SpotCollector Online Help Contents
SpotCollector allows you to connect with up to 4 of the many DXClusters accessible via the Internet using the Telnet protocol.
Installing SpotCollector preconfigures its four DXCluster windows with host addresses, ports, username, and window captions for the N6WS, EI7MRE, K1RFI, and JH1RFM DXClusters respectively, but none are enabled.
Start by connecting to DX Spots. Open the Config window and select the Spot Sources tab. In the Telnet pane, place a check the auto box; this will configure SpotCollector to automatically connect to DX Spots on startup, or if disconnected. Then place a check in the enable box and find the DX Spots window -- assuming this DXCluster is operational, you should see the DX Spots welcome message.
Once a connection to DX Spots has been established, SpotCollector will automatically capture DX spots and add them to the Spot Database -- so you can minimize the DX Spots window by clicking on the Minimize button (the one labeled _ ) in the upper right-hand corner. Do not click the Close button (the one labeled with an X) unless you want to disconnect from DX Spots and close its associated Window. Alternatively, you can leave the DX Spots window on-screen and interact with it directly as you would any standard DXCluster.
If you'd like to monitor spots from the N6WS, EI7MRE, K1RFI, and JH1RFM DXClusters, enable them and repeat the above steps. Like DX Spots, none of these DXClusters require a password, so you can leave their Password textboxes blank; specifying a password when none is required may cause the login to fail. Note the Cmd connection parameter; where connecting to the DXCluster involves navigating a sub-network, this parameter enables you to specify the appropriate post-login connection command.
You'll need to choose one enabled DXCluster to handle your outgoing spots; click the Spot radio button for this DXCluster.
If you wish to use DXClusters other than N6WS, EI7MRE, K1RFI, and JH1RFM , this web page provides a list of such DXClusters and their connection parameters: http://www.dxcluster.info/telnet/index.php
This article explains how to connect to a DXCluster that conveys SOTA spots.
If you are already connected to a particular DX Cluster from another instance of SpotCollector running on another PC, make your username for that DX Cluster unique from each instance by appending a hyphen and a single digit to your username, for example AA6YQ-2.
If you need less than four DXCluster connections, uncheck the Enable boxes of those DXCluster Windows you don't need, or just close those DXCluster windows using the Close button in the window's upper right corner.
SpotCollector automatically remembers the connection parameters and positions of all DXCluster windows from one SpotCollector session to another.
SpotCollector's Main window provides a Spot source status panel containing seven LED-like indicators to show the status of your spot sources, where red means "disconnected", yellow means "connecting", and green means "connected"; the first four of these indicators correspond to the four possible DXCluster connections. Clicking one of these indicators activates its associated source's window. Double-clicking the panel's caption displays the Config window's Spot Sources tab.
DXClusters that utilize DX Spider can be configured to disable the "prompt sequence" that enables SpotCollector to confirm that you've logged in, preventing the cluster's LED-like status indicator from advancing from yellow to green. To correct this, enter the following command:
unset/Prompt
DXClusters that utilize DX Spider or CC Cluster software can be configured to append the spotting station's Maidenhead Gridsquare to each spot. DXKeeper can properly decode spots with appended gridsquares, and will record such gridsquares in the DXCC Database's OriginGrid field. To enable a cluster running DX Spider to append spotting station gridsquares, enter the following command:
set/dxgrid
Besides DX spots, Telnet-accessible
DXClusters also report WWV
spots that convey the solar flux, geomagnetic A index, and geomagnetic X
index. SpotCollector collects and displays this
information, and makes it available to PropView.
Most DXClusters have WWV spots enabled by default, but it may be necessary to
re-enable this service by issuing the following command to DXClusters
that are controlled by DX Spider
or CC Cluster
management applications:
set/wwv
To enable WWV spots to DXClusters controlled by the AR-Cluster management application, issue the command
set/wwv/output on
Note that some DXClusters are parts
of a sub-network that permits only a single connection. For example, if
DXClusters A and B are part of the same sub-network and you are connected to A,
connecting to B will cause the connection with A to silently drop. If
SpotCollector is configured to automatically
reconnect dropped connections, then when SpotCollector reconnects with A,
the connection with B will silently drop - ad infinitum. Thus after
configuring SpotCollector to connect to a new DXCluster, monitor the messages in its Source Window for a
few minutes; if you see a spontaneous reconnection, the new DXCluster may be part of a sub-network to
which you are already connected, in which case you should choose a different
DXCluster.
The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) is a
network of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they
hear, when and how well. SpotCollector
can connect to the RBN as a spot source. SpotCollector requires your callsign to be
present the DX Cluster's prompt, so when using an instance of the Remote
Beacon Network Aggregator as a spot source, check the
Check here if users on this port should be asked for their call when connecting
box under the Local User Port on the Aggregator's
Connections tab.
SpotCollector expects to run
continuously; via the Power
Options section of the Windows
Control Panel, configure Windows to never put your computer in
hibernation, sleep, or standby mode. In order to maintain connections with
DXClusters via the internet, configure the Network section
of the Windows Control
Panel to never power down the wired or wireless adapter by which your
computer is connected to the internet.
For additional information,
see Interacting with DX Clusters.
SpotCollector supports connection to a local PacketCluster through a Terminal Node Controller. Before connecting to a PacketCluster, you must establish a link between SpotCollector and your TNC by clicking the Config button on SpotCollector's Spot Database Window and selecting the TNC Serial Port tab. This tab enables you to configure your serial port and select a specific TNC model from among those for which SpotCollector includes command files in its TNCs subfolder. If a command file for your TNC is not present, you can construct your own with any text editor. Note that some of the TNC command files included with SpotCollector require the user's callsign. These are currently set to AA6YQ; please change them to your callsign before use.
To connect to a PacketCluster, Click the Config button on SpotCollector's Spot Database Window and select the Spot Sources tab. In the PacketCluster panel, enter the callsign of the node hosting the PacketCluster to which you wish to connect. Check the enable box, and a PacketCluster will appear; click the Connect button in this window, and SpotCollector will connect to the specified Packet Cluster. SpotCollector will automatically capture DX spots and add them to the Spot Database -- so you can minimize the PacketCluster Window by clicking on the Minimize button (the one labeled _ ) in the upper right-hand corner. Do not click the Close button (the one labeled with an X) unless you want to disconnect from the PacketCluster and close its associated Window. Alternatively, you can leave the PacketCluster window on-screen and interact with it directly as you would any standard PacketCluster.
SpotCollector's Main window provides a Spot source status panel containing seven LED-like indicators to show the status of your spot sources, where red means "disconnected", yellow means "connecting", and green means "connected"; the fifth of these indicators corresponds to your PacketCluster connection. Clicking one of these indicators activates its associated source's window. Double-clicking the panel's caption displays the Config window's Spot Sources tab.
PacketClusters that utilize DX Spider software can be configured to append the spotting station's Maidenhead Gridsquare to each spot. DXKeeper can properly decode spots with appended gridsquares, and will record such gridsquares in the DXCC Database's OriginGrid field. To enable a cluster running DX Spider to append spotting station gridsquares, enter the following command:
set/dxgrid
SpotCollector supports connection to the CQDX Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel for two reasons:
to capture DX spots and WWV announcements from the excellent DX Summit DXCluster, which is not accessible via the Telnet protocol
to provide convenient real-time interaction with DXers worldwide much as a DXCluster's talk command allows real-time interaction among its users
Installing SpotCollector pre-configures its IRC connection parameters for the CQDX channel via the IRC host US.WorldIRC.Org . SpotCollector uses your Operator Callsign as both the UserName and First Name with which you connect to CQDX; you can change these by editing the appropriate textboxes in the IRC panel.
Open
the Configuration window and select the Spot Sources tab. In the
IRC pane, check the Auto
box; this will configure SpotCollector to automatically connect to CQDX on startup, or if disconnected. Then
check the
Enable
box and locate the CQDX window that appears on-screen; you'll see the
welcome text, followed by messages from individual DXers that may be conversing
at the moment. Like DXCluster windows, DX spots are automatically captured and
entered into the Spot
Database; unlike DXCluster windows, DX Spots do not appear in the CQDX
window, as they would otherwise make it hard to follow any conversation.
If you are not interested in participating in the conversation, you can minimize the CQDX window by clicking on the Minimize button (the
one labeled _ ) in the upper right-hand corner, or you can click the Close
button (the one labeled with an X) in the upper right-hand corner to hide
the CQDX window but maintain the connection. To disconnect from
CQDX and close its associated window, click the Disconnect button. Alternatively, you can leave the CQDX
window on-screen and interact with it directly.
SpotCollector's Main window provides a Spot
source status panel containing seven LED-like indicators to show the status of
your spot sources, where red means "disconnected", yellow means
"connecting", and green means "connected"; the sixth of these indicators corresponds to your
CQDX connection. Clicking one of these indicators activates its
associated source's window. Double-clicking the panel's caption displays the
Config window's Spot Sources tab.
Make sure your firewall and anti-malware applications do not block TCP port 6667.
If the message "Nickname
is already in use" appears in the CQDX window, either US.WorldIRC.Org
has a stale session that should timeout shortly, or another instance of
SpotCollector is connected to US.WorldIRC.Org
and using the same Username as is specified in the IRC
panel's Username (on the Configuration window's Spot
Sources tab. To correct the latter situation, replace the IRC
panel's Username with a unique value, e.g. by appending a
hyphen followed by a number to your callsign.
SpotCollector can accept connection requests from up to 16 instances of WSJT-X. When connected to one or more instances of WSJT-X, SpotCollector
creates or updates a Spot Database Entry for a station decoded by an instance of WSJT-X, recording the station's grid square and current Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR); the Spot Database Entry also maintains minimum SNR and maximum SNR fields so you can monitor changes in signal strength
creates or updates a Spot Database Entry for a station reported with an SNR by a station decoded by and instance of WSJT-X
updates the font colors and background colors used by each instance of WSJT-X to display callsigns in its Main window's Band Activity panel to reflect award need and eQSL/LoTW participation, respectively
if enabled, sets the font color used by each instance of WSJT-X to display CQs in its Main window's Band Activity panel
if enabled, sets the font color used by each instance of WSJT-X to display your callsign in its Main window's Band Activity panel
responds to the selection or specification of a new DX Call in an instance of WSJT-X by optionally directing DXKeeper to filter its Log Page Display to show previous QSOs with the callsign, directing DXView (if running) to lookup the callsign, and directing Pathfinder (if running) to lookup the callsign
responds to a "logged QSO" report for a callsign from an instance of WSJT-X by directing DXKeeper (if running) to log the QSO, with the options to
query the callbook currently selected in DXKeeper
To enable SpotCollector to accept connections from an instance of WSJT-X running on your computer, do the following in the WSJT-X panel on the Configuration window's Spot Sources tab:
To enable an instance of WSJT-X to connect to SpotCollector, do the following in the UDP Server panel on the Reporting tab of the WSJT-X Settings window:
If the WSJT-X instance is running on the same computer as SpotCollector, set the UDP Server to 127.0.0.1
If the WSJT-X instance is not running on the same computer as SpotCollector, set the UDP Server to the IP address of the computer on which SpotCollector is running
Set the UDP Server Port Number to to the Port specified in the WSJT-X panel on the Configuration window's Spot Sources tab
Check the Accept UDP Requests box
SpotCollector's Main window provides a Spot
source status panel containing seven LED-like indicators to show the status of
your spot sources, where red means "disconnected", yellow means
"connecting", and green means "connected"; the seventh
of these indicators corresponds to the connection with one or more instances of WSJT-X. Clicking this indicator activates
the Main and Waterfall windows for the instance of WSJT-X running on the same
computer on which SpotCollector is running. Double-clicking the panel's caption displays the
Config window's Spot Sources tab.
For additional information, see
Interacting with WSJT-X.
If you minimize a DXCluster, PacketCluster, or IRC window, it will no longer consume screen space, but will occupy a slot on the Windows task bar. If you instead close a connected DXCluster, PacketCluster, or IRC window, it will remain connected but consume neither screen space nor a slot on the Windows task bar; this state is referred to as hidden. You can directly hide or un-hide a DXCluster, PacketCluster, or IRC window via its Hide checkbox on the Configuration window's Spot Sources tab.
SpotCollector's Main window provides a Spot source status panel containing six LED-like indicators to show the status of your spot sources, where red means "disconnected", yellow means "connecting", and green means "connected"; the sixth of these indicators correspond to your CQDX connection. Clicking one of these indicators makes its un-hide its associated spot source window. Double-clicking the panel's caption displays the Config window's Spot Sources tab.
If a spot source is hidden when SpotCollector terminates, then it will be hidden when SpotCollector is next started. However, its window will remain onscreen until a connection has been established, at which point the window disappears from both the screen and Windows task bar.
Each DXCluster, PacketCluster, and CQDX window provides access to two banks of eight macros, each of which allow you to transmit information with a single mouse click or keystroke. To invoke a macro in the first bank, click on its button, or strike its associated function key. To invoke a macro in the second bank, depress and hold the ALT key to display the second bank, and then click the appropriate macro button, or strike its associated function key. Checking the ALT checkbox, located between the 4th and 5th macro buttons, displays the second bank of macros until you uncheck it. You can specify the commands issued when you invoke a macro.
SpotCollector's Pre-filtering window enables you to
ignore incoming spots by band, independent of their mode family or origin
ignore incoming spots by mode family, independently of their band or origin
ignore incoming spots by origin, independently of their band or mode family