Clusters and spots
A spot is a piece of information: "station X is on frequency Y". The LogBook shows spots from several sources in the same list as your log. Clicking a spot puts the station into the entry fields and - when a radio is connected - retunes the radio.
Spot sources
Choose the source from the list on the bar above the list (next to the My LogBook button):
| List item | What it shows |
|---|---|
| My LogBook | Your log (not spots). |
| POTA Cluster | POTA park activations: Spots (who is on the air now) or Activations (scheduled activations). |
| SOTA Cluster | Spots and Alerts (announcements) of SOTA summit activations. |
| LLOTA Cluster | LLOTA lake spots and activations (Spots / Activations). |
| WWFF Cluster | WWFF spots. |
| DX Cluster dxsummit, DX Heat | Classic DX spots from web pages (no login). |
| Telnet Cluster(s) | Spots from DX Cluster servers over Telnet - visible when you enable them in the configuration. |
The Flag and Country columns show the station's country. When coloring is enabled in the configuration, callsigns of stations you have already worked are red - you can see at a glance who is still missing from your log.
Clicking a spot
Clicking a spot (single or double click - chosen in the configuration, LogBook → Appearance):
- puts the callsign, frequency and mode into the entry fields and the reports 59 (599 for CW),
- for POTA, SOTA, LLOTA and WWFF spots - also the other station's park, summit, lake or reference (for POTA also the locator),
- when the Rig window is open and the radio connected - retunes the radio to the spot's frequency and mode,
- copies the callsign to the clipboard.
In the activation and alert lists (announcements) the frequency is not copied - only the station and its reference.
Refreshing
- Refresh now or F5 - downloads spots right away.
- The clusters icon (the first button on the list bar) opens a menu: Refresh cluster automatically, Remove duplicates from program spots (the same station spotted several times), the second spot window and Share a spot on cluster web page.
- How often to refresh (seconds) - configuration, Schedule page → Clusters auto-refresh.
When a service does not respond or has changed its data format, a red error description appears at the bottom of the window - click it to see the details. During automatic refreshing a single error does not clear the list - the last downloaded spots stay.
Spots in a separate window
In the clusters icon menu: Show cluster spot lists in a separate window. The spots are then shown in the Clusters – spot and activation data window, and your log stays in the main window. Handy on a big or second monitor. Close telnet/spots window goes back to one list.
Telnet clusters
Telnet clusters are DX Cluster servers the program connects to like a terminal - with your callsign. Set them up in the configuration on the Telnet / Clusters page:
- Tick Use Telnet cluster.
- Click Add. In the Add Telnet Cluster window the easiest way is
Get from clusters list - you pick a server from a ready list (Load clusters list,
filter by name). You can also type the Cluster address yourself as
address:port. - User Name / Force Callsign - usually your callsign. Password - only if the server needs one.
- Init command - commands sent after logging in. Right-click the field to insert macros:
<CALLSIGN>,<PASSWORD>,<DELAY>(half a second pause),SH/DX 100(get the last 100 spots). - Tick Enabled. You can mark one cluster Default for spotting - your spots go to it
(it has an asterisk
*in the list).
You can have up to 10 clusters. In the configuration list you tick which of them are enabled. Show Telnet console for the selected cluster shows the "conversation" with the server - useful when something does not work.
Status lamp
When Telnet Cluster(s) is selected in the list, a lamp next to the source list shows the status: green - connected, dim green - connecting or disconnected, yellow - only some clusters connected, red - connection error, grey - disabled. Clicking the lamp opens the clusters menu: the status of each cluster, Connect / Disconnect, Show errors, Show Telnet Window, as well as Start all clusters, Stop all clusters, Get DX list, Clear DX list.
The server keeps closing the connection? Most often the same callsign is already logged in from another program (e.g. a second
logger). Add an SSID to the user name, e.g. SP4THK-2.
Behavior, merging spots, global options
| Configuration page | Options |
|---|---|
| Telnet / Clusters → Behavior | Faster Telnet refresh, keeping connections alive, Telnet spots in basic mode or Advanced spots with Telnet log window, Remove worked countries, Mark the country in red if there was no QSO with it, Use filtering. Ignore the spot if it exists in the LogBook (matching by callsign or by callsign and band). |
| Telnet / Clusters → Merge spots | With several clusters the same station arrives several times. You can merge spots by callsign, by callsign and frequency (±2 kHz) or additionally by spotter. |
| Telnet / Clusters → Global options | For all clusters (not only Telnet): a limit on the number of spots, a limit on spot age (hours), staying on the first row after refresh, guessing the mode from the comment and frequency. |
Sending a spot
Spot a station (or yourself during an activation) so that others can hear it:
- Telnet - Ctrl+T or Share a spot on Telnet cluster (list menu, Menu). A spot window opens with the callsign and frequency from the LogBook window (or from the selected row). Add a comment (e.g. POTA SP-0123) and click Send. The spot goes to the cluster that is the default for spotting. In the advanced mode (an option in Behavior) the Telnet console opens instead of the small window.
- Cluster web page - Ctrl+W or Share a spot on cluster web page. The program opens the selected source's page in the browser (pota.app, SOTAwatch, llota.app, WWFF, DX Summit, DX Heat), where you post the spot.
Working without internet
On an activation without coverage tick Lock clusters - no internet mode in the configuration (LogBook → Behavior). The list then shows only your log, and the program does not connect to clusters or QRZ. The Unlock button on the list bar switches the clusters back on. All internet functions can also be switched off and on at once on the Misc page.