Even if you never do anything other than connect to a node and read or put out DX spots, the spotting network will probably be worthwhile to you. On the other hand, there are a lot more things that it can do to enhance your enjoyment or effectiveness in the world of DX. The purpose of this section is to explain the full range of services offered by the spotting network and how to use them.
First a word about the commands used by the PacketCluster software, because they use a consistent "syntax". If you understand the underlying principles, it becomes much easier to remember how all of the functions work, and to explore the system's capabilities.
Each major command consists of a single word, like SHOW, SET, or READ. Many of these commands have "qualifiers", like DX, WWV or MUF, which are always connected to the major command by a "/"character. For example SHOW/DX means to display data from the DX database.
The next level of qualifier is quantitative. For example, SHOW/DX/10 will display the last ten DX spots (instead of the usual or default number of five). Again, use the "/".
Finally, there is a part of the command which can be called a "specifier." This is used when you want information about a particular station, callsign or band. Specifiers are always separated from the command by a single space.
To make things easier for the experienced user, the PacketCluster software permits you to abbreviate most commands to the shortest form that is unambiguous. READ can become R, SEND becomes S, SET becomes SE, and so on. In the explanation that follows, the short forms of commands are shown in bold-face as part of the full form of the command. In these instructions, "enter" means to type the text you see in capital letters (however, you can type it in either upper or lower case), followed by a <CR>). Parts of commands shown in square brackets ([]) are variables like prefixes, and are actually entered without the brackets. For example, SHOW/DX [prefix] means to enter, in a specific case, SHOW/DX HB.
Here's an example incorporating all the elements:
Enter SHOW/DX/10 XW
The system will respond to this command by giving you the last ten spots of XW calls. Going a step further, you can even specify what band you want them on, by entering:
SHOW/DX 15 XW
This will show you the last 5 XW spots on 15 meters, for example.
You can get on-line help with PacketCluster commands. Once you are connected, enter HELP or ? for a list of HELP files. Enter ? or HELP, followed by a space and the specific command to get help on that command. Not all the commands listed in the HELP files are active on the network, and certain databases that are specific to this system do not have help files, but the on-line help will often jog your memory if this manual isn't at hand.
Standard Databases
DX
Let's first look at posting DX spots on the system, since these announcements are really the lifeblood of the spotting network.
The format for a DX spot is simple:
DX frequency call information - (DX call freq info is also an acceptable format)
For example, entering DX 14023.1 3Y5X QSX up 10 will announce to everyone currently connected to the network that 3Y5X is on that frequency. You can put anything in the information field up to 28 characters in length - if you go over, the system automatically truncates what you entered. Announced frequencies can have up to two decimal places, but must be in megahertz or kilohertz.
Reading the DX spots database offers a variety of options. You can qualify your request for DX information from the system database to give you a larger or smaller number of spots than the default (usually five, though some nodes give more). You can specify the band, the DXCC prefix, and a callsign or a fragment of one, or even a frequency range if you wish. Examples:
SHOW/DX will display the last n DX spots posted on the network, where "n" is a default number (usually 5 or 10) selected by the node sysop.
SHOW/DX/# will display the last # spots. Used when you want to see a smaller or larger number than the default for your node.
SHOW/DX b will display the last n spots on b band. You may use either the frequency or the wavelength of a band as "b" - for example 20 or 14. However, use "80" or "3", not "75," "3.5" or "3.7" for 80/75 meter spots, to avoid ambiguity.
SHOW/DX/# b will display the last # spots on b band.
SHOW/DX 15 SP will display the last n SP spots on 15 meters. Note: this will not show 3Z stations, also in Poland, because it is the prefix that is searched for, not the DXCC country.
SHOW/DX/10 ZA will display the last ten ZA spots, regardless of band.
SHOW/DX/10 20 ZA will show you the last 10 ZA spots on 20 meters. Note that the band must precede the prefix.
SHOW/DX HB* will display spots for stations whose callsigns contain the letters "HB."
SHOW/DX 14000-14075 will display all spots in that frequency range. No commas, please.
SHOW/DX/Dn searches the database for n days, including the current day. Especially useful for conserving system time when a node has retained DX spots for a relatively long period.
Finally, you can also search the information field of the DX database for a word or phrase of interest. If you want to know if a given QSL manager has been mentioned recently, enter:
SHOW/DX 'F6FNU to return the last 5 spots mentioning F6FNU as QSL manager (or in any other context). Note that only a single leading single quotation mark (apostrophe) is used to mark the variable text to be searched for.
Caution - since specific queries tie up the node while the search is being made, it is best not to do these during busy periods, such as contests. If you need to do so, however, you can minimize this "hit" on the system by adding a "/1" qualifier so the search stops as soon as one spot is found (e.g. SH/DX/1 XW).
If you want to test your DX posting capability, but don't have a real DX spot to send, you can use TEST instead of the callsign. Most nodes recognize this string of letters and will send it only back to you, instead of to every one of the 500 or so other users on the system.
WWV
In order to keep you up to date on propagation info and trends, the network displays propagation data received from WWV. This database can present a fascinating picture of the trends in solar flux, A and K indices over a period of days or weeks. Its timeliness depends, of course, on network users posting the data after it is received. The software will accept updates from WWV only every three hours, since that is the update interval in WWV's own data. The software also uses the solar flux data as the basis for calculating MUF from your QTH to various locations worldwide (see below).
To announce propagation information, follow the syntax below:
WWV SF=XXX, A=YY, K=ZZ, [forecast]
where XXX is the announced solar flux, YY the A index, and ZZ the K index. You will need to abbreviate the "forecast" data sharply, especially if there has been a flare or storm reported, because only a 37-character space is available for all the info. You can get a good idea of the standard abbreviations by looking at the WWV messages others have posted.
To review the WWV propagation database, there are only two possible commands:
SHOW/WWV displays the 5 most recent WWV reports
SHOW/WWV/n displays the n most recent WWV reports
Weather
WX text Sends a one-line free-form text weather announcement to all stations on your local node. WX/FULL text sends the same message to all nodes connected to the network.
SH/WX Lists the last 5 weather announcements. As with other SHOW commands, you can specify the number of announcements to be listed. SH/WX/1, for example, will show you only the last weather announcement.
MUF
SHOW/MUF [DXCC-prefix] displays the maximum usable frequency (MUF) and lowest usable frequency (LUF) to the specified DXCC country.
SHOW/MUF/FULL [DXCC-prefix] As above , but shows for a 24 hour period. "This is a hidden command", not published any place else.
Sun
SHOW/SUN [DXCC-prefix] displays the sunrise and sunset times for the specified DXCC country, in UTC. If the country is large, sunrise and sunset times for representative locations are displayed. If you do not specify the country, the system calculates the sunrise and sunset times for your QTH, provided that you have entered your latitude and longitude with the SET/LOCATION command.
Time
SHOW/TIME [prefix] gives the local time for the specified prefix
Heading
SHOW/HEADING [DXCC-prefix] displays the beam heading from your QTH (or that of the system node if you have not entered your latitude and longitude) to the specified DXCC country and the reciprocal heading. Thanks to spherical geometry, the "reciprocal" is not 180 degrees from the outbound heading, but rather the compass heading that the other station should set to be pointed "straight" back at you. Of course, that is not always the optimum path for your signal.
DXCC Needs
The system maintains a database of DXCC country needs, organized both by country and by user. CW, SSB and RTTY modes are covered, as are all bands from 160 through 2 meters.
To enter your country needs, use the SET/NEED command. The syntax of the command is:
SET/NEED/mode/mode/BAND=(band,band,...) prefix,prefix,...
If band is not specified, the system will assume you need that country on all bands. If mode is not specified, it will assume you need it on both CW and SSB. RTTY must be specified.
To see what the system recognizes as the prefix for a given DXCC country, use the command SHOW/PREFIX <prefix fragment>. For example, to see what it uses to distinguish S. Sandwich from S.Georgia, you would enter SHOW/PREFIX VP8, and the system will tell you that VP8/SA is S. Sandwich, while VP8/G is S. Georgia. Be sure to use these specific prefixes when doing SET/NEED in order to eliminate ambiguities.
Examples of use of the SET/NEED command:
SET/NEED YA, ZA Need YA and ZA on all bands/modes
SET/NEED/SSB 3Y Need 3Y on SSB
SET/NEED/CW/RTTY/Band=(80,20) ZA Need ZA on 80 and 20, CW and RTTY only
To delete a need, use the SET/NONEED command. Syntax is identical to that of the SHOW/NEED command.
To find out either which cluster users need a given country or which countries a given user needs, use the SHOW/NEED command with either the prefix of the DX country or the callsign of the local user. Examples:
SHOW/NEED K4CN Shows what countries W3LPL needs, by band and mode.
SHOW/NEED XW Shows which system users need XW, also by band and mode.
Custom databases
There are a variety of custom databases on the system, and the list may be changing often. In addition, not all of them may be on your local node. To list all of the custom databases available to you, enter SHOW/COMMANDS. If you enter a custom database command without any modifiers or specifiers, the system will give you an on-line explanation of that command.
Buckmaster US Station Addresses
Buckmaster Publishing provides a file of all US station addresses on CD ROM. This database is available on the system at the W1RM node, and may be accessed locally or from other nodes on the system by entering SH/BUCK [call].
QSL Manager Info
To check the database for QSL information on a particular station, the command is:
SHOW/QSL [callsign]
To update information in the database, follow the procedure below:
The data provided by this command is furnished by the GO-LIST on one of the nodes and is supported by subscriptions by PacketCluster users (use SH/QSL SUBS to see who is subscribed). QSL information you upload to the packet database may be forwarded to the GO-LIST to be added to their database.
Files
The PacketCluster software has provision for storing ASCII files. This is used on the network for things like updated K1EA country/prefix files before major contests.
Currently, there are three broad categories of files on the system, called "file areas." These are FILES, ARCHIVE and BULLETINS. To see what files are stored in the FILES area on the network, enter SHOW/FILES. Similarly, SHOW/ARCHIVE and SHOW/BULLETINS will show you the contents of those areas. You can also list these more selectively - for instance, SH/BUL ARLD* will show you only the bulletin files that begin with "ARLD."
Instead of searching all three file areas, use the FIND command to search the archive, bulletin, and file areas at one time - FIND ARLD* for example.
To display a file continuously, use TYPE [filename]. There is no error checking protocol available, and capture of the displayed file will be a function of your terminal software. To upload a file, contact your node SYSOP for instructions.
Contest Mode
During major contest weekends the SEDXA "Strongly Recommends" that the full network be placed in the "Contest mode." This means that during the weekends of CQWW DX (SSB and CW), ARRL DX (SSB and CW) and CQWW WPX (SSB and CW) you will find that mail functions are disabled. Messages can not be sent or read, and mail forwarding between nodes is turned off. In addition, help and dx filters are disabled.
System Information
SHOW/USERS will show you the callsigns of all stations currently connected to your node on the spotting network. If the callsign is surrounded by parentheses (), that means that the operator has indicated to the system that he or she is not at the terminal, even though the station remains connected. This is to prevent frustration from trying to TALK (see below) to a station when the operator is not there. To tell the cluster that you will be away from your rig for a while, enter SET/NOHERE. When you return, enter SET/HERE.
If you want to know more about who is on which node, or to see if a given node is active, enter SHOW/CONFIGURATION to see a list of users by node.
SHOW/CLUSTER will give you a quick summary of the number of nodes and the total number of users currently connected.
To get info on a given user, such as address or phone number, enter SHOW/STATION [callsign].
[ Table of Contents ] [ Back to Chapter 3 ] [ Go to Chapter 5 ]