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/SPOTS [0-9] <pattern>^Set an 'accept' filter line for spots
15 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
17 An accept filter line means that if the spot 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 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
24 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
25 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
27 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
39 acc/spot 2 freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
41 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything that is left, eg:
45 === 8^ACCEPT/SPOTS <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>^Spot filter sysop version
46 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
47 default for nodes and users eg:-
49 accept/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
50 accept/spot node_default all
51 set/hops node_default 10
53 accept/spot user_default by G,M,2
55 === 0^ANNOUNCE <text>^Send an announcement to LOCAL users only
56 <text> is the text of the announcement you wish to broadcast
58 === 0^ANNOUNCE FULL <text>^Send an announcement cluster wide
59 This will send your announcement cluster wide
61 === 5^ANNOUNCE SYSOP <text>^Send an announcement to Sysops only
63 === 0^APROPOS <string>^Search help database for <string>
64 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive), and print
65 the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
67 === 0^BYE^Exit from the cluster
68 This will disconnect you from the cluster
70 === 5^CATCHUP <node call> All|[<msgno> ...]^Mark a message as sent
71 === 5^UNCATCHUP <node call> All|[msgno> ...]^Unmark a message as sent
72 When you send messages the fact that you have forwarded it to another node
73 is remembered so that it isn't sent again. When you have a new partner
74 node and you add their callsign to your /spider/msg/forward.pl file, all
75 outstanding non-private messages will be forwarded to them. This may well
76 be ALL the non-private messages. You can prevent this by using these
80 catchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
82 and to undo what you have just done:-
85 uncatchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
87 which will arrange for them to be forward candidates again.
89 Order is not important.
91 === 0^CLEAR/SPOTS [1|all]^Clear a spot filter line
92 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or to
93 remove the whole filter.
95 If you have a filter:-
98 acc/spot 2 freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
104 you will be left with:-
106 acc/spot 2 freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
112 the filter will be completely removed.
114 === 5^CONNECT <callsign>^Start a connection to another DX Cluster
115 Start a connection process that will culminate in a new connection to the
116 DX cluster <callsign>. This process creates a new 'client' process which will
117 use the script in /spider/connect/<callsign> to effect the 'chat' exchange
118 necessary to traverse the network(s) to logon to the cluster <callsign>.
120 === 0^DBAVAIL^Show a list of all the Databases in the system
121 Title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined
122 in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
124 === 9^DBCREATE <name>^Create a database entry
125 === 9^DBCREATE <name> chain <name> [<name>..]^Create a chained database entry
126 === 9^DBCREATE <name> remote <node>^Create a remote database entry
127 DBCREATE allows you to define a database in the system. It doesn't actually
128 create anything, just defines it.
130 The databases that are created are simple DB_File hash databases, they are
131 therefore already 'indexed'.
133 You can define a local database with the first form of the command eg:
137 You can also chain databases with the addition of the 'chain' keyword.
138 This will search each database one after the other. A typical example
141 DBCREATE sdx_qsl chain sql_ad
143 No checking is done to see if the any of the chained databases exist, in
144 fact it is usually better to do the above staement first then do each of
145 the chained databases.
147 Databases can exist offsite. To define a database that lives on another
150 DBCREATE buckmaster remote gb7dxc
152 Remote databases cannot be chained; however, the last database in a
153 a chain can be a remote database eg:
155 DBCREATE qsl chain gb7dxc
157 To see what databases have been defined do:
159 DBAVAIL (or it will have been aliased to SHOW/COMMAND)
161 It would be normal for you to add an entry into your local Aliases file
162 to allow people to use the 'SHOW/<dbname>' style syntax. So you would
163 need to add a line like:-
168 '^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
177 to work as they may be used to.
179 See DBIMPORT for the importing of existing AK1A format data to databases.
180 See DBSHOW for generic database enquiry
182 === 9^DBIMPORT <dbname> <filename>^Import AK1A data into a database
183 If you want to import or update data in bulk to a database you can use
184 this command. It will either create or update entries into an existing
185 database. For example:-
187 DBIMPORT oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
189 will import the standard OBLAST database that comes with AK1A into the
190 oblast database held locally.
192 === 9^DBREMOVE <dbname>^Delete a database
193 DBREMOVE will completely remove a database entry and also delete any data
194 file that is associated with it.
196 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
202 will remove the oblast database from the system and it will also remove
203 the associated datafile.
207 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
209 You have been warned.
211 === 0^DBSHOW <dbname> <key>^Display an entry, if it exists, in a database
212 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database system.
213 It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local Aliases file
214 so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of enquiry such as:
218 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
219 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
223 === 9^DEBUG^Set the cluster program into debug mode
224 Executing this command will only have an effect if you are running the cluster
229 It will interrupt the cluster just after the debug command has finished.
230 === 0^DIRECTORY^List messages
231 === 0^DIRECTORY ALL^List all messages
232 === 0^DIRECTORY OWN^List your own messages
233 === 0^DIRECTORY NEW^List all new messages
234 === 0^DIRECTORY TO <call>^List all messages to <call>
235 === 0^DIRECTORY FROM <call>^List all messages from <call>
236 === 0^DIRECTORY SUBJECT <string>^List all messages with <string> in subject
237 === 0^DIRECTORY <nn>^List last <nn> messages
238 === 0^DIRECTORY <from>-<to>^List messages <from> message <to> message
239 List the messages in the messages directory.
241 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
242 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
243 'p' then this indicates that the message has been read.
245 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
248 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
252 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
254 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a syntax:-
260 Sysops can see all users' messages.
262 === 8^DISCONNECT <call> [<call> ...]^Disconnect a user or cluster
263 Disconnect any <call> connected locally
265 === 0^DX [BY <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks>^Send a DX spot
266 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
267 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
273 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end
274 of the command and they will be added to the spot.
276 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
278 You can credit someone else by saying:-
280 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
282 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
283 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
285 === 9^EXPORT <msgno> <filename>^Export a message to a file
286 Export a message to a file. This command can only be executed on a local
287 console with a fully privileged user. The file produced will be in a form
288 ready to be imported back into the cluster by placing it in the import
289 directory (/spider/msg/import).
291 This command cannot overwrite an existing file. This is to provide some
292 measure of security. Any files written will owned by the same user as the
293 main cluster, otherwise you can put the new files anywhere the cluster can
294 access. For example:-
298 === 9^EXPORT_USERS [<filename>]^Export the users database to ascii
299 Export the users database to a file in ascii format. If no filename
300 is given then it will export the file to /spider/data/user_asc.
302 If the file already exists it will be renamed to <filename>.o. In fact
303 up to 5 generations of the file can be kept each one with an extra 'o' on the
306 BE WARNED: this will write to any file you have write access to. No check is
307 made on the filename (if any) that you specify.
309 === 0^FILTERING...^Filtering things in DXSpider
310 There are a number of things you can filter in the DXSpider system. They
311 all use the same general mechanism.
313 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which can
314 have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example:-
319 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There are
320 filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects. See each
321 different accept or reject command reference for more details.
323 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter and one
324 to show you what you have set. They are:-
333 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
335 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply the
336 principles to all types of filter.
338 There are two main types of filter 'accept' or 'reject'; which you use depends
339 entirely on how you look at the world and what is least writing to achieve
340 what you want. Each filter has 10 lines (of any length) which are tried in
341 order. If a line matches then the action you have specified is taken (ie reject
342 means ignore it and accept means gimme it).
344 The important thing to remember is that if you specify a 'reject' filter (all
345 the lines in it say 'reject/spots' (for instance) then if a spot comes in that
346 doesn't match any of the lines then you will get it BUT if you specify an
347 'accept' filter then any spots that don't match are dumped. For example if I
348 have a one line accept filter:-
350 accept/spots freq vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
352 then automatically you will ONLY get VHF spots from or to CQ zones 14 15 and 16.
353 If you set a reject filter like:
355 reject/spots freq hf/cw
357 Then you will get everything EXCEPT HF CW spots, If you am interested in IOTA
358 and will work it even on CW then you could say:-
360 reject/spots freq hf/cw and not info iota
362 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
364 accept/spots not freq hf/cw or info iota
366 which is exactly the same. You should choose one or the other until you are
367 confortable with the way it works. Yes, you can mix them (actually you can
368 have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but don't try this at home
369 until you can analyse the results that you get without ringing up the sysop
372 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your own
373 understanding or simply convenience. I have one set frequently:-
375 reject/spots 1 freq/cw
376 reject/spots 2 freq 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
378 This is an exmaple where you would use the line number (1 and 2 in this case).
380 You can leave the word 'and' out if you want, it is implied. You can use any
381 number of brackets to make the 'expression' as you want it. There are things
382 called precedence rules working here which mean that you will NEED brackets
383 in a situation like line 2 because, without it, will assume:-
385 (freq 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
387 annoying, but that is the way it is. If you use OR - use brackets. Whilst we
388 are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just 'and by_zone'.
390 If you want to alter your filter you can just redefine one or more
391 lines of it or clear out one line. For example:-
393 reject/spots 1 freq/ssb
399 To remove the filter in its entirty:-
403 === 1^FORWARD/OPERNAM <call>^Send out information on this <call> to all clusters
404 This command sends out any information held in the user file which can
405 be broadcast in PC41 protocol packets. This information is Name, QTH, Location
406 and Homenode. PC41s are only sent for the information that is available.
408 === 0^HELP^The HELP Command
409 HELP is available for a number of commands. The syntax is:-
413 Where <cmd> is the name of the command you want help on.
415 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated
416 to SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
418 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help database
419 for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely commands
420 to look at with HELP.
422 === 5^INIT <node>^Re-initialise a link to an AK1A compatible node
423 This command attempts to re-initialise a link to a (usually) AK1A node
424 that has got confused, usually by a protocol loop of some kind. It may
425 work - but you usually will be better off simply disconnecting it (or
426 better, if it is a real AK1A node, doing an RCMD <node> DISC/F <your
429 Best of luck - you will need it.
431 === 0^KILL <msgno> [<msgno..]^Delete a message from the local system
432 Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to
433 delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are
436 === 5^KILL FULL <msgno> [<msgno..]^Delete a message from the whole cluster
437 Delete a message (usually a 'bulletin') from the whole cluster system.
439 This uses the subject field, so any messages that have exactly the
440 same subject will be deleted. Beware!
442 === 0^LINKS^Show which nodes is physically connected
443 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and
444 some information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
446 === 9^LOAD/ALIASES^Reload the command alias table
447 Reload the /spider/cmd/Aliases file after you have editted it. You
448 will need to do this if you change this file whilst the cluster is
449 running in order for the changes to take effect.
451 === 9^LOAD/BANDS^Reload the band limits table
452 Reload the /spider/data/bands.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
453 the cluster is running.
455 === 9^LOAD/BADDX^Reload the bad DX table
456 Reload the /spider/data/baddx.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
457 the cluster is running. This table contains the DX Calls that, if spotted,
458 will not be passed on. FR0G and TEST are classic examples.
460 === 9^LOAD/BADMSG^Reload the bad msg table
461 Reload the /spider/msg/badmsg.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
462 the cluster is running. This table contains a number of perl regular
463 expressions which are searched for in the fields targetted of each message.
464 If any of them match then that message is immediately deleted on receipt.
466 === 9^LOAD/BADWORDS^Reload the bad words table
467 Reload the /spider/data/badwords file if you have changed it manually whilst
468 the cluster is running. This file contains a list of words which, if found
469 on certain text portions of PC protocol, will cause those protocol frames
470 to be rejected. It will all put out a message if any of these words are
471 used on the announce, dx and talk commands. The words can be one or
472 more on a line, lines starting with '#' are ignored.
474 === 9^LOAD/CMD_CACHE^Reload the automatic command cache
475 Normally, if you change a command file in the cmd or local_cmd tree it
476 will automatially be picked up by the cluster program. Sometimes it
477 can get confused if you are doing a lot of moving commands about or
478 delete a command in the local_cmd tree and want to use the normal one
479 again. Execute this command to reset everything back to the state it
480 was just after a cluster restart.
482 === 9^LOAD/FORWARD^Reload the msg forwarding routing table
483 Reload the /spider/msg/forward.pl file if you have changed it
484 manually whilst the cluster is running.
486 === 9^LOAD/MESSAGES^Reload the system messages file
487 If you change the /spider/perl/Messages file (usually whilst
488 fiddling/writing new commands) you can have them take effect during a
489 cluster session by executing this command. You need to do this if get
492 unknown message 'xxxx' in lang 'en'
494 === 9^LOAD/PREFIXES^Reload the prefix table
495 Reload the /spider/data/prefix_data.pl file if you have changed it
496 manually whilst the cluster is running.
498 === 5^MERGE <node> [<no spots>/<no wwv>]^Ask for the latest spots and WWV
499 MERGE allows you to bring your spot and wwv database up to date. By default
500 it will request the last 10 spots and 5 WWVs from the node you select. The
501 node must be connected locally.
503 You can request any number of spots or wwv and although they will be appended
504 to your databases they will not duplicate any that have recently been added
505 (the last 2 days for spots and last month for WWV data).
507 === 9^MSG <cmd> <msgno> [data ... ]^Alter various message parameters
508 Alter message parameters like To, From, Subject, whether private or bulletin
509 or return receipt (RR) is required or whether to keep this message from timing
512 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
513 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
514 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
515 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
516 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
517 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
518 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
519 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
520 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
521 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waitting time for this message
522 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
523 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
524 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
525 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
527 You can look at the status of a message by using:-
531 This will display more information on the message than DIR does.
533 === 8^PC <call> <text>^Send text (eg PC Protocol) to <call>
534 Send some arbitrary text to a locally connected callsign. No
535 processing is done on the text. This command allows you to send PC
536 Protocol to unstick things if problems arise (messages get stuck
539 pc gb7djk PC33^GB7TLH^GB7DJK^400^
541 pc G1TLH Try doing that properly!!!
543 === 1^PING <node>^Send a ping command to another cluster
544 This command is used to estimate the quality of the link to another cluster.
545 The time returned is the length of time taken for a PC51 to go to another
546 cluster and be returned.
548 === 0^KILL <msgno> [<msgno> ...]^Remove or erase a message from the system
549 You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign using
550 this command. You can remove more than one message at a time.
552 === 5^KILL <from>-<to>^Remove a range of messages from the system
553 === 5^KILL FROM <call>^Remove all messages from a callsign
554 === 5^KILL TO <call>^Remove all messages to a callsign
555 === 5^KILL FULL <msgno> [<msgno]^Remove a message from the entire cluster
556 Remove this message from the entire cluster system as well as your node.
559 As a sysop you can kill any message on the system.
561 === 8^PC <call> <text>^Send arbitrary text to a connected callsign
562 Send any text you like to the callsign requested. This is used mainly to send
563 PC protocol to connected nodes either for testing or to unstick things.
565 You can also use in the same way as a talk command to a connected user but
566 without any processing, added of "from <blah> to <blah" or whatever.
568 === 1^PING <node call>^Find out the delays an a circuit to another node
569 This command will enable sysops to determine the speed of an inter-cluster
572 Any visible cluster node can be PINGed.
574 === 1^RCMD <node call> <cmd>^Send a command to another DX Cluster
575 This command allows you to send nearly any command to another DX Cluster
576 node that is connected to the system.
578 Whether you get any output is dependant on a) whether the other system knows
579 that the node callsign of this cluster is in fact a node b) whether the
580 other system is allowing RCMDs from this node and c) whether you have
581 permission to send this command at all.
583 === 0^READ^Read the next unread personal message addressed to you
584 === 0^READ <msgno>^Read the specified message
585 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
586 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
589 As a sysop you may read any message on the system
591 === 0^REJECT/SPOTS [0-9] <pattern>^Set an 'reject' filter line for spots
592 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
594 An reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
595 dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
596 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
598 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
600 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
601 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
602 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
604 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
616 rej/spot 2 freq vhf and not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
618 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything that is left, eg:
622 === 8^REJECT/SPOTS <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>^Spot filter sysop version
623 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
624 default for nodes and users eg:-
626 reject/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
627 reject/spot node_default all
628 set/hops node_default 10
630 reject/spot user_default by G,M,2
632 === 0^REPLY^Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read
633 === 0^REPLY <msgno>^Reply (privately) to the specified message
634 === 0^REPLY B <msgno>^Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
635 === 0^REPLY NOPrivate <msgno>^Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
636 === 0^REPLY RR <msgno>^Reply to the specified message with read receipt
637 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
638 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
640 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
641 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND
644 === 0^SEND <call> [<call> ...]^Send a message to one or more callsigns
645 === 0^SEND RR <call>^Send a message and ask for a read receipt
646 === 0^SEND COPY <msgno> <call>^Send a copy of a message to someone
647 === 0^SEND PRIVATE <call>^Send a personal message
648 === 0^SEND NOPRIVATE <call>^Send a message to all stations
649 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either to
650 an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
652 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that is
653 it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster node that
654 that callsign is connected to.
656 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
658 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
660 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
662 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you will
663 receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
665 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak)
666 SP is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
668 === 0^SET/ADDRESS <your address>^Record your postal address
670 === 0^SET/ANNOUNCE^Allow announce messages to come out on your terminal
671 === 0^UNSET/ANNOUNCE^Stop announce messages coming out on your terminal
673 === 5^SET/ARCLUSTER <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an AR-Cluster node
675 === 0^SET/BEEP^Add a beep to DX and other messages on your terminal
676 === 0^UNSET/BEEP^Stop beeps for DX and other messages on your terminal
678 === 5^SET/CLX <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an CLX node
680 === 9^SET/DEBUG <name>^Add a debug level to the debug set
681 === 9^UNSET/DEBUG <name>^Remove a debug level from the debug set
683 === 0^SET/DX^Allow DX messages to come out on your terminal
684 === 0^UNSET/DX^Stop DX messages coming out on your terminal
686 === 0^SET/DXGRID^Allow Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
687 === 0^UNSET/DXGRID^Stop Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
688 A standard feature which is enabled in version 1.43 and above is
689 that if the spotter's grid square is known it is output on the end
690 of a DX announcement (there is just enough room). Some user programs
691 cannot cope with this. You can use this command to reset (or set)
694 === 5^SET/DXNET <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an DXNet node
696 === 0^SET/ECHO^Make the cluster echo your input
697 === 0^UNSET/ECHO^Stop the cluster echoing your input
698 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
699 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
700 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command
701 to change the setting appropriately.
703 The setting is stored in your user profile.
705 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
707 === 0^SET/HERE^Tell the system you are present at your terminal
708 === 0^UNSET/HERE^Tell the system you are absent from your terminal
710 === 0^SET/HOMENODE <node> ^Set your normal cluster callsign
711 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages sent
712 to you will normally find their way there should you not be connected.
716 === 9^SET/ISOLATE^Isolate a node from the rest of the network
717 Connect a node to your system in such a way that you are a full protocol
718 member of its network and can see all spots on it, but nothing either leaks
719 out from it nor goes back into from the rest of the nodes connected to you.
721 You can potentially connect several nodes in this way.
723 === 9^UNSET/ISOLATE^Stop Isolation of a node from the rest of the network
724 Remove isolation from a node - SET/ISOLATE
726 === 0^SET/LANGUAGE <lang>^Set the language you want to use
727 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use. Currently
728 the languages available are en (english) and nl (dutch).
730 === 0^SET/LOCATION <lat & long>^Set your latitude and longitude
731 === 9^SET/SYS_LOCATION <lat & long>^Set your cluster latitude and longitude
732 In order to get accurate headings and such like you must tell the system
733 what your latitude and longitude is. If you have not yet done a SET/QRA
734 then this command will set your QRA locator for you. For example:-
735 SET/LOCATION 52 22 N 0 57 E
737 === 0^SET/LOGININFO^Inform when a station logs in locally
738 === 0^UNSET/LOGININFO^Inform when a station logs out locally
740 === 9^SET/LOCKOUT <call>^Stop a callsign connecting to the cluster
741 === 9^UNSET/LOCKOUT <call>^Allow a callsign to connect to the cluster
743 === 0^SET/NAME <your name>^Set your name
744 Tell the system what your name is eg:-
747 === 5^SET/NODE <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an AK1A cluster
748 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as AK1A cluster and
749 fed PC Protocol rather normal user commands.
751 === 8^SET/OBSCOUNT <count> <nodecall>^Set the 'pump-up' obscelence counter
752 From 1.35 onwards neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals (see
753 SET/PINGINTERVAL), usually 300 seconds or 5 minutes. There is a 'pump-up'
754 counter which is decremented on every outgoing ping and then reset to
755 the 'obscount' value on every incoming ping. The default value of this
758 What this means is that a neighbouring node will be pinged twice at
759 (default) 300 second intervals and if no reply has been heard just before
760 what would be the third attempt, that node is disconnected.
762 If a ping is heard then the obscount is reset to the full value. Using
763 default values, if a node has not responded to a ping within 15 minutes,
766 === 0^SET/PAGE <lines per page>^Set the lines per page
767 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of line
768 of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20. Setting it
769 explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
773 The setting is stored in your user profile.
775 === 9^SET/PINGINTERVAL <time> <nodecall>^Set ping time to neighbouring nodes
776 As from release 1.35 all neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals
777 in order to determine the rolling quality of the link and, in future, to
778 affect routing decisions. The default interval is 300 secs or 5 minutes.
780 You can use this command to set a different interval. Please don't.
782 But if you do the value you enter is treated as minutes up 60 and seconds
783 for numbers greater than that.
785 This is used also to help determine when a link is down at the far end
786 (as certain cluster software doesn't always notice), see SET/OBSCOUNT
787 for more information.
789 === 9^SET/PRIVILEGE <n> <call> [<call..]^Set privilege level on a call
790 Set the privilege level on a callsign. The privilege levels that pertain
791 to commands are as default:-
793 1 - allow remote nodes normal user RCMDs
794 5 - various privileged commands (including shutdown, but not disc-
795 connect), the normal level for another node.
796 8 - more privileged commands (including disconnect)
797 9 - local sysop privilege. DO NOT SET ANY REMOTE USER OR NODE TO THIS
799 If you are a sysop and you come in as a normal user on a remote connection
800 your privilege will automatically be set to 0.
802 === 9^SET/PASSWORD <callsign> <string>^Set a users password
803 The password for a user can only be set by a full sysop. The string
804 can contain any characters but any spaces are removed (you can type in
805 spaces - but they won't appear in the password). You can see the
806 result with STAT/USER.
808 === 5^SET/SPIDER <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an DXSpider node
809 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as DXSpider node and
810 fed new style DX Protocol rather normal user commands.
812 === 9^SET/SYS_QRA <locator>^Set your cluster QRA locator
813 === 0^SET/QRA <locator>^Set your QRA locator
814 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have not
815 done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set roughly
816 correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
819 === 0^SET/QTH <your qth>^Set your QTH
820 Tell the system where you are. For example:-
821 SET/QTH East Dereham, Norfolk
823 === 0^SET/TALK^Allow TALK messages to come out on your terminal
824 === 0^UNSET/TALK^Stop TALK messages coming out on your terminal
826 === 0^SET/WCY^Allow WCY messages to come out on your terminal
827 === 0^UNSET/WCY^Stop WCY messages coming out on your terminal
829 === 0^SET/WWV^Allow WWV messages to come out on your terminal
830 === 0^UNSET/WWV^Stop WWV messages coming out on your terminal
832 === 0^SET/WX^Allow WX messages to come out on your terminal
833 === 0^UNSET/WX^Stop WX messages coming out on your terminal
835 === 0^SHOW/CALL <callsign>^Show any callbook details on a callsign
836 This command queries an international callbook server on the internet
837 and returns any information available for that callsign.
839 === 0^SHOW/DATE [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show the local time
840 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the format
841 of the date string if no arguments are given.
843 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
844 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
845 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
846 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
848 === 0^SHOW/DX^Interrogate the spot database
849 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots
850 (sysop configurable, but usually 10).
852 In addition you can add any number of these commands in very nearly
853 any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
855 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
856 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
858 <number> - the number of spots you want
859 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in the selected list
861 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
862 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
863 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
865 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
866 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
868 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
870 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call> is the
873 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
874 held in the spot database.
876 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will look for
877 the string iota and anything which looks like an iota
878 island number. If you specify then it will look for
881 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if you specify
882 one or else anything that looks like a locator.
887 SH/DX on 20m info iota
888 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
894 === 0^SHOW/DXCC <prefix>^Interrogate the spot database by country
895 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
896 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is
897 and then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
899 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command.
903 SH/DXCC W on 20m info iota
905 === 0^SHOW/FILES [<filearea> [<string>]]^List the contents of a filearea
906 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
907 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file
910 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the
913 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
914 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
915 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
917 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
919 === 0^SHOW/FILTER^Show the contents of all the filters you have set
920 Show the contents of all the filters that are set. This command displays
921 all the filters set - for all the various categories.
923 === 1^SHOW/ISOLATE^Show list of ISOLATED nodes
925 === 9^SHOW/LOCKOUT^Show the list of locked out or excluded callsigns
927 === 0^SHOW/MOON [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show Moon rise and set times
928 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
929 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
932 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
933 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
934 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
936 In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal
937 distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit.
939 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
940 that you are connected to.
947 === 0^SHOW/MUF <prefix> [<hours>][long]^Show the likely propagation to a prefix
948 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting
949 a station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a modest
950 power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about 0.15muV/10dB SINAD)
952 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
953 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
954 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
955 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced accuracy
956 for paths shorter or longer than this.
958 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
959 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
960 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
961 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
962 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
963 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
964 such as the Voice of America.
966 The command will display some header information detailing its
967 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
968 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
969 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
970 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for which
971 the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a value.
973 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the conventional
974 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it means that it is
975 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by an 'm' it means that
976 there is likely to be much fading and by an 's' that the signal is likely
979 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
980 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no of
981 hours required after the prefix. For example:-
987 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
988 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
989 Location Lat / Long Azim
990 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
991 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
992 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
993 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
994 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
996 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
997 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
1003 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
1009 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
1010 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
1011 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
1013 === 1^SHOW/NODE [<callsign> ...]^Show the type and version number of nodes
1014 Show the type and version (if connected) of the nodes specified on the
1015 command line. If no callsigns are specified then a sorted list of all
1016 the non-user callsigns known to the system will be displayed.
1018 === 0^SHOW/PREFIX <callsign>^Interrogate the prefix database
1019 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
1020 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number
1021 it is and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country
1022 together with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
1026 === 5^SHOW/PROGRAM^Show the locations of all the included program modules
1027 Show the name and location where every program module was load from. This
1028 is useful for checking where you think you have loaded a .pm file from.
1030 === 0^SHOW/QRA <locator> [<locator>]^Show distance between locators
1031 === 0^SHOW/QRA <lat> <long>^Convert latitude and longitude to a locator
1032 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
1033 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
1034 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
1035 to the locator. For example:-
1040 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator from
1041 yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and bearing from
1042 the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6 character locators.
1044 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator by
1045 using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument, for
1048 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
1050 === 0^SHOW/SATELLITE <name> [<hours> <interval>]^Show tracking data
1051 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your choice
1052 from now on for the next few hours.
1054 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a list
1055 of all the satellites known currently to the system.
1057 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
1058 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
1059 give information for the next three hours for every five minute period.
1061 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
1064 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
1069 SH/SAT FENGYUN1 12 2
1071 === 0^SHOW/SUN [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show sun rise and set times
1072 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
1073 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
1076 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
1077 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
1078 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
1080 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
1081 that you are connected to.
1086 SH/SUN G1TLH K9CW ZS
1088 === 0^SHOW/TIME [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show the local time
1089 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
1090 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
1091 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
1092 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
1094 === 0^SHOW/WCY^Show last 10 WCY broadcasts
1095 === 0^SHOW/WCY <n>^Show last <n> WCY broadcasts
1096 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the system
1098 === 0^SHOW/WWV^Show last 10 WWV broadcasts
1099 === 0^SHOW/WWV <n>^Show last <n> WWV broadcasts
1100 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the system
1102 === 5^SHUTDOWN^Shutdown the cluster
1103 Shutdown the cluster and disconnect all the users
1105 === 9^SPOOF <call> <command>^Do a command as though you are another user
1106 This command is provided so that sysops can set a user's parameters without
1107 me having to write a special 'sysop' version for every user command. It
1108 allows you to pretend that you are doing the command as the user you specify.
1112 SPOOF G1TLH set/name Dirk
1113 SPOOF G1TLH set/qra JO02LQ
1115 === 5^STAT/DB <dbname>^Show the status of a database
1116 Show the internal status of a database descriptor.
1118 Depending on your privilege level you will see more or less information.
1119 This command is unlikely to be of much use to anyone other than a sysop.
1121 === 5^STAT/CHANNEL [<callsign>]^Show the status of a channel on the cluster
1122 Show the internal status of the channel object either for the channel that
1123 you are on or else for the callsign that you asked for.
1125 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
1127 === 5^STAT/MSG <msgno>^Show the status of a message
1128 This command shows the internal status of a message and includes information
1129 such as to whom it has been forwarded, its size, origin etc etc.
1131 === 5^STAT/USER [<callsign>]^Show the full status of a user
1132 Shows the full contents of a user record including all the secret flags
1135 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
1137 === 0^SYSOP^Regain your privileges if you login remotely
1138 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
1139 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
1140 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
1141 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
1142 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
1145 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
1146 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
1147 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
1148 these values are for explanation :-):
1150 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
1154 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
1158 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
1159 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
1162 === 0^TALK <call> [<text>]^Send a text message to another station
1163 === 0^TALK <call> > <node> [<text>]^Send a text message to another station via a node
1164 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the cluster
1165 system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a SHOW/CONFIGURATION
1166 command, they don't have to be connected locally.
1168 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
1169 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
1170 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the cluster.
1172 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can only
1173 see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use the
1174 second form of the talk message.
1176 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text message
1177 out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means is that a
1178 short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you are in a
1179 'Talking' frame of mind and then you just type - everything you send will
1180 go to the station that you asked for.
1182 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on your
1185 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you preceed the normal
1186 command with a '/' character, eg:-
1188 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
1191 To leave talk mode type:
1195 === 0^TYPE <filearea>/<name>^Look at the contents of a file in one of the fileareas
1196 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
1197 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
1199 TYPE bulletins/arld051
1201 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a
1204 === 0^WHO^Show who is physically connected
1205 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
1206 what sort of connection they have
1208 === 0^WX <text>^Send a weather message to local users
1209 === 0^WX FULL <text>^Send a weather message to all cluster users
1210 === 5^WX SYSOP <text>^Send a weather message to other clusters only
1211 Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an extreme
1212 that may indicate enhanced conditions