2 # please put your help in in alphabetical order
4 # a string search is done in the command field (case is ignored)
5 # and all commands matching the asked for command are printed out
7 # the order of the fields in each header is
8 # privilege, command, Description
9 # if the command ends in a - then that line isn't printed, but any
10 # subsequent lines are
12 # Comment lines are indented before printing
14 === 0^ACCEPT/ANNOUNCE [0-9] <pattern>^Set an 'accept' filter line for announce
15 Create an 'accept this announce' line for a filter.
17 An accept filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is
18 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
19 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
21 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
23 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
24 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
26 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
33 wx 1 filter WX announces
34 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
39 acc/ann 2 by_zone 14,15,16
40 (this could be all on one line: acc/ann dest 6MUK or by_zone 14,15,16)
44 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg:
48 but this probably for advanced users...
50 === 8^ACCEPT/ANNOUNCE <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>^Announce filter sysop version
51 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
52 default for nodes and users eg:-
55 accept/ann input node_default by G,M,2
56 accept/ann user_default by G,M,2
58 === 0^ACCEPT/SPOTS [0-9] <pattern>^Set an 'accept' filter line for spots
59 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
61 An accept filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
62 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
63 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
65 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
67 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
68 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
69 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
71 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
80 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
81 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
82 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
83 this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get
84 too hung up about that)
89 acc/spot 2 freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
91 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything, eg:
95 but this probably for advanced users...
97 === 8^ACCEPT/SPOTS <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>^Spot filter sysop version
98 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
99 default for nodes and users eg:-
101 accept/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
102 accept/spot node_default all
103 set/hops node_default 10
105 accept/spot user_default by G,M,2
107 === 0^ANNOUNCE <text>^Send an announcement to LOCAL users only
108 <text> is the text of the announcement you wish to broadcast
110 === 0^ANNOUNCE FULL <text>^Send an announcement cluster wide
111 This will send your announcement cluster wide
113 === 5^ANNOUNCE SYSOP <text>^Send an announcement to Sysops only
115 === 0^APROPOS <string>^Search help database for <string>
116 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive), and print
117 the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
119 === 0^BYE^Exit from the cluster
120 This will disconnect you from the cluster
122 === 5^CATCHUP <node call> All|[<msgno> ...]^Mark a message as sent
123 === 5^UNCATCHUP <node call> All|[msgno> ...]^Unmark a message as sent
124 When you send messages the fact that you have forwarded it to another node
125 is remembered so that it isn't sent again. When you have a new partner
126 node and you add their callsign to your /spider/msg/forward.pl file, all
127 outstanding non-private messages will be forwarded to them. This may well
128 be ALL the non-private messages. You can prevent this by using these
132 catchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
134 and to undo what you have just done:-
137 uncatchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
139 which will arrange for them to be forward candidates again.
141 Order is not important.
143 === 0^CLEAR/SPOTS [1|all]^Clear a spot filter line
144 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or to
145 remove the whole filter.
147 If you have a filter:-
149 acc/spot 1 freq hf/cw
150 acc/spot 2 freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
156 you will be left with:-
158 acc/spot 2 freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
164 the filter will be completely removed.
166 === 5^CONNECT <callsign>^Start a connection to another DX Cluster
167 Start a connection process that will culminate in a new connection to the
168 DX cluster <callsign>. This process creates a new 'client' process which will
169 use the script in /spider/connect/<callsign> to effect the 'chat' exchange
170 necessary to traverse the network(s) to logon to the cluster <callsign>.
172 === 0^DBAVAIL^Show a list of all the Databases in the system
173 Title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined
174 in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
176 === 9^DBCREATE <name>^Create a database entry
177 === 9^DBCREATE <name> chain <name> [<name>..]^Create a chained database entry
178 === 9^DBCREATE <name> remote <node>^Create a remote database entry
179 DBCREATE allows you to define a database in the system. It doesn't actually
180 create anything, just defines it.
182 The databases that are created are simple DB_File hash databases, they are
183 therefore already 'indexed'.
185 You can define a local database with the first form of the command eg:
189 You can also chain databases with the addition of the 'chain' keyword.
190 This will search each database one after the other. A typical example
193 DBCREATE sdx_qsl chain sql_ad
195 No checking is done to see if the any of the chained databases exist, in
196 fact it is usually better to do the above staement first then do each of
197 the chained databases.
199 Databases can exist offsite. To define a database that lives on another
202 DBCREATE buckmaster remote gb7dxc
204 Remote databases cannot be chained; however, the last database in a
205 a chain can be a remote database eg:
207 DBCREATE qsl chain gb7dxc
209 To see what databases have been defined do:
211 DBAVAIL (or it will have been aliased to SHOW/COMMAND)
213 It would be normal for you to add an entry into your local Aliases file
214 to allow people to use the 'SHOW/<dbname>' style syntax. So you would
215 need to add a line like:-
220 '^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
229 to work as they may be used to.
231 See DBIMPORT for the importing of existing AK1A format data to databases.
232 See DBSHOW for generic database enquiry
234 === 9^DBIMPORT <dbname> <filename>^Import AK1A data into a database
235 If you want to import or update data in bulk to a database you can use
236 this command. It will either create or update entries into an existing
237 database. For example:-
239 DBIMPORT oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
241 will import the standard OBLAST database that comes with AK1A into the
242 oblast database held locally.
244 === 9^DBREMOVE <dbname>^Delete a database
245 DBREMOVE will completely remove a database entry and also delete any data
246 file that is associated with it.
248 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
254 will remove the oblast database from the system and it will also remove
255 the associated datafile.
259 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
261 You have been warned.
263 === 0^DBSHOW <dbname> <key>^Display an entry, if it exists, in a database
264 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database system.
265 It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local Aliases file
266 so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of enquiry such as:
270 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
271 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
275 === 9^DEBUG^Set the cluster program into debug mode
276 Executing this command will only have an effect if you are running the cluster
281 It will interrupt the cluster just after the debug command has finished.
282 === 0^DIRECTORY^List messages
283 === 0^DIRECTORY ALL^List all messages
284 === 0^DIRECTORY OWN^List your own messages
285 === 0^DIRECTORY NEW^List all new messages
286 === 0^DIRECTORY TO <call>^List all messages to <call>
287 === 0^DIRECTORY FROM <call>^List all messages from <call>
288 === 0^DIRECTORY SUBJECT <string>^List all messages with <string> in subject
289 === 0^DIRECTORY <nn>^List last <nn> messages
290 === 0^DIRECTORY <from>-<to>^List messages <from> message <to> message
291 List the messages in the messages directory.
293 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
294 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
295 'p' then this indicates that the message has been read.
297 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
300 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
304 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
306 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a syntax:-
312 Sysops can see all users' messages.
314 === 8^DISCONNECT <call> [<call> ...]^Disconnect a user or cluster
315 Disconnect any <call> connected locally
317 === 0^DX [BY <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks>^Send a DX spot
318 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
319 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
325 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end
326 of the command and they will be added to the spot.
328 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
330 You can credit someone else by saying:-
332 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
334 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
335 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
337 === 9^EXPORT <msgno> <filename>^Export a message to a file
338 Export a message to a file. This command can only be executed on a local
339 console with a fully privileged user. The file produced will be in a form
340 ready to be imported back into the cluster by placing it in the import
341 directory (/spider/msg/import).
343 This command cannot overwrite an existing file. This is to provide some
344 measure of security. Any files written will owned by the same user as the
345 main cluster, otherwise you can put the new files anywhere the cluster can
346 access. For example:-
350 === 9^EXPORT_USERS [<filename>]^Export the users database to ascii
351 Export the users database to a file in ascii format. If no filename
352 is given then it will export the file to /spider/data/user_asc.
354 If the file already exists it will be renamed to <filename>.o. In fact
355 up to 5 generations of the file can be kept each one with an extra 'o' on the
358 BE WARNED: this will write to any file you have write access to. No check is
359 made on the filename (if any) that you specify.
361 === 0^FILTERING...^Filtering things in DXSpider
362 There are a number of things you can filter in the DXSpider system. They
363 all use the same general mechanism.
365 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which
366 can have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example:-
371 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There
372 are filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops)
373 connects. See each different accept or reject command reference for
376 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter and
377 one to show you what you have set. They are:-
386 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
388 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply
389 the principles to all types of filter.
391 There are two main types of filter 'accept' or 'reject'; which you use
392 depends entirely on how you look at the world and what is least
393 writing to achieve what you want. Each filter has 10 lines (of any
394 length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the action
395 you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept
398 The important thing to remember is that if you specify a 'reject'
399 filter (all the lines in it say 'reject/spots' (for instance) then if
400 a spot comes in that doesn't match any of the lines then you will get
401 it BUT if you specify an 'accept' filter then any spots that don't
402 match are dumped. For example if I have a one line accept filter:-
404 accept/spots freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
406 then automatically you will ONLY get VHF spots from or to CQ zones 14
407 15 and 16. If you set a reject filter like:
409 reject/spots freq hf/cw
411 Then you will get everything EXCEPT HF CW spots, If you am interested in IOTA
412 and will work it even on CW then you could say:-
414 reject/spots freq hf/cw and not info iota
416 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
418 accept/spots not freq hf/cw or info iota
420 which is exactly the same. You should choose one or the other until
421 you are confortable with the way it works. Yes, you can mix them
422 (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but
423 don't try this at home until you can analyse the results that you get
424 without ringing up the sysop for help.
426 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your
427 own understanding or simply convenience. I have one set frequently:-
429 reject/spots 1 freq/cw
430 reject/spots 2 freq 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
432 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots (being a class B I can't
433 read any CW and couldn't possibly be interested in HF :-) and also
434 rejects any spots on VHF which don't either originate or spot someone
437 This is an exmaple where you would use the line number (1 and 2 in
438 this case), if you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits
439 '0'-'9' are available.
441 You can leave the word 'and' out if you want, it is implied. You can
442 use any number of brackets to make the 'expression' as you want
443 it. There are things called precedence rules working here which mean
444 that you will NEED brackets in a situation like line 2 because,
445 without it, will assume:-
447 (freq 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
449 annoying, but that is the way it is. If you use OR - use
450 brackets. Whilst we are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is
453 If you want to alter your filter you can just redefine one or more
454 lines of it or clear out one line. For example:-
456 reject/spots 1 freq/ssb
462 To remove the filter in its entirty:-
468 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to experiment.
470 my example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU
471 can be written with a mixed filter, eg:
474 acc/spot freq 0/30000
475 acc/spot 2 freq 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
477 each filter slot actually has a 'reject' slot and an 'accept'
478 slot. The reject slot is executed BEFORE the accept slot.
480 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match,
481 the default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for
482 'accept'. In the example what happens is that the reject is executed
483 first, any non hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets
484 thru everything else on HF.
486 The next filter line lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU.
488 === 1^FORWARD/OPERNAM <call>^Send out information on this <call> to all clusters
489 This command sends out any information held in the user file which can
490 be broadcast in PC41 protocol packets. This information is Name, QTH, Location
491 and Homenode. PC41s are only sent for the information that is available.
493 === 0^HELP^The HELP Command
494 HELP is available for a number of commands. The syntax is:-
498 Where <cmd> is the name of the command you want help on.
500 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated
501 to SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
503 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help database
504 for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely commands
505 to look at with HELP.
507 === 5^INIT <node>^Re-initialise a link to an AK1A compatible node
508 This command attempts to re-initialise a link to a (usually) AK1A node
509 that has got confused, usually by a protocol loop of some kind. It may
510 work - but you usually will be better off simply disconnecting it (or
511 better, if it is a real AK1A node, doing an RCMD <node> DISC/F <your
514 Best of luck - you will need it.
516 === 0^KILL <msgno> [<msgno..]^Delete a message from the local system
517 Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to
518 delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are
521 === 5^KILL FULL <msgno> [<msgno..]^Delete a message from the whole cluster
522 Delete a message (usually a 'bulletin') from the whole cluster system.
524 This uses the subject field, so any messages that have exactly the
525 same subject will be deleted. Beware!
527 === 0^LINKS^Show which nodes is physically connected
528 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and
529 some information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
531 === 9^LOAD/ALIASES^Reload the command alias table
532 Reload the /spider/cmd/Aliases file after you have editted it. You
533 will need to do this if you change this file whilst the cluster is
534 running in order for the changes to take effect.
536 === 9^LOAD/BANDS^Reload the band limits table
537 Reload the /spider/data/bands.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
538 the cluster is running.
540 === 9^LOAD/BADDX^Reload the bad DX table
541 Reload the /spider/data/baddx.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
542 the cluster is running. This table contains the DX Calls that, if spotted,
543 will not be passed on. FR0G and TEST are classic examples.
545 === 9^LOAD/BADMSG^Reload the bad msg table
546 Reload the /spider/msg/badmsg.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
547 the cluster is running. This table contains a number of perl regular
548 expressions which are searched for in the fields targetted of each message.
549 If any of them match then that message is immediately deleted on receipt.
551 === 9^LOAD/BADWORDS^Reload the bad words table
552 Reload the /spider/data/badwords file if you have changed it manually whilst
553 the cluster is running. This file contains a list of words which, if found
554 on certain text portions of PC protocol, will cause those protocol frames
555 to be rejected. It will all put out a message if any of these words are
556 used on the announce, dx and talk commands. The words can be one or
557 more on a line, lines starting with '#' are ignored.
559 === 9^LOAD/CMD_CACHE^Reload the automatic command cache
560 Normally, if you change a command file in the cmd or local_cmd tree it
561 will automatially be picked up by the cluster program. Sometimes it
562 can get confused if you are doing a lot of moving commands about or
563 delete a command in the local_cmd tree and want to use the normal one
564 again. Execute this command to reset everything back to the state it
565 was just after a cluster restart.
567 === 9^LOAD/FORWARD^Reload the msg forwarding routing table
568 Reload the /spider/msg/forward.pl file if you have changed it
569 manually whilst the cluster is running.
571 === 9^LOAD/MESSAGES^Reload the system messages file
572 If you change the /spider/perl/Messages file (usually whilst
573 fiddling/writing new commands) you can have them take effect during a
574 cluster session by executing this command. You need to do this if get
577 unknown message 'xxxx' in lang 'en'
579 === 9^LOAD/PREFIXES^Reload the prefix table
580 Reload the /spider/data/prefix_data.pl file if you have changed it
581 manually whilst the cluster is running.
583 === 5^MERGE <node> [<no spots>/<no wwv>]^Ask for the latest spots and WWV
584 MERGE allows you to bring your spot and wwv database up to date. By default
585 it will request the last 10 spots and 5 WWVs from the node you select. The
586 node must be connected locally.
588 You can request any number of spots or wwv and although they will be appended
589 to your databases they will not duplicate any that have recently been added
590 (the last 2 days for spots and last month for WWV data).
592 === 9^MSG <cmd> <msgno> [data ... ]^Alter various message parameters
593 Alter message parameters like To, From, Subject, whether private or bulletin
594 or return receipt (RR) is required or whether to keep this message from timing
597 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
598 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
599 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
600 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
601 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
602 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
603 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
604 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
605 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
606 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waitting time for this message
607 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
608 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
609 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
610 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
612 You can look at the status of a message by using:-
616 This will display more information on the message than DIR does.
618 === 8^PC <call> <text>^Send text (eg PC Protocol) to <call>
619 Send some arbitrary text to a locally connected callsign. No
620 processing is done on the text. This command allows you to send PC
621 Protocol to unstick things if problems arise (messages get stuck
624 pc gb7djk PC33^GB7TLH^GB7DJK^400^
626 pc G1TLH Try doing that properly!!!
628 === 1^PING <node>^Send a ping command to another cluster
629 This command is used to estimate the quality of the link to another cluster.
630 The time returned is the length of time taken for a PC51 to go to another
631 cluster and be returned.
633 === 0^KILL <msgno> [<msgno> ...]^Remove or erase a message from the system
634 You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign using
635 this command. You can remove more than one message at a time.
637 === 5^KILL <from>-<to>^Remove a range of messages from the system
638 === 5^KILL FROM <call>^Remove all messages from a callsign
639 === 5^KILL TO <call>^Remove all messages to a callsign
640 === 5^KILL FULL <msgno> [<msgno]^Remove a message from the entire cluster
641 Remove this message from the entire cluster system as well as your node.
644 As a sysop you can kill any message on the system.
646 === 8^PC <call> <text>^Send arbitrary text to a connected callsign
647 Send any text you like to the callsign requested. This is used mainly to send
648 PC protocol to connected nodes either for testing or to unstick things.
650 You can also use in the same way as a talk command to a connected user but
651 without any processing, added of "from <blah> to <blah" or whatever.
653 === 1^PING <node call>^Find out the delays an a circuit to another node
654 This command will enable sysops to determine the speed of an inter-cluster
657 Any visible cluster node can be PINGed.
659 === 1^RCMD <node call> <cmd>^Send a command to another DX Cluster
660 This command allows you to send nearly any command to another DX Cluster
661 node that is connected to the system.
663 Whether you get any output is dependant on a) whether the other system knows
664 that the node callsign of this cluster is in fact a node b) whether the
665 other system is allowing RCMDs from this node and c) whether you have
666 permission to send this command at all.
668 === 0^READ^Read the next unread personal message addressed to you
669 === 0^READ <msgno>^Read the specified message
670 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
671 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
674 As a sysop you may read any message on the system
676 === 0^REJECT/ANNOUNCE [0-9] <pattern>^Set an 'reject' filter line for announce
677 Create an 'reject this announce' line for a filter.
679 An reject filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is
680 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
681 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
683 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
685 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
686 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
688 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
690 origin_zone <numbers>
695 wx 1 filter WX announces
696 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
700 rej/ann by_zone 14,15,16 and not by G,M,2
702 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
706 but this probably for advanced users...
708 === 8^REJECT/ANNOUNCE <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>^Announce filter sysop version
709 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
710 default for nodes and users eg:-
713 reject/ann input node_default by G,M,2
714 reject/ann user_default by G,M,2
716 === 0^REJECT/SPOTS [0-9] <pattern>^Set an 'reject' filter line for spots
717 Create an 'reject this spot' line for a filter.
719 An reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
720 dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
721 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
723 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
725 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
726 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
727 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
729 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
738 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
739 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
740 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
741 this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get
742 too hung up about that)
747 rej/spot 2 freq vhf and not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
749 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
753 but this probably for advanced users...
755 === 8^REJECT/SPOTS <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>^Spot filter sysop version
756 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
757 default for nodes and users eg:-
759 reject/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
760 reject/spot node_default all
761 set/hops node_default 10
763 reject/spot user_default by G,M,2
765 === 0^REPLY^Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read
766 === 0^REPLY <msgno>^Reply (privately) to the specified message
767 === 0^REPLY B <msgno>^Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
768 === 0^REPLY NOPrivate <msgno>^Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
769 === 0^REPLY RR <msgno>^Reply to the specified message with read receipt
770 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
771 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
773 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
774 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND
777 === 0^SEND <call> [<call> ...]^Send a message to one or more callsigns
778 === 0^SEND RR <call>^Send a message and ask for a read receipt
779 === 0^SEND COPY <msgno> <call>^Send a copy of a message to someone
780 === 0^SEND PRIVATE <call>^Send a personal message
781 === 0^SEND NOPRIVATE <call>^Send a message to all stations
782 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either to
783 an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
785 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that is
786 it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster node that
787 that callsign is connected to.
789 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
791 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
793 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
795 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you will
796 receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
798 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak)
799 SP is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
801 === 0^SET/ADDRESS <your address>^Record your postal address
803 === 0^SET/ANNOUNCE^Allow announce messages to come out on your terminal
804 === 0^UNSET/ANNOUNCE^Stop announce messages coming out on your terminal
806 === 5^SET/ARCLUSTER <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an AR-Cluster node
808 === 0^SET/BEEP^Add a beep to DX and other messages on your terminal
809 === 0^UNSET/BEEP^Stop beeps for DX and other messages on your terminal
811 === 5^SET/CLX <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an CLX node
813 === 9^SET/DEBUG <name>^Add a debug level to the debug set
814 === 9^UNSET/DEBUG <name>^Remove a debug level from the debug set
816 === 0^SET/DX^Allow DX messages to come out on your terminal
817 === 0^UNSET/DX^Stop DX messages coming out on your terminal
819 === 0^SET/DXGRID^Allow Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
820 === 0^UNSET/DXGRID^Stop Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
821 A standard feature which is enabled in version 1.43 and above is
822 that if the spotter's grid square is known it is output on the end
823 of a DX announcement (there is just enough room). Some user programs
824 cannot cope with this. You can use this command to reset (or set)
827 === 5^SET/DXNET <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an DXNet node
829 === 0^SET/ECHO^Make the cluster echo your input
830 === 0^UNSET/ECHO^Stop the cluster echoing your input
831 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
832 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
833 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command
834 to change the setting appropriately.
836 The setting is stored in your user profile.
838 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
840 === 0^SET/HERE^Tell the system you are present at your terminal
841 === 0^UNSET/HERE^Tell the system you are absent from your terminal
843 === 0^SET/HOMENODE <node> ^Set your normal cluster callsign
844 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages sent
845 to you will normally find their way there should you not be connected.
849 === 8^SET/HOPS <call> ann|spots|wwv|wcy <n>^Set hop count
850 Set the hop count for a particular type of broadcast for a node.
852 This command allows you to set up special hop counts for a node
853 for currently: announce, spots, wwv and wcy broadcasts.
856 set/hops gb7djk ann 10
857 set/hops gb7mbc spots 20
859 Set SHOW/HOPS for information on what is already set. This command
860 creates a filter and works in conjunction with the filter system.
862 === 9^SET/ISOLATE^Isolate a node from the rest of the network
863 Connect a node to your system in such a way that you are a full protocol
864 member of its network and can see all spots on it, but nothing either leaks
865 out from it nor goes back into from the rest of the nodes connected to you.
867 You can potentially connect several nodes in this way.
869 === 9^UNSET/ISOLATE^Stop Isolation of a node from the rest of the network
870 Remove isolation from a node - SET/ISOLATE
872 === 0^SET/LANGUAGE <lang>^Set the language you want to use
873 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use. Currently
874 the languages available are en (english) and nl (dutch).
876 === 0^SET/LOCATION <lat & long>^Set your latitude and longitude
877 === 9^SET/SYS_LOCATION <lat & long>^Set your cluster latitude and longitude
878 In order to get accurate headings and such like you must tell the system
879 what your latitude and longitude is. If you have not yet done a SET/QRA
880 then this command will set your QRA locator for you. For example:-
881 SET/LOCATION 52 22 N 0 57 E
883 === 0^SET/LOGININFO^Inform when a station logs in locally
884 === 0^UNSET/LOGININFO^Inform when a station logs out locally
886 === 9^SET/LOCKOUT <call>^Stop a callsign connecting to the cluster
887 === 9^UNSET/LOCKOUT <call>^Allow a callsign to connect to the cluster
889 === 0^SET/NAME <your name>^Set your name
890 Tell the system what your name is eg:-
893 === 5^SET/NODE <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an AK1A cluster
894 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as AK1A cluster and
895 fed PC Protocol rather normal user commands.
897 === 8^SET/OBSCOUNT <count> <nodecall>^Set the 'pump-up' obscelence counter
898 From 1.35 onwards neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals (see
899 SET/PINGINTERVAL), usually 300 seconds or 5 minutes. There is a 'pump-up'
900 counter which is decremented on every outgoing ping and then reset to
901 the 'obscount' value on every incoming ping. The default value of this
904 What this means is that a neighbouring node will be pinged twice at
905 (default) 300 second intervals and if no reply has been heard just before
906 what would be the third attempt, that node is disconnected.
908 If a ping is heard then the obscount is reset to the full value. Using
909 default values, if a node has not responded to a ping within 15 minutes,
912 === 0^SET/PAGE <lines per page>^Set the lines per page
913 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of line
914 of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20. Setting it
915 explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
919 The setting is stored in your user profile.
921 === 9^SET/PINGINTERVAL <time> <nodecall>^Set ping time to neighbouring nodes
922 As from release 1.35 all neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals
923 in order to determine the rolling quality of the link and, in future, to
924 affect routing decisions. The default interval is 300 secs or 5 minutes.
926 You can use this command to set a different interval. Please don't.
928 But if you do the value you enter is treated as minutes up 60 and seconds
929 for numbers greater than that.
931 This is used also to help determine when a link is down at the far end
932 (as certain cluster software doesn't always notice), see SET/OBSCOUNT
933 for more information.
935 === 9^SET/PRIVILEGE <n> <call> [<call..]^Set privilege level on a call
936 Set the privilege level on a callsign. The privilege levels that pertain
937 to commands are as default:-
939 1 - allow remote nodes normal user RCMDs
940 5 - various privileged commands (including shutdown, but not disc-
941 connect), the normal level for another node.
942 8 - more privileged commands (including disconnect)
943 9 - local sysop privilege. DO NOT SET ANY REMOTE USER OR NODE TO THIS
945 If you are a sysop and you come in as a normal user on a remote connection
946 your privilege will automatically be set to 0.
948 === 9^SET/PASSWORD <callsign> <string>^Set a users password
949 The password for a user can only be set by a full sysop. The string
950 can contain any characters but any spaces are removed (you can type in
951 spaces - but they won't appear in the password). You can see the
952 result with STAT/USER.
954 === 5^SET/SPIDER <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an DXSpider node
955 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as DXSpider node and
956 fed new style DX Protocol rather normal user commands.
958 === 9^SET/SYS_QRA <locator>^Set your cluster QRA locator
959 === 0^SET/QRA <locator>^Set your QRA locator
960 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have not
961 done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set roughly
962 correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
965 === 0^SET/QTH <your qth>^Set your QTH
966 Tell the system where you are. For example:-
967 SET/QTH East Dereham, Norfolk
969 === 0^SET/TALK^Allow TALK messages to come out on your terminal
970 === 0^UNSET/TALK^Stop TALK messages coming out on your terminal
972 === 0^SET/WCY^Allow WCY messages to come out on your terminal
973 === 0^UNSET/WCY^Stop WCY messages coming out on your terminal
975 === 0^SET/WWV^Allow WWV messages to come out on your terminal
976 === 0^UNSET/WWV^Stop WWV messages coming out on your terminal
978 === 0^SET/WX^Allow WX messages to come out on your terminal
979 === 0^UNSET/WX^Stop WX messages coming out on your terminal
981 === 0^SHOW/CALL <callsign>^Show any callbook details on a callsign
982 This command queries an international callbook server on the internet
983 and returns any information available for that callsign.
985 === 0^SHOW/DATE [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show the local time
986 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the format
987 of the date string if no arguments are given.
989 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
990 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
991 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
992 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
994 === 0^SHOW/DX^Interrogate the spot database
995 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots
996 (sysop configurable, but usually 10).
998 In addition you can add any number of these commands in very nearly
999 any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
1001 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
1002 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
1004 <number> - the number of spots you want
1005 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in the selected list
1007 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
1008 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
1009 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
1011 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
1012 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
1014 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
1016 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call> is the
1019 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
1020 held in the spot database.
1022 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will look for
1023 the string iota and anything which looks like an iota
1024 island number. If you specify then it will look for
1027 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if you specify
1028 one or else anything that looks like a locator.
1033 SH/DX on 20m info iota
1034 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
1040 === 0^SHOW/DXCC <prefix>^Interrogate the spot database by country
1041 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
1042 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is
1043 and then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
1045 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command.
1049 SH/DXCC W on 20m info iota
1051 === 0^SHOW/FILES [<filearea> [<string>]]^List the contents of a filearea
1052 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
1053 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file
1056 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the
1059 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
1060 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
1061 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
1063 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
1065 === 0^SHOW/FILTER^Show the contents of all the filters you have set
1066 Show the contents of all the filters that are set. This command displays
1067 all the filters set - for all the various categories.
1069 === 8^SHOW/HOPS <call> [ann|spots|wcy|wwv]^Show the hop counts for a node
1070 This command shows the hop counts set up for a node. You can specify
1071 which category you want to see. If you leave the category out then
1072 all the categories will be listed.
1074 === 1^SHOW/ISOLATE^Show list of ISOLATED nodes
1076 === 9^SHOW/LOCKOUT^Show the list of locked out or excluded callsigns
1078 === 0^SHOW/MOON [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show Moon rise and set times
1079 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
1080 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
1083 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
1084 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
1085 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
1087 In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal
1088 distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit.
1090 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
1091 that you are connected to.
1098 === 0^SHOW/MUF <prefix> [<hours>][long]^Show the likely propagation to a prefix
1099 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting
1100 a station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a modest
1101 power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about 0.15muV/10dB SINAD)
1103 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
1104 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
1105 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
1106 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced accuracy
1107 for paths shorter or longer than this.
1109 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
1110 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
1111 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
1112 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
1113 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
1114 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
1115 such as the Voice of America.
1117 The command will display some header information detailing its
1118 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
1119 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
1120 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
1121 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for which
1122 the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a value.
1124 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the conventional
1125 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it means that it is
1126 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by an 'm' it means that
1127 there is likely to be much fading and by an 's' that the signal is likely
1130 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
1131 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no of
1132 hours required after the prefix. For example:-
1138 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
1139 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
1140 Location Lat / Long Azim
1141 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
1142 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
1143 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
1144 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
1145 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
1147 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
1148 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
1154 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
1160 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
1161 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
1162 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
1164 === 1^SHOW/NODE [<callsign> ...]^Show the type and version number of nodes
1165 Show the type and version (if connected) of the nodes specified on the
1166 command line. If no callsigns are specified then a sorted list of all
1167 the non-user callsigns known to the system will be displayed.
1169 === 0^SHOW/PREFIX <callsign>^Interrogate the prefix database
1170 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
1171 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number
1172 it is and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country
1173 together with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
1177 === 5^SHOW/PROGRAM^Show the locations of all the included program modules
1178 Show the name and location where every program module was load from. This
1179 is useful for checking where you think you have loaded a .pm file from.
1181 === 0^SHOW/QRA <locator> [<locator>]^Show distance between locators
1182 === 0^SHOW/QRA <lat> <long>^Convert latitude and longitude to a locator
1183 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
1184 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
1185 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
1186 to the locator. For example:-
1191 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator from
1192 yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and bearing from
1193 the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6 character locators.
1195 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator by
1196 using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument, for
1199 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
1201 === 0^SHOW/SATELLITE <name> [<hours> <interval>]^Show tracking data
1202 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your choice
1203 from now on for the next few hours.
1205 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a list
1206 of all the satellites known currently to the system.
1208 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
1209 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
1210 give information for the next three hours for every five minute period.
1212 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
1215 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
1220 SH/SAT FENGYUN1 12 2
1222 === 0^SHOW/SUN [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show sun rise and set times
1223 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
1224 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
1227 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
1228 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
1229 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
1231 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
1232 that you are connected to.
1237 SH/SUN G1TLH K9CW ZS
1239 === 0^SHOW/TIME [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show the local time
1240 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
1241 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
1242 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
1243 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
1245 === 0^SHOW/WCY^Show last 10 WCY broadcasts
1246 === 0^SHOW/WCY <n>^Show last <n> WCY broadcasts
1247 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the system
1249 === 0^SHOW/WWV^Show last 10 WWV broadcasts
1250 === 0^SHOW/WWV <n>^Show last <n> WWV broadcasts
1251 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the system
1253 === 5^SHUTDOWN^Shutdown the cluster
1254 Shutdown the cluster and disconnect all the users
1256 === 9^SPOOF <call> <command>^Do a command as though you are another user
1257 This command is provided so that sysops can set a user's parameters without
1258 me having to write a special 'sysop' version for every user command. It
1259 allows you to pretend that you are doing the command as the user you specify.
1263 SPOOF G1TLH set/name Dirk
1264 SPOOF G1TLH set/qra JO02LQ
1266 === 5^STAT/DB <dbname>^Show the status of a database
1267 Show the internal status of a database descriptor.
1269 Depending on your privilege level you will see more or less information.
1270 This command is unlikely to be of much use to anyone other than a sysop.
1272 === 5^STAT/CHANNEL [<callsign>]^Show the status of a channel on the cluster
1273 Show the internal status of the channel object either for the channel that
1274 you are on or else for the callsign that you asked for.
1276 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
1278 === 5^STAT/MSG <msgno>^Show the status of a message
1279 This command shows the internal status of a message and includes information
1280 such as to whom it has been forwarded, its size, origin etc etc.
1282 === 5^STAT/USER [<callsign>]^Show the full status of a user
1283 Shows the full contents of a user record including all the secret flags
1286 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
1288 === 0^SYSOP^Regain your privileges if you login remotely
1289 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
1290 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
1291 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
1292 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
1293 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
1296 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
1297 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
1298 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
1299 these values are for explanation :-):
1301 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
1305 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
1309 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
1310 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
1313 === 0^TALK <call> [<text>]^Send a text message to another station
1314 === 0^TALK <call> > <node> [<text>]^Send a text message to another station via a node
1315 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the cluster
1316 system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a SHOW/CONFIGURATION
1317 command, they don't have to be connected locally.
1319 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
1320 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
1321 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the cluster.
1323 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can only
1324 see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use the
1325 second form of the talk message.
1327 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text message
1328 out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means is that a
1329 short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you are in a
1330 'Talking' frame of mind and then you just type - everything you send will
1331 go to the station that you asked for.
1333 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on your
1336 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you preceed the normal
1337 command with a '/' character, eg:-
1339 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
1342 To leave talk mode type:
1346 === 0^TYPE <filearea>/<name>^Look at the contents of a file in one of the fileareas
1347 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
1348 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
1350 TYPE bulletins/arld051
1352 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a
1355 === 0^WHO^Show who is physically connected
1356 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
1357 what sort of connection they have
1359 === 0^WX <text>^Send a weather message to local users
1360 === 0^WX FULL <text>^Send a weather message to all cluster users
1361 === 5^WX SYSOP <text>^Send a weather message to other clusters only
1362 Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an extreme
1363 that may indicate enhanced conditions