1 <!doctype linuxdoc system>
5 <!-- Title information -->
7 <title>The DXSpider User Manual
8 <author>Ian Maude, G0VGS, (ianmaude@btinternet.com)
9 <date>Version 1.0, March 2001
11 A complete reference for users of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
14 <!-- Table of contents -->
17 <!-- Begin the document -->
21 <sect1>What is a DX Cluster?
24 A DX Cluster is a packet node where DX chasers on any band or mode can
25 post rare or interesting stations that they have worked or heard. Of
26 course other people are doing the same thing too, so you can find new
27 DX as well as telling others about the stations you have worked.
28 Clusters tend to be linked to each other so that the amount of people
29 using them is increased, thereby increasing the amount of posted DX.
30 Other information can be found on clusters such as on-line call books,
31 mail etc. You can talk to other stations connected to the cluster
32 network too, in real time, whether at the node you are logged into or
33 on another node connected to the network. You can also use converse
34 mode, where several stations can talk to each other in the same way.
35 Of course, the DX is still posted to you all the while!
37 <sect1>So what is DXSpider?
40 PacketCluster nodes have been around since roughly 1985. The original
41 PacketCluster idea came from Dick Newell, AK1A, and ran under DOS.
42 In about 1992 Dick stopped the development of the PacketCluster
43 software for amateur radio. Many systems are still using this
44 relatively old DOS software today.
46 There are several new compatible cluster programs around now,
47 including DXSpider. DXSpider is a clone of PacketCluster software that runs
48 under the Linux operating system. Linux is fast becoming the choice
49 for amateur radio stations because of it's flexibility, reliability
50 and the lack of the memory limitations of DOS. Linux supports
51 multitasking and is also multiuser. It has support for AX25, ROSE,
52 NetROM and TCPIP built in, making it the ideal choice for amateur
53 radio. It is also totally free!
55 DXSpider was conceived and begun in 1998 by Dirk Koopman, G1TLH as an
56 exercise in perl programming. It has developed rapidly and today is a
57 very powerful cluster program. It was designed to be totally compatible
58 with the AK1A program, although several commands have been extended to
59 try and improve functionality.
61 This manual is designed to help you become familiar with the commands
62 that DXSpider supports and to help you get the best from the program so
63 you can enjoy working that rare DX! As DXSpider is being improved all the
64 time, commands will be added as time goes by, so make sure you have
65 the most upto date version of this manual. The latest version will
66 always be included with the cluster program so if you are unsure, simply
67 ask your sysop. The manual will also be available on the wesite.
70 <sect>Logins and logouts.
73 You might not think that there is a lot of point of including a
74 section on how to log in and out of DXSpider. However, you would be
75 suprised at the difficulties some people have in simply getting in
76 and out of the cluster!
78 There are several ways a login might be achieved, dependant on how
79 the sysop has DXSpider configured. It is impossible for me to cover all
80 variations but here are the basic ones.
85 Simplicity itself. The usual <bf>CONNECT</bf> command will log you straight
86 into the cluster and you will not have to do anything else.
87 Obviously, you will have to connect to the correct callsign. Some
88 nodes use an SSID with their call so you would have to add that.
100 There are several possibilities here, dependant on how the sysop has
101 configured his system. If you are connecting via netrom then you are
102 most probably connecting from another station. Listing the nodes in
103 that station with the <bf>NODES</bf> command will tell you what callsign
104 or netrom alias to connect to. Then just issue the connect command
105 from there. It is possible that the netrom alias may connect you to
106 a node with an alias for the cluster, such as DXC. Just type this
107 and you will be connected.
114 <sect1>Telnet logins.
117 Because DXSpider runs under the Linux operating system, it is possible to
118 make a direct telnet connection into the cluster. With telnet
119 connections, the source callsign is not seen by DXSpider, so you will be
120 asked to login with your callsign.
121 To telnet to DXSpider, you would connect to a specific port. There is no
122 standard at the moment for a cluster telnet port but ask the sysop if
131 All the above are possible ways of connecting to a DXSpider cluster. You
132 may have some or all of these available to you. There may be one or
133 two additional ways to connect dependant on the network local to you.
134 However I am sure you get the idea.
139 Logging out can be done by simply issuing the standard <bf>BYE</bf>
142 You could also send a disconnect if you are using AX25, or a <bf>CLOSE</bf>
143 command if you are connected via telnet.
144 If you do not log out gracefully using one of the above commands,
145 you may find you are unable to get a full connect next time. This
146 may also happen if a NETRom connection drops. You may get connected,
147 but nothing else will happen because the program thinks you are still
148 connected and will not let you connect twice under the same call.
149 However you could reconnect by adding a number to the end of your call,
151 This can be done by either altering your MYCALL setting in the TNC or
152 by altering your program configuration.
155 <sect>Setting your personal details.
158 Once logged in to the cluster, you should set your details so that
159 anybody who wishes to contact you can find out who and where you are.
160 There are four items to set, your name, qth, location and home node.
161 Setting these details also allows the use of the SHOW/HEADING and
162 SHOW/SUN commands from within the cluster. Unless you set your QTH
163 and location, these commands cannot function.
164 Once you have set your name, DXSpider will greet you with it next time
165 you login. Your QTH setting is where you live and it is a good idea
166 to add your locator to this as the location setting is converted to
167 latitude and longitude once inputted. You can actually set your location
168 in latitude/longitude or as a locator. Setting your home node will
169 tell the program where you wish mail to be sent to you.
175 set/qth Morecambe, Lancashire IO84NB
176 set/location 48 34 n 12 12 e
181 <sect>Getting and posting DX.
184 When all is said and done, this is the main function of a DX cluster.
185 In its simplest form you can just connect to the node and you will
186 start to receive DX spots almost immediately! You can check on
187 recent postings in either a general manner or on a particular band or
188 mode. You can even check DX by callsign or a fragment of a callsign.
189 Of course, once you get the hang of things, it is expected that you
190 start posting some yourself! After all, there would be no clusters
191 if people did not post DX and you get the added thrill of the hunt!
196 As we have already said, it is possible just to connect to the
197 cluster and you will receive spots automatically. However, you may
198 wish to check on spots just posted. Maybe you wish to see if a
199 particular band is open or if a certain callsign is active, perhaps a
200 DXpedition. The command to do this is <bf>SHOW/DX</bf>. Without any
201 other arguments, this command will output the last 10 spots
202 posted. It is possible to look at more than this, for example the
203 last 20 or 50 spots, by adding the number to the command. You can
204 make it even more specific by adding a band in either wavelength or
205 frequency, and/or any additional information such as QSL details.
215 will show the last 10, 5 and 20 spots received by the cluster
226 will show the last 5, 10 or 20 spots on 20 metres only.
228 It is also possible to check for certain callsigns, or fragments of
229 callsigns in the same way.
238 would show the last 5 or 10 dx spots containing the callsign g0vgs.
241 You can check for DX by offset and also by specifying a comment to
252 would show the spots that arrived between 30 and 40 spots ago and any
253 spots with the word <em>iota</em> in the comment field. The case of
254 the comment is not important.
256 Checking DX posted on a certain day is possible too. All you have
257 to do here is to specify how many days ago it was like this ...
265 It is of course possible to specify multiple arguments.
270 show/dx 20 prefix 9a on vhf day 30
273 This would show the last 20 spots posted by or about calls with the prefix
274 9a on vhf 30 days ago.
276 As you can see the <bf>SHOW/DX</bf> command is very flexible, so if you are
277 not sure whether something will work or not, try it and see! More
278 information can be found in the Command Set section.
283 To post DX you use the <bf>DX</bf> command. The syntax is shown below.
288 dx (frequency) (callsign) (remarks)
291 Where frequency is in kilohertz and the callsign is the callsign of
292 the station you have worked or heard, (ie not your own callsign!).
293 The remarks section allows you to add information like the operators
294 name or perhaps a location. Actually DXSpider will allow the frequency
295 and callsign fields to be entered in any order.
300 dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
303 In fact, all the following will give the same result...
306 dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
307 dx pa3ezl 14004 OP Aurelio 599
308 dx pa3ezl 14.004 OP Aurelio 599
311 This posting, or callout as it is known, will be forwarded to all
312 other connected stations both at the cluster you are connected to and
313 other active clusters in the network. The callout will also be sent
314 to you as proof of receipt.
316 <sect>Headings and propagation
319 There are three commands in DXSpider to help you get the best DX possible.
320 These are <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf>, <bf>SHOW/MOON</bf> and
321 <bf>SHOW/HEADING</bf>. These commands will only work for you if you
322 have entered your personal details. They use your entered location as
323 a reference, so if you have not entered it or have entered it incorrectly
324 they will not return the correct information.
329 The <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf> command can be used in three different ways. It
330 can be used to show sunrise and sunset times for your own station, a
331 particular callsign or a prefix.
339 The output from this would look something like this ..
342 sh/sun Location Rise Set Azim Elev
343 G0VGS Morecambe, Lancashire 07:08Z 17:39Z 205.3 24.1
350 would look like this ...
353 sh/sun 5b4 Location Rise Set Azim Elev 5B Cyprus-5B 04:23Z 15:40Z 244.0 18.8
356 You can also specify multiple arguments like this ...
359 sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
362 and then the output would look like this ...
365 sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
366 Location Rise Set Azim Elev
367 GW4VEQ Brungwran, Isle of Anglesey IO 07:14Z 17:48Z 204.9 24.9 5B Cyprus-5B 04:23Z 15:40Z 244.5 18.3
368 ZS So-Africa-ZS1-ZS 04:31Z 17:28Z 289.9 41.3
369 ZS So-Africa-ZS5-ZS 03:44Z 16:34Z 278.5 32.0
370 ZS So-Africa-ZS6-ZS 03:59Z 16:42Z 277.6 35.0
376 The <bf>SHOW/MOON</bf> command works in the same way as the
377 <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf> command. This program however, calculates the
378 rise and set times of the moon for a prefix or callsign, together
379 with the current azimuth and elevation of the sun at these
388 The output from this command would look like this ..
392 Location Rise Set Azim Elev RGain dB
393 EA Spain-EA 08:15Z 20:09Z 257.2 9.5 -0.6
396 You can see that the output is similar to the <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf>
397 command, with slightly different fields.
402 The <bf>SHOW/HEADING</bf> command works in the same way as the
403 <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf> and <bf>SHOW/MOON</bf> commands but outputs beam
404 headings for a specified callsign or prefix. Reciprocal beam headings
413 The output from this command would look like this ..
417 ZL New-Zealand-ZL1-ZL: 7 degs - dist: 11238 mi, 18087 km Reciprocal heading: 355 degs
418 ZL New-Zealand-ZL2-ZL: 9 degs - dist: 11540 mi, 18574 km Reciprocal heading: 353 degs
419 ZL New-Zealand-ZL3-ZL: 19 degs - dist: 11634 mi, 18724 km Reciprocal heading: 345 degs
420 ZL New-Zealand-ZL4-ZL: 34 degs - dist: 11783 mi, 18963 km Reciprocal heading: 332 degs
425 <sect1>Making announcements.
428 Occasionally, you may wish to post something that does not fall into
429 the normal parameters for a DX callout. You may wish to tell
430 everybody connected that 10 FM is open for example, or ask if anyone
431 knows the QSL manager for a certain callsign etc. You can do this
432 using the <bf>ANNOUNCE</bf> command.
437 announce 10 FM is open in IO84NB to europe.
440 That would let everyone know locally that this was the case, however
441 it would not be forwarded to other nodes connected. To send
442 announcements to other connected nodes as well, you would use the
443 <bf>FULL</bf> extension.
448 announce full Anyone seen EA7WA today?
451 Be cautious in your use of announce full. There are many other tools
452 available to get the information you require and the judicious use of
453 this command is frowned upon as it creates a great deal of traffic
456 <sect1>Listing announcements.
459 You can list previous announcements in the standard format with the
460 <bf>SHOW</bf> command. As before you can list just the last 5 or as
467 show/announcements 10
470 <sect>Nodes and users.
473 You can check which nodes are connected in the network, who is
474 logged on locally, who is logged on at all the nodes or even
475 just one node in particular. This is handy if you wish to see whether
476 a friend is connected at the node they use. To see who is connected
477 to the nodes, the <bf>SHOW/CONFIGURATION</bf> command is used.
483 show/configuration/nodes
484 show/configuration (node_call)
485 show/configuration (prefix)
488 The first of our three examples would output something like this,
496 GB7BIG (GD0TEP) GD3UMW
497 GB7BPQ (G0INA) G0RCI G3AKU G3OCA
499 GB7DJK G0FYD G0REK G1TLH G4PEL G4SOZ
500 G4TVR G7SQW K8AZ M0CTQ-1 MM1CXE-10
503 GB7DXC (G0HDB) G0WFK (G1FYC) G3KWK G3LME
504 G3OIL G4BGW G4FUJ (G4PDQ) GW7SMV
506 (GB7DXG) GU6EFB GU7DHI
507 GB7DXK G1NTW G3IBI G3NSM G3XAQ G4CUS
509 GB7DXM G1EUC G3GAF G3LAS G4ZTR G8WXU
513 You will notice that EI5TCR is showing only that it has 7 users and not
514 giving the actual callsigns. This means that this node is on a limited
515 protocol of some kind, probably because of a contest situation where
516 slow radio links can block up and fail if too much information is sent
519 The second example would just show the nodes connected in the
525 GB7BAA GB7BAA GB7BPQ (GB7CDX) GB7DJK GB7DXA
526 GB7DXC GB7DXE (GB7DXG) GB7DXK GB7DXL
527 GB7DXM GB7DXS GB7IPT GB7MRS GB7UJS
528 GB7YDX KL7G N2TLY (ON0DXK)
529 GB7BIG EI5TCR GB7ADX GB7BIG GB7UDX
535 If we insert the node_call pi4tue-8 into the third example, then
536 this would be the output,
540 PI4TUE-8 9A1CMA-6 DF6PW DL4FAY DL4KAK DL4WF-2
541 F5NOD-2 F5PAC IZ0CSR N6CR OH2BLD
542 ON1LVL-13 ON4CBT ON4CJP ON5DXL-14 ON7NQ
543 PA0RCT PA3DYS PA3FDO PA5KW-4 PI4TUE-9
547 As you can see, only the users of the requested node are shown.
549 You can also use a prefix to show only a group of nodes. For example
550 you may only wish to see who is connected to the nodes in the UK. To
551 do this simply use a prefix like this ...
554 show/configuration gb7
557 To show the locally connected users, the <bf>SHOW/USERS</bf> command is
566 The output of this command would look like this,
569 Callsigns connected to GB7MBC
570 G0JHC G0NEI G0VGS G0VGS-2 G0YLM
577 You can send a single comment or start a dedicated talk session to
578 another user by using the <bf>TALK</bf> command.
581 Talk mode is used to send a one line comment or greeting to a
582 specific user connected either at your node or another in the
583 network. You can also enter into a dedicated talk session with
584 another user. Talks will be automatically forwarded to other nodes
585 if the station you are talking to is not connected locally.
586 You can find out who is connected by using the
587 <bf>SHOW/CONFIGURATION</bf> command, (described earlier).
592 talk g0rdi Having a good day Iain?
595 This example would send the line "Having a good day Iain?" to the
596 user g0rdi but would leave you in normal mode.
600 Entering Talkmode, /EX to end, /<cmd> to run a command
604 As you can see, you can still run commands whilst in talk mode.
605 Simply prefix the command with a / like /sh/dx and you will get
607 If the user is connected to another node, you may have to use a
608 slightly extended version of the <bf>TALK</bf> command.
614 To exit talk mode, you issue the command <bf>/ex</bf>.
616 Whilst in talk mode you will still receive DX spots. This means that
617 you can chat to a friend whilst working DX.
622 You can send and receive both personal mail and bulletins with DXSpider
625 <sect1>The "directory" command.
628 To list mail you would use the <bf>DIRECTORY</bf> command. On its
629 own, this command will output the last ten messages received by the
630 node, either to or from yourself or bulletins such as "DX" and "ALL".
631 As with other commands you can display more by specifying a number
632 with the command. You should be aware that Spider will accept
633 these commands by separating with either a slash or a space, so
634 <em>dir new</em> and <em>dir/new</em> work in the same way.
644 Of course most of the time you will only want to list new mail sent
645 to you personally since your last login. However you might also like
646 to check for general mail received by the node. In fact if there is
647 new mail for you, the cluster will tell you when you login. You will
648 also be informed if new mail arrives for you during the time you are
650 Mail is not only sent to callsigns though. Mail can also be sent to
651 subjects like "all" or "local" or "dx" etc. You can treat these
652 bulletins in the same way as personal mail with the directory
662 directory/from <call>
665 The last option will only show mail from a callsign if it was sent to
666 you personally or was sent as a bulletin. There are some additional
667 commands and these can be found in the DXSpider Command Reference section.
672 The output of the <bf>DIRECTORY</bf> command could be something like
677 20735 2 ALL GW7SMV 21-Feb 1204Z REC 9E1S QSL TDY 50Mhz....
678 20823 308 UK G0HDB 22-Feb 2334Z Help - which district code?
679 20824 105 ALL W9AE 23-Feb 0349Z S0NY QSL address?
680 20825 2 UK G0LRJ 23-Feb 0806Z QSL REC LZ2CJ/1.CARD NO-750.
681 20858 2 ALL GW7SMV 24-Feb 0905Z REC S92DX QSL CARD TDY 50Mhz
682 20921 200 ALL GM4FDM 27-Feb 2203Z Trip to VP8
683 20949 375 ALL K0MN 27-Feb 0428Z ST0P cards are gd @ ARRL
684 20950 2 UK G0LRJ 28-Feb 0835Z QSL REC SV9/IZ0CKJ/P EU-187.
685 20987 569 ALL GD0TEP 1-Mar 1733Z Portable contests
686 21076 2 ALL G4AFJ 3-Mar 1743Z kh6nd/kh5 qsl received
687 21184-p 599 GW4HAT G0VGS 4-Mar 1518Z Re: Time
690 The first column is the actual message number. If the message is a
691 personal one to you, you will see a letter 'p' after this number. If
692 the message has been read, there will be a '-' between the message
693 number and the 'p'. This only works for personal messages. The next
694 column shows the file size of the message. The third column shows the
695 address the message was sent to and the next column shows who sent it.
696 The rest is fairly self-explanatory.
698 Reading a message is as simple as typing read, followed by the
699 message number that you wish to read.
707 will read message number 25. However the mail will be displayed in it's
708 entirety unless you specify a page length. You can set your page length
709 to any number you like and when the message reaches that number of lines
710 you will get a prompt giving you options.
722 Sending mail is done in the time honoured way. First you specify
723 a recipient for the message, then you will be prompted for a subject.
724 Once you have done this you will be asked to type your message.
725 Please remember that there is no automatic word wrap, so unless you
726 are using a client that wraps lines automatically, remember to hit
727 return at the end of each line.
733 Enter Subject (30 characters):
735 Enter Message /EX to send or /ABORT to exit
737 Just a quick note to say that I can make Thursday after all. The
738 appointment I had has cancelled so we are go!
743 At this point you can either hit return and enter /ex to send the
744 message or use /abort at any time to abort it. You can now display
745 the message in the normal way. There are several send options and
746 these are listed in the Command Set section. These include sending
747 mail to several recipients and asking for a return receipt.
750 <sect1>Replying to mail.
753 If mail is addressed to you or to a bulletin address, you can use the
754 <bf>REPLY</bf> command to reply to it. Using this command, the
755 subject will be automatically set for you as "Re: subject", whatever
766 To delete a message, you use the <em>delete</em> command.
767 You can only delete messages sent to or received by yourself.
768 Bulletins are dealt with automatically or by the sysop.
770 <sect>Filtering (From version 1.45)
772 <sect1>General filter rules
775 Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters. From
776 v1.45 though that has all changed. It is now possible to set filters for just
777 about anything you wish. If you have just updated from an older version of
778 DXSpider you will need to update your new filters. You do not need to do
779 anything with your old filters, they will be renamed as you update.
782 There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating filters. These
783 are <em>accept</em>, <em>reject</em> and <em>clear</em>. First we will look
784 generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in the
785 DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism.
788 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which can have
789 up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...
796 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There are
797 filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects. See each
798 different accept or reject command reference for more details.
800 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter. They are ...
807 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
810 and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...
817 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply the same
818 principles to all types of filter.
820 <sect1>Types of filter
823 There are two main types of filter, <em>accept</em> or <em>reject</em>. You
824 can use either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference
825 and which is more simple to do. It is pointless writing 8 lines of reject
826 filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing! Each filter has 10
827 lines (of any length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the
828 action you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept
832 If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match the filter
833 will be dumped but all else will be accepted. If you use an accept filter,
834 then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted and all else will be dumped.
835 For example if you have a single line <em>accept</em> filter ...
838 accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
841 then you will <em>ONLY</em> get VHF spots <em>from</em> or <em>to</em> CQ zones
845 If you set a reject filter like this ...
848 reject/spots on hf/cw
851 Then you will get everything <em>EXCEPT</em> HF CW spots. You could make this
852 single filter even more flexible. For example, if you are interested in IOTA
853 and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not interested in
854 CW, then you could say ...
857 reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
860 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
863 accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
866 which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the other
867 until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix them if you
868 wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but
869 don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you are doing!
872 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your own
873 understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
876 reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
877 reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
880 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots on VHF
881 which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe.
884 This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this case), if
885 you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits '0'-'9' are available.
886 This make it easier to see just what filters you have set. It also makes it
887 more simple to remove individual filters, during a contest for example.
890 You will notice in the above example that the second line has brackets. Look
891 at the line logically. You can see there are 2 separate sections to it. We
892 are saying reject spots that are VHF or above <em>APART</em> from those in
893 zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or originated there). If you did
894 not have the brackets to separate the 2 sections, then Spider would read it
895 logically from the front and see a different expression entirely ...
898 (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
901 The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets. Whilst we are
902 here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the same as 'and by_zone'.
904 As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible than
905 simply setting one complex one. Doing it in this way means that if you want
906 to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one or more lines of it or
907 one line. For example ...
910 reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
913 would redefine our earlier example, or
919 To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...
925 <sect1>Filter options
928 You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in the
929 various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter.
931 <sect1>Advanced filtering
934 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to experiment.
937 The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU
938 can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...
943 acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
946 Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number. This
947 will automatically be assumed to be number 1. In this case, we have
948 said <em>reject all HF spots in the CW section of the bands but accept
949 all others at HF. Also accept anything in VHF and above spotted in or
950 by operators in the zones 14, 15 and 16</em>. Each filter slot actually
951 has a 'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed
952 BEFORE the accept slot.
955 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match, the
956 default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for 'accept'.
957 In the example what happens is that the reject is executed first, any non
958 hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets through everything
959 else on HF. The next filter line lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU.
962 <sect>Hints, tips and common questions.
965 <bf/Q./These commands seem very long! Can I shorten them?
967 <bf/A./Of course you can and the usual abbreviations work. If you
970 <bf/Q./I am not sure if this command is correct. Can I cause any
973 <bf/A./Do not be afraid to try a command to see if it will work,
974 at the worst you will get an error message. If you require any
975 help on a command, just type help followed by the command you
976 want help on. Look at the "DXSpider Command Reference" section to see
977 what help can be found.
979 <bf/Q./How should I use the announce command?
981 <bf/A./With respect. Use the command by all means, but please
982 only use the "full" extension if absolutely necessary. It can
983 create a LOT of messages passing between clusters.
985 <bf/Q./I like to be working in the shack while logged into the
986 cluster but I can't be looking at the screen all the time. How
987 can I be alerted when anything happens?
989 <bf/A./Use the <bf>SET/BEEP</bf> command. You can find information
990 on this in the "DXSpider Command Reference" section.
992 <bf/Q./I keep getting disconnected from the cluster, what is
993 happening and how can I stop it?
995 <bf/Q./I got disconnected from the cluster and now I can't log
996 back in again. What is wrong?
998 <bf/A./Probably the cluster thinks you are still logged on and
999 will not let you reconnect using the same call to prevent loops.
1000 Try logging on again adding an ssid to your callsign as DXSpider
1001 treats G0YLM and G0YLM-1 as different users.
1003 <bf/Q./I notice that all the commands are shown in lower case in
1004 the main section of this manual, but in upper case in the "DXSpider
1005 Command Reference" section. Why is that?
1007 <bf/Q./How do I know if I have got the latest version of this
1010 <bf/A./The latest and greatest will always be on the Website. It will
1011 also be included with every release of DXSpider. As always, if unsure,
1012 ask your sysop what version number is the latest.
1014 <sect>The DXSpider command reference
1017 Below is a complete list of commands available from the cluster prompt.
1018 These are listed below in alphabetical order.
1020 <sect1>accept/announce
1024 <bf>accept/announce [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set an accept filter
1029 Create an 'accept this announce' line for a filter.
1031 An accept filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is
1032 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
1033 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
1035 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
1038 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
1039 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1041 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1042 origin_itu <numbers>
1043 origin_zone <numbers>
1048 wx 1 filter WX announces
1049 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
1056 acc/ann 2 by_zone 14,15,16
1057 (this could be all on one line: acc/ann dest 6MUK or by_zone 14,15,16)
1066 This filter would only allow announces that were posted buy UK stations.
1067 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg:
1073 but this probably for advanced users...
1079 <bf>accept/announce [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set an accept filter
1084 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
1087 An accept filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
1088 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
1089 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
1091 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
1094 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
1095 on <range> same as 'freq'
1096 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
1097 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
1099 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1110 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
1111 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
1112 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
1113 this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get
1114 too hung up about that)
1120 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1123 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything, eg:
1129 but this probably for advanced users...
1135 <bf>accept/wcy [0-9] <pattern></bf> set an accept WCY filter
1139 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
1140 filter on the following fields:-
1143 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1145 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1146 origin_itu <numbers>
1147 origin_zone <numbers>
1155 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place and
1156 you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want them).
1158 This command is really provided for future use.
1160 See HELP FILTER for information.
1166 <bf>accept/wwv [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set an accept WWV filter
1170 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
1171 filter on the following fields:-
1174 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1176 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1177 origin_itu <numbers>
1178 origin_zone <numbers>
1188 accept/wwv by_zone 4
1191 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV broadcasts
1192 by stations in the US).
1194 See HELP FILTER for information.
1200 <bf>announce <text></bf> Send an announcement to local users
1204 Send an announcement to LOCAL users only, where <text> is the text
1205 of the announcement you wish to broadcast
1207 <sect1>announce full
1211 <bf>announce full <text></bf> Send an announcement cluster wide
1215 This command will send your announcement across the whole cluster
1222 <bf>apropos <string></bf> Search the help database
1226 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive),
1227 and print the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
1233 <bf>bye</bf> Exit from the cluster
1237 This will disconnect you from the cluster
1243 <bf>clear/spots [1|all]</bf> Clear a spot filter line
1247 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or to
1248 remove the whole filter.
1250 If you have a filter:-
1254 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1263 you will be left with:-
1266 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1275 the filter will be completely removed.
1281 <bf>dbavail</bf> Show a list of all the databases in the system
1285 The title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined
1286 in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
1292 <bf>dbshow <dbname> <key></bf> Display an entry, if it exists,
1297 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database system.
1298 It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local Aliases file
1299 so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of enquiry such as:
1305 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
1306 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
1316 <bf>directory</bf> List messages<newline>
1317 <bf>directory all</bf> List all messages<newline>
1318 <bf>directory own</bf> List your own messages<newline>
1319 <bf>directory new</bf> List all new messages<newline>
1320 <bf>directory to <call></bf> List all messages to <call><newline>
1321 <bf>directory from <call></bf> List all messages from <call><newline>
1322 <bf>directory subject <string></bf> List all messages with <string>
1324 <bf>directory <nn></bf> List last <nn> messages<newline>
1325 <bf>directory <from>-<to></bf> List messages <from> message <to> message <newline>
1329 List the messages in the messages directory.
1331 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
1332 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
1333 'p' then this indicates that the message has been read.
1335 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
1338 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
1343 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
1346 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a syntax:-
1357 <bf>dx [by <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks></bf> Send a DX spot
1361 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
1362 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
1370 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end
1371 of the command and they will be added to the spot.
1374 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
1377 You can credit someone else by saying:-
1380 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
1383 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
1384 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
1390 <bf>help <cmd></bf> Get help on a command
1394 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated
1395 to SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
1397 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help database
1398 for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely commands
1399 to look at with HELP.
1405 <bf>kill <msgno> [<msgno> ..]</bf> Delete a message
1406 from the local system
1410 Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to
1411 delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are
1418 <bf>links</bf> Show which nodes are physically connected
1422 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and
1423 some information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
1429 <bf>read</bf> Read the next unread personal message addressed to you<newline>
1430 <bf>read <msgno></bf> Read the specified message<newline>
1434 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
1435 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
1437 <sect1>reject/announce
1441 <bf>reject/announce [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject filter
1446 Create an 'reject this announce' line for a filter.
1448 An reject filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is
1449 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
1450 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
1452 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
1455 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
1456 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1458 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1459 origin_itu <numbers>
1460 origin_zone <numbers>
1465 wx 1 filter WX announces
1466 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
1472 rej/ann by_zone 14,15,16 and not by G,M,2
1475 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
1481 but this probably for advanced users...
1487 <bf>reject/spots [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject filter
1492 Create a 'reject this spot' line for a filter.
1494 A reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
1495 dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
1496 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
1498 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
1501 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
1502 on <range> same as 'freq'
1503 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
1504 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
1506 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1516 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
1517 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
1518 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
1519 this is more efficient than saying simply: on HF (but don't get
1520 too hung up about that)
1526 rej/spot 2 on vhf and not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1529 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
1535 but this probably for advanced users...
1541 <bf>reject/wcy [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject WCY filter
1545 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
1546 filter on the following fields:-
1549 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1551 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1552 origin_itu <numbers>
1553 origin_zone <numbers>
1560 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place and
1561 you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want them).
1563 This command is really provided for future use.
1565 See HELP FILTER for information.
1571 <bf>reject/wwv [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject WWV filter
1575 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
1576 filter on the following fields:-
1579 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
1581 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
1582 origin_itu <numbers>
1583 origin_zone <numbers>
1593 reject/wwv by_zone 14,15,16
1596 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV broadcasts
1597 by stations in the US).
1599 See HELP FILTER for information.
1605 <bf>reply</bf> Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read<newline>
1606 <bf>reply <msgno></bf> Reply (privately) to the specified message<newline>
1607 <bf>reply B <msgno></bf> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message<newline>
1608 <bf>reply NOPrivate <msgno></bf> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified
1610 <bf>reply RR <msgno></bf> Reply to the specified message with read
1615 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
1616 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
1618 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
1619 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND
1620 for further details)
1626 <bf>send <call> [<call> ...]</bf> Send a message to
1627 one or more callsigns<newline>
1628 <bf>send RR <call></bf> Send a message and ask for a read receipt<newline>
1629 <bf>send COPY <msgno> <call></bf> Send a copy of a message
1631 <bf>send PRIVATE <call></bf> Send a personal message<newline>
1632 <bf>send NOPRIVATE <call></bf> Send a message to all stations<newline>
1636 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either to
1637 an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
1639 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that is
1640 it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster node that
1641 that callsign is connected to.
1643 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
1645 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
1648 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
1651 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you will
1652 receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
1654 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak)
1655 SP is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
1661 <bf>set/address <your_address></bf> Record your postal address
1665 Literally, record your address details on the cluster.
1671 <bf>set/announce</bf> Allow announce messages
1675 Allow announce messages to arrive at your terminal.
1681 <bf>set/beep</bf> Add beeps to terminal messages
1685 Add a beep to DX and other terminal messages.
1691 <bf>set/dx</bf>Allow DX messages to arrive at your terminal
1695 You can stop DX messages with the <em>unset/dx</em> command
1701 <bf>set/dxgrid</bf>Allow grid squares on the end of DX messages
1705 Some logging programs do not like the additional information at
1706 the end of a DX spot. If this is the case, use the <em>unset/dxgrid</em>
1707 command to remove the grid squares.
1713 <bf>set/echo</bf> Make the cluster echo your input
1717 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
1718 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
1719 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command
1720 to change the setting appropriately.
1722 You can remove the echo with the <em>unset/echo</em> command
1724 The setting is stored in your user profile.
1726 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
1732 <bf>set/here</bf> Set the here flag
1736 Let others on the cluster know you are here by only displaying your
1737 callsign. If you are away from your terminal you can use the <em>unset/here</em>
1738 command to let people know you are away. This simply puts brackets
1739 around your callsign to indicate you are not available.
1745 <bf>set/homenode <node_call></bf> Set your home cluster
1749 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages sent
1750 to you will normally find their way there should you not be connected.
1761 <bf>set/language <language></bf> Set the language you wish to use
1765 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use. Currently
1766 the languages available are <em>en</em> (English) <em>sp</em> (Spanish)
1767 and <em>nl</em> (Dutch).
1773 <bf>set/location <lat and long></bf> Set your latitude and longitude
1777 You can set your latitude and longitude manually or alternatively use the
1778 <em>set/qra</em> command which will do the conversion for you.
1781 set/location 54 04 N 2 02 E
1784 <sect1>set/logininfo
1788 <bf>set/logininfo</bf> Show logins and logouts of nodes and users
1792 Show users and nodes when they log in and out of the local cluster. You
1793 can stop these messages by using the <em>unset/logininfo</em> command.
1799 <bf>set/name <your_name></bf> Set your name
1803 Tell the cluster what your name is, eg:-
1813 <bf>set/page <n></bf> Set the number of lines per page
1817 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of lines
1818 of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20. Setting it
1819 explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
1826 The setting is stored in your user profile.
1832 <bf>set/qra <locator></bf> Set your QRA locator
1836 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have not
1837 done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set roughly
1838 correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
1848 <bf>set/qth <your QTH></bf> Set your QTH
1852 Tell the system where your are. For example:-
1855 set/qth East Dereham, Norfolk
1862 <bf>set/talk</bf> Allow talk messages to be seen at your console
1866 Allow talk messages to arrive at your console. You can switch off
1867 talks with the <em>unset/talk</em> command.
1873 <bf>set/wcy</bf> Allow WCY messages to be seen at your console
1877 Allow WCY information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
1878 WCY messages with the <em>unset/wcy</em> command.
1884 <bf>set/wwv</bf> Allow WWV messages to be seen at your console
1888 Allow WWV information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
1889 WWV messages with the <em>unset/wwv</em> command.
1895 <bf>set/wx</bf> Allow WX messages to be seen at your console
1899 Allow WX information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
1900 WX messages with the <em>unset/wx</em> command.
1906 <bf>show/date [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show
1911 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the format
1912 of the date string if no arguments are given.
1914 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
1915 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
1916 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
1917 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
1923 <bf>show/dx [options]</bf> interrogate the spot database
1927 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots
1928 (sysop configurable, but usually 10).
1930 In addition you can add any number of these options in very nearly
1931 any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
1934 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
1935 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
1937 <number> - the number of spots you want
1938 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in
1941 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
1942 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
1943 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
1945 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
1946 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
1948 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
1950 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call>
1953 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
1954 held in the spot database.
1956 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will
1957 look for the string iota and anything which looks like
1958 an iota island number. If you specify then it will look
1961 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if
1962 you specify one or else anything that looks like a locator.
1969 SH/DX on 20m info iota
1970 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
1981 <bf>show/dxcc <prefix></bf> Interrogate the spot database by country
1985 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
1986 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is
1987 and then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
1989 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command.
1994 SH/DXCC W on 20m info iota
2001 <bf>show/files [<filearea> [<string>]]</bf> List
2002 the contents of a filearea
2006 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
2007 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file
2011 SH/FILES <filearea>
2014 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the
2017 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
2018 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
2021 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
2024 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
2030 <bf>show/filter</bf> Show the filters you have set
2034 Show the contents of all the filters that are set by you. This command
2035 displays all the filters set - for all the various categories.
2041 <bf>show/moon [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show moon
2046 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
2047 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
2050 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
2051 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
2052 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
2054 In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal
2055 distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit.
2057 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
2058 that you are connected to.
2071 <bf>show/muf <prefix> [<hours>][long]</bf> Show
2072 the likely propagation to <prefix>
2076 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting
2077 a station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a modest
2078 power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about 0.15muV/10dB SINAD)
2080 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
2081 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
2082 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
2083 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced accuracy
2084 for paths shorter or longer than this.
2086 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
2087 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
2088 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
2089 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
2090 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
2091 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
2092 such as the Voice of America.
2094 The command will display some header information detailing its
2095 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
2096 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
2097 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
2098 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for which
2099 the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a value.
2101 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the conventional
2102 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it means that it is
2103 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by an 'm' it means that
2104 there is likely to be much fading and by an 's' that the signal is likely
2107 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
2108 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no of
2109 hours required after the prefix. For example:-
2118 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
2119 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
2120 Location Lat / Long Azim
2121 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
2122 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
2123 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
2124 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
2125 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
2128 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
2129 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
2137 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
2145 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
2146 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
2147 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
2153 <bf>show/prefix <callsign></bf> Interrogate the prefix database
2157 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
2158 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number
2159 it is and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country
2160 together with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
2168 <bf>show/qra <locator> [<locator>]</bf> Show the distance
2169 between locators<newline>
2170 <bf>show/qra <lat> <long></bf> Convert latitude and longitude to
2175 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
2176 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
2177 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
2178 to the locator. For example:-
2185 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator from
2186 yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and bearing from
2187 the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6 character locators.
2189 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator by
2190 using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument, for
2194 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
2201 <bf>show/qrz <callsign></bf> Show any callbook details on a callsign
2205 This command queries the QRZ callbook server on the internet
2206 and returns any information available for that callsign. This service
2207 is provided for users of this software by http://www.qrz.com
2213 <bf>show/route <callsign></bf> Show the route to <callsign>
2217 This command allows you to see to which node the callsigns specified are
2218 connected. It is a sort of inverse sh/config.
2224 <sect1>show/satellite
2228 <bf>show/satellite <name> [<hours> <interval>]</bf>
2229 Show satellite tracking data
2233 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your choice
2234 from now on for the next few hours.
2236 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a list
2237 of all the satellites known currently to the system.
2239 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
2240 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
2241 give information for the next three hours for every five minute period.
2243 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
2246 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
2252 SH/SAT FENGYUN1 12 2
2259 <bf>show/sun [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show
2260 sun rise and set times
2264 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
2265 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
2268 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
2269 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
2270 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
2272 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
2273 that you are connected to.
2279 SH/SUN G1TLH K9CW ZS
2286 <bf>show/time [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show
2291 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
2292 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
2293 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
2294 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
2300 <bf>show/wcy</bf> Show the last 10 WCY broadcasts<newline>
2301 <bf>show/wcy <n></bf> Show the last <n> WCY broadcasts
2305 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the system
2311 <bf>show/wwv</bf> Show the last 10 WWV broadcasts<newline>
2312 <bf>show/wwv <n></bf> Show the last <n> WWV broadcasts
2316 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the system
2322 <bf>sysop</bf> Regain your privileges if you login remotely
2326 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
2327 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
2328 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
2329 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
2330 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
2333 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
2334 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
2335 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
2336 these values are for explanation :-):
2339 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
2347 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
2352 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
2353 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
2360 <bf>talk <callsign></bf> Enter talk mode with <callsign><newline>
2361 <bf>talk <callsign> <text></bf> Send a text message to <callsign><newline>
2362 <bf>talk <callsign> > <node_call> [<text>]</bf>
2363 Send a text message to <callsign> via <node_call>
2367 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the cluster
2368 system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a SHOW/CONFIGURATION
2369 command, they don't have to be connected locally.
2371 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
2372 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
2373 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the cluster.
2375 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can only
2376 see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use the
2377 second form of the talk message.
2379 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text message
2380 out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means is that a
2381 short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you are in a 'Talking'
2382 frame of mind and then you just type - everything you send will go to the
2383 station that you asked for.
2385 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on your
2388 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you precede the normal
2389 command with a '/' character, eg:-
2392 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
2396 To leave talk mode type:
2406 <bf>type <filearea>/<name></bf> Look at a file in one of the fileareas
2410 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
2411 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
2415 TYPE bulletins/arld051
2418 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a
2425 <bf>who</bf> Show who is physically connected locally
2429 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
2430 what sort of connection they have
2436 <bf>wx <text></bf> Send a weather message to local users<newline>
2437 <bf>wx full <text> </bf> Send a weather message to all cluster users
2441 Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an extreme
2442 that may indicate enhanced conditions