1 The DXSpider User Manual v1.51
2 Ian Maude, G0VGS, (g0vgs@gb7mbc.net)
5 A complete reference for users of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
6 ______________________________________________________________________
13 1.1 What is a DX Cluster?
14 1.2 So what is DXSpider?
16 2. Logins and logouts.
22 3. Setting your personal details.
23 4. Getting and posting DX.
27 5. Headings and propagation
33 6.1 Making announcements.
34 6.2 Listing announcements.
39 9.1 The "directory" command.
45 10. Filtering (From version 1.45)
46 10.1 General filter rules
49 10.4 Advanced filtering
50 10.5 A Filtering Tutorial
52 11. Hints, tips and common questions.
53 12. The DXSpider Command Reference
55 12.2 accept/announce [0-9] <pattern>
56 12.3 accept/spots [0-9] <pattern>
57 12.4 accept/wcy [0-9] <pattern>
58 12.5 accept/wwv [0-9] <pattern>
60 12.7 announce full <text>
62 12.9 blank [<string>] [<nn>]
64 12.11 chat <group> <text>
65 12.12 clear/announce [1|all]
66 12.13 clear/route [1|all]
67 12.14 clear/spots [0-9|all]
68 12.15 clear/wcy [1|all]
69 12.16 clear/wwv [1|all]
71 12.18 dbshow <dbname> <key>
73 12.20 directory <from>-<to>
76 12.23 directory from <call>
79 12.26 directory subject <string>
80 12.27 directory to <call>
81 12.28 dx [by <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks>
86 12.33 kill <from msgno>-<to msgno>
87 12.34 kill <msgno> [<msgno..]
88 12.35 kill <msgno> [<msgno> ...]
89 12.36 kill from <regex>
96 12.43 reject/announce [0-9] <pattern>
97 12.44 reject/spots [0-9] <pattern>
98 12.45 reject/wcy [0-9] <pattern>
99 12.46 reject/wwv [0-9] <pattern>
102 12.49 reply b <msgno>
103 12.50 reply noprivate <msgno>
104 12.51 reply rr <msgno>
105 12.52 send <call> [<call> ...]
106 12.53 send copy <msgno> <call>
107 12.54 send noprivate <call>
108 12.55 send private <call>
110 12.57 set/address <your address>
119 12.66 set/email <email> ...
121 12.68 set/homenode <node>
122 12.69 set/language <lang>
123 12.70 set/location <lat & long>
125 12.72 set/name <your name>
126 12.73 set/page <lines per page>
128 12.75 set/prompt <string>
129 12.76 set/qra <locator>
130 12.77 set/qth <your qth>
137 12.84 show/chat [<group>] [<lines>]
138 12.85 show/configuration [<node>]
139 12.86 show/configuration/node
140 12.87 show/contest <year and month>
141 12.88 show/date [<prefix>|<callsign>]
142 12.89 show/db0sdx <callsign>
144 12.91 show/dxcc <prefix>
145 12.92 show/dxqsl <callsign>
146 12.93 show/dxstats [days] [date]
148 12.95 show/files [<filearea> [<string>]]
150 12.97 show/hfstats [days] [date]
151 12.98 show/hftable [days] [date] [prefix ...]
152 12.99 show/moon [ndays] [<prefix>|<callsign>]
153 12.100 show/muf <prefix> [<hours>][long]
155 12.102 show/newconfiguration [<node>]
156 12.103 show/newconfiguration/node
157 12.104 show/prefix <callsign>
158 12.105 show/qra <lat> <long>
159 12.106 show/qra <locator> [<locator>]
160 12.107 show/qrz <callsign>
161 12.108 show/route <callsign> ...
162 12.109 show/satellite <name> [<hours> <interval>]
164 12.111 show/station [<callsign> ..]
165 12.112 show/sun [ndays] [<prefix>|<callsign>]
166 12.113 show/time [<prefix>|<callsign>]
167 12.114 show/usdb [call ..]
168 12.115 show/vhfstats [days] [date]
169 12.116 show/vhftable [days] [date] [prefix ...]
172 12.119 show/wm7d <callsign>
176 12.123 talk <call> > <node> [<text>]
177 12.124 talk <call> [<text>]
178 12.125 type <filearea>/<name>
179 12.126 unset/announce
189 12.136 unset/logininfo
190 12.137 unset/privilege
200 12.147 wx full <text>
203 ______________________________________________________________________
205 \e[1m1. Introduction
\e[0m
209 \e[1m1.1. What is a DX Cluster?
\e[0m
211 A DX Cluster is a packet node where DX chasers on any band or mode can
212 post rare or interesting stations that they have worked or heard. Of
213 course other people are doing the same thing too, so you can find new
214 DX as well as telling others about the stations you have worked.
215 Clusters tend to be linked to each other so that the amount of people
216 using them is increased, thereby increasing the amount of posted DX.
217 Other information can be found on clusters such as on-line call books,
218 mail etc. You can talk to other stations connected to the cluster
219 network too, in real time, whether at the node you are logged into or
220 on another node connected to the network. You can also use converse
221 mode, where several stations can talk to each other in the same way.
222 Of course, the DX is still posted to you all the while!
225 \e[1m1.2. So what is DXSpider?
\e[0m
227 PacketCluster nodes have been around since roughly 1985. The original
228 PacketCluster idea came from Dick Newell, AK1A, and ran under DOS. In
229 about 1992 Dick stopped the development of the PacketCluster software
230 for amateur radio. Many systems are still using this relatively old
233 There are several new compatible cluster programs around now,
234 including DXSpider. DXSpider is a clone of PacketCluster software
235 that runs under several operating systems including Linux and Windows.
236 Linux is fast becoming the choice for amateur radio stations because
237 of it's flexibility, reliability and the lack of the memory
238 limitations of DOS. Linux supports multitasking and is also
239 multiuser. It has support for AX25, ROSE, NetROM and TCPIP built in,
240 making it the ideal choice for amateur radio. It is also totally
243 DXSpider was conceived and begun in 1998 by Dirk Koopman, G1TLH as an
244 exercise in perl programming. It has developed rapidly and today is a
245 very powerful cluster program. It was designed to be totally
246 compatible with the AK1A program, although several commands have been
247 extended to improve functionality.
249 This manual is designed to help you become familiar with the commands
250 that DXSpider supports and to help you get the best from the program
251 so you can enjoy working that rare DX! As DXSpider is being improved
252 all the time, commands will be added as time goes by, so make sure you
253 have the most upto date version of this manual. The latest version
254 will always be included with the cluster program so if you are unsure,
255 simply ask your sysop. The manual will also be available on the
260 \e[1m2. Logins and logouts.
\e[0m
262 You might not think that there is a lot of point of including a
263 section on how to log in and out of DXSpider. However, you would be
264 suprised at the difficulties some people have in simply getting in and
267 There are several ways a login might be achieved, dependant on how the
268 sysop has DXSpider configured. It is impossible for me to cover all
269 variations but here are the basic ones.
273 \e[1m2.1. AX25 logins.
\e[0m
275 Simplicity itself. The usual
\e[1mCONNECT
\e[22mcommand will log you straight
276 into the cluster and you will not have to do anything else.
277 Obviously, you will have to connect to the correct callsign. Some
278 nodes use an SSID with their call so you would have to add that.
289 \e[1m2.2. Netrom logins.
\e[0m
291 There are several possibilities here, dependant on how the sysop has
292 configured his system. If you are connecting via netrom then you are
293 most probably connecting from another station. Listing the nodes in
294 that station with the
\e[1mNODES
\e[22mcommand will tell you what callsign or
295 netrom alias to connect to. Then just issue the connect command from
296 there. It is possible that the netrom alias may connect you to a node
297 with an alias for the cluster, such as DXC. Just type this and you
307 \e[1m2.3. Telnet logins.
\e[0m
309 With telnet connections, the source callsign is not seen by DXSpider,
310 so you will be asked to login with your callsign. To telnet to
311 DXSpider, you would connect to a specific port. There is no standard
312 at the moment for a cluster telnet port but ask the sysop if you are
323 All the above are possible ways of connecting to a DXSpider cluster.
324 You may have some or all of these available to you. There may be one
325 or two additional ways to connect dependant on the network local to
326 you. However I am sure you get the idea.
329 \e[1m2.4. Logouts.
\e[0m
331 Logging out can be done by simply issuing the standard
\e[1mBYE
\e[22mcommand.
334 You could also send a disconnect if you are using AX25, or a
\e[1mCLOSE
\e[0m
335 command if you are connected via telnet. If you do not log out
336 gracefully using one of the above commands, you may find you are
337 unable to get a full connect next time. This may also happen if a
338 netrom connection drops. You may get connected, but nothing else will
339 happen because the program thinks you are still connected and will not
340 let you connect twice under the same call. However you could
341 reconnect by adding a number to the end of your call, for example
342 G0YLM-2. This can be done by either altering your MYCALL setting in
343 the TNC or by altering your program configuration.
347 \e[1m3. Setting your personal details.
\e[0m
349 Once logged in to the cluster, you should set your details so that
350 anybody who wishes to contact you can find out who and where you are.
351 There are four items to set, your name, qth, location and home node.
352 Setting these details also allows the use of the SHOW/HEADING and
353 SHOW/SUN commands from within the cluster. Unless you set your QTH
354 and location, these commands cannot function. Once you have set your
355 name, DXSpider will greet you with it next time you login. Your QTH
356 setting is where you live and it is a good idea to add your locator to
357 this as the location setting is converted to latitude and longitude
358 once inputted. You can actually set your location in
359 latitude/longitude or as a locator. Setting your home node will tell
360 the program where you wish mail to be sent to you.
367 set/qth Morecambe, Lancashire IO84NB
368 set/location 48 34 n 12 12 e
374 \e[1m4. Getting and posting DX.
\e[0m
376 When all is said and done, this is the main function of a DX cluster.
377 In its simplest form you can just connect to the node and you will
378 start to receive DX spots almost immediately! You can check on recent
379 postings in either a general manner or on a particular band or mode.
380 You can even check DX by callsign or a fragment of a callsign. Of
381 course, once you get the hang of things, it is expected that you start
382 posting some yourself! After all, there would be no clusters if
383 people did not post DX and you get the added thrill of the hunt!
386 \e[1m4.1. Receiving DX.
\e[0m
388 As we have already said, it is possible just to connect to the cluster
389 and you will receive spots automatically. However, you may wish to
390 check on spots just posted. Maybe you wish to see if a particular
391 band is open or if a certain callsign is active, perhaps a DXpedition.
392 The command to do this is
\e[1mSHOW/DX
\e[22m. Without any other arguments, this
393 command will output the last 10 spots posted. It is possible to look
394 at more than this, for example the last 20 or 50 spots, by adding the
395 number to the command. You can make it even more specific by adding a
396 band in either wavelength or frequency, and/or any additional
397 information such as QSL details.
408 will show the last 10, 5 and 20 spots received by the cluster
421 will show the last 5, 10 or 20 spots on 20 metres only.
423 It is also possible to check for certain callsigns, or fragments of
424 callsigns in the same way.
435 would show the last 5 or 10 dx spots containing the callsign g0vgs.
438 You can check for DX by offset and also by specifying a comment to
451 would show the spots that arrived between 30 and 40 spots ago and any
452 spots with the word
\e[4miota
\e[24m in the comment field. The case of the
453 comment is not important.
455 Checking DX posted on a certain day is possible too. All you have to
456 do here is to specify how many days ago it was like this ...
464 It is of course possible to specify multiple arguments.
470 show/dx 20 prefix 9a on vhf day 30
474 This would show the last 20 spots posted by or about calls with the
475 prefix 9a on vhf 30 days ago.
477 As you can see the
\e[1mSHOW/DX
\e[22mcommand is very flexible, so if you are not
478 sure whether something will work or not, try it and see! More
479 information can be found in the Command Set section.
482 \e[1m4.2. Posting DX.
\e[0m
484 To post DX you use the
\e[1mDX
\e[22mcommand. The syntax is shown below.
490 dx (frequency) (callsign) (remarks)
494 Where frequency is in kilohertz and the callsign is the callsign of
495 the station you have worked or heard, (ie not your own callsign!).
496 The remarks section allows you to add information like the operators
497 name or perhaps a location. Actually DXSpider will allow the
498 frequency and callsign fields to be entered in any order.
504 dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
508 In fact, all the following will give the same result...
512 dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
513 dx pa3ezl 14004 OP Aurelio 599
514 dx pa3ezl 14.004 OP Aurelio 599
518 This posting, or callout as it is known, will be forwarded to all
519 other connected stations both at the cluster you are connected to and
520 other active clusters in the network. The callout will also be sent
521 to you as proof of receipt.
524 \e[1m5. Headings and propagation
\e[0m
526 There are three commands in DXSpider to help you get the best DX
527 possible. These are
\e[1mSHOW/SUN
\e[22m,
\e[1mSHOW/MOON
\e[22mand
\e[1mSHOW/HEADING
\e[22m. These
528 commands will only work for you if you have entered your personal
529 details. They use your entered location as a reference, so if you
530 have not entered it or have entered it incorrectly they will not
531 return the correct information.
536 The
\e[1mSHOW/SUN
\e[22mcommand can be used in three different ways. It can be
537 used to show sunrise and sunset times for your own station, a
538 particular callsign or a prefix.
548 The output from this would look something like this ..
553 Location Rise Set Azim Elev
554 G0VGS Morecambe, Lancashire 07:08Z 17:39Z 205.3 24.1
562 would look like this ...
567 Location Rise Set Azim Elev
568 5B Cyprus-5B 04:23Z 15:40Z 244.0 18.8
572 You can also specify multiple arguments like this ...
576 sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
580 and then the output would look like this ...
584 sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
585 Location Rise Set Azim Elev
586 GW4VEQ Brungwran, Isle of Anglesey IO 07:14Z 17:48Z 204.9 24.9
587 5B Cyprus-5B 04:23Z 15:40Z 244.5 18.3
588 ZS So-Africa-ZS1-ZS 04:31Z 17:28Z 289.9 41.3
589 ZS So-Africa-ZS5-ZS 03:44Z 16:34Z 278.5 32.0
590 ZS So-Africa-ZS6-ZS 03:59Z 16:42Z 277.6 35.0
596 The
\e[1mSHOW/MOON
\e[22mcommand works in the same way as the
\e[1mSHOW/SUN
\e[22mcommand.
597 This program however, calculates the rise and set times of the moon
598 for a prefix or callsign, together with the current azimuth and
599 elevation of the sun at these locations.
609 The output from this command would look like this ..
614 Location Rise Set Azim Elev RGain dB
615 EA Spain-EA 08:15Z 20:09Z 257.2 9.5 -0.6
619 You can see that the output is similar to the
\e[1mSHOW/SUN
\e[22mcommand, with
620 slightly different fields.
623 \e[1m5.3. Heading
\e[0m
625 The
\e[1mSHOW/HEADING
\e[22mcommand works in the same way as the
\e[1mSHOW/SUN
\e[22mand
626 \e[1mSHOW/MOON
\e[22mcommands but outputs beam headings for a specified callsign
627 or prefix. Reciprocal beam headings are also calculated.
637 The output from this command would look like this ..
642 ZL New-Zealand-ZL1-ZL: 7 degs - dist: 11238 mi, 18087 km Reciprocal heading: 355 degs
643 ZL New-Zealand-ZL2-ZL: 9 degs - dist: 11540 mi, 18574 km Reciprocal heading: 353 degs
644 ZL New-Zealand-ZL3-ZL: 19 degs - dist: 11634 mi, 18724 km Reciprocal heading: 345 degs
645 ZL New-Zealand-ZL4-ZL: 34 degs - dist: 11783 mi, 18963 km Reciprocal heading: 332 degs
649 \e[1m6. Announcements.
\e[0m
651 \e[1m6.1. Making announcements.
\e[0m
653 Occasionally, you may wish to post something that does not fall into
654 the normal parameters for a DX callout. You may wish to tell
655 everybody connected that 10 FM is open for example, or ask if anyone
656 knows the QSL manager for a certain callsign etc. You can do this
657 using the
\e[1mANNOUNCE
\e[22mcommand.
663 announce 10 FM is open in IO84NB to europe.
667 That would let everyone know locally that this was the case, however
668 it would not be forwarded to other nodes connected. To send
669 announcements to other connected nodes as well, you would use the
\e[1mFULL
\e[0m
676 announce full Anyone seen EA7WA today?
680 Be cautious in your use of announce full. There are many other tools
681 available to get the information you require and the judicious use of
682 this command is frowned upon as it creates a great deal of traffic
686 \e[1m6.2. Listing announcements.
\e[0m
688 You can list previous announcements in the standard format with the
689 \e[1mSHOW
\e[22mcommand. As before you can list just the last 5 or as many as
697 show/announcements 10
701 \e[1m7. Nodes and users.
\e[0m
703 You can check which nodes are connected in the network, who is logged
704 on locally, who is logged on at all the nodes or even just one node in
705 particular. This is handy if you wish to see whether a friend is
706 connected at the node they use. To see who is connected to the nodes,
707 the
\e[1mSHOW/CONFIGURATION
\e[22mcommand is used.
714 show/configuration/nodes
715 show/configuration (node_call)
716 show/configuration (prefix)
720 The first of our three examples would output something like this,
729 GB7BIG (GD0TEP) GD3UMW
730 GB7BPQ (G0INA) G0RCI G3AKU G3OCA
732 GB7DJK G0FYD G0REK G1TLH G4PEL G4SOZ
733 G4TVR G7SQW K8AZ M0CTQ-1 MM1CXE-10
736 GB7DXC (G0HDB) G0WFK (G1FYC) G3KWK G3LME
737 G3OIL G4BGW G4FUJ (G4PDQ) GW7SMV
739 (GB7DXG) GU6EFB GU7DHI
740 GB7DXK G1NTW G3IBI G3NSM G3XAQ G4CUS
742 GB7DXM G1EUC G3GAF G3LAS G4ZTR G8WXU
747 You will notice that EI5TCR is showing only that it has 7 users and
748 not giving the actual callsigns. This means that this node is on a
749 limited protocol of some kind, probably because of a contest situation
750 where slow radio links can block up and fail if too much information
751 is sent between nodes.
753 The second example would just show the nodes connected in the network,
760 GB7BAA GB7BAA GB7BPQ (GB7CDX) GB7DJK GB7DXA
761 GB7DXC GB7DXE (GB7DXG) GB7DXK GB7DXL
762 GB7DXM GB7DXS GB7IPT GB7MRS GB7UJS
763 GB7YDX KL7G N2TLY (ON0DXK)
764 GB7BIG EI5TCR GB7ADX GB7BIG GB7UDX
771 If we insert the node_call pi4tue-8 into the third example, then this
777 PI4TUE-8 9A1CMA-6 DF6PW DL4FAY DL4KAK DL4WF-2
778 F5NOD-2 F5PAC IZ0CSR N6CR OH2BLD
779 ON1LVL-13 ON4CBT ON4CJP ON5DXL-14 ON7NQ
780 PA0RCT PA3DYS PA3FDO PA5KW-4 PI4TUE-9
785 As you can see, only the users of the requested node are shown.
787 You can also use a prefix to show only a group of nodes. For example
788 you may only wish to see who is connected to the nodes in the UK. To
789 do this simply use a prefix like this ...
792 show/configuration gb7
796 To show the locally connected users, the
\e[1mSHOW/USERS
\e[22mcommand is used
806 The output of this command would look like this,
810 Callsigns connected to GB7MBC
811 G0JHC G0NEI G0VGS G0VGS-2 G0YLM
816 \e[1m8. Talk mode.
\e[0m
818 You can send a single comment or start a dedicated talk session to
819 another user by using the
\e[1mTALK
\e[22mcommand.
822 Talk mode is used to send a one line comment or greeting to a specific
823 user connected either at your node or another in the network. You can
824 also enter into a dedicated talk session with another user. Talks
825 will be automatically forwarded to other nodes if the station you are
826 talking to is not connected locally. You can find out who is
827 connected by using the
\e[1mSHOW/CONFIGURATION
\e[22mcommand, (described
834 talk g0rdi Having a good day Iain?
838 This example would send the line "Having a good day Iain?" to the user
839 g0rdi but would leave you in normal mode.
844 Entering Talkmode, /EX to end, /<cmd> to run a command
849 As you can see, you can still run commands whilst in talk mode.
850 Simply prefix the command with a / like /sh/dx and you will get the
851 expected output. If the user is connected to another node, you may
852 have to use a slightly extended version of the
\e[1mTALK
\e[22mcommand.
860 To exit talk mode, you issue the command
\e[1m/ex
\e[22m.
862 Whilst in talk mode you will still receive DX spots. This means that
863 you can chat to a friend whilst working DX.
868 You can send and receive both personal mail and bulletins with
869 DXSpider quite easily.
872 \e[1m9.1. The "directory" command.
\e[0m
874 To list mail you would use the
\e[1mDIRECTORY
\e[22mcommand. On its own, this
875 command will output the last ten messages received by the node, either
876 to or from yourself or bulletins such as "DX" and "ALL". As with
877 other commands you can display more by specifying a number with the
878 command. You should be aware that Spider will accept these commands
879 by separating with either a slash or a space, so
\e[4mdir
\e[24m
\e[4mnew
\e[24m and
\e[4mdir/new
\e[0m
880 work in the same way.
892 Of course most of the time you will only want to list new mail sent to
893 you personally since your last login. However you might also like to
894 check for general mail received by the node. In fact if there is new
895 mail for you, the cluster will tell you when you login. You will also
896 be informed if new mail arrives for you during the time you are logged
897 in. Mail is not only sent to callsigns though. Mail can also be sent
898 to subjects like "all" or "local" or "dx" etc. You can treat these
899 bulletins in the same way as personal mail with the directory command.
909 directory/from <call>
913 The last option will only show mail from a callsign if it was sent to
914 you personally or was sent as a bulletin. There are some additional
915 commands and these can be found in the DXSpider Command Reference
919 \e[1m9.2. Reading mail.
\e[0m
921 The output of the
\e[1mDIRECTORY
\e[22mcommand could be something like this.
926 20735 2 ALL GW7SMV 21-Feb 1204Z REC 9E1S QSL TDY 50Mhz....
927 20823 308 UK G0HDB 22-Feb 2334Z Help - which district code?
928 20824 105 ALL W9AE 23-Feb 0349Z S0NY QSL address?
929 20825 2 UK G0LRJ 23-Feb 0806Z QSL REC LZ2CJ/1.CARD NO-750.
930 20858 2 ALL GW7SMV 24-Feb 0905Z REC S92DX QSL CARD TDY 50Mhz
931 20921 200 ALL GM4FDM 27-Feb 2203Z Trip to VP8
932 20949 375 ALL K0MN 27-Feb 0428Z ST0P cards are gd @ ARRL
933 20950 2 UK G0LRJ 28-Feb 0835Z QSL REC SV9/IZ0CKJ/P EU-187.
934 20987 569 ALL GD0TEP 1-Mar 1733Z Portable contests
935 21076 2 ALL G4AFJ 3-Mar 1743Z kh6nd/kh5 qsl received
936 21184-p 599 GW4HAT G0VGS 4-Mar 1518Z Re: Time
940 The first column is the actual message number. If the message is a
941 personal one to you, you will see a letter 'p' after this number. If
942 the message has been read, there will be a '-' between the message
943 number and the 'p'. This only works for personal messages. The next
944 column shows the file size of the message. The third column shows the
945 address the message was sent to and the next column shows who sent it.
946 The rest is fairly self-explanatory.
948 Reading a message is as simple as typing read, followed by the message
949 number that you wish to read.
959 will read message number 25. However the mail will be displayed in
960 it's entirety unless you specify a page length. You can set your page
961 length to any number you like and when the message reaches that number
962 of lines you will get a prompt giving you options.
972 \e[1m9.3. Sending mail.
\e[0m
974 Sending mail is done in the time honoured way. First you specify a
975 recipient for the message, then you will be prompted for a subject.
976 Once you have done this you will be asked to type your message.
977 Please remember that there is no automatic word wrap, so unless you
978 are using a client that wraps lines automatically, remember to hit
979 return at the end of each line.
986 Enter Subject (30 characters):
988 Enter Message /EX to send or /ABORT to exit
990 Just a quick note to say that I can make Thursday after all. The
991 appointment I had has cancelled so we are go!
997 At this point you can either hit return and enter /ex to send the
998 message or use /abort at any time to abort it. You can now display
999 the message in the normal way. There are several send options and
1000 these are listed in the Command Set section. These include sending
1001 mail to several recipients and asking for a return receipt.
1005 \e[1m9.4. Replying to mail.
\e[0m
1007 If mail is addressed to you or to a bulletin address, you can use the
1008 \e[1mREPLY
\e[22mcommand to reply to it. Using this command, the subject will be
1009 automatically set for you as "Re: subject", whatever the subject was.
1019 \e[1m9.5. Deleting mail
\e[0m
1021 To delete a message, you use the
\e[4mdelete
\e[24m command. You can only delete
1022 messages sent to or received by yourself. Bulletins are dealt with
1023 automatically or by the sysop.
1026 \e[1m10. Filtering (From version 1.45)
\e[0m
1028 \e[1m10.1. General filter rules
\e[0m
1030 Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters.
1031 From v1.45 though that has all changed. It is now possible to set
1032 filters for just about anything you wish. If you have just updated
1033 from an older version of DXSpider you will need to update your new
1034 filters. You do not need to do anything with your old filters, they
1035 will be renamed as you update.
1038 There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating
1039 filters. These are
\e[4maccept
\e[24m,
\e[4mreject
\e[24m and
\e[4mclear
\e[24m. First we will look
1040 generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in
1041 the DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism.
1044 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which
1045 can have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...
1054 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There
1055 are filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects.
1056 See each different accept or reject command reference for more
1059 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter.
1068 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
1071 and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...
1079 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply
1080 the same principles to all types of filter.
1083 \e[1m10.2. Types of filter
\e[0m
1085 There are two main types of filter,
\e[4maccept
\e[24m or
\e[4mreject
\e[24m. You can use
1086 either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference
1087 and which is more simple to do. It is pointless writing 8 lines of
1088 reject filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing! Each
1089 filter has 10 lines (of any length) which are tried in order. If a
1090 line matches then the action you have specified is taken (ie reject
1091 means ignore it and accept means take it)
1094 If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match
1095 the filter will be dumped but all else will be accepted. If you use
1096 an accept filter, then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted
1097 and all else will be dumped. For example if you have a single line
1098 \e[4maccept
\e[24m filter ...
1102 accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1106 then you will
\e[4mONLY
\e[24m get VHF spots
\e[4mfrom
\e[24m or
\e[4mto
\e[24m CQ zones 14, 15 and 16.
1109 If you set a reject filter like this ...
1113 reject/spots on hf/cw
1117 Then you will get everything
\e[4mEXCEPT
\e[24m HF CW spots. You could make this
1118 single filter even more flexible. For example, if you are interested
1119 in IOTA and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not
1120 interested in CW, then you could say ...
1123 reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
1127 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
1131 accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
1135 which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the
1136 other until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix
1137 them if you wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the
1138 same line) but don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you
1142 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your
1143 own understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
1147 reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
1148 reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1152 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots
1153 on VHF which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe.
1156 This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this
1157 case), if you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits
1158 '0'-'9' are available. This make it easier to see just what filters
1159 you have set. It also makes it more simple to remove individual
1160 filters, during a contest for example.
1163 You will notice in the above example that the second line has
1164 brackets. Look at the line logically. You can see there are 2
1165 separate sections to it. We are saying reject spots that are VHF or
1166 above
\e[4mAPART
\e[24m from those in zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or
1167 originated there). If you did not have the brackets to separate the 2
1168 sections, then Spider would read it logically from the front and see a
1169 different expression entirely ...
1173 (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
1177 The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets.
1178 Whilst we are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the
1179 same as 'and by_zone'.
1181 As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible
1182 than simply setting one complex one. Doing it in this way means that
1183 if you want to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one
1184 or more lines of it or one line. For example ...
1185 reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
1189 would redefine our earlier example, or
1197 To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...
1205 \e[1m10.3. Filter options
\e[0m
1207 You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in
1208 the various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter.
1211 \e[1m10.4. Advanced filtering
\e[0m
1213 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to
1217 The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf
1218 spots from EU can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...
1224 acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1228 Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number. This
1229 will automatically be assumed to be number 1. In this case, we have
1230 said
\e[4mreject
\e[24m
\e[4mall
\e[24m
\e[4mHF
\e[24m
\e[4mspots
\e[24m
\e[4min
\e[24m
\e[4mthe
\e[24m
\e[4mCW
\e[24m
\e[4msection
\e[24m
\e[4mof
\e[24m
\e[4mthe
\e[24m
\e[4mbands
\e[24m
\e[4mbut
\e[24m
\e[4maccept
\e[24m
\e[4mall
\e[0m
1231 \e[4mothers
\e[24m
\e[4mat
\e[24m
\e[4mHF.
\e[24m
\e[4mAlso
\e[24m
\e[4maccept
\e[24m
\e[4manything
\e[24m
\e[4min
\e[24m
\e[4mVHF
\e[24m
\e[4mand
\e[24m
\e[4mabove
\e[24m
\e[4mspotted
\e[24m
\e[4min
\e[24m
\e[4mor
\e[24m
\e[4mby
\e[0m
1232 \e[4moperators
\e[24m
\e[4min
\e[24m
\e[4mthe
\e[24m
\e[4mzones
\e[24m
\e[4m14,
\e[24m
\e[4m15
\e[24m
\e[4mand
\e[24m
\e[4m16
\e[24m. Each filter slot actually has a
1233 'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed BEFORE
1237 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match,
1238 the default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for
1239 'accept'. In the example what happens is that the reject is executed
1240 first, any non hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets
1241 through everything else on HF. The next filter line lets through just
1242 VHF/UHF spots from EU.
1246 \e[1m10.5. A Filtering Tutorial
\e[0m
1248 There is now an excellent primer/tutorial on filtering written by Jim
1249 Samuels, W3BG with an introduction by Dave Hawes N3RD that I strongly
1250 suggest you read. You can read it here The DXSpider User Filtering
1254 \e[1m11. Hints, tips and common questions.
\e[0m
1256 \e[1mQ.
\e[22mThese commands seem very long! Can I shorten them?
1258 \e[1mA.
\e[22mOf course you can and the usual abbreviations work. If you are
1261 \e[1mQ.
\e[22mI am not sure if this command is correct. Can I cause any harm if I
1264 \e[1mA.
\e[22mDo not be afraid to try a command to see if it will work, at the
1265 worst you will get an error message. If you require any help on a
1266 command, just type help followed by the command you want help on.
1267 Look at the "DXSpider Command Reference" section to see what help can
1270 \e[1mQ.
\e[22mHow should I use the announce command?
1272 \e[1mA.
\e[22mWith respect. Use the command by all means, but please only use the
1273 "full" extension if absolutely necessary. It can create a LOT of
1274 messages passing between clusters.
1276 \e[1mQ.
\e[22mI like to be working in the shack while logged into the cluster but
1277 I can't be looking at the screen all the time. How can I be alerted
1278 when anything happens?
1280 \e[1mA.
\e[22mUse the
\e[1mSET/BEEP
\e[22mcommand. You can find information on this in the
1281 "DXSpider Command Reference" section.
1283 \e[1mQ.
\e[22mI got disconnected from the cluster and now I can't log back in
1284 again. What is wrong?
1286 \e[1mA.
\e[22mProbably the cluster thinks you are still logged on and will not let
1287 you reconnect using the same call to prevent loops. Try logging on
1288 again adding an ssid to your callsign as DXSpider treats G0YLM and
1289 G0YLM-1 as different users.
1291 \e[1mQ.
\e[22mHow do I know if I have got the latest version of this user manual?
1293 \e[1mA.
\e[22mThe latest and greatest will always be on the Website. It will also
1294 be included with every release of DXSpider. As always, if unsure, ask
1295 your sysop what version number is the latest.
1298 \e[1m12. The DXSpider Command Reference
\e[0m
1300 \e[1m12.1. accept
\e[0m
1302 \e[1maccept
\e[22mSet a filter to accept something
1305 Create a filter to accept something
1307 There are 2 types of filter, accept and reject. See HELP FILTERING
1312 \e[1m12.2. accept/announce [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
1314 \e[1maccept/announce [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mSet an 'accept' filter line for
1318 Create an 'accept this announce' line for a filter.
1320 An accept filter line means that if the announce matches this filter
1321 it is passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERING for more info. Please
1322 read this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
1325 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
1329 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
1330 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1332 origin_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1333 origin_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
1334 origin_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1335 origin_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,NH
1336 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
1337 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
1338 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1341 wx 1 filter WX announces
1342 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
1351 acc/ann 2 by_zone 14,15,16
1352 (this could be all on one line: acc/ann dest 6MUK or by_zone 14,15,16)
1367 acc/ann by_state va,nh,ri,nh
1371 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg:
1378 but this probably for advanced users...
1380 \e[1m12.3. accept/spots [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
1382 \e[1maccept/spots [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mSet an 'accept' filter line for spots
1385 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
1387 An accept filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
1388 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERING for more info. Please read
1389 this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
1392 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
1396 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
1397 on <range> same as 'freq'
1398 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
1399 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
1401 call_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1402 call_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
1403 call_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1404 call_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,ME
1405 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
1406 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
1407 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1408 by_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,ME
1414 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
1415 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
1416 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
1417 this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get too
1425 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1429 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything, eg:
1440 acc/spots by_state VA,NH,RI,MA,ME
1444 but this probably for advanced users...
1446 \e[1m12.4. accept/wcy [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
1448 \e[1maccept/wcy [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mset an 'accept' WCY filter
1451 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
1452 can filter on the following fields:-
1456 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1458 origin_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1459 origin_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
1460 origin_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1461 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
1462 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
1463 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1468 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place
1469 and you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want
1472 This command is really provided for future use.
1474 See HELP FILTER for information.
1476 \e[1m12.5. accept/wwv [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
1478 \e[1maccept/wwv [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mset an 'accept' WWV filter
1481 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
1482 can filter on the following fields:-
1486 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1488 origin_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1489 origin_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
1490 origin_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1491 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
1492 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
1493 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
1502 accept/wwv by_zone 4
1506 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV
1507 broadcasts by stations in the US).
1509 See HELP FILTER for information.
1511 \e[1m12.6. announce <text>
\e[0m
1513 \e[1mannounce <text>
\e[22mSend an announcement to LOCAL users only
1516 <text> is the text of the announcement you wish to broadcast
1518 \e[1m12.7. announce full <text>
\e[0m
1520 \e[1mannounce full <text>
\e[22mSend an announcement cluster wide
1523 This will send your announcement cluster wide
1525 \e[1m12.8. apropos <string>
\e[0m
1527 \e[1mapropos <string>
\e[22mSearch help database for <string>
1530 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive), and
1531 print the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
1533 \e[1m12.9. blank [<string>] [<nn>]
\e[0m
1535 \e[1mblank [<string>] [<nn>]
\e[22mPrint nn (default 1) blank lines (or strings)
1538 In its basic form this command prints one or more blank lines. However
1539 if you pass it a string it will replicate the string for the width of
1540 the screen (default 80) and then print that one or more times, so:
1548 prints two blank lines
1556 prints a row of - characters once.
1564 prints 'abcabcabcabcabcabc....'
1566 This is really only of any use in a script file and you can print a
1569 \e[1m12.10. bye
\e[0m
1571 \e[1mbye
\e[22mExit from the cluster
1574 This will disconnect you from the cluster
1576 \e[1m12.11. chat <group> <text>
\e[0m
1578 \e[1mchat <group> <text>
\e[22mChat or Conference to a group
1581 It is now possible to JOIN a group and have network wide conferencing
1582 to that group. DXSpider does not (and probably will not) implement the
1583 AK1A conference mode as this seems very limiting, is hardly used and
1584 doesn't seem to work too well anyway.
1586 This system uses the existing ANN system and is compatible with both
1587 other DXSpider nodes and AK1A clusters (they use ANN/<group>).
1589 You can be a member of as many "groups" as you want. To join a group
1594 JOIN FOC (where FOC is the group name)
1598 To leave a group type:-
1606 You can see which groups you are in by typing:-
1614 and you can see whether your mate is in the group, if he connects to
1615 the same node as you, by typing:-
1622 To send a message to a group type:-
1626 CHAT FOC hello everyone
1634 CH #9000 hello I am back
1638 See also JOIN, LEAVE, SHOW/CHAT
1640 \e[1m12.12. clear/announce [1|all]
\e[0m
1642 \e[1mclear/announce [1|all]
\e[22mClear a announce filter line
1645 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a annouce filter
1646 or to remove the whole filter.
1648 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
1650 \e[1m12.13. clear/route [1|all]
\e[0m
1652 \e[1mclear/route [1|all]
\e[22mClear a route filter line
1655 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a route filter or
1656 to remove the whole filter.
1658 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
1660 \e[1m12.14. clear/spots [0-9|all]
\e[0m
1662 \e[1mclear/spots [0-9|all]
\e[22mClear a spot filter line
1665 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or
1666 to remove the whole filter.
1668 If you have a filter:-
1673 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1685 you will be left with:-
1689 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1701 the filter will be completely removed.
1703 \e[1m12.15. clear/wcy [1|all]
\e[0m
1705 \e[1mclear/wcy [1|all]
\e[22mClear a WCY filter line
1708 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a WCY filter or to
1709 remove the whole filter.
1711 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
1713 \e[1m12.16. clear/wwv [1|all]
\e[0m
1715 \e[1mclear/wwv [1|all]
\e[22mClear a WWV filter line
1718 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a WWV filter or to
1719 remove the whole filter.
1721 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
1723 \e[1m12.17. dbavail
\e[0m
1725 \e[1mdbavail
\e[22mShow a list of all the Databases in the system
1728 Title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined
1729 in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
1731 \e[1m12.18. dbshow <dbname> <key>
\e[0m
1733 \e[1mdbshow <dbname> <key>
\e[22mDisplay an entry, if it exists, in a database
1736 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database
1737 system. It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local
1738 Aliases file so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of
1747 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
1748 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
1756 \e[1m12.19. directory
\e[0m
1758 \e[1mdirectory
\e[22mList messages
1762 \e[1m12.20. directory <from>-<to>
\e[0m
1764 \e[1mdirectory <from>-<to>
\e[22mList messages <from> message <to> message
1767 List the messages in the messages directory.
1769 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
1770 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
1772 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
1775 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
1786 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
1790 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a
1800 \e[1m12.21. directory <nn>
\e[0m
1802 \e[1mdirectory <nn>
\e[22mList last <nn> messages
1806 \e[1m12.22. directory all
\e[0m
1808 \e[1mdirectory all
\e[22mList all messages
1812 \e[1m12.23. directory from <call>
\e[0m
1814 \e[1mdirectory from <call>
\e[22mList all messages from <call>
1818 \e[1m12.24. directory new
\e[0m
1820 \e[1mdirectory new
\e[22mList all new messages
1824 \e[1m12.25. directory own
\e[0m
1826 \e[1mdirectory own
\e[22mList your own messages
1830 \e[1m12.26. directory subject <string>
\e[0m
1832 \e[1mdirectory subject <string>
\e[22mList all messages with <string> in subject
1836 \e[1m12.27. directory to <call>
\e[0m
1838 \e[1mdirectory to <call>
\e[22mList all messages to <call>
1842 \e[1m12.28. dx [by <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks>
\e[0m
1844 \e[1mdx [by <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks>
\e[22mSend a DX spot
1847 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
1848 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
1858 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end of
1859 the command and they will be added to the spot.
1863 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
1867 You can credit someone else by saying:-
1870 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
1874 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
1875 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
1877 \e[1m12.29. echo <line>
\e[0m
1879 \e[1mecho <line>
\e[22mEcho the line to the output
1882 This command is useful in scripts and so forth for printing the line
1883 that you give to the command to the output. You can use this in
1884 user_default scripts and the SAVE command for titling and so forth
1886 The script will interpret certain standard "escape" sequences as
1891 \t - becomes a TAB character (0x09 in ascii)
1892 \a - becomes a BEEP character (0x07 in ascii)
1893 \n - prints a new line
1897 So the following example:-
1901 echo GB7DJK is a dxcluster
1909 GB7DJK is a dxcluster
1913 on the output. You don't need a \n on the end of the line you want to
1916 A more complex example:-
1920 echo GB7DJK\n\tg1tlh\tDirk\n\tg3xvf\tRichard
1937 \e[1m12.30. filtering...
\e[0m
1939 \e[1mfiltering...
\e[22mFiltering things in DXSpider
1942 There are a number of things you can filter in the DXSpider system.
1943 They all use the same general mechanism.
1945 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which
1946 can have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example:-
1955 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There
1956 are filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects.
1957 See each different accept or reject command reference for more
1960 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter and
1961 one to show you what you have set. They are:-
1978 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
1980 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply
1981 the principles to all types of filter.
1983 There are two main types of filter 'accept' or 'reject'; which you use
1984 depends entirely on how you look at the world and what is least
1985 writing to achieve what you want. Each filter has 10 lines (of any
1986 length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the action
1987 you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept
1990 The important thing to remember is that if you specify a 'reject'
1991 filter (all the lines in it say 'reject/spots' (for instance)) then if
1992 a spot comes in that doesn't match any of the lines then you will get
1993 it BUT if you specify an 'accept' filter then any spots that don't
1994 match are dumped. For example if I have a one line accept filter:-
1998 accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2002 then automatically you will ONLY get VHF spots from or to CQ zones 14
2003 15 and 16. If you set a reject filter like:
2007 reject/spots on hf/cw
2011 Then you will get everything EXCEPT HF CW spots, If you am interested
2012 in IOTA and will work it even on CW then you could say:-
2016 reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
2020 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
2024 accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
2028 which is exactly the same. You should choose one or the other until
2029 you are confortable with the way it works. Yes, you can mix them
2030 (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but
2031 don't try this at home until you can analyse the results that you get
2032 without ringing up the sysop for help.
2034 Another useful addition now is filtering by US state
2038 accept/spots by_state VA,NH,RI,ME
2042 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your
2043 own understanding or simply convenience. I have one set frequently:-
2047 reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
2048 reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2051 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots (being a class B I can't
2052 read any CW and couldn't possibly be interested in HF :-) and also
2053 rejects any spots on VHF which don't either originate or spot someone
2056 This is an exmaple where you would use the line number (1 and 2 in
2057 this case), if you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits
2059 You can leave the word 'and' out if you want, it is implied. You can
2060 use any number of brackets to make the 'expression' as you want it.
2061 There are things called precedence rules working here which mean that
2062 you will NEED brackets in a situation like line 2 because, without it,
2067 (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
2071 annoying, but that is the way it is. If you use OR - use brackets.
2072 Whilst we are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just 'and
2075 If you want to alter your filter you can just redefine one or more
2076 lines of it or clear out one line. For example:-
2080 reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
2092 To remove the filter in its entirty:-
2100 There are similar CLEAR commands for the other filters:-
2112 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to
2115 my example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU
2116 can be written with a mixed filter, eg:
2122 acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2126 each filter slot actually has a 'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot.
2127 The reject slot is executed BEFORE the accept slot.
2129 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match,
2130 the default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for
2131 first, any non hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets
2132 thru everything else on HF.
2134 The next filter line lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU.
2136 \e[1m12.31. help
\e[0m
2138 \e[1mhelp
\e[22mThe HELP Command
2141 HELP is available for a number of commands. The syntax is:-
2149 Where <cmd> is the name of the command you want help on.
2151 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated to
2152 SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
2154 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help
2155 database for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely
2156 commands to look at with HELP.
2158 \e[1m12.32. join <group>
\e[0m
2160 \e[1mjoin <group>
\e[22mJoin a chat or conference group
2163 JOIN allows you to join a network wide conference group. To join a
2164 group (called FOC in this case) type:-
2172 See also CHAT, LEAVE, SHOW/CHAT
2175 \e[1m12.33. kill <from msgno>-<to msgno>
\e[0m
2177 \e[1mkill <from msgno>-<to msgno>
\e[22mDelete a range of messages
2181 \e[1m12.34. kill <msgno> [<msgno..]
\e[0m
2183 \e[1mkill <msgno> [<msgno..]
\e[22mDelete a message from the local system
2187 \e[1m12.35. kill <msgno> [<msgno> ...]
\e[0m
2189 \e[1mkill <msgno> [<msgno> ...]
\e[22mRemove or erase a message from the system
2192 You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign
2193 using this command. You can remove more than one message at a time.
2195 \e[1m12.36. kill from <regex>
\e[0m
2197 \e[1mkill from <regex>
\e[22mDelete messages FROM a callsign or pattern
2201 \e[1m12.37. kill to <regex>
\e[0m
2203 \e[1mkill to <regex>
\e[22mDelete messages TO a callsign or pattern
2207 \e[1m12.38. leave <group>
\e[0m
2209 \e[1mleave <group>
\e[22mLeave a chat or conference group
2212 LEAVE allows you to leave a network wide conference group. To leave a
2213 group (called FOC in this case) type:-
2221 See also CHAT, JOIN, SHOW/CHAT
2223 \e[1m12.39. links
\e[0m
2225 \e[1mlinks
\e[22mShow which nodes is physically connected
2228 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and some
2229 information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
2231 \e[1m12.40. read
\e[0m
2233 \e[1mread
\e[22mRead the next unread personal message addressed to you
2237 \e[1m12.41. read <msgno>
\e[0m
2239 \e[1mread <msgno>
\e[22mRead the specified message
2242 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
2243 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
2245 \e[1m12.42. reject
\e[0m
2247 \e[1mreject
\e[22mSet a filter to reject something
2250 Create a filter to reject something
2252 There are 2 types of filter, accept and reject. See HELP FILTERING
2255 \e[1m12.43. reject/announce [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
2257 \e[1mreject/announce [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mSet a 'reject' filter line for
2261 Create an 'reject this announce' line for a filter.
2263 A reject filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it
2264 is passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERING for more info. Please read
2265 this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
2268 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2272 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
2273 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2275 origin_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2276 origin_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
2277 origin_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2278 origin_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,ME
2279 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
2280 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
2281 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2282 by_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,ME
2284 wx 1 filter WX announces
2285 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
2293 rej/ann by_zone 14,15,16 and not by G,M,2
2297 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
2305 but this probably for advanced users...
2307 \e[1m12.44. reject/spots [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
2309 \e[1mreject/spots [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mSet a 'reject' filter line for spots
2312 Create a 'reject this spot' line for a filter.
2314 A reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
2315 dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERING for more info. Please read
2316 this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
2319 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2323 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
2324 on <range> same as 'freq'
2325 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
2326 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
2328 call_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2329 call_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
2330 call_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2331 call_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,ME
2332 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
2333 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
2334 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2335 by_state <states> eg: VA,NH,RI,ME
2341 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
2342 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
2343 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
2344 this is more efficient than saying simply: on HF (but don't get too
2352 rej/spot 2 on vhf and not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2356 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
2363 but this probably for advanced users...
2365 \e[1m12.45. reject/wcy [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
2367 \e[1mreject/wcy [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mset a 'reject' WCY filter
2370 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
2371 can filter on the following fields:-
2375 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2377 origin_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2378 origin_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
2379 origin_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2380 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
2381 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
2382 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2387 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place
2388 and you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want
2391 This command is really provided for future use.
2393 See HELP FILTER for information.
2395 \e[1m12.46. reject/wwv [0-9] <pattern>
\e[0m
2397 \e[1mreject/wwv [0-9] <pattern>
\e[22mset a 'reject' WWV filter
2400 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
2401 can filter on the following fields:-
2405 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2407 origin_dxcc <prefixes or numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2408 origin_itu <prefixes or numbers> or: G,GM,GW
2409 origin_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2410 by_dxcc <prefixes or numbers>
2411 by_itu <prefixes or numbers>
2412 by_zone <prefixes or numbers>
2421 reject/wwv by_zone 14,15,16
2425 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV
2426 broadcasts by stations in the US).
2428 See HELP FILTER for information.
2430 \e[1m12.47. reply
\e[0m
2432 \e[1mreply
\e[22mReply (privately) to the last message that you have read
2436 \e[1m12.48. reply <msgno>
\e[0m
2438 \e[1mreply <msgno>
\e[22mReply (privately) to the specified message
2442 \e[1m12.49. reply b <msgno>
\e[0m
2444 \e[1mreply b <msgno>
\e[22mReply as a Bulletin to the specified message
2448 \e[1m12.50. reply noprivate <msgno>
\e[0m
2450 \e[1mreply noprivate <msgno>
\e[22mReply as a Bulletin to the specified message
2454 \e[1m12.51. reply rr <msgno>
\e[0m
2456 \e[1mreply rr <msgno>
\e[22mReply to the specified message with read receipt
2459 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
2460 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
2462 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
2463 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND for
2466 \e[1m12.52. send <call> [<call> ...]
\e[0m
2468 \e[1msend <call> [<call> ...]
\e[22mSend a message to one or more callsigns
2472 \e[1m12.53. send copy <msgno> <call>
\e[0m
2474 \e[1msend copy <msgno> <call>
\e[22mSend a copy of a message to someone
2478 \e[1m12.54. send noprivate <call>
\e[0m
2480 \e[1msend noprivate <call>
\e[22mSend a message to all stations
2483 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either
2484 to an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
2486 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that
2487 is it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster
2488 node that that callsign is connected to. If the <call> you have
2489 specified is in fact a known bulletin category on your node (eg: ALL)
2490 then the message should automatically become a bulletin.
2491 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
2493 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
2497 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
2501 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you
2502 will receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
2504 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak) SP
2505 is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
2507 The system will ask you for a subject. Conventionally this should be
2508 no longer than 29 characters for compatibility. Most modern cluster
2509 software should accept more.
2511 You will now be prompted to start entering your text.
2513 You finish the message by entering '/EX' on a new line. For instance:
2524 If you have started a message and you don't want to keep it then you
2525 can abandon the message with '/ABORT' on a new line, like:-
2531 oh I just can't be bothered with this
2536 If you abort the message it will NOT be sent.
2538 When you are entering the text of your message, most normal output
2539 (such as DX announcements and so on are suppressed and stored for
2540 latter display (upto 20 such lines are stored, as new ones come along,
2541 so the oldest lines are dropped).
2543 Also, you can enter normal commands commands (and get the output
2544 immediately) whilst in the middle of a message. You do this by typing
2545 the command preceeded by a '/' character on a new line, so:-
2549 /dx g1tlh 144010 strong signal
2553 Will issue a dx annoucement to the rest of the cluster.
2555 Also, you can add the output of a command to your message by
2556 preceeding the command with '//', thus :-
2564 This will show YOU the output from SH/VHFTABLE and also store it in
2567 You can carry on with the message until you are ready to send it.
2569 \e[1m12.55. send private <call>
\e[0m
2571 \e[1msend private <call>
\e[22mSend a personal message
2575 \e[1m12.56. send rr <call>
\e[0m
2577 \e[1msend rr <call>
\e[22mSend a message and ask for a read receipt
2581 \e[1m12.57. set/address <your address>
\e[0m
2583 \e[1mset/address <your address>
\e[22mRecord your postal address
2587 \e[1m12.58. set/announce
\e[0m
2589 \e[1mset/announce
\e[22mAllow announce messages to come out on your terminal
2593 \e[1m12.59. set/anntalk
\e[0m
2595 \e[1mset/anntalk
\e[22mAllow talk like announce messages on your terminal
2599 \e[1m12.60. set/beep
\e[0m
2601 \e[1mset/beep
\e[22mAdd a beep to DX and other messages on your terminal
2605 \e[1m12.61. set/dx
\e[0m
2607 \e[1mset/dx
\e[22mAllow DX messages to come out on your terminal
2611 \e[1m12.62. set/dxcq
\e[0m
2613 \e[1mset/dxcq
\e[22mShow CQ Zones on the end of DX announcements
2617 \e[1m12.63. set/dxgrid
\e[0m
2619 \e[1mset/dxgrid
\e[22mAllow QRA Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
2623 \e[1m12.64. set/dxitu
\e[0m
2625 \e[1mset/dxitu
\e[22mShow ITU Zones on the end of DX announcements
2629 \e[1m12.65. set/echo
\e[0m
2631 \e[1mset/echo
\e[22mMake the cluster echo your input
2635 \e[1m12.66. set/email <email> ...
\e[0m
2637 \e[1mset/email <email> ...
\e[22mSet email address(es) and forward your personals
2641 \e[1m12.67. set/here
\e[0m
2643 \e[1mset/here
\e[22mTell the system you are present at your terminal
2647 \e[1m12.68. set/homenode <node>
\e[0m
2649 \e[1mset/homenode <node>
\e[22mSet your normal cluster callsign
2652 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages
2653 sent to you will normally find their way there should you not be
2661 \e[1m12.69. set/language <lang>
\e[0m
2663 \e[1mset/language <lang>
\e[22mSet the language you want to use
2666 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use.
2667 Currently the languages available are en (English), de (German), es
2668 (Spanish), Czech (cz), French (fr), Portuguese (pt), Italian (it) and
2671 \e[1m12.70. set/location <lat & long>
\e[0m
2673 \e[1mset/location <lat & long>
\e[22mSet your latitude and longitude
2677 \e[1m12.71. set/logininfo
\e[0m
2679 \e[1mset/logininfo
\e[22mInform when a station logs in/out locally
2681 \e[1m12.72. set/name <your name>
\e[0m
2683 \e[1mset/name <your name>
\e[22mSet your name
2686 Tell the system what your name is eg:-
2693 \e[1m12.73. set/page <lines per page>
\e[0m
2695 \e[1mset/page <lines per page>
\e[22mSet the lines per page
2698 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of
2699 line of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20.
2700 Setting it explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
2708 The setting is stored in your user profile.
2710 \e[1m12.74. set/password
\e[0m
2712 \e[1mset/password
\e[22mSet your own password
2715 This command only works for a 'telnet' user (currently). It will only
2716 work if you have a password already set. This initial password can
2717 only be set by the sysop.
2719 When you execute this command it will ask you for your old password,
2720 then ask you to type in your new password twice (to make sure you get
2721 it right). You may or may not see the data echoed on the screen as you
2722 type, depending on the type of telnet client you have.
2724 \e[1m12.75. set/prompt <string>
\e[0m
2726 \e[1mset/prompt <string>
\e[22mSet your prompt to <string>
2730 \e[1m12.76. set/qra <locator>
\e[0m
2732 \e[1mset/qra <locator>
\e[22mSet your QRA Grid locator
2735 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have
2736 not done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set
2737 roughly correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
2744 \e[1m12.77. set/qth <your qth>
\e[0m
2746 \e[1mset/qth <your qth>
\e[22mSet your QTH
2749 Tell the system where you are. For example:-
2752 SET/QTH East Dereham, Norfolk
2756 \e[1m12.78. set/startup
\e[0m
2758 \e[1mset/startup
\e[22mCreate your own startup script
2761 Create a startup script of DXSpider commands which will be executed
2762 everytime that you login into this node. You can only input the whole
2763 script afresh, it is not possible to 'edit' it. Inputting a new script
2764 is just like typing in a message using SEND. To finish inputting type:
2765 /EX on a newline, to abandon the script type: /ABORT.
2767 You may find the (curiously named) command BLANK useful to break up
2768 the output. If you simply want a blank line, it is easier to input one
2769 or more spaces and press the <return> key.
2771 See UNSET/STARTUP to remove a script.
2773 \e[1m12.79. set/talk
\e[0m
2775 \e[1mset/talk
\e[22mAllow TALK messages to come out on your terminal
2779 \e[1m12.80. set/usstate
\e[0m
2781 \e[1mset/usstate
\e[22mAllow US State info on the end of DX announcements
2785 \e[1m12.81. set/wcy
\e[0m
2787 \e[1mset/wcy
\e[22mAllow WCY messages to come out on your terminal
2791 \e[1m12.82. set/wwv
\e[0m
2793 \e[1mset/wwv
\e[22mAllow WWV messages to come out on your terminal
2797 \e[1m12.83. set/wx
\e[0m
2799 \e[1mset/wx
\e[22mAllow WX messages to come out on your terminal
2803 \e[1m12.84. show/chat [<group>] [<lines>]
\e[0m
2805 \e[1mshow/chat [<group>] [<lines>]
\e[22mShow any chat or conferencing
2808 This command allows you to see any chat or conferencing that has
2809 occurred whilst you were away. SHOW/CHAT on its own will show data for
2810 all groups. If you use a group name then it will show only chat for
2813 \e[1m12.85. show/configuration [<node>]
\e[0m
2815 \e[1mshow/configuration [<node>]
\e[22mShow all the nodes and users visible
2818 This command allows you to see all the users that can be seen and the
2819 nodes to which they are connected.
2821 This command is normally abbreviated to: sh/c
2823 Normally, the list returned will be just for the nodes from your
2824 country (because the list otherwise will be very long).
2832 will produce a complete list of all nodes.
2834 BE WARNED: the list that is returned can be VERY long
2836 It is possible to supply a node or part of a prefix and you will get a
2837 list of the users for that node or list of nodes starting with that
2850 \e[1m12.86. show/configuration/node
\e[0m
2852 \e[1mshow/configuration/node
\e[22mShow all the nodes connected locally
2855 Show all the nodes connected to this node.
2857 \e[1m12.87. show/contest <year and month>
\e[0m
2859 \e[1mshow/contest <year and month>
\e[22mShow all the contests for a month
2862 Show all known contests which are maintained at
2863 http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/ for a particular month or year. The
2864 format is reasonably flexible. For example:-
2873 \e[1m12.88. show/date [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[0m
2875 \e[1mshow/date [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[22mShow the local time
2878 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the
2879 format of the date string if no arguments are given.
2881 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the
2882 local time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some
2883 prefixes then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not
2884 including DST) at the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
2886 \e[1m12.89. show/db0sdx <callsign>
\e[0m
2888 \e[1mshow/db0sdx <callsign>
\e[22mShow QSL infomation from DB0SDX database
2891 This command queries the DB0SDX QSL server on the internet and returns
2892 any information available for that callsign. This service is provided
2893 for users of this software by http://www.qslinfo.de.
2895 See also SHOW/QRZ, SHOW/WM7D.
2897 \e[1m12.90. show/dx
\e[0m
2899 \e[1mshow/dx
\e[22mInterrogate the spot database
2902 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots (sysop
2903 configurable, but usually 10).
2905 In addition you can add any number of these commands in very nearly
2906 any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
2910 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
2911 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
2912 on <from>/<to> - eg 1000/4000 14000-30000 (in Khz)
2917 <number> - the number of spots you want
2918 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in the selected list
2923 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
2924 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
2925 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
2929 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
2930 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
2935 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
2939 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call> is the
2944 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
2945 held in the spot database.
2949 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will look for
2950 the string iota and anything which looks like an iota
2951 island number. If you specify then it will look for
2956 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if you specify
2957 one or else anything that looks like a locator.
2961 dxcc - treat the prefix as a 'country' and look for spots
2962 from that country regardless of actual prefix.
2967 You can also use this with the 'by' keyword so
2972 real or rt - Format the output the same as for real time spots. The
2973 formats are deliberately different (so you can tell
2974 one sort from the other). This is useful for some
2975 logging programs that can't cope with normal sh/dx
2976 output. An alias of SHOW/FDX is available.
2980 filter - Filter the spots, before output, with the user's
2981 spot filter. An alias of SHOW/MYDX is available.
2985 zone <zones> - look for spots in the cq zone (or zones) specified.
2986 zones are numbers separated by commas.
2990 by_zone <zones> - look for spots spotted by people in the cq zone
2995 itu <itus> - look for spots in the itu zone (or zones) specified
2996 itu zones are numbers separated by commas.
3000 by_itu <itus> - look for spots spotted by people in the itu zone
3005 state <list> - look for spots in the US state (or states) specified
3006 The list is two letter state codes separated by commas.
3010 by_state <list> - look for spots spotted by people in the US state
3020 SH/DX on 20m info iota
3021 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
3027 SH/DX dxcc oq2 by w dxcc
3031 SH/DX by_state in,oh
3035 \e[1m12.91. show/dxcc <prefix>
\e[0m
3037 \e[1mshow/dxcc <prefix>
\e[22mInterrogate the spot database by country
3040 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
3041 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is and
3042 then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
3044 This is now an alias for 'SHOW/DX DXCC'
3046 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command. e.g.
3051 SH/DXCC W on 20m iota
3055 This can be done with the SHOW/DX command like this:-
3060 SH/DX dxcc w on 20m iota
3064 This is an alias for: SH/DX dxcc
3066 \e[1m12.92. show/dxqsl <callsign>
\e[0m
3068 \e[1mshow/dxqsl <callsign>
\e[22mShow any QSL info gathered from spots
3071 The node collects information from the comment fields in spots (things
3072 like 'VIA EA7WA' or 'QSL-G1TLH') and stores these in a database.
3074 This command allows you to interrogate that database and if the
3075 callsign is found will display the manager(s) that people have
3076 spotted. This information is NOT reliable, but it is normally
3077 reasonably accurate if it is spotted enough times.
3087 You can check the raw input spots yourself with:-
3095 This gives you more background information.
3097 \e[1m12.93. show/dxstats [days] [date]
\e[0m
3099 \e[1mshow/dxstats [days] [date]
\e[22mShow the DX Statistics
3102 Show the total DX spots for the last <days> no of days (default is
3103 31), starting from a <date> (default: today).
3105 \e[1m12.94. show/fdx
\e[0m
3107 \e[1mshow/fdx
\e[22mShow the DX data in realtime format.
3110 Normally SHOW/DX outputs spot data in a different format to the
3111 realtime data. This is a deliberate policy (so you can tell the
3112 difference between the two). Some logging programs cannot handle this
3113 so SHOW/FDX outputs historical data in real time format.
3115 This is an alias for: SHOW/DX real
3117 \e[1m12.95. show/files [<filearea> [<string>]]
\e[0m
3119 \e[1mshow/files [<filearea> [<string>]]
\e[22mList the contents of a filearea
3122 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
3123 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file area
3130 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the con-
3133 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
3134 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
3137 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
3141 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
3143 \e[1m12.96. show/filter
\e[0m
3145 \e[1mshow/filter
\e[22mShow the contents of all the filters you have set
3148 Show the contents of all the filters that are set. This command
3149 displays all the filters set - for all the various categories.
3151 \e[1m12.97. show/hfstats [days] [date]
\e[0m
3153 \e[1mshow/hfstats [days] [date]
\e[22mShow the HF DX Statistics
3156 Show the HF DX spots breakdown by band for the last <days> no of days
3157 (default is 31), starting from a <date> (default: today).
3159 \e[1m12.98. show/hftable [days] [date] [prefix ...]
\e[0m
3161 \e[1mshow/hftable [days] [date] [prefix ...]
\e[22mShow the HF DX Spotter Table
3164 Show the HF DX Spotter table for the list of prefixes for the last
3165 <days> no of days (default is 31), starting from a <date> (default:
3168 If there are no prefixes then it will show the table for your country.
3170 Remember that some countries have more than one "DXCC country" in them
3171 (eg G :-), to show them (assuming you are not in G already which is
3172 specially treated in the code) you must list all the relevant prefixes
3176 sh/hftable g gm gd gi gj gw gu
3180 Note that the prefixes are converted into country codes so you don't
3181 have to list all possible prefixes for each country.
3183 If you want more or less days than the default simply include the
3184 number you require:-
3192 If you want to start at a different day, simply add the date in some
3197 sh/hftable 2 25nov02
3198 sh/hftable 2 25-nov-02
3200 sh/hftable 2 25/11/02
3204 This will show the stats for your DXCC for that CQWW contest weekend.
3206 You can specify either prefixes or full callsigns (so you can see how
3207 you did against all your mates). You can also say 'all' which will
3208 then print the worldwide statistics.
3216 \e[1m12.99. show/moon [ndays] [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[0m
3218 \e[1mshow/moon [ndays] [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[22mShow Moon rise and set times
3221 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or
3222 callsigns, together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun
3223 currently at those locations.
3225 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times
3226 for your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or
3227 SET/QRA), together with the current azimuth and elevation.
3229 In addition, it will show the illuminated fraction of the moons disk.
3231 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
3232 that you are connected to.
3243 You can also use this command to see into the past or the future, so
3244 if you want to see yesterday's times then do:-
3252 or in three days time:-
3260 Upto 366 days can be checked both in the past and in the future.
3262 Please note that the rise and set times are given as the UT times of
3263 rise and set on the requested UT day.
3265 \e[1m12.100. show/muf <prefix> [<hours>][long]
\e[0m
3267 \e[1mshow/muf <prefix> [<hours>][long]
\e[22mShow the likely propagation to a
3271 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting a
3272 station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a
3273 modest power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about
3276 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
3277 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
3278 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
3279 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced
3280 accuracy for paths shorter or longer than this.
3282 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
3283 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
3284 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
3285 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
3286 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
3287 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
3288 such as the Voice of America.
3290 The command will display some header information detailing its
3291 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
3292 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
3293 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
3294 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for
3295 which the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a
3298 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the
3299 conventional 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it
3300 means that it is 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by
3301 an 'm' it means that there is likely to be much fading and by an 's'
3302 that the signal is likely to be noisy.
3304 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
3305 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no
3306 of hours required after the prefix. For example:-
3316 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
3317 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
3318 Location Lat / Long Azim
3319 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
3320 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
3321 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
3322 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
3323 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
3327 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
3328 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
3338 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
3348 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
3349 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
3350 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
3352 \e[1m12.101. show/mydx
\e[0m
3354 \e[1mshow/mydx
\e[22mShow the DX data filtered with your spot filter.
3357 SHOW/DX potentially shows all the spots available in the system. Using
3358 SHOW/MYDX will, instead, filter the availble spots using any spot
3359 filter that you have set, first.
3361 This command, together with ACCEPT/SPOT or REJECT/SPOT, will allow you
3362 to customise the spots that you receive.
3364 So if you have said: ACC/SPOT on hf
3366 Doing a SHOW/MYDX will now only, ever, show HF spots. All the other
3367 options on SH/DX can still be used.
3369 \e[1m12.102. show/newconfiguration [<node>]
\e[0m
3371 \e[1mshow/newconfiguration [<node>]
\e[22mShow all the nodes and users visible
3374 This command allows you to see all the users that can be seen and the
3375 nodes to which they are connected.
3377 This command produces essentially the same information as
3378 SHOW/CONFIGURATION except that it shows all the duplication of any
3379 routes that might be present It also uses a different format which may
3380 not take up quite as much space if you don't have any loops.
3382 BE WARNED: the list that is returned can be VERY long
3384 \e[1m12.103. show/newconfiguration/node
\e[0m
3386 \e[1mshow/newconfiguration/node
\e[22mShow all the nodes connected locally
3389 Show all the nodes connected to this node in the new format.
3391 \e[1m12.104. show/prefix <callsign>
\e[0m
3393 \e[1mshow/prefix <callsign>
\e[22mInterrogate the prefix database
3396 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
3397 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number it is
3398 and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country together
3399 with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
3403 \e[1m12.105. show/qra <lat> <long>
\e[0m
3405 \e[1mshow/qra <lat> <long>
\e[22mConvert lat/long to a QRA Grid locator
3408 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
3409 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
3410 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
3411 to the locator. For example:-
3420 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator
3421 from yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and
3422 bearing from the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6
3425 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator
3426 by using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument,
3431 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
3435 \e[1m12.106. show/qra <locator> [<locator>]
\e[0m
3437 \e[1mshow/qra <locator> [<locator>]
\e[22mShow distance between QRA Grid locators
3441 \e[1m12.107. show/qrz <callsign>
\e[0m
3443 \e[1mshow/qrz <callsign>
\e[22mShow any callbook details on a callsign
3446 This command queries the QRZ callbook server on the internet and
3447 returns any information available for that callsign. This service is
3448 provided for users of this software by http://www.qrz.com
3450 See also SHOW/WM7D for an alternative.
3452 \e[1m12.108. show/route <callsign> ...
\e[0m
3454 \e[1mshow/route <callsign> ...
\e[22mShow the route to the callsign
3457 This command allows you to see to which node the callsigns specified
3458 are connected. It is a sort of inverse sh/config.
3466 \e[1m12.109. show/satellite <name> [<hours> <interval>]
\e[0m
3468 \e[1mshow/satellite <name> [<hours> <interval>]
\e[22mShow tracking data
3471 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your
3472 choice from now on for the next few hours.
3474 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a
3475 list of all the satellites known currently to the system.
3477 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
3478 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
3479 give information for the next three hours for every five minute
3482 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
3485 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
3492 SH/SAT FENGYUN1 12 2
3496 \e[1m12.110. show/startup
\e[0m
3498 \e[1mshow/startup
\e[22mView your own startup script
3501 View the contents of a startup script created with SET/STARTUP.
3503 \e[1m12.111. show/station [<callsign> ..]
\e[0m
3505 \e[1mshow/station [<callsign> ..]
\e[22mShow information about a callsign
3508 Show the information known about a callsign and whether (and where)
3509 that callsign is connected to the cluster.
3517 If no callsign is given then show the information for yourself.
3519 \e[1m12.112. show/sun [ndays] [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[0m
3521 \e[1mshow/sun [ndays] [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[22mShow sun rise and set times
3524 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
3525 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
3528 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times
3529 for your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or
3530 SET/QRA), together with the current azimuth and elevation.
3532 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
3533 that you are connected to.
3540 SH/SUN G1TLH K9CW ZS
3544 You can also use this command to see into the past or the future, so
3545 if you want to see yesterday's times then do:-
3553 or in three days time:-
3561 Upto 366 days can be checked both in the past and in the future.
3563 Please note that the rise and set times are given as the UT times of
3564 rise and set on the requested UT day.
3565 \e[1m12.113. show/time [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[0m
3567 \e[1mshow/time [<prefix>|<callsign>]
\e[22mShow the local time
3570 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the
3571 local time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some
3572 prefixes then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not
3573 including DST) at the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
3575 \e[1m12.114. show/usdb [call ..]
\e[0m
3577 \e[1mshow/usdb [call ..]
\e[22mShow information held on the FCC Call database
3580 Show the City and State of a Callsign held on the FCC database if his
3581 is being run on this system, eg:-
3589 \e[1m12.115. show/vhfstats [days] [date]
\e[0m
3591 \e[1mshow/vhfstats [days] [date]
\e[22mShow the VHF DX Statistics
3594 Show the VHF DX spots breakdown by band for the last <days> no of days
3595 (default is 31), starting from a date (default: today).
3597 \e[1m12.116. show/vhftable [days] [date] [prefix ...]
\e[0m
3599 \e[1mshow/vhftable [days] [date] [prefix ...]
\e[22mShow the VHF DX Spotter Table
3602 Show the VHF DX Spotter table for the list of prefixes for the last
3603 <days> no of days (default is 31), starting from a date (default:
3606 If there are no prefixes then it will show the table for your country.
3608 Remember that some countries have more than one "DXCC country" in them
3609 (eg G :-), to show them (assuming you are not in G already which is
3610 specially treated in the code) you must list all the relevant prefixes
3614 sh/vhftable g gm gd gi gj gw gu
3618 Note that the prefixes are converted into country codes so you don't
3619 have to list all possible prefixes for each country.
3621 If you want more or less days than the default simply include the
3622 number you require:-
3628 If you want to start at a different day, simply add the date in some
3633 sh/vhftable 2 25nov02
3634 sh/vhftable 2 25-nov-02
3635 sh/vhftable 2 021125
3636 sh/vhftable 2 25/11/02
3640 This will show the stats for your DXCC for that CQWW contest weekend.
3642 You can specify either prefixes or full callsigns (so you can see how
3643 you did against all your mates). You can also say 'all' which will
3644 then print the worldwide statistics.
3652 \e[1m12.117. show/wcy
\e[0m
3654 \e[1mshow/wcy
\e[22mShow last 10 WCY broadcasts
3658 \e[1m12.118. show/wcy <n>
\e[0m
3660 \e[1mshow/wcy <n>
\e[22mShow last <n> WCY broadcasts
3663 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the
3667 \e[1m12.119. show/wm7d <callsign>
\e[0m
3669 \e[1mshow/wm7d <callsign>
\e[22mShow callbook details on a US callsigns
3672 This command queries the WM7D callbook server on the internet and
3673 returns any information available for that US callsign. This service
3674 is provided for users of this software by http://www.wm7d.net.
3678 \e[1m12.120. show/wwv
\e[0m
3680 \e[1mshow/wwv
\e[22mShow last 10 WWV broadcasts
3684 \e[1m12.121. show/wwv <n>
\e[0m
3686 \e[1mshow/wwv <n>
\e[22mShow last <n> WWV broadcasts
3689 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the
3691 \e[1m12.122. sysop
\e[0m
3693 \e[1msysop
\e[22mRegain your privileges if you login remotely
3696 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
3697 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
3698 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
3699 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
3700 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
3703 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
3704 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
3705 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
3706 these values are for explanation :-):
3710 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
3719 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
3725 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
3726 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
3729 \e[1m12.123. talk <call> > <node> [<text>]
\e[0m
3731 \e[1mtalk <call> > <node> [<text>]
\e[22mSend a text message to another station
3735 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the
3736 cluster system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a
3737 SHOW/CONFIGURATION command, they don't have to be connected locally.
3739 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
3740 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
3741 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the
3744 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can
3745 only see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use
3746 the second form of the talk message.
3748 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text
3749 message out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means
3750 is that a short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you
3751 are in a go to the station that you asked for.
3753 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on
3755 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you preceed the
3756 normal command with a '/' character, eg:-
3760 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
3765 To leave talk mode type:
3773 If you are in 'Talk' mode, there is an extention to the '/' command
3774 which allows you to send the output to all the people you are talking
3775 to. You do with the '//' command. For example:-
3783 will send the hftable as you have it to all the people you are
3784 currently talking to.
3786 \e[1m12.124. talk <call> [<text>]
\e[0m
3788 \e[1mtalk <call> [<text>]
\e[22mSend a text message to another station
3792 \e[1m12.125. type <filearea>/<name>
\e[0m
3794 \e[1mtype <filearea>/<name>
\e[22mLook at the contents of a file in one of the
3798 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
3799 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
3803 TYPE bulletins/arld051
3807 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a list of
3810 \e[1m12.126. unset/announce
\e[0m
3812 \e[1munset/announce
\e[22mStop announce messages coming out on your terminal
3816 \e[1m12.127. unset/anntalk
\e[0m
3818 \e[1munset/anntalk
\e[22mStop talk like announce messages on your terminal
3821 The announce system on legacy cluster nodes is used as a talk
3822 substitute because the network is so poorly connected. If you:
3830 you will suppress several of these announces, you may miss the odd
3831 useful one as well, but you would probably miss them anyway in the
3832 welter of useless ones.
3840 allows you to see them again. This is the default.
3842 \e[1m12.128. unset/beep
\e[0m
3844 \e[1munset/beep
\e[22mStop beeps for DX and other messages on your terminal
3848 \e[1m12.129. unset/dx
\e[0m
3850 \e[1munset/dx
\e[22mStop DX messages coming out on your terminal
3854 \e[1m12.130. unset/dxcq
\e[0m
3856 \e[1munset/dxcq
\e[22mStop CQ Zones on the end of DX announcements
3859 Display both the Spotter's and the Spotted's CQ Zone on the end of a
3860 DX announcement (there is just enough room). Some user programs cannot
3861 cope with this. The Spotter's CQ is on the RHS of the time, the
3862 Spotted's CQ is on the LHS.
3864 Conflicts with: SET/DXGRID, SET/DXITU, SHOW/USSTATE
3866 Do a STAT/USER to see which flags you have set if you are confused.
3868 \e[1m12.131. unset/dxgrid
\e[0m
3870 \e[1munset/dxgrid
\e[22mStop QRA Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
3873 A standard feature which is enabled in version 1.43 and above is that
3874 if the spotter's grid square is known it is output on the end of a DX
3875 announcement (there is just enough room). Some user programs cannot
3876 cope with this. You can use this command to reset (or set) this
3880 Conflicts with: SET/DXCQ, SET/DXITU
3882 Do a STAT/USER to see which flags you have set if you are confused.
3884 \e[1m12.132. unset/dxitu
\e[0m
3886 \e[1munset/dxitu
\e[22mStop ITU Zones on the end of DX announcements
3889 Display both the Spotter's and the Spotted's ITU Zone on the end of a
3890 DX announcement (there is just enough room). Some user programs cannot
3891 cope with this. The Spotter's ITU is on the RHS of the time, the
3892 Spotted's ITU is on the LHS.
3894 Conflicts with: SET/DXGRID, SET/DXCQ, SHOW/USSTATE
3896 Do a STAT/USER to see which flags you have set if you are confused.
3898 \e[1m12.133. unset/echo
\e[0m
3900 \e[1munset/echo
\e[22mStop the cluster echoing your input
3903 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
3904 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
3905 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command to
3906 change the setting appropriately.
3908 The setting is stored in your user profile.
3910 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
3912 \e[1m12.134. unset/email
\e[0m
3914 \e[1munset/email
\e[22mStop personal msgs being forwarded by email
3917 If any personal messages come in for your callsign then you can use
3918 these commands to control whether they are forwarded onto your email
3919 address. To enable the forwarding do something like:-
3923 SET/EMAIL mike.tubby@somewhere.com
3927 You can have more than one email address (each one separated by a
3928 space). Emails are forwarded to all the email addresses you specify.
3930 You can disable forwarding by:-
3938 \e[1m12.135. unset/here
\e[0m
3940 \e[1munset/here
\e[22mTell the system you are absent from your terminal
3943 \e[1m12.136. unset/logininfo
\e[0m
3945 \e[1munset/logininfo
\e[22mNo longer inform when a station logs in/out locally
3949 \e[1m12.137. unset/privilege
\e[0m
3951 \e[1munset/privilege
\e[22mRemove any privilege for this session
3954 You can use this command to 'protect' this session from unauthorised
3955 use. If you want to get your normal privilege back you will need to
3956 either logout and login again (if you are on a console) or use the
3959 \e[1m12.138. unset/prompt
\e[0m
3961 \e[1munset/prompt
\e[22mSet your prompt back to default
3964 This command will set your user prompt to the string that you say. The
3965 point of this command to enable a user to interface to programs that
3966 are looking for a specific prompt (or else you just want a different
3975 There are some substitutions that can be added to the prompt:
3979 %C - callsign [which will have ( and ) around it if not here]
3982 %M - cluster 'mycall'
3986 The standard prompt is defined as:
3990 SET/PROMPT %C de %M %D %T dxspider >
3994 UNSET/PROMPT will undo the SET/PROMPT command and set your prompt back
3997 \e[1m12.139. unset/startup
\e[0m
3999 \e[1munset/startup
\e[22mRemove your own startup script
4002 You can remove your startup script with UNSET/STARTUP.
4006 \e[1m12.140. unset/talk
\e[0m
4008 \e[1munset/talk
\e[22mStop TALK messages coming out on your terminal
4012 \e[1m12.141. unset/usstate
\e[0m
4014 \e[1munset/usstate
\e[22mStop US State info on the end of DX announcements
4017 If the spotter's or spotted's US State is known it is output on the
4018 end of a DX announcement (there is just enough room).
4020 A spotter's state will appear on the RHS of the time (like SET/DXGRID)
4021 and the spotted's State will appear on the LHS of the time field. Any
4022 information found will override any locator information from
4025 Some user programs cannot cope with this. You can use this command to
4026 reset (or set) this feature.
4028 Conflicts with: SET/DXCQ, SET/DXITU
4030 Do a STAT/USER to see which flags you have set if you are confused.
4032 \e[1m12.142. unset/wcy
\e[0m
4034 \e[1munset/wcy
\e[22mStop WCY messages coming out on your terminal
4038 \e[1m12.143. unset/wwv
\e[0m
4040 \e[1munset/wwv
\e[22mStop WWV messages coming out on your terminal
4044 \e[1m12.144. unset/wx
\e[0m
4046 \e[1munset/wx
\e[22mStop WX messages coming out on your terminal
4050 \e[1m12.145. who
\e[0m
4052 \e[1mwho
\e[22mShow who is physically connected
4055 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
4056 what sort of connection they have
4058 \e[1m12.146. wx <text>
\e[0m
4060 \e[1mwx <text>
\e[22mSend a weather message to local users
4064 \e[1m12.147. wx full <text>
\e[0m
4066 \e[1mwx full <text>
\e[22mSend a weather message to all cluster users
projects / spider.git / blob