Changes to manual namings to standardise. Added script from M0AZM to

[spider.git] / txt / usermanual.txt

  The DXSpider User Manual v1.50
  Ian Maude, G0VGS, (g0vgs@gb7mbc.net)
  September 2002 revision 0.1

  A complete reference for users of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
  ______________________________________________________________________

  Table of Contents


  1. Introduction
     1.1 What is a DX Cluster?
     1.2 So what is DXSpider?

  2. Logins and logouts.
     2.1 AX25 logins.
     2.2 Netrom logins.
     2.3 Telnet logins.
     2.4 Logouts.

  3. Setting your personal details.
  4. Getting and posting DX.
     4.1 Receiving DX.
     4.2 Posting DX.

  5. Headings and propagation
     5.1 Sun
     5.2 Moon
     5.3 Heading

  6. Announcements.
     6.1 Making announcements.
     6.2 Listing announcements.

  7. Nodes and users.
  8. Talk mode.
  9. Mail.
     9.1 The "directory" command.
     9.2 Reading mail.
     9.3 Sending mail.
     9.4 Replying to mail.
     9.5 Deleting mail

  10. Filtering (From version 1.45)
     10.1 General filter rules
     10.2 Types of filter
     10.3 Filter options
     10.4 Advanced filtering

  11. Hints, tips and common questions.
  12. The DXSpider command reference


  ______________________________________________________________________

  1\b1.\b.  I\bIn\bnt\btr\bro\bod\bdu\buc\bct\bti\bio\bon\bn

  1\b1.\b.1\b1.\b.  W\bWh\bha\bat\bt i\bis\bs a\ba D\bDX\bX C\bCl\blu\bus\bst\bte\ber\br?\b?

  A DX Cluster is a packet node where DX chasers on any band or mode can
  post rare or interesting stations that they have worked or heard.  Of
  course other people are doing the same thing too, so you can find new
  DX as well as telling others about the stations you have worked.
  Clusters tend to be linked to each other so that the amount of people
  using them is increased, thereby increasing the amount of posted DX.
  Other information can be found on clusters such as on-line call books,
  mail etc.  You can talk to other stations connected to the cluster
  network too, in real time, whether at the node you are logged into or
  on another node connected to the network.  You can also use converse
  mode, where several stations can talk to each other in the same way.
  Of course, the DX is still posted to you all the while!


  1\b1.\b.2\b2.\b.  S\bSo\bo w\bwh\bha\bat\bt i\bis\bs D\bDX\bXS\bSp\bpi\bid\bde\ber\br?\b?

  PacketCluster nodes have been around since roughly 1985. The original
  PacketCluster idea came from Dick Newell, AK1A, and ran under DOS.  In
  about 1992 Dick stopped the development of the PacketCluster software
  for amateur radio. Many systems are still using this relatively old
  DOS software today.

  There are several new compatible cluster programs around now,
  including DXSpider.  DXSpider is a clone of PacketCluster software
  that runs under several operating systems including Linux and Windows.
  Linux is fast becoming the choice for amateur radio stations because
  of it's flexibility, reliability and the lack of the memory
  limitations of DOS.  Linux supports multitasking and is also
  multiuser. It has support for AX25, ROSE, NetROM and TCPIP built in,
  making it the ideal choice for amateur radio.  It is also totally
  free!

  DXSpider was conceived and begun in 1998 by Dirk Koopman, G1TLH as an
  exercise in perl programming.  It has developed rapidly and today is a
  very powerful cluster program.  It was designed to be totally
  compatible with the AK1A program, although several commands have been
  extended to improve functionality.

  This manual is designed to help you become familiar with the commands
  that DXSpider supports and to help you get the best from the program
  so you can enjoy working that rare DX!  As DXSpider is being improved
  all the time, commands will be added as time goes by, so make sure you
  have the most upto date version of this manual.  The latest version
  will always be included with the cluster program so if you are unsure,
  simply ask your sysop.  The manual will also be available on the
  wesite.



  2\b2.\b.  L\bLo\bog\bgi\bin\bns\bs a\ban\bnd\bd l\blo\bog\bgo\bou\but\bts\bs.\b.

  You might not think that there is a lot of point of including a
  section on how to log in and out of DXSpider.  However, you would be
  suprised at the difficulties some people have in simply getting in and
  out of the cluster!

  There are several ways a login might be achieved, dependant on how the
  sysop has DXSpider configured.  It is impossible for me to cover all
  variations but here are the basic ones.


  2\b2.\b.1\b1.\b.  A\bAX\bX2\b25\b5 l\blo\bog\bgi\bin\bns\bs.\b.

  Simplicity itself.  The usual C\bCO\bON\bNN\bNE\bEC\bCT\bT command will log you straight
  into the cluster and you will not have to do anything else.
  Obviously, you will have to connect to the correct callsign.  Some
  nodes use an SSID with their call so you would have to add that.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



  connect GB7MBC
  connect GB7MBC-1



  2\b2.\b.2\b2.\b.  N\bNe\bet\btr\bro\bom\bm l\blo\bog\bgi\bin\bns\bs.\b.

  There are several possibilities here, dependant on how the sysop has
  configured his system.  If you are connecting via netrom then you are
  most probably connecting from another station.  Listing the nodes in
  that station with the N\bNO\bOD\bDE\bES\bS command will tell you what callsign or
  netrom alias to connect to. Then just issue the connect command from
  there.  It is possible that the netrom alias may connect you to a node
  with an alias for the cluster, such as DXC.  Just type this and you
  will be connected.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:


       connect MBCDX



  2\b2.\b.3\b3.\b.  T\bTe\bel\bln\bne\bet\bt l\blo\bog\bgi\bin\bns\bs.\b.

  With telnet connections, the source callsign is not seen by DXSpider,
  so you will be asked to login with your callsign.  To telnet to
  DXSpider, you would connect to a specific port.  There is no standard
  at the moment for a cluster telnet port but ask the sysop if you are
  unsure.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       telnet gb7mbc 8000



  All the above are possible ways of connecting to a DXSpider cluster.
  You may have some or all of these available to you.  There may be one
  or two additional ways to connect dependant on the network local to
  you.  However I am sure you get the idea.


  2\b2.\b.4\b4.\b.  L\bLo\bog\bgo\bou\but\bts\bs.\b.

  Logging out can be done by simply issuing the standard B\bBY\bYE\bE command.

  You could also send a disconnect if you are using AX25, or a C\bCL\bLO\bOS\bSE\bE
  command if you are connected via telnet.  If you do not log out
  gracefully using one of the above commands, you may find you are
  unable to get a full connect next time.  This may also happen if a
  netrom connection drops.  You may get connected, but nothing else will
  happen because the program thinks you are still connected and will not
  let you connect twice under the same call.  However you could
  reconnect by adding a number to the end of your call, for example
  G0YLM-2.  This can be done by either altering your MYCALL setting in
  the TNC or by altering your program configuration.


  3\b3.\b.  S\bSe\bet\btt\bti\bin\bng\bg y\byo\bou\bur\br p\bpe\ber\brs\bso\bon\bna\bal\bl d\bde\bet\bta\bai\bil\bls\bs.\b.

  Once logged in to the cluster, you should set your details so that
  anybody who wishes to contact you can find out who and where you are.
  There are four items to set, your name, qth, location and home node.
  Setting these details also allows the use of the SHOW/HEADING and
  SHOW/SUN commands from within the cluster.  Unless you set your QTH
  and location, these commands cannot function.  Once you have set your
  name, DXSpider will greet you with it next time you login.  Your QTH
  setting is where you live and it is a good idea to add your locator to
  this as the location setting is converted to latitude and longitude
  once inputted.  You can actually set your location in
  latitude/longitude or as a locator.  Setting your home node will tell
  the program where you wish mail to be sent to you.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



       set/name Ian
       set/qth Morecambe, Lancashire IO84NB
       set/location 48 34 n 12 12 e
       set/qra IO84NB
       set/home gb7mbc



  4\b4.\b.  G\bGe\bet\btt\bti\bin\bng\bg a\ban\bnd\bd p\bpo\bos\bst\bti\bin\bng\bg D\bDX\bX.\b.

  When all is said and done, this is the main function of a DX cluster.
  In its simplest form you can just connect to the node and you will
  start to receive DX spots almost immediately!  You can check on recent
  postings in either a general manner or on a particular band or mode.
  You can even check DX by callsign or a fragment of a callsign.  Of
  course, once you get the hang of things, it is expected that you start
  posting some yourself!  After all, there would be no clusters if
  people did not post DX and you get the added thrill of the hunt!


  4\b4.\b.1\b1.\b.  R\bRe\bec\bce\bei\biv\bvi\bin\bng\bg D\bDX\bX.\b.

  As we have already said, it is possible just to connect to the cluster
  and you will receive spots automatically.  However, you may wish to
  check on spots just posted.  Maybe you wish to see if a particular
  band is open or if a certain callsign is active, perhaps a DXpedition.
  The command to do this is S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/D\bDX\bX.  Without any other arguments, this
  command will output the last 10 spots posted.  It is possible to look
  at more than this, for example the last 20 or 50 spots, by adding the
  number to the command.  You can make it even more specific by adding a
  band in either wavelength or frequency, and/or any additional
  information such as QSL details.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



       show/dx
       show/dx 5
       show/dx 20



  will show the last 10, 5 and 20 spots received by the cluster
  respectively.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs



       show/dx on 20m
       show/dx 10 on 20m
       show/dx 20 on 20m



  will show the last 5, 10 or 20 spots on 20 metres only.

  It is also possible to check for certain callsigns, or fragments of
  callsigns in the same way.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



       show/dx g0vgs
       show/dx 10 g0vgs



  would show the last 5 or 10 dx spots containing the callsign g0vgs.


  You can check for DX by offset and also by specifying a comment to
  search for.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



       show/dx 30-40
       show/dx 14000-14033
       show/dx iota



  would show the spots that arrived between 30 and 40 spots ago and any
  spots with the word _\bi_\bo_\bt_\ba in the comment field.  The case of the
  comment is not important.

  Checking DX posted on a certain day is possible too.  All you have to
  do here is to specify how many days ago it was like this ...

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       show/dx day 30



  It is of course possible to specify multiple arguments.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:

       show/dx 20 prefix 9a on vhf day 30



  This would show the last 20 spots posted by or about calls with the
  prefix 9a on vhf 30 days ago.

  As you can see the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/D\bDX\bX command is very flexible, so if you are not
  sure whether something will work or not, try it and see!  More
  information can be found in the Command Set section.


  4\b4.\b.2\b2.\b.  P\bPo\bos\bst\bti\bin\bng\bg D\bDX\bX.\b.

  To post DX you use the D\bDX\bX command.  The syntax is shown below.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       dx (frequency) (callsign) (remarks)



  Where frequency is in kilohertz and the callsign is the callsign of
  the station you have worked or heard, (ie not your own callsign!).
  The remarks section allows you to add information like the operators
  name or perhaps a location.  Actually DXSpider will allow the
  frequency and callsign fields to be entered in any order.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599



  In fact, all the following will give the same result...



       dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
       dx pa3ezl 14004 OP Aurelio 599
       dx pa3ezl 14.004 OP Aurelio 599



  This posting, or callout as it is known, will be forwarded to all
  other connected stations both at the cluster you are connected to and
  other active clusters in the network.  The callout will also be sent
  to you as proof of receipt.


  5\b5.\b.  H\bHe\bea\bad\bdi\bin\bng\bgs\bs a\ban\bnd\bd p\bpr\bro\bop\bpa\bag\bga\bat\bti\bio\bon\bn

  There are three commands in DXSpider to help you get the best DX
  possible.  These are S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/S\bSU\bUN\bN, S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/M\bMO\bOO\bON\bN and S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/H\bHE\bEA\bAD\bDI\bIN\bNG\bG.  These
  commands will only work for you if you have entered your personal
  details.  They use your entered location as a reference, so if you
  have not entered it or have entered it incorrectly they will not
  return the correct information.
  5\b5.\b.1\b1.\b.  S\bSu\bun\bn

  The S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/S\bSU\bUN\bN command can be used in three different ways.  It can be
  used to show sunrise and sunset times for your own station, a
  particular callsign or a prefix.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       show/sun



  The output from this would look something like this ..



       sh/sun
       Location                              Rise   Set      Azim   Elev
       G0VGS  Morecambe, Lancashire          07:08Z 17:39Z  205.3   24.1



       sh/sun 5b4



  would look like this ...



       sh/sun 5b4
       Location                              Rise   Set      Azim   Elev
       5B     Cyprus-5B                      04:23Z 15:40Z  244.0   18.8



  You can also specify multiple arguments like this ...



       sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs



  and then the output would look like this ...



       sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
       Location                              Rise   Set      Azim   Elev
       GW4VEQ Brungwran, Isle of Anglesey IO 07:14Z 17:48Z  204.9   24.9
       5B     Cyprus-5B                      04:23Z 15:40Z  244.5   18.3
       ZS     So-Africa-ZS1-ZS               04:31Z 17:28Z  289.9   41.3
       ZS     So-Africa-ZS5-ZS               03:44Z 16:34Z  278.5   32.0
       ZS     So-Africa-ZS6-ZS               03:59Z 16:42Z  277.6   35.0


  5\b5.\b.2\b2.\b.  M\bMo\boo\bon\bn

  The S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/M\bMO\bOO\bON\bN command works in the same way as the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/S\bSU\bUN\bN command.
  This program however, calculates the rise and set times of the moon
  for a prefix or callsign, together with the current azimuth and
  elevation of the sun at these locations.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       show/moon ea



  The output from this command would look like this ..



       sh/moon ea
       Location                              Rise   Set      Azim   Elev  RGain dB
       EA     Spain-EA                       08:15Z 20:09Z  257.2    9.5      -0.6



  You can see that the output is similar to the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/S\bSU\bUN\bN command, with
  slightly different fields.


  5\b5.\b.3\b3.\b.  H\bHe\bea\bad\bdi\bin\bng\bg

  The S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/H\bHE\bEA\bAD\bDI\bIN\bNG\bG command works in the same way as the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/S\bSU\bUN\bN and
  S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/M\bMO\bOO\bON\bN commands but outputs beam headings for a specified callsign
  or prefix.  Reciprocal beam headings are also calculated.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be



       show/heading zl



  The output from this command would look like this ..



       sh/heading zl
       ZL New-Zealand-ZL1-ZL: 7 degs - dist: 11238 mi, 18087 km Reciprocal heading: 355 degs
       ZL New-Zealand-ZL2-ZL: 9 degs - dist: 11540 mi, 18574 km Reciprocal heading: 353 degs
       ZL New-Zealand-ZL3-ZL: 19 degs - dist: 11634 mi, 18724 km Reciprocal heading: 345 degs
       ZL New-Zealand-ZL4-ZL: 34 degs - dist: 11783 mi, 18963 km Reciprocal heading: 332 degs



  6\b6.\b.  A\bAn\bnn\bno\bou\bun\bnc\bce\bem\bme\ben\bnt\bts\bs.\b.

  6\b6.\b.1\b1.\b.  M\bMa\bak\bki\bin\bng\bg a\ban\bnn\bno\bou\bun\bnc\bce\bem\bme\ben\bnt\bts\bs.\b.

  Occasionally, you may wish to post something that does not fall into
  the normal parameters for a DX callout.  You may wish to tell
  everybody connected that 10 FM is open for example, or ask if anyone
  knows the QSL manager for a certain callsign etc.  You can do this
  using the A\bAN\bNN\bNO\bOU\bUN\bNC\bCE\bE command.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       announce 10 FM is open in IO84NB to europe.



  That would let everyone know locally that this was the case, however
  it would not be forwarded to other nodes connected.  To send
  announcements to other connected nodes as well, you would use the F\bFU\bUL\bLL\bL
  extension.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       announce full Anyone seen EA7WA today?



  Be cautious in your use of announce full.  There are many other tools
  available to get the information you require and the judicious use of
  this command is frowned upon as it creates a great deal of traffic
  across the network.


  6\b6.\b.2\b2.\b.  L\bLi\bis\bst\bti\bin\bng\bg a\ban\bnn\bno\bou\bun\bnc\bce\bem\bme\ben\bnt\bts\bs.\b.

  You can list previous announcements in the standard format with the
  S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW command.  As before you can list just the last 5 or as many as
  you wish.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       show/announcements
       show/announcements 10



  7\b7.\b.  N\bNo\bod\bde\bes\bs a\ban\bnd\bd u\bus\bse\ber\brs\bs.\b.

  You can check which nodes are connected in the network, who is logged
  on locally, who is logged on at all the nodes or even just one node in
  particular. This is handy if you wish to see whether a friend is
  connected at the node they use.  To see who is connected to the nodes,
  the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/C\bCO\bON\bNF\bFI\bIG\bGU\bUR\bRA\bAT\bTI\bIO\bON\bN command is used.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



  show/configuration
  show/configuration/nodes
  show/configuration (node_call)
  show/configuration (prefix)



  The first of our three examples would output something like this,



       sh/c
       Node         Callsigns
       EI5TCR       (7 users)
       GB7ADX
       GB7BAA       G4FPV        G8TIC
       GB7BIG       (GD0TEP)     GD3UMW
       GB7BPQ       (G0INA)      G0RCI        G3AKU        G3OCA
       (GB7CDX)     G3JNB        G4ALR
       GB7DJK       G0FYD        G0REK        G1TLH        G4PEL        G4SOZ
                    G4TVR        G7SQW        K8AZ         M0CTQ-1      MM1CXE-10
                    ON7WP
       GB7DXA       G0RDI        G8SJP
       GB7DXC       (G0HDB)      G0WFK        (G1FYC)      G3KWK        G3LME
                    G3OIL        G4BGW        G4FUJ        (G4PDQ)      GW7SMV
       GB7DXE       G1NNB
       (GB7DXG)     GU6EFB       GU7DHI
       GB7DXK       G1NTW        G3IBI        G3NSM        G3XAQ        G4CUS
                    G4XQY        G7GAN
       GB7DXM       G1EUC        G3GAF        G3LAS        G4ZTR        G8WXU
                    M0BCT        M1EMF



  You will notice that EI5TCR is showing only that it has 7 users and
  not giving the actual callsigns.  This means that this node is on a
  limited protocol of some kind, probably because of a contest situation
  where slow radio links can block up and fail if too much information
  is sent between nodes.

  The second example would just show the nodes connected in the network,
  like this,



       sh/c/n
       Node         Callsigns
       GB7BAA       GB7BAA       GB7BPQ       (GB7CDX)     GB7DJK       GB7DXA
                    GB7DXC       GB7DXE       (GB7DXG)     GB7DXK       GB7DXL
                    GB7DXM       GB7DXS       GB7IPT       GB7MRS       GB7UJS
                    GB7YDX       KL7G         N2TLY        (ON0DXK)
       GB7BIG       EI5TCR       GB7ADX       GB7BIG       GB7UDX
       GB7MBC
       PA4AB-14     PA4AB-14
       PI4TUE-8     PI4TUE-8



  If we insert the node_call pi4tue-8 into the third example, then this
  would be the output,



  Node         Callsigns
  PI4TUE-8     9A1CMA-6     DF6PW        DL4FAY       DL4KAK       DL4WF-2
               F5NOD-2      F5PAC        IZ0CSR       N6CR         OH2BLD
               ON1LVL-13    ON4CBT       ON4CJP       ON5DXL-14    ON7NQ
               PA0RCT       PA3DYS       PA3FDO       PA5KW-4      PI4TUE-9
               YT1XX



  As you can see, only the users of the requested node are shown.

  You can also use a prefix to show only a group of nodes.  For example
  you may only wish to see who is connected to the nodes in the UK.  To
  do this simply use a prefix like this ...


  show/configuration gb7



  To show the locally connected users, the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/U\bUS\bSE\bER\bRS\bS command is used

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       show/users



  The output of this command would look like this,



       Callsigns connected to GB7MBC
       G0JHC        G0NEI        G0VGS        G0VGS-2      G0YLM
       G3JAG        G3OWO        G3UEU



  8\b8.\b.  T\bTa\bal\blk\bk m\bmo\bod\bde\be.\b.

  You can send a single comment or start a dedicated talk session to
  another user by using the T\bTA\bAL\bLK\bK command.


  Talk mode is used to send a one line comment or greeting to a specific
  user connected either at your node or another in the network.  You can
  also enter into a dedicated talk session with another user.  Talks
  will be automatically forwarded to other nodes if the station you are
  talking to is not connected locally.  You can find out who is
  connected by using the S\bSH\bHO\bOW\bW/\b/C\bCO\bON\bNF\bFI\bIG\bGU\bUR\bRA\bAT\bTI\bIO\bON\bN command, (described
  earlier).

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



       talk g0rdi Having a good day Iain?


  This example would send the line "Having a good day Iain?" to the user
  g0rdi but would leave you in normal mode.



       talk g0rdi
       Entering Talkmode, /EX to end, /<cmd> to run a command
       Talk (G0RDI)>



  As you can see, you can still run commands whilst in talk mode.
  Simply prefix the command with a / like /sh/dx and you will get the
  expected output.  If the user is connected to another node, you may
  have to use a slightly extended version of the T\bTA\bAL\bLK\bK command.



       talk g0rdi > gb7djk



  To exit talk mode, you issue the command /\b/e\bex\bx.

  Whilst in talk mode you will still receive DX spots.  This means that
  you can chat to a friend whilst working DX.


  9\b9.\b.  M\bMa\bai\bil\bl.\b.

  You can send and receive both personal mail and bulletins with
  DXSpider quite easily.


  9\b9.\b.1\b1.\b.  T\bTh\bhe\be "\b"d\bdi\bir\bre\bec\bct\bto\bor\bry\by"\b" c\bco\bom\bmm\bma\ban\bnd\bd.\b.

  To list mail you would use the D\bDI\bIR\bRE\bEC\bCT\bTO\bOR\bRY\bY command.  On its own, this
  command will output the last ten messages received by the node, either
  to or from yourself or bulletins such as "DX" and "ALL".  As with
  other commands you can display more by specifying a number with the
  command.  You should be aware that Spider will accept these commands
  by separating with either a slash or a space, so _\bd_\bi_\br _\bn_\be_\bw and _\bd_\bi_\br_\b/_\bn_\be_\bw
  work in the same way.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       directory
       directory/20
       directory 20



  Of course most of the time you will only want to list new mail sent to
  you personally since your last login.  However you might also like to
  check for general mail received by the node.  In fact if there is new
  mail for you, the cluster will tell you when you login. You will also
  be informed if new mail arrives for you during the time you are logged
  in.  Mail is not only sent to callsigns though.  Mail can also be sent
  to subjects like "all" or "local" or "dx" etc.  You can treat these
  bulletins in the same way as personal mail with the directory command.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\bes\bs:\b:



       directory/new
       directory/own
       directory/own/10
       directory/all
       directory/from <call>



  The last option will only show mail from a callsign if it was sent to
  you personally or was sent as a bulletin.  There are some additional
  commands and these can be found in the DXSpider Command Reference
  section.


  9\b9.\b.2\b2.\b.  R\bRe\bea\bad\bdi\bin\bng\bg m\bma\bai\bil\bl.\b.

  The output of the D\bDI\bIR\bRE\bEC\bCT\bTO\bOR\bRY\bY command could be something like this.



       dir
        20735      2      ALL   GW7SMV 21-Feb 1204Z REC 9E1S QSL TDY 50Mhz....
        20823    308       UK    G0HDB 22-Feb 2334Z Help - which district code?
        20824    105      ALL     W9AE 23-Feb 0349Z S0NY QSL address?
        20825      2       UK    G0LRJ 23-Feb 0806Z QSL REC LZ2CJ/1.CARD NO-750.
        20858      2      ALL   GW7SMV 24-Feb 0905Z REC S92DX QSL CARD TDY 50Mhz
        20921    200      ALL   GM4FDM 27-Feb 2203Z Trip to VP8
        20949    375      ALL     K0MN 27-Feb 0428Z ST0P cards are gd @ ARRL
        20950      2       UK    G0LRJ 28-Feb 0835Z QSL REC SV9/IZ0CKJ/P EU-187.
        20987    569      ALL   GD0TEP  1-Mar 1733Z Portable contests
        21076      2      ALL    G4AFJ  3-Mar 1743Z kh6nd/kh5 qsl received
        21184-p  599   GW4HAT    G0VGS  4-Mar 1518Z Re: Time



  The first column is the actual message number.  If the message is a
  personal one to you, you will see a letter 'p' after this number.  If
  the message has been read, there will be a '-' between the message
  number and the 'p'.  This only works for personal messages.  The next
  column shows the file size of the message.  The third column shows the
  address the message was sent to and the next column shows who sent it.
  The rest is fairly self-explanatory.

  Reading a message is as simple as typing read, followed by the message
  number that you wish to read.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       read 25



  will read message number 25.  However the mail will be displayed in
  it's entirety unless you specify a page length. You can set your page
  length to any number you like and when the message reaches that number
  of lines you will get a prompt giving you options.
  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       set/page 20



  9\b9.\b.3\b3.\b.  S\bSe\ben\bnd\bdi\bin\bng\bg m\bma\bai\bil\bl.\b.

  Sending mail is done in the time honoured way.  First you specify a
  recipient for the message, then you will be prompted for a subject.
  Once you have done this you will be asked to type your message.
  Please remember that there is no automatic word wrap, so unless you
  are using a client that wraps lines automatically, remember to hit
  return at the end of each line.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       send m0azm
       Enter Subject (30 characters):
       See you Thursday
       Enter Message /EX to send or /ABORT to exit
       Hi Ian,
       Just a quick note to say that I can make Thursday after all.  The
       appointment I had has cancelled so we are go!
       Cheers
       Ian



  At this point you can either hit return and enter /ex to send the
  message or use /abort at any time to abort it.  You can now display
  the message in the normal way.  There are several send options and
  these are listed in the Command Set section.  These include sending
  mail to several recipients and asking for a return receipt.



  9\b9.\b.4\b4.\b.  R\bRe\bep\bpl\bly\byi\bin\bng\bg t\bto\bo m\bma\bai\bil\bl.\b.

  If mail is addressed to you or to a bulletin address, you can use the
  R\bRE\bEP\bPL\bLY\bY command to reply to it.  Using this command, the subject will be
  automatically set for you as "Re: subject", whatever the subject was.

  E\bEx\bxa\bam\bmp\bpl\ble\be:\b:



       reply 2500



  9\b9.\b.5\b5.\b.  D\bDe\bel\ble\bet\bti\bin\bng\bg m\bma\bai\bil\bl

  To delete a message, you use the _\bd_\be_\bl_\be_\bt_\be command.  You can only delete
  messages sent to or received by yourself.  Bulletins are dealt with
  automatically or by the sysop.
  1\b10\b0.\b.  F\bFi\bil\blt\bte\ber\bri\bin\bng\bg (\b(F\bFr\bro\bom\bm v\bve\ber\brs\bsi\bio\bon\bn 1\b1.\b.4\b45\b5)\b)

  1\b10\b0.\b.1\b1.\b.  G\bGe\ben\bne\ber\bra\bal\bl f\bfi\bil\blt\bte\ber\br r\bru\bul\ble\bes\bs

  Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters.
  From v1.45 though that has all changed.  It is now possible to set
  filters for just about anything you wish.  If you have just updated
  from an older version of DXSpider you will need to update your new
  filters.  You do not need to do anything with your old filters, they
  will be renamed as you update.


  There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating
  filters.  These are _\ba_\bc_\bc_\be_\bp_\bt, _\br_\be_\bj_\be_\bc_\bt and _\bc_\bl_\be_\ba_\br.  First we will look
  generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in
  the DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism.


  In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which
  can have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...



       accept/spots .....
       reject/spots .....



  where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There
  are filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects.
  See each different accept or reject command reference for more
  details.

  There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter.
  They are ...



       clear/spots 1
       clear/spots all



  There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.


  and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...



       show/filter



  For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply
  the same principles to all types of filter.



  1\b10\b0.\b.2\b2.\b.  T\bTy\byp\bpe\bes\bs o\bof\bf f\bfi\bil\blt\bte\ber\br

  There are two main types of filter, _\ba_\bc_\bc_\be_\bp_\bt or _\br_\be_\bj_\be_\bc_\bt.  You can use
  either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference
  and which is more simple to do.  It is pointless writing 8 lines of
  reject filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing!  Each
  filter has 10 lines (of any length) which are tried in order.  If a
  line matches then the action you have specified is taken (ie reject
  means ignore it and accept means take it)


  If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match
  the filter will be dumped but all else will be accepted.  If you use
  an accept filter, then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted
  and all else will be dumped.  For example if you have a single line
  _\ba_\bc_\bc_\be_\bp_\bt filter ...



       accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)



  then you will _\bO_\bN_\bL_\bY get VHF spots _\bf_\br_\bo_\bm or _\bt_\bo CQ zones 14, 15 and 16.


  If you set a reject filter like this ...



       reject/spots on hf/cw



  Then you will get everything _\bE_\bX_\bC_\bE_\bP_\bT HF CW spots.  You could make this
  single filter even more flexible.  For example, if you are interested
  in IOTA and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not
  interested in CW, then you could say ...



       reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota



  But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-



       accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota



  which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the
  other until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix
  them if you wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the
  same line) but don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you
  are doing!


  You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your
  own understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
       reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
       reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)



  What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots
  on VHF which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe.


  This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this
  case), if you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits
  '0'-'9' are available.  This make it easier to see just what filters
  you have set.  It also makes it more simple to remove individual
  filters, during a contest for example.


  You will notice in the above example that the second line has
  brackets.  Look at the line logically.  You can see there are 2
  separate sections to it.  We are saying reject spots that are VHF or
  above _\bA_\bP_\bA_\bR_\bT from those in zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or
  originated there).  If you did not have the brackets to separate the 2
  sections, then Spider would read it logically from the front and see a
  different expression entirely ...



       (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16



  The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets.
  Whilst we are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the
  same as 'and by_zone'.

  As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible
  than simply setting one complex one.  Doing it in this way means that
  if you want to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one
  or more lines of it or one line. For example ...



       reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb



  would redefine our earlier example, or



       clear/spots 1



  To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...



       clear/spots all



  1\b10\b0.\b.3\b3.\b.  F\bFi\bil\blt\bte\ber\br o\bop\bpt\bti\bio\bon\bns\bs

  You can filter in several different ways.  The options are listed in
  the various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter.


  1\b10\b0.\b.4\b4.\b.  A\bAd\bdv\bva\ban\bnc\bce\bed\bd f\bfi\bil\blt\bte\ber\bri\bin\bng\bg

  Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to
  experiment.


  The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf
  spots from EU can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...



       rej/spot on hf/cw
       acc/spot on 0/30000
       acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)



  Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number.  This
  will automatically be assumed to be number 1.  In this case, we have
  said _\br_\be_\bj_\be_\bc_\bt _\ba_\bl_\bl _\bH_\bF _\bs_\bp_\bo_\bt_\bs _\bi_\bn _\bt_\bh_\be _\bC_\bW _\bs_\be_\bc_\bt_\bi_\bo_\bn _\bo_\bf _\bt_\bh_\be _\bb_\ba_\bn_\bd_\bs _\bb_\bu_\bt _\ba_\bc_\bc_\be_\bp_\bt _\ba_\bl_\bl
  _\bo_\bt_\bh_\be_\br_\bs _\ba_\bt _\bH_\bF_\b.  _\bA_\bl_\bs_\bo _\ba_\bc_\bc_\be_\bp_\bt _\ba_\bn_\by_\bt_\bh_\bi_\bn_\bg _\bi_\bn _\bV_\bH_\bF _\ba_\bn_\bd _\ba_\bb_\bo_\bv_\be _\bs_\bp_\bo_\bt_\bt_\be_\bd _\bi_\bn _\bo_\br _\bb_\by
  _\bo_\bp_\be_\br_\ba_\bt_\bo_\br_\bs _\bi_\bn _\bt_\bh_\be _\bz_\bo_\bn_\be_\bs _\b1_\b4_\b, _\b1_\b5 _\ba_\bn_\bd _\b1_\b6.  Each filter slot actually has a
  'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed BEFORE
  the accept slot.


  It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match,
  the default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for
  'accept'.  In the example what happens is that the reject is executed
  first, any non hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets
  through everything else on HF.  The next filter line lets through just
  VHF/UHF spots from EU.



  1\b11\b1.\b.  H\bHi\bin\bnt\bts\bs,\b, t\bti\bip\bps\bs a\ban\bnd\bd c\bco\bom\bmm\bmo\bon\bn q\bqu\bue\bes\bst\bti\bio\bon\bns\bs.\b.

  Q\bQ.\b.These commands seem very long!  Can I shorten them?

  A\bA.\b.Of course you can and the usual abbreviations work.  If you are
  unsure, try it.

  Q\bQ.\b.I am not sure if this command is correct.  Can I cause any harm if I
  try it?

  A\bA.\b.Do not be afraid to try a command to see if it will work, at the
  worst you will get an error message.  If you require any help on a
  command, just type help followed by the command you want help on.
  Look at the "DXSpider Command Reference" section to see what help can
  be found.

  Q\bQ.\b.How should I use the announce command?

  A\bA.\b.With respect.  Use the command by all means, but please only use the
  "full" extension if absolutely necessary.  It can create a LOT of
  messages passing between clusters.

  Q\bQ.\b.I like to be working in the shack while logged into the cluster but
  I can't be looking at the screen all the time. How can I be alerted
  when anything happens?

  A\bA.\b.Use the S\bSE\bET\bT/\b/B\bBE\bEE\bEP\bP command.  You can find information on this in the
  "DXSpider Command Reference" section.

  Q\bQ.\b.I got disconnected from the cluster and now I can't log back in
  again.  What is wrong?

  A\bA.\b.Probably the cluster thinks you are still logged on and will not let
  you reconnect using the same call to prevent loops.  Try logging on
  again adding an ssid to your callsign as DXSpider treats G0YLM and
  G0YLM-1 as different users.

  Q\bQ.\b.How do I know if I have got the latest version of this user manual?

  A\bA.\b.The latest and greatest will always be on the Website.  It will also
  be included with every release of DXSpider.  As always, if unsure, ask
  your sysop what version number is the latest.


  1\b12\b2.\b.  T\bTh\bhe\be D\bDX\bXS\bSp\bpi\bid\bde\ber\br c\bco\bom\bmm\bma\ban\bnd\bd r\bre\bef\bfe\ber\bre\ben\bnc\bce\be