Maps, propagation and statistics

Distance and path to the other station, your log on a globe, PSK Reporter range, propagation, the VOACAP forecast, the band plan and country and band statistics.

Distance and path map

When My Grid and the other station's locator (the Grid/QTH field, often from QRZ) are known, a button with the distance and azimuth appears below their data, e.g. 1234.5km / 45.0° (the button's tooltip also shows the reverse azimuth). Clicking it opens a map with the path. When you have a rotor in the Rig window, the program suggests the azimuth to it (the antenna turns only on your command).

Map settings - configuration, Map page:

• Enable map - without it the program only calculates the distance,
• Automatically show the map after calculating the distance from grids and Also show the map automatically when QSO details are opened,
• Show grid location on the map after right-clicking the grid field,
• Synchronize map window position with the LogBook - the map window moves together with the LogBook window.

The map window

The map can be a 3D globe or a classic flat map. The map menu:

• Map style (topographic, streets, dark, light, winter, summer), 3D map / Flat map,
• Grid locators, Country and city names, Day and night (the grey line),
• Animate line and points, Line as an arc (side view), Rotate globe automatically,
• Show summary, Initial view, Open in web browser.

Turn the globe with the mouse, zoom with the wheel. Under Linux (Wine) globe rotation and line animation are off by default (drawing is several times slower there) - turn them on in the map menu, they then run at up to 30 frames per second. Lines may look more angular.

LogBook on a map

The QSO Map window: choose the range (all, from the last LogBook date to now, today, a single day, a date range, visible or selected QSOs) and click Show on map. Each QSO is a point and a line from your station, in the band color; Band legend / filter lets you show only selected bands.

PSK Reporter - who hears you

The PSK Reporter - who hears me window shows on a map the stations that received your signal in digital modes (FT8, FT4…) during the chosen time, and the number of reports. It needs your callsign and locator to be set. PSK Reporter allows a refresh once every 5 minutes - the window shows how long you have to wait. The same window opens from the PSK Reporter item in the info panel.

Solar activity and clock

Solar activity and band conditions are shown in the info panel (Solar Activity view), UTC time in the QSO entry window. A full screen with clocks, a map and solar data is provided by SP4THK HamClock (Additional Windows). The former Propagation and clock window has been removed.

VOACAP forecast

The forecast shows on which bands and at what time a contact with the other station is possible. It is calculated by VOACAP (a standard HF propagation model) supplied with the program, on your own computer. From the internet the program only downloads, every few days, the sunspot number (SSN) forecast from NOAA.

• It is shown in the info panel (the VOACAP forecast view).
• The grid: bands from 80 m (top) to 10 m (bottom) × 24 hours UTC; the current hour is in the middle and framed, the band from the Band field is highlighted.
• Color: from dark red (no contact possible) through orange and yellow to green (a sure contact).
• The forecast uses your locator and the other station's locator (without a locator - the center of their country), the power and mode from the window (empty: 100 W, SSB). Until they are available, the panel shows dimmed sample data and a hint about what to fill in.

VOACAP forecast settings... (in the panel menu): My antenna (dipole, vertical, Yagi, magnetic loop… or a custom gain), Noise at the receive site (industrial, residential, rural, remote and quiet) and the required signal-to-noise ratio for phone, CW and digital modes. Defaults restores typical values.

Band plan

The Amateur Band Plan Table window: choose a band to see how it is divided (from - to, description, emergency frequencies, notes). Window menu: Save bands table, Load bands table, Generate default bands table, Print all bands, Save all bands as images.

Statistics

• Show country statistics - countries with the number of QSOs on bands or in modes; views All countries, Countries with QSO, Countries without QSO (what is still missing).
• Show band statistics - the number of QSOs on bands in each mode.
• Show previous QSO info in LogBook - the history of contacts with the station in the callsign field.

Each statistics window has Print and Copy all to clipboard (e.g. for a spreadsheet).