2 # please put your help in in alphabetical order
4 # a string search is done in the command field (case is ignored)
5 # and all commands matching the asked for command are printed out
7 # the order of the fields in each header is
8 # privilege, command, Description
9 # if the command ends in a - then that line isn't printed, but any
10 # subsequent lines are
12 # Comment lines are indented before printing
14 === 0^ANNOUNCE <text>^Send an announcement to LOCAL users only
15 <text> is the text of the announcement you wish to broadcast
17 === 0^ANNOUNCE FULL <text>^Send an announcement cluster wide
18 This will send your announcement cluster wide
20 === 5^ANNOUNCE SYSOP <text>^Send an announcement to Sysops only
22 === 0^APROPOS <string>^Search help database for <string>
23 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive), and print
24 the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
26 === 0^BYE^Exit from the cluster
27 This will disconnect you from the cluster
29 === 5^CONNECT <callsign>^Start a connection to another DX Cluster
30 Start a connection process that will culminate in a new connection to the
31 DX cluster <callsign>. This process creates a new 'client' process which will
32 use the script in /spider/connect/<callsign> to effect the 'chat' exchange
33 necessary to traverse the network(s) to logon to the cluster <callsign>.
35 === 9^CATCH <node call> All|[<msgno> ...]^Mark a message as sent
36 === 9^UNCATCH <node call> All|[msgno> ...]^Unmark a message as sent
37 When you send messages the fact that you have forwarded it to another node
38 is remembered so that it isn't sent again. When you have a new partner
39 node and you add their callsign to your /spider/msg/forward.pl file, all
40 outstanding non-private messages will be forwarded to them. This may well
41 be ALL the non-private messages. You can prevent this by using these
45 catch GB7DJK 300 301 302 303
47 and to undo what you have just done:-
50 uncatch GB7DJK 300 301 302 303
52 which will arrange for them to be forward candidates again.
54 === 0^DBAVAIL^Show a list of all the Databases in the system
55 Title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined
56 in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
58 === 9^DBCREATE <name>^Create a database entry
59 === 9^DBCREATE <name> chain <name> [<name>..]^Create a chained database entry
60 === 9^DBCREATE <name> remote <node>^Create a remote database entry
61 DBCREATE allows you to define a database in the system. It doesn't actually
62 create anything, just defines it.
64 The databases that are created are simple DB_File hash databases, they are
65 therefore already 'indexed'.
67 You can define a local database with the first form of the command eg:
71 You can also chain databases with the addition of the 'chain' keyword.
72 This will search each database one after the other. A typical example
75 DBCREATE sdx_qsl chain sql_ad
77 No checking is done to see if the any of the chained databases exist, in
78 fact it is usually better to do the above staement first then do each of
79 the chained databases.
81 Databases can exist offsite. To define a database that lives on another
84 DBCREATE buckmaster remote gb7dxc
86 Remote databases cannot be chained; however, the last database in a
87 a chain can be a remote database eg:
89 DBCREATE qsl chain gb7dxc
91 To see what databases have been defined do:
93 DBAVAIL (or it will have been aliased to SHOW/COMMAND)
95 It would be normal for you to add an entry into your local Aliases file
96 to allow people to use the 'SHOW/<dbname>' style syntax. So you would
97 need to add a line like:-
102 '^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
111 to work as they may be used to.
113 See DBIMPORT for the importing of existing AK1A format data to databases.
114 See DBSHOW for generic database enquiry
116 === 9^DBIMPORT <dbname> <filename>^Import AK1A data into a database
117 If you want to import or update data in bulk to a database you can use
118 this command. It will either create or update entries into an existing
119 database. For example:-
121 DBIMPORT oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
123 will import the standard OBLAST database that comes with AK1A into the
124 oblast database held locally.
126 === 9^DBREMOVE <dbname>^Delete a database
127 DBREMOVE will completely remove a database entry and also delete any data
128 file that is associated with it.
130 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
136 will remove the oblast database from the system and it will also remove
137 the associated datafile.
141 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
143 You have been warned.
145 === 0^DBSHOW <dbname> <key>^Display an entry, if it exists, in a database
146 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database system.
147 It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local Aliases file
148 so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of enquiry such as:
152 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
153 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
157 === 9^DEBUG^Set the cluster program into debug mode
158 Executing this command will only have an effect if you are running the cluster
163 It will interrupt the cluster just after the debug command has finished.
164 === 0^DIRECTORY^List messages
165 === 0^DIRECTORY ALL^List all messages
166 === 0^DIRECTORY OWN^List your own messages
167 === 0^DIRECTORY NEW^List all new messages
168 === 0^DIRECTORY TO <call>^List all messages to <call>
169 === 0^DIRECTORY FROM <call>^List all messages from <call>
170 === 0^DIRECTORY SUBJECT <string>^List all messages with <string> in subject
171 === 0^DIRECTORY <nn>^List last <nn> messages
172 === 0^DIRECTORY <from>-<to>^List messages <from> message <to> message
173 List the messages in the messages directory.
175 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
176 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
177 'p' then this indicates that the message has been read.
179 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
182 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
186 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
188 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a syntax:-
194 Sysops can see all users' messages.
196 === 8^DISCONNECT <call> [<call> ...]^Disconnect a user or cluster
197 Disconnect any <call> connected locally
199 === 0^DX [BY <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks>^Send a DX spot
200 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
201 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
207 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end
208 of the command and they will be added to the spot.
210 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
212 You can credit someone else by saying:-
214 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
216 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
217 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
219 === 9^EXPORT <msgno> <filename>^Export a message to a file
220 Export a message to a file. This command can only be executed on a local
221 console with a fully privileged user. The file produced will be in a form
222 ready to be imported back into the cluster by placing it in the import
223 directory (/spider/msg/import).
225 This command cannot overwrite an existing file. This is to provide some
226 measure of security. Any files written will owned by the same user as the
227 main cluster, otherwise you can put the new files anywhere the cluster can
228 access. For example:-
232 === 9^EXPORT_USERS [<filename>]^Export the users database to ascii
233 Export the users database to a file in ascii format. If no filename
234 is given then it will export the file to /spider/data/user_asc.
236 If the file already exists it will be renamed to <filename>.o. In fact
237 up to 5 generations of the file can be kept each one with an extra 'o' on the
240 BE WARNED: this will write to any file you have write access to. No check is
241 made on the filename (if any) that you specify.
243 === 1^FORWARD/OPERNAME <call>^Send out information on this <call> to all clusters
244 This command sends out any information held in the user file which can
245 be broadcast in PC41 protocol packets. This information is Name, QTH, Location
246 and Homenode. PC41s are only sent for the information that is available.
248 === 0^HELP^The HELP Command
249 HELP is available for a number of commands. The syntax is:-
253 Where <cmd> is the name of the command you want help on.
255 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated
256 to SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
258 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help database
259 for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely commands
260 to look at with HELP.
262 === 5^INIT <node>^Re-initialise a link to an AK1A compatible node
263 This command attempts to re-initialise a link to a (usually) AK1A node
264 that has got confused, usually by a protocol loop of some kind. It may
265 work - but you usually will be better off simply disconnecting it (or
266 better, if it is a real AK1A node, doing an RCMD <node> DISC/F <your
269 Best of luck - you will need it.
271 === 0^KILL <msgno> [<msgno..]^Delete a message from the local system
272 Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to
273 delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are
276 === 5^KILL FULL <msgno> [<msgno..]^Delete a message from the whole cluster
277 Delete a message (usually a 'bulletin') from the whole cluster system.
279 This uses the subject field, so any messages that have exactly the
280 same subject will be deleted. Beware!
282 === 0^LINKS^Show which nodes is physically connected
283 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and
284 some information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
286 === 9^LOAD/ALIASES^Reload the command alias table
287 Reload the /spider/cmd/Aliases file after you have editted it. You
288 will need to do this if you change this file whilst the cluster is
289 running in order for the changes to take effect.
291 === 9^LOAD/BANDS^Reload the band limits table
292 Reload the /spider/data/bands.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
293 the cluster is running.
295 === 9^LOAD/BADDX^Reload the bad DX table
296 Reload the /spider/data/baddx.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
297 the cluster is running. This table contains the DX Calls that, if spotted,
298 will not be passed on. FR0G and TEST are classic examples.
300 === 9^LOAD/BADMSG^Reload the bad msg table
301 Reload the /spider/msg/badmsg.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
302 the cluster is running. This table contains a number of perl regular
303 expressions which are searched for in the fields targetted of each message.
304 If any of them match then that message is immediately deleted on receipt.
306 === 9^LOAD/BADWORDS^Reload the bad words table
307 Reload the /spider/data/badwords file if you have changed it manually whilst
308 the cluster is running. This file contains a list of words which, if found
309 on certain text portions of PC protocol, will cause those protocol frames
310 to be rejected. It will all put out a message if any of these words are
311 used on the announce, dx and talk commands. The words can be one or
312 more on a line, lines starting with '#' are ignored.
314 === 9^LOAD/CMD_CACHE^Reload the automatic command cache
315 Normally, if you change a command file in the cmd or local_cmd tree it
316 will automatially be picked up by the cluster program. Sometimes it
317 can get confused if you are doing a lot of moving commands about or
318 delete a command in the local_cmd tree and want to use the normal one
319 again. Execute this command to reset everything back to the state it
320 was just after a cluster restart.
322 === 9^LOAD/FORWARD^Reload the msg forwarding routing table
323 Reload the /spider/msg/forward.pl file if you have changed it
324 manually whilst the cluster is running.
326 === 9^LOAD/MESSAGES^Reload the system messages file
327 If you change the /spider/perl/Messages file (usually whilst
328 fiddling/writing new commands) you can have them take effect during a
329 cluster session by executing this command. You need to do this if get
332 unknown message 'xxxx' in lang 'en'
334 === 9^LOAD/PREFIXES^Reload the prefix table
335 Reload the /spider/data/prefix_data.pl file if you have changed it
336 manually whilst the cluster is running.
338 === 5^MERGE <node> [<no spots>/<no wwv>]^Ask for the latest spots and WWV
339 MERGE allows you to bring your spot and wwv database up to date. By default
340 it will request the last 10 spots and 5 WWVs from the node you select. The
341 node must be connected locally.
343 You can request any number of spots or wwv and although they will be appended
344 to your databases they will not duplicate any that have recently been added
345 (the last 2 days for spots and last month for WWV data).
347 === 9^MSG <cmd> <msgno> [data ... ]^Alter various message parameters
348 Alter message parameters like To, From, Subject, whether private or bulletin
349 or return receipt (RR) is required or whether to keep this message from timing
352 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
353 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
354 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
355 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
356 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
357 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
358 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
359 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
360 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
361 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waitting time for this message
362 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
363 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
364 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
365 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
367 You can look at the status of a message by using:-
371 This will display more information on the message than DIR does.
373 === 8^PC <call> <text>^Send text (eg PC Protocol) to <call>
374 Send some arbitrary text to a locally connected callsign. No
375 processing is done on the text. This command allows you to send PC
376 Protocol to unstick things if problems arise (messages get stuck
379 pc gb7djk PC33^GB7TLH^GB7DJK^400^
381 pc G1TLH Try doing that properly!!!
383 === 1^PING <node>^Send a ping command to another cluster
384 This command is used to estimate the quality of the link to another cluster.
385 The time returned is the length of time taken for a PC51 to go to another
386 cluster and be returned.
388 === 0^KILL <msgno> [<msgno> ...]^Remove or erase a message from the system
389 You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign using
390 this command. You can remove more than one message at a time.
392 === 5^KILL <from>-<to>^Remove a range of messages from the system
393 === 5^KILL FROM <call>^Remove all messages from a callsign
394 === 5^KILL TO <call>^Remove all messages to a callsign
395 === 5^KILL FULL <msgno> [<msgno]^Remove a message from the entire cluster
396 Remove this message from the entire cluster system as well as your node.
399 As a sysop you can kill any message on the system.
401 === 8^PC <call> <text>^Send arbitrary text to a connected callsign
402 Send any text you like to the callsign requested. This is used mainly to send
403 PC protocol to connected nodes either for testing or to unstick things.
405 You can also use in the same way as a talk command to a connected user but
406 without any processing, added of "from <blah> to <blah" or whatever.
408 === 1^PING <node call>^Find out the delays an a circuit to another node
409 This command will enable sysops to determine the speed of an inter-cluster
412 Any visible cluster node can be PINGed.
414 === 1^RCMD <node call> <cmd>^Send a command to another DX Cluster
415 This command allows you to send nearly any command to another DX Cluster
416 node that is connected to the system.
418 Whether you get any output is dependant on a) whether the other system knows
419 that the node callsign of this cluster is in fact a node b) whether the
420 other system is allowing RCMDs from this node and c) whether you have
421 permission to send this command at all.
423 === 0^READ^Read the next unread personal message addressed to you
424 === 0^READ <msgno>^Read the specified message
425 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
426 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
429 As a sysop you may read any message on the system
431 === 0^REPLY^Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read
432 === 0^REPLY <msgno>^Reply (privately) to the specified message
433 === 0^REPLY B <msgno>^Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
434 === 0^REPLY NOPrivate <msgno>^Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
435 === 0^REPLY RR <msgno>^Reply to the specified message with read receipt
436 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
437 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
439 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
440 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND
443 === 0^SEND <call> [<call> ...]^Send a message to one or more callsigns
444 === 0^SEND RR <call>^Send a message and ask for a read receipt
445 === 0^SEND COPY <msgno> <call>^Send a copy of a message to someone
446 === 0^SEND PRIVATE <call>^Send a personal message
447 === 0^SEND NOPRIVATE <call>^Send a message to all stations
448 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either to
449 an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
451 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that is
452 it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster node that
453 that callsign is connected to.
455 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
457 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
459 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
461 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you will
462 receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
464 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak)
465 SP is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
467 === 0^SET/ADDRESS <your address>^Record your postal address
469 === 0^SET/ANNOUNCE^Allow announce messages to come out on your terminal
470 === 0^UNSET/ANNOUNCE^Stop announce messages coming out on your terminal
472 === 5^SET/ARCLUSTER <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an AR-Cluster node
474 === 0^SET/BEEP^Add a beep to DX and other messages on your terminal
475 === 0^UNSET/BEEP^Stop beeps for DX and other messages on your terminal
477 === 5^SET/CLX <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an CLX node
479 === 9^SET/DEBUG <name>^Add a debug level to the debug set
480 === 9^UNSET/DEBUG <name>^Remove a debug level from the debug set
482 === 0^SET/DX^Allow DX messages to come out on your terminal
483 === 0^UNSET/DX^Stop DX messages coming out on your terminal
485 === 0^SET/DXGRID^Allow Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
486 === 0^UNSET/DXGRID^Stop Grid Squares on the end of DX announcements
487 A standard feature which is enabled in version 1.43 and above is
488 that if the spotter's grid square is known it is output on the end
489 of a DX announcement (there is just enough room). Some user programs
490 cannot cope with this. You can use this command to reset (or set)
493 === 5^SET/DXNET <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an DXNet node
495 === 0^SET/ECHO^Make the cluster echo your input
496 === 0^UNSET/ECHO^Stop the cluster echoing your input
497 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
498 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
499 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command
500 to change the setting appropriately.
502 The setting is stored in your user profile.
504 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
506 === 0^SET/HERE^Tell the system you are present at your terminal
507 === 0^UNSET/HERE^Tell the system you are absent from your terminal
509 === 0^SET/HOMENODE <node> ^Set your normal cluster callsign
510 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages sent
511 to you will normally find their way there should you not be connected.
515 === 9^SET/ISOLATE^Isolate a node from the rest of the network
516 Connect a node to your system in such a way that you are a full protocol
517 member of its network and can see all spots on it, but nothing either leaks
518 out from it nor goes back into from the rest of the nodes connected to you.
520 You can potentially connect several nodes in this way.
522 === 9^UNSET/ISOLATE^Stop Isolation of a node from the rest of the network
523 Remove isolation from a node - SET/ISOLATE
525 === 0^SET/LANGUAGE <lang>^Set the language you want to use
526 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use. Currently
527 the languages available are en (english) and nl (dutch).
529 === 0^SET/LOCATION <lat & long>^Set your latitude and longitude
530 === 9^SET/SYS_LOCATION <lat & long>^Set your cluster latitude and longitude
531 In order to get accurate headings and such like you must tell the system
532 what your latitude and longitude is. If you have not yet done a SET/QRA
533 then this command will set your QRA locator for you. For example:-
534 SET/LOCATION 52 22 N 0 57 E
536 === 0^SET/LOGININFO^Inform when a station logs in locally
537 === 0^UNSET/LOGININFO^Inform when a station logs out locally
539 === 9^SET/LOCKOUT <call>^Stop a callsign connecting to the cluster
540 === 9^UNSET/LOCKOUT <call>^Allow a callsign to connect to the cluster
542 === 0^SET/NAME <your name>^Set your name
543 Tell the system what your name is eg:-
546 === 5^SET/NODE <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an AK1A cluster
547 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as AK1A cluster and
548 fed PC Protocol rather normal user commands.
550 === 8^SET/OBSCOUNT <count> <nodecall>^Set the 'pump-up' obscelence counter
551 From 1.35 onwards neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals (see
552 SET/PINGINTERVAL), usually 300 seconds or 5 minutes. There is a 'pump-up'
553 counter which is decremented on every outgoing ping and then reset to
554 the 'obscount' value on every incoming ping. The default value of this
557 What this means is that a neighbouring node will be pinged twice at
558 (default) 300 second intervals and if no reply has been heard just before
559 what would be the third attempt, that node is disconnected.
561 If a ping is heard then the obscount is reset to the full value. Using
562 default values, if a node has not responded to a ping within 15 minutes,
565 === 0^SET/PAGE <lines per page>^Set the lines per page
566 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of line
567 of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20. Setting it
568 explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
572 The setting is stored in your user profile.
574 === 9^SET/PINGINTERVAL <time> <nodecall>^Set ping time to neighbouring nodes
575 As from release 1.35 all neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals
576 in order to determine the rolling quality of the link and, in future, to
577 affect routing decisions. The default interval is 300 secs or 5 minutes.
579 You can use this command to set a different interval. Please don't.
581 But if you do the value you enter is treated as minutes up 60 and seconds
582 for numbers greater than that.
584 This is used also to help determine when a link is down at the far end
585 (as certain cluster software doesn't always notice), see SET/OBSCOUNT
586 for more information.
588 === 9^SET/PRIVILEGE <n> <call> [<call..]^Set privilege level on a call
589 Set the privilege level on a callsign. The privilege levels that pertain
590 to commands are as default:-
592 1 - allow remote nodes normal user RCMDs
593 5 - various privileged commands (including shutdown, but not disc-
594 connect), the normal level for another node.
595 8 - more privileged commands (including disconnect)
596 9 - local sysop privilege. DO NOT SET ANY REMOTE USER OR NODE TO THIS
598 If you are a sysop and you come in as a normal user on a remote connection
599 your privilege will automatically be set to 0.
601 === 9^SET/PASSWORD <callsign> <string>^Set a users password
602 The password for a user can only be set by a full sysop. The string
603 can contain any characters but any spaces are removed (you can type in
604 spaces - but they won't appear in the password). You can see the
605 result with STAT/USER.
607 === 5^SET/SPIDER <call> [<call>..]^Make the callsign an DXSpider node
608 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as DXSpider node and
609 fed new style DX Protocol rather normal user commands.
611 === 9^SET/SYS_QRA <locator>^Set your cluster QRA locator
612 === 0^SET/QRA <locator>^Set your QRA locator
613 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have not
614 done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set roughly
615 correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
618 === 0^SET/QTH <your qth>^Set your QTH
619 Tell the system where you are. For example:-
620 SET/QTH East Dereham, Norfolk
622 === 0^SET/TALK^Allow TALK messages to come out on your terminal
623 === 0^UNSET/TALK^Stop TALK messages coming out on your terminal
625 === 0^SET/WCY^Allow WCY messages to come out on your terminal
626 === 0^UNSET/WCY^Stop WCY messages coming out on your terminal
628 === 0^SET/WWV^Allow WWV messages to come out on your terminal
629 === 0^UNSET/WWV^Stop WWV messages coming out on your terminal
631 === 0^SET/WX^Allow WX messages to come out on your terminal
632 === 0^UNSET/WX^Stop WX messages coming out on your terminal
634 === 0^SHOW/DATE [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show the local time
635 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the format
636 of the date string if no arguments are given.
638 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
639 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
640 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
641 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
643 === 0^SHOW/DX^Interrogate the spot database
644 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots
645 (sysop configurable, but usually 10).
647 In addition you can add any number of these commands in very nearly
648 any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
650 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
651 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
653 <number> - the number of spots you want
654 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in the selected list
656 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
657 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
658 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
660 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
661 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
663 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
665 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call> is the
668 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
669 held in the spot database.
671 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will look for
672 the string iota and anything which looks like an iota
673 island number. If you specify then it will look for
676 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if you specify
677 one or else anything that looks like a locator.
682 SH/DX on 20m info iota
683 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
689 === 0^SHOW/DXCC <prefix>^Interrogate the spot database by country
690 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
691 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is
692 and then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
694 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command.
698 SH/DXCC W on 20m info iota
700 === 0^SHOW/FILES [<filearea> [<string>]]^List the contents of a filearea
701 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
702 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file
705 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the
708 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
709 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
710 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
712 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
714 === 1^SHOW/ISOLATE^Show list of ISOLATED nodes
716 === 9^SHOW/LOCKOUT^Show the list of locked out or excluded callsigns
718 === 0^SHOW/MOON [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show Moon rise and set times
719 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
720 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
723 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
724 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
725 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
727 In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal
728 distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit.
730 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
731 that you are connected to.
738 === 0^SHOW/MUF <prefix> [<hours>][long]^Show the likely propagation to a prefix
739 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting
740 a station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a modest
741 power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about 0.15muV/10dB SINAD)
743 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
744 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
745 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
746 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced accuracy
747 for paths shorter or longer than this.
749 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
750 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
751 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
752 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
753 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
754 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
755 such as the Voice of America.
757 The command will display some header information detailing its
758 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
759 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
760 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
761 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for which
762 the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a value.
764 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the conventional
765 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it means that it is
766 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by an 'm' it means that
767 there is likely to be much fading and by an 's' that the signal is likely
770 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
771 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no of
772 hours required after the prefix. For example:-
778 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
779 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
780 Location Lat / Long Azim
781 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
782 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
783 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
784 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
785 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
787 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
788 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
794 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
800 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
801 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
802 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
804 === 1^SHOW/NODE [<callsign> ...]^Show the type and version number of nodes
805 Show the type and version (if connected) of the nodes specified on the
806 command line. If no callsigns are specified then a sorted list of all
807 the non-user callsigns known to the system will be displayed.
809 === 0^SHOW/PREFIX <callsign>^Interrogate the prefix database
810 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
811 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number
812 it is and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country
813 together with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
817 === 5^SHOW/PROGRAM^Show the locations of all the included program modules
818 Show the name and location where every program module was load from. This
819 is useful for checking where you think you have loaded a .pm file from.
821 === 0^SHOW/QRA <locator> [<locator>]^Show distance between locators
822 === 0^SHOW/QRA <lat> <long>^Convert latitude and longitude to a locator
823 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
824 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
825 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
826 to the locator. For example:-
831 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator from
832 yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and bearing from
833 the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6 character locators.
835 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator by
836 using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument, for
839 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
841 === 0^SHOW/SATELLITE <name> [<hours> <interval>]^Show tracking data
842 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your choice
843 from now on for the next few hours.
845 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a list
846 of all the satellites known currently to the system.
848 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
849 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
850 give information for the next three hours for every five minute period.
852 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
855 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
862 === 0^SHOW/SUN [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show sun rise and set times
863 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
864 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
867 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
868 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
869 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
871 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
872 that you are connected to.
879 === 0^SHOW/TIME [<prefix>|<callsign>]^Show the local time
880 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
881 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
882 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
883 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
885 === 0^SHOW/WCY^Show last 10 WCY broadcasts
886 === 0^SHOW/WCY <n>^Show last <n> WCY broadcasts
887 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the system
889 === 0^SHOW/WWV^Show last 10 WWV broadcasts
890 === 0^SHOW/WWV <n>^Show last <n> WWV broadcasts
891 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the system
893 === 5^SHUTDOWN^Shutdown the cluster
894 Shutdown the cluster and disconnect all the users
896 === 9^SPOOF <call> <command>^Do a command as though you are another user
897 This command is provided so that sysops can set a user's parameters without
898 me having to write a special 'sysop' version for every user command. It
899 allows you to pretend that you are doing the command as the user you specify.
903 SPOOF G1TLH set/name Dirk
904 SPOOF G1TLH set/qra JO02LQ
906 === 5^STAT/DB <dbname>^Show the status of a database
907 Show the internal status of a database descriptor.
909 Depending on your privilege level you will see more or less information.
910 This command is unlikely to be of much use to anyone other than a sysop.
912 === 5^STAT/CHANNEL [<callsign>]^Show the status of a channel on the cluster
913 Show the internal status of the channel object either for the channel that
914 you are on or else for the callsign that you asked for.
916 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
918 === 5^STAT/MSG <msgno>^Show the status of a message
919 This command shows the internal status of a message and includes information
920 such as to whom it has been forwarded, its size, origin etc etc.
922 === 5^STAT/USER [<callsign>]^Show the full status of a user
923 Shows the full contents of a user record including all the secret flags
926 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
928 === 0^SYSOP^Regain your privileges if you login remotely
929 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
930 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
931 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
932 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
933 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
936 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
937 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
938 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
939 these values are for explanation :-):
941 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
945 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
949 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
950 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
953 === 0^TALK <call> [<text>]^Send a text message to another station
954 === 0^TALK <call> > <node> [<text>]^Send a text message to another station via a node
955 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the cluster
956 system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a SHOW/CONFIGURATION
957 command, they don't have to be connected locally.
959 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
960 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
961 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the cluster.
963 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can only
964 see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use the
965 second form of the talk message.
967 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text message
968 out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means is that a
969 short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you are in a
970 'Talking' frame of mind and then you just type - everything you send will
971 go to the station that you asked for.
973 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on your
976 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you preceed the normal
977 command with a '/' character, eg:-
979 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
982 To leave talk mode type:
986 === 0^TYPE <filearea>/<name>^Look at the contents of a file in one of the fileareas
987 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
988 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
990 TYPE bulletins/arld051
992 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a
995 === 0^WHO^Show who is physically connected
996 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
997 what sort of connection they have
999 === 0^WX <text>^Send a weather message to local users
1000 === 0^WX FULL <text>^Send a weather message to all cluster users
1001 === 5^WX SYSOP <text>^Send a weather message to other clusters only
1002 Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an extreme
1003 that may indicate enhanced conditions