers functioning as they would within WinWarbler. Striking the Esc key in a Capture window textbox will abort any active WinWarbler transmission.


Logging Information Required for Award Tracking

To track progress towards awards like WAS, USA-CA, RDA, WAJA, JCC, JCG, and AJA, DXKeeper provides items in its Capture window that let you record a callsign's Primary Administrative Entity and its Secondary Administrative Entity. Some DXCC entities formally define a set of Primary Administrative Subdivisions, e.g. States in the United States, Oblasts in Russia, and Prefectures in Japan; unique abbreviations or codes are used to identify these primary subdivisions. For such entities, DXKeeper provides an appropriately-labeled (e.g. state, oblast, prefecture) selector lets you choose from among the valid codes; if you click the ? button to the left of this selector, DXKeeper's Capture Administrative Subdivision Selector window will appear, which provides a cross-reference between code or abbreviation and full name, and lets you choose a primary subdivision by clicking in either the window's Code or Name selector. 

Some of the DXCC entities that define a set of Primary Administrative Subdivisions formally define a set of Secondary Administrative Subdivisions for each of their Primary Administrative Subdivision, e.g. Counties in the United States, Districts in Russia, and Cities and Guns in Japan; unique abbreviations or codes are used to identify these secondary subdivisions. For such entities, DXKeeper provides an appropriately-labeled (e.g. county, district, city/gun) selector lets you choose from among the valid codes; if you click the ? button to the left of this selector, DXKeeper's Capture Administrative Subdivision Selector window will appear, which lets you choose a secondary subdivision by clicking in either the window's Code or Name selector. 

For entities that do not define Primary or Secondary Subdivisions, DXKeeper provides pri sub and sec sub textboxes with which any subdivision name can be recorded; you could use this to capture a subdivision name for QSO with a country that does not formally define its subdivisions. 

The Capture window also provides  region and DOK items to record entity-specific information required for certain awards.

For a summary of what information to record in what item for each supported award, see the table here.

 

Recording Audio

If you have a soundcard whose input is connected to your transceiver's audio output, you can use the Capture window to initiate and terminate the recording of an audio file in .wav format at 6K bytes per second.

The Capture window provides an Audio button between its Clear and Log buttons. The icon present on this button indicates the current state of audio recording, and the action that will be taken when the button is next clicked:

Audio button icon current state action when clicked action when CTRL-clicked action when Shift-clicked action when Alt-clicked
  Disabled    display the Audio Recording Configuration window     
Ready start recording, new state: Recording display the Audio Recording Configuration window start recording, new state: Recording start recording, new state: Recording
Recording stop and save audio to file, new state: Recorded stop and save audio to file, new state: Recorded stop and save audio to file, new state: Ready stop and discard, new state: Ready
Recorded start playing the last recorded audio file stop playback new state: Ready discard recorded audio file, new state: Ready

To enable audio recording,

  1. depress the CTRL key while clicking the Capture window's button.

  2. In the Audio Recording Configuration window that appears, check the Enable box; this will set the state of audio recording to Ready, replacing the Capture window's button with its button.

In the Recording or Recorded states,

To play the audio in a logged QSO's audio file item, either click in the item (in the Details panel on the Main window's Log QSOs tab), or right-click the QSO's entry in the Log Page Display and select the Play Audio command at the bottom.

Enabling the Audio Recording Configuration window's Automatically start and stop recording option will automatically record each QSO's audio and include the audio filename with the logged QSO:

If the Audio Recording Configuration window's Automatically delete QSO Audio file option is enabled, deleting a QSO that specifies an audio file will automatically delete that audio file.

To display the Audio Recording Configuration window, depress the CTRL key while clicking the Capture window's   or   buttons, or click the Audio Recording Config button at the bottom of the Configuration window's General tab.