Configuring SpotCollector's General Settings

Show control explanations	when checked, enables the display of explanatory information when the mouse cursor lingers over a textbox, button, checkbox, display pane, or setting.
Confirm spot deletion	when checked, attempting to delete a spot database entry displays a dialog box that asks you to confirm the deletion
Show 0 as Ø	when checked, displays received numeric zeros with a slash in Packet Cluster, IRC, and DX Cluster windows
Seek everything	if DXKeeper is not installed checking this box indicates that your award objectives are to work every country on every band and mode; thus every spot database entry will be considered needed not checking this box indicates spot database entries will be considered confirmed
Set Xcvr split	when checked, double-clicking on a spot database entry specifying a split frequency will place the transceiver in split mode (if support) and set the split frequency into the transceiver's alternate VFO
Save Spot Notes	when checked, the Outgoing Spots panel's Notes textbox is not cleared after the panel's Cluster or Local button is clicked, and the parenthetical phrase (notes saved) is appended to the panel's caption
Spot Xcvr split	when checked with Commander running, the outgoing spot notes will track the transceiver's split frequency in kHz, e.g. up 2.5 or dn 1; additional information can be appended to the outgoing spot notes when checked with Commander running and interoperating with a Satellite Tracking application, the outgoing spot notes will specify the active satellite name, followed by the word uplink and the uplink frequency; additional information cannot be appended to the outgoing spot notes
Main F-keys via WW	when checked, striking the function keys F5 through F12 will direct WinWarbler to invoke the associated macro; striking the ESC key will direct WinWarbler to abort the current transmission
Ignore empty spot notes	when checked, empty spot notes will not clear a spot database entry's most recent spot notes, nor will they be displayed in the Individual Spots window
Determine mode from notes	when checked, a new Spot Database Entry's mode will be determined by a mode specifier found in the notes of the spot that creates the Entry; if no mode specifier is present or when not checked, the mode will be determined by the DX station's sub-band
Use QSX to determine mode	when checked, if the mode of a DX station operating split is being determined based on its sub-band, select the sub-band using the station's QSX frequency rather than its TX frequency
Ignore empty spot notes	when not checked, an incoming spot whose notes are empty will update the appropriate Spot Database Entry by updating the Entry's Source item with the spotting station's callsign clearing the Entry's Notes item appending just the spotting station's callsign to the Entry's CumulativeNotes item when checked, an incoming spot whose notes are empty will update the appropriate Spot Database Entry by updating the Entry's Source item with the spotting station's callsign; the Entry's Notes and CumulativeNotes items will not updated.
Capture location info from notes	when checked, SpotCollector attempts to recover location information for an entry's DX station (grid square, IOTA tag. POTA tag, SOTA tag, WWFF tag)) and spotting station (grid square) from its spot notes; if successful, grid square information is used in preference to grid square information provided by the cluster software
Lookup missing location info	when checked, SpotCollector attempts to obtain location information for an entry's DX station (grid square, IOTA tag, CQ zone, ITU zone, continent, primary administrative subdivision, region) and spotting station (grid square) via DXCC or USAP database lookup if this information has not been extracted from spot notes or provided by the cluster software.
Automatic DXView Lookup	when checked, creation of a new Spot Database Entry that with current filtering appears in the Spot Database Display will automatically direct DXView to perform a lookup operation, displaying the station's location on its world map (if DXView is running and its SC Lock button has not been clicked)
Accept SQL filter updates	when checked, SpotCollector will accept updates to named SQL filters from other applications, and if not recomputing progress or pruning the Spot Database Display will invoke the updated SQL filter
Use multiple monitors	when checked, windows that resided on a secondary monitor during the previous session will be restored to the same secondary monitor on startup; when not checked, all windows will be restored to the primary monitor on startup
Log debugging information	when set, diagnostic information is recorded in the file errorlog.txt within SpotCollector's folder
Operator callsign	Spots you originate are attributed to this callsign
Operator location	Spots you originate are associated with this geographic origin: North American East coast North American Midwest North American West coast South America, Europe Africa Asia Oceania Operator Latitude and Longitude are used to determine your grid square, and to compute the distance to the station originating a DX spot for Band filtering. Each is specified in D M' S" Z format, where D specifies the number of degrees (a number between 0 and 90 in latitudes; a number between 0 and 180 in longitudes) M specifies the number of minutes (a number between 0 and 59) S specifies the number of seconds (a number between 0 and 59) Z specifies a direction (N or S in latitudes, E or W in longitudes)

Grid Sources for VUCC panel

User-defined Sequence after QSY panel

If Commander is running, the user-defined command sequence named in this panel's textbox is executed when any QSY directive sent from SpotCollector to Commander -- such as when you double-click on a Spot Database Entry; this capability could be used to enable an automatic antenna tuner, select a specific antenna, or set a clarifier offset. Execution of the named sequence can optionally be delayed by a specified number of milliseconds, up to a maximum of 10,000; such a delay is useful when the sequence contains an IFMODE test, allowing the transceiver time to execute the QSY directive and report its new mode before the IFMODE is executed.

If you double-click a Spot Database Entry whose frequency and mode information will be sent to a specified Digital Mode Application (as described above), then SpotCollector will neither direct Commander to QSY nor direct Commander to execute the specified user-defined command sequence; you can configure WinWarbler to specify a user-defined command sequence to be conveyed to Commander in this scenario.

Propagation Prediction panel

Display Prediction on double-click

when checked, double-clicking a Spot Database Entry will direct PropView (if running) to compute and display a propagation forecast based on PropView's current parameters and settings (this box will be disabled unless both PropView and DXView are running)

Enable SNR & Probability Prediction

when checked, PropView 1.8.7 or later can be directed to generate Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Probability predictions for Spot Database Entries whose frequencies are in the range of 2 Mhz to 30 Mhz; SpotCollector will update these prediction hourly for the remainder of the current UTC month

For needed stations	when checked with Enable SNR & Probability Prediction checked and PropView running, PropView will be directed to generate a signal-to-noise-ratio and probability prediction for each newly-reported needed DX station
For all stations	when checked with Enable SNR & Probability Prediction checked and PropView running, PropView will be directed to generate a signal-to-noise-ratio and probability prediction for each newly-reported DX station
Autostart PropView	when checked with Enable SNR & Probability Prediction checked, SpotCollector will at startup launch PropView if it's not already running; incoming spots will be queued until PropView is running or 30 seconds elapse
Default Required SNR	required signal-to-noise ratio used when PropView doesn't recognize the mode of the Spot Database Entry for which an SNR & Probability prediction is being generated

Log Filter panel

When you select a DX station (e.g. by double-clicking on a Spot Database entry), this panel's settings determine whether DXKeeper displays all previous QSOs with that station's base callsign, or all previous QSOs with that station's DXCC entity.

DX Unit panel

Digital Mode Application panel

This panel lets you specify the Digital Mode Application to which SpotCollector will send frequency and mode information when you double-click a Spot Database Entry or right-click a Spot Database Entry and select the QSY menu item, subject to settings in the Actions with Digital Mode Application panel described below. By default, the Digital Mode Application textbox is set to WinWarbler; if the Digital Mode Application textbox is empty, SpotCollector sets it to WinWarbler . If you specify a Digital Mode Application like MultiPSK and click the Connect button, then when you select a Spot Database Entry, SpotCollector will send the frequency and mode information to that Digital Mode Application from then on.

Note that with SpotCollector connected to WSJT-X, double-clicking a Spot Database Entry whose mode is that of the connected WSJT-X will not convey information to the specified Digital Mode Application.

Actions with Digital Mode Application connected panel

The Service, Auto-restore, and Auto-minimize columns of checkboxes in this panel determine SpotCollector's actions if the specified Digital Mode Application is connected and a Spot Database Entry is activated by double clicking or by right-clicking and selecting the QSY menu item.

The Auto-minimize checkboxes determine on a mode-by-mode basis whether after activating a Spot Database Entry whose mode's Service checkbox is disabled, SpotCollector minimizes the Digital Mode Application's Main window if it is on-screen. The Digital Auto-minimize box cannot be checked because the Digital Service box cannot be unchecked, as explained above.

Transceiver mode for WSJT-X

With SpotCollector connected to WSJT-X this panel's settings specify the transceiver mode to which Commander will set the transceiver when you double-click a Spot Database Entry whose mode is that of the connected WSJT-X, or right-click a Spot Database Entry whose mode is that of the connected WSJT-X and then select the QSY menu item. This setting should be identical to that of the Mode panel on the Radio tab of WSJT-X's Settings window.

Transceiver mode with no Digital Mode Application connected panel

If the specified Digital Mode Application isn't connected but Commander is running, then the settings in this panel's sub-panels determine to what mode the transceiver will be set when a Spot Database Entry is activated by double-clicking or by right-clicking and selecting the QSY menu item.

CW spot sub-panel

RTTY spot sub-panel

non-RTTY Digital spot sub-panel

When a Spot Database Entry is activated with Commander running and the entry's mode is other than USB, LSB, AM, FM, CW, or RTTY, then set the transceiver to the specified mode:

Sub-band Definition panel

File pathname textbox

pathname to a Sub-band definition file used by SpotCollector to identify a spot's band and default mode from its frequency or QSX frequency
each line of the file defines a sub-band, sequentially specifying a lower-frequency limit, an upper-frequency limit, the default mode name, and the band name, e.g. the following four entries used to define 15m sub-bands:

21000.1,21070,CW,15M
21070,21110,RTTY,15M
21110,21200,CW,15M
21200,21450,USB,15M

sub-band frequency ranges must be non-overlapping
in frequencies, use the period character as a decimal separator
sub-band entries must be sorted in order of increasing frequency
valid mode names are any mode defined in ADIF
valid band names are 2190M, 630M, 560M, 160M, 80M, 60M, 40M, 30M, 20M, 17M, 15M, 12M, 10M, 6M, 4M, 2M, 1.25M, 70CM, 33CM, 23CM, and 12CM
empty lines are not permitted

Select button

displays a file selector dialog that allows you to select and activate a Sub-band definition file

Help Browser panel

Display Errorlog button: displays the contents of the file errorlog.txt within SpotCollector's folder

Override	when checked, a DX Gridsquare specified in an Override will be considered valid for purposes of VUCC realtime award alerting
Spots	when checked, a DX Gridsquare extracted from an incoming spots notes or from information appended to an incoming spot by the spot source will be considered valid for purposes of VUCC realtime award alerting
USAP database	when checked, a DX Gridsquare obtained from the USAP database will be considered valid for purposes of VUCC realtime award alerting

CW	"normal" CW
CW-R	"reversed" CW

RTTY	"normal" RTTY
RTTY-R	"reversed" RTTY
USB	upper sideband
LSB	lower sideband
PKT	"normal" packet (present unless the primary transceiver supports Data modes)
PKT-R	"reversed" packet (present unless the primary transceiver supports Data modes)
Data-L	data mode, lower sideband (present if the primary transceiver supports Data modes)
Data-U	data mode, upper sideband (present if the primary transceiver supports Data modes)

RTTY	"normal" RTTY
RTTY-R	"reversed" RTTY
USB	upper sideband
LSB	lower sideband
PKT	"normal" packet
PKT-R	"reversed" packet
Data-L	data mode, lower sideband (present if the primary transceiver supports Data modes)
Data-U	data mode, upper sideband (present if the primary transceiver supports Data modes)

Browser pathname textbox	if this setting is blank, SpotCollector displays online help using your PC's default HTML browser -- typically Internet Explorer or Netscape; if you'd prefer to display online help with a specific HTML browser, place its full pathname here.
Select button	displays a file selector dialog that allows you to choose a Browser pathname