+++ /dev/null
-<!doctype linuxdoc system>
-
-<article>
-
-<!-- Title information -->
-
-<title>The DXSpider User Manual v1.50</title>
-<author>Ian Maude, G0VGS, (g0vgs@gb7mbc.net)</author>
-<date>March 2003 revision 0.3</date>
-
-<abstract>
-A complete reference for users of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
-</abstract>
-
-<!-- Table of contents -->
-<toc>
-
-<!-- Begin the document -->
-
-<sect>Introduction
-
-<sect1>What is a DX Cluster?
-
-<p>
-A DX Cluster is a packet node where DX chasers on any band or mode can
-post rare or interesting stations that they have worked or heard. Of
-course other people are doing the same thing too, so you can find new
-DX as well as telling others about the stations you have worked.
-Clusters tend to be linked to each other so that the amount of people
-using them is increased, thereby increasing the amount of posted DX.
-Other information can be found on clusters such as on-line call books,
-mail etc. You can talk to other stations connected to the cluster
-network too, in real time, whether at the node you are logged into or
-on another node connected to the network. You can also use converse
-mode, where several stations can talk to each other in the same way.
-Of course, the DX is still posted to you all the while!
-
-<sect1>So what is DXSpider?
-
-<p>
-PacketCluster nodes have been around since roughly 1985. The original
-PacketCluster idea came from Dick Newell, AK1A, and ran under DOS.
-In about 1992 Dick stopped the development of the PacketCluster
-software for amateur radio. Many systems are still using this
-relatively old DOS software today.
-
-There are several new compatible cluster programs around now,
-including DXSpider. DXSpider is a clone of PacketCluster software that runs
-under several operating systems including Linux and Windows. Linux is fast
-becoming the choice for amateur radio stations because of it's flexibility,
-reliability and the lack of the memory limitations of DOS. Linux supports
-multitasking and is also multiuser. It has support for AX25, ROSE,
-NetROM and TCPIP built in, making it the ideal choice for amateur
-radio. It is also totally free!
-
-DXSpider was conceived and begun in 1998 by Dirk Koopman, G1TLH as an
-exercise in perl programming. It has developed rapidly and today is a
-very powerful cluster program. It was designed to be totally compatible
-with the AK1A program, although several commands have been extended to
-improve functionality.
-
-This manual is designed to help you become familiar with the commands
-that DXSpider supports and to help you get the best from the program so
-you can enjoy working that rare DX! As DXSpider is being improved all the
-time, commands will be added as time goes by, so make sure you have
-the most upto date version of this manual. The latest version will
-always be included with the cluster program so if you are unsure, simply
-ask your sysop. The manual will also be available on the wesite.
-
-
-<sect>Logins and logouts.
-
-<p>
-You might not think that there is a lot of point of including a
-section on how to log in and out of DXSpider. However, you would be
-suprised at the difficulties some people have in simply getting in
-and out of the cluster!
-
-There are several ways a login might be achieved, dependant on how
-the sysop has DXSpider configured. It is impossible for me to cover all
-variations but here are the basic ones.
-
-<sect1>AX25 logins.
-
-<p>
-Simplicity itself. The usual <bf>CONNECT</bf> command will log you straight
-into the cluster and you will not have to do anything else.
-Obviously, you will have to connect to the correct callsign. Some
-nodes use an SSID with their call so you would have to add that.
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-connect GB7MBC
-connect GB7MBC-1
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect1>Netrom logins.
-
-<p>
-There are several possibilities here, dependant on how the sysop has
-configured his system. If you are connecting via netrom then you are
-most probably connecting from another station. Listing the nodes in
-that station with the <bf>NODES</bf> command will tell you what callsign
-or netrom alias to connect to. Then just issue the connect command
-from there. It is possible that the netrom alias may connect you to
-a node with an alias for the cluster, such as DXC. Just type this
-and you will be connected.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-<tscreen><verb>
-connect MBCDX
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect1>Telnet logins.
-
-<p>
-With telnet connections, the source callsign is not seen by DXSpider, so
-you will be asked to login with your callsign.
-To telnet to DXSpider, you would connect to a specific port. There is no
-standard at the moment for a cluster telnet port but ask the sysop if
-you are unsure.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-telnet gb7mbc 8000
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-All the above are possible ways of connecting to a DXSpider cluster. You
-may have some or all of these available to you. There may be one or
-two additional ways to connect dependant on the network local to you.
-However I am sure you get the idea.
-
-<sect1>Logouts.
-
-<p>
-Logging out can be done by simply issuing the standard <bf>BYE</bf>
-command.
-
-You could also send a disconnect if you are using AX25, or a <bf>CLOSE</bf>
-command if you are connected via telnet.
-If you do not log out gracefully using one of the above commands,
-you may find you are unable to get a full connect next time. This
-may also happen if a netrom connection drops. You may get connected,
-but nothing else will happen because the program thinks you are still
-connected and will not let you connect twice under the same call.
-However you could reconnect by adding a number to the end of your call,
-for example G0YLM-2.
-This can be done by either altering your MYCALL setting in the TNC or
-by altering your program configuration.
-
-
-<sect>Setting your personal details.
-
-<p>
-Once logged in to the cluster, you should set your details so that
-anybody who wishes to contact you can find out who and where you are.
-There are four items to set, your name, qth, location and home node.
-Setting these details also allows the use of the SHOW/HEADING and
-SHOW/SUN commands from within the cluster. Unless you set your QTH
-and location, these commands cannot function.
-Once you have set your name, DXSpider will greet you with it next time
-you login. Your QTH setting is where you live and it is a good idea
-to add your locator to this as the location setting is converted to
-latitude and longitude once inputted. You can actually set your location
-in latitude/longitude or as a locator. Setting your home node will
-tell the program where you wish mail to be sent to you.
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-set/name Ian
-set/qth Morecambe, Lancashire IO84NB
-set/location 48 34 n 12 12 e
-set/qra IO84NB
-set/home gb7mbc
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect>Getting and posting DX.
-
-<p>
-When all is said and done, this is the main function of a DX cluster.
-In its simplest form you can just connect to the node and you will
-start to receive DX spots almost immediately! You can check on
-recent postings in either a general manner or on a particular band or
-mode. You can even check DX by callsign or a fragment of a callsign.
-Of course, once you get the hang of things, it is expected that you
-start posting some yourself! After all, there would be no clusters
-if people did not post DX and you get the added thrill of the hunt!
-
-<sect1>Receiving DX.
-
-<p>
-As we have already said, it is possible just to connect to the
-cluster and you will receive spots automatically. However, you may
-wish to check on spots just posted. Maybe you wish to see if a
-particular band is open or if a certain callsign is active, perhaps a
-DXpedition. The command to do this is <bf>SHOW/DX</bf>. Without any
-other arguments, this command will output the last 10 spots
-posted. It is possible to look at more than this, for example the
-last 20 or 50 spots, by adding the number to the command. You can
-make it even more specific by adding a band in either wavelength or
-frequency, and/or any additional information such as QSL details.
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/dx
-show/dx 5
-show/dx 20
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-will show the last 10, 5 and 20 spots received by the cluster
-respectively.
-
-<bf>Examples</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/dx on 20m
-show/dx 10 on 20m
-show/dx 20 on 20m
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-will show the last 5, 10 or 20 spots on 20 metres only.
-
-It is also possible to check for certain callsigns, or fragments of
-callsigns in the same way.
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/dx g0vgs
-show/dx 10 g0vgs
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-would show the last 5 or 10 dx spots containing the callsign g0vgs.
-
-<p>
-You can check for DX by offset and also by specifying a comment to
-search for.
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/dx 30-40
-show/dx 14000-14033
-show/dx iota
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-would show the spots that arrived between 30 and 40 spots ago and any
-spots with the word <em>iota</em> in the comment field. The case of
-the comment is not important.
-
-Checking DX posted on a certain day is possible too. All you have
-to do here is to specify how many days ago it was like this ...
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/dx day 30
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-It is of course possible to specify multiple arguments.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/dx 20 prefix 9a on vhf day 30
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-This would show the last 20 spots posted by or about calls with the prefix
-9a on vhf 30 days ago.
-
-As you can see the <bf>SHOW/DX</bf> command is very flexible, so if you are
-not sure whether something will work or not, try it and see! More
-information can be found in the Command Set section.
-
-<sect1>Posting DX.
-
-<p>
-To post DX you use the <bf>DX</bf> command. The syntax is shown below.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-dx (frequency) (callsign) (remarks)
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-Where frequency is in kilohertz and the callsign is the callsign of
-the station you have worked or heard, (ie not your own callsign!).
-The remarks section allows you to add information like the operators
-name or perhaps a location. Actually DXSpider will allow the frequency
-and callsign fields to be entered in any order.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-In fact, all the following will give the same result...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-dx 14004 pa3ezl OP Aurelio 599
-dx pa3ezl 14004 OP Aurelio 599
-dx pa3ezl 14.004 OP Aurelio 599
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-This posting, or callout as it is known, will be forwarded to all
-other connected stations both at the cluster you are connected to and
-other active clusters in the network. The callout will also be sent
-to you as proof of receipt.
-
-<sect>Headings and propagation
-
-<p>
-There are three commands in DXSpider to help you get the best DX possible.
-These are <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf>, <bf>SHOW/MOON</bf> and
-<bf>SHOW/HEADING</bf>. These commands will only work for you if you
-have entered your personal details. They use your entered location as
-a reference, so if you have not entered it or have entered it incorrectly
-they will not return the correct information.
-
-<sect1>Sun
-
-<p>
-The <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf> command can be used in three different ways. It
-can be used to show sunrise and sunset times for your own station, a
-particular callsign or a prefix.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/sun
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The output from this would look something like this ..
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/sun
-Location Rise Set Azim Elev
-G0VGS Morecambe, Lancashire 07:08Z 17:39Z 205.3 24.1
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/sun 5b4
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-would look like this ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/sun 5b4
-Location Rise Set Azim Elev
-5B Cyprus-5B 04:23Z 15:40Z 244.0 18.8
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-You can also specify multiple arguments like this ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-and then the output would look like this ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/sun gw4veq 5b4ab zs
-Location Rise Set Azim Elev
-GW4VEQ Brungwran, Isle of Anglesey IO 07:14Z 17:48Z 204.9 24.9
-5B Cyprus-5B 04:23Z 15:40Z 244.5 18.3
-ZS So-Africa-ZS1-ZS 04:31Z 17:28Z 289.9 41.3
-ZS So-Africa-ZS5-ZS 03:44Z 16:34Z 278.5 32.0
-ZS So-Africa-ZS6-ZS 03:59Z 16:42Z 277.6 35.0
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect1>Moon
-
-<p>
-The <bf>SHOW/MOON</bf> command works in the same way as the
-<bf>SHOW/SUN</bf> command. This program however, calculates the
-rise and set times of the moon for a prefix or callsign, together
-with the current azimuth and elevation of the sun at these
-locations.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/moon ea
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The output from this command would look like this ..
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/moon ea
-Location Rise Set Azim Elev RGain dB
-EA Spain-EA 08:15Z 20:09Z 257.2 9.5 -0.6
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-You can see that the output is similar to the <bf>SHOW/SUN</bf>
-command, with slightly different fields.
-
-<sect1>Heading
-
-<p>
-The <bf>SHOW/HEADING</bf> command works in the same way as the
-<bf>SHOW/SUN</bf> and <bf>SHOW/MOON</bf> commands but outputs beam
-headings for a specified callsign or prefix. Reciprocal beam headings
-are also calculated.
-
-<bf>Example</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/heading zl
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The output from this command would look like this ..
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/heading zl
-ZL New-Zealand-ZL1-ZL: 7 degs - dist: 11238 mi, 18087 km Reciprocal heading: 355 degs
-ZL New-Zealand-ZL2-ZL: 9 degs - dist: 11540 mi, 18574 km Reciprocal heading: 353 degs
-ZL New-Zealand-ZL3-ZL: 19 degs - dist: 11634 mi, 18724 km Reciprocal heading: 345 degs
-ZL New-Zealand-ZL4-ZL: 34 degs - dist: 11783 mi, 18963 km Reciprocal heading: 332 degs
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect>Announcements.
-
-<sect1>Making announcements.
-
-<p>
-Occasionally, you may wish to post something that does not fall into
-the normal parameters for a DX callout. You may wish to tell
-everybody connected that 10 FM is open for example, or ask if anyone
-knows the QSL manager for a certain callsign etc. You can do this
-using the <bf>ANNOUNCE</bf> command.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-announce 10 FM is open in IO84NB to europe.
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-That would let everyone know locally that this was the case, however
-it would not be forwarded to other nodes connected. To send
-announcements to other connected nodes as well, you would use the
-<bf>FULL</bf> extension.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-announce full Anyone seen EA7WA today?
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-Be cautious in your use of announce full. There are many other tools
-available to get the information you require and the judicious use of
-this command is frowned upon as it creates a great deal of traffic
-across the network.
-
-<sect1>Listing announcements.
-
-<p>
-You can list previous announcements in the standard format with the
-<bf>SHOW</bf> command. As before you can list just the last 5 or as
-many as you wish.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/announcements
-show/announcements 10
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect>Nodes and users.
-
-<p>
-You can check which nodes are connected in the network, who is
-logged on locally, who is logged on at all the nodes or even
-just one node in particular. This is handy if you wish to see whether
-a friend is connected at the node they use. To see who is connected
-to the nodes, the <bf>SHOW/CONFIGURATION</bf> command is used.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/configuration
-show/configuration/nodes
-show/configuration (node_call)
-show/configuration (prefix)
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The first of our three examples would output something like this,
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/c
-Node Callsigns
-EI5TCR (7 users)
-GB7ADX
-GB7BAA G4FPV G8TIC
-GB7BIG (GD0TEP) GD3UMW
-GB7BPQ (G0INA) G0RCI G3AKU G3OCA
-(GB7CDX) G3JNB G4ALR
-GB7DJK G0FYD G0REK G1TLH G4PEL G4SOZ
- G4TVR G7SQW K8AZ M0CTQ-1 MM1CXE-10
- ON7WP
-GB7DXA G0RDI G8SJP
-GB7DXC (G0HDB) G0WFK (G1FYC) G3KWK G3LME
- G3OIL G4BGW G4FUJ (G4PDQ) GW7SMV
-GB7DXE G1NNB
-(GB7DXG) GU6EFB GU7DHI
-GB7DXK G1NTW G3IBI G3NSM G3XAQ G4CUS
- G4XQY G7GAN
-GB7DXM G1EUC G3GAF G3LAS G4ZTR G8WXU
- M0BCT M1EMF
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-You will notice that EI5TCR is showing only that it has 7 users and not
-giving the actual callsigns. This means that this node is on a limited
-protocol of some kind, probably because of a contest situation where
-slow radio links can block up and fail if too much information is sent
-between nodes.
-
-The second example would just show the nodes connected in the
-network, like this,
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-sh/c/n
-Node Callsigns
-GB7BAA GB7BAA GB7BPQ (GB7CDX) GB7DJK GB7DXA
- GB7DXC GB7DXE (GB7DXG) GB7DXK GB7DXL
- GB7DXM GB7DXS GB7IPT GB7MRS GB7UJS
- GB7YDX KL7G N2TLY (ON0DXK)
-GB7BIG EI5TCR GB7ADX GB7BIG GB7UDX
-GB7MBC
-PA4AB-14 PA4AB-14
-PI4TUE-8 PI4TUE-8
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-If we insert the node_call pi4tue-8 into the third example, then
-this would be the output,
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-Node Callsigns
-PI4TUE-8 9A1CMA-6 DF6PW DL4FAY DL4KAK DL4WF-2
- F5NOD-2 F5PAC IZ0CSR N6CR OH2BLD
- ON1LVL-13 ON4CBT ON4CJP ON5DXL-14 ON7NQ
- PA0RCT PA3DYS PA3FDO PA5KW-4 PI4TUE-9
- YT1XX
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-As you can see, only the users of the requested node are shown.
-
-You can also use a prefix to show only a group of nodes. For example
-you may only wish to see who is connected to the nodes in the UK. To
-do this simply use a prefix like this ...
-
-<verb>
-show/configuration gb7
-</verb>
-
-To show the locally connected users, the <bf>SHOW/USERS</bf> command is
-used
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/users
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The output of this command would look like this,
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-Callsigns connected to GB7MBC
-G0JHC G0NEI G0VGS G0VGS-2 G0YLM
-G3JAG G3OWO G3UEU
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect>Talk mode.
-
-<p>
-You can send a single comment or start a dedicated talk session to
-another user by using the <bf>TALK</bf> command.
-
-<p>
-Talk mode is used to send a one line comment or greeting to a
-specific user connected either at your node or another in the
-network. You can also enter into a dedicated talk session with
-another user. Talks will be automatically forwarded to other nodes
-if the station you are talking to is not connected locally.
-You can find out who is connected by using the
-<bf>SHOW/CONFIGURATION</bf> command, (described earlier).
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-talk g0rdi Having a good day Iain?
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-This example would send the line "Having a good day Iain?" to the
-user g0rdi but would leave you in normal mode.
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-talk g0rdi
-Entering Talkmode, /EX to end, /<cmd> to run a command
-Talk (G0RDI)>
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-As you can see, you can still run commands whilst in talk mode.
-Simply prefix the command with a / like /sh/dx and you will get
-the expected output.
-If the user is connected to another node, you may have to use a
-slightly extended version of the <bf>TALK</bf> command.
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-talk g0rdi > gb7djk
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-To exit talk mode, you issue the command <bf>/ex</bf>.
-
-Whilst in talk mode you will still receive DX spots. This means that
-you can chat to a friend whilst working DX.
-
-<sect>Mail.
-
-<p>
-You can send and receive both personal mail and bulletins with DXSpider
-quite easily.
-
-<sect1>The "directory" command.
-
-<p>
-To list mail you would use the <bf>DIRECTORY</bf> command. On its
-own, this command will output the last ten messages received by the
-node, either to or from yourself or bulletins such as "DX" and "ALL".
-As with other commands you can display more by specifying a number
-with the command. You should be aware that Spider will accept
-these commands by separating with either a slash or a space, so
-<em>dir new</em> and <em>dir/new</em> work in the same way.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-directory
-directory/20
-directory 20
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-Of course most of the time you will only want to list new mail sent
-to you personally since your last login. However you might also like
-to check for general mail received by the node. In fact if there is
-new mail for you, the cluster will tell you when you login. You will
-also be informed if new mail arrives for you during the time you are
-logged in.
-Mail is not only sent to callsigns though. Mail can also be sent to
-subjects like "all" or "local" or "dx" etc. You can treat these
-bulletins in the same way as personal mail with the directory
-command.
-
-<bf>Examples:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-directory/new
-directory/own
-directory/own/10
-directory/all
-directory/from <call>
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The last option will only show mail from a callsign if it was sent to
-you personally or was sent as a bulletin. There are some additional
-commands and these can be found in the DXSpider Command Reference section.
-
-<sect1>Reading mail.
-
-<p>
-The output of the <bf>DIRECTORY</bf> command could be something like
-this.
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-dir
- 20735 2 ALL GW7SMV 21-Feb 1204Z REC 9E1S QSL TDY 50Mhz....
- 20823 308 UK G0HDB 22-Feb 2334Z Help - which district code?
- 20824 105 ALL W9AE 23-Feb 0349Z S0NY QSL address?
- 20825 2 UK G0LRJ 23-Feb 0806Z QSL REC LZ2CJ/1.CARD NO-750.
- 20858 2 ALL GW7SMV 24-Feb 0905Z REC S92DX QSL CARD TDY 50Mhz
- 20921 200 ALL GM4FDM 27-Feb 2203Z Trip to VP8
- 20949 375 ALL K0MN 27-Feb 0428Z ST0P cards are gd @ ARRL
- 20950 2 UK G0LRJ 28-Feb 0835Z QSL REC SV9/IZ0CKJ/P EU-187.
- 20987 569 ALL GD0TEP 1-Mar 1733Z Portable contests
- 21076 2 ALL G4AFJ 3-Mar 1743Z kh6nd/kh5 qsl received
- 21184-p 599 GW4HAT G0VGS 4-Mar 1518Z Re: Time
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The first column is the actual message number. If the message is a
-personal one to you, you will see a letter 'p' after this number. If
-the message has been read, there will be a '-' between the message
-number and the 'p'. This only works for personal messages. The next
-column shows the file size of the message. The third column shows the
-address the message was sent to and the next column shows who sent it.
-The rest is fairly self-explanatory.
-
-Reading a message is as simple as typing read, followed by the
-message number that you wish to read.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-read 25
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-will read message number 25. However the mail will be displayed in it's
-entirety unless you specify a page length. You can set your page length
-to any number you like and when the message reaches that number of lines
-you will get a prompt giving you options.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-set/page 20
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-
-<sect1>Sending mail.
-
-<p>
-Sending mail is done in the time honoured way. First you specify
-a recipient for the message, then you will be prompted for a subject.
-Once you have done this you will be asked to type your message.
-Please remember that there is no automatic word wrap, so unless you
-are using a client that wraps lines automatically, remember to hit
-return at the end of each line.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-send m0azm
-Enter Subject (30 characters):
-See you Thursday
-Enter Message /EX to send or /ABORT to exit
-Hi Ian,
-Just a quick note to say that I can make Thursday after all. The
-appointment I had has cancelled so we are go!
-Cheers
-Ian
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-At this point you can either hit return and enter /ex to send the
-message or use /abort at any time to abort it. You can now display
-the message in the normal way. There are several send options and
-these are listed in the Command Set section. These include sending
-mail to several recipients and asking for a return receipt.
-
-
-<sect1>Replying to mail.
-
-<p>
-If mail is addressed to you or to a bulletin address, you can use the
-<bf>REPLY</bf> command to reply to it. Using this command, the
-subject will be automatically set for you as "Re: subject", whatever
-the subject was.
-
-<bf>Example:</bf>
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-reply 2500
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect1>Deleting mail
-
-<P>
-To delete a message, you use the <em>delete</em> command.
-You can only delete messages sent to or received by yourself.
-Bulletins are dealt with automatically or by the sysop.
-
-<sect>Filtering (From version 1.45)
-
-<sect1>General filter rules
-
-<P>
-Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters. From
-v1.45 though that has all changed. It is now possible to set filters for just
-about anything you wish. If you have just updated from an older version of
-DXSpider you will need to update your new filters. You do not need to do
-anything with your old filters, they will be renamed as you update.
-
-<P>
-There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating filters. These
-are <em>accept</em>, <em>reject</em> and <em>clear</em>. First we will look
-generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in the
-DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism.
-
-<P>
-In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which can have
-up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-accept/spots .....
-reject/spots .....
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There are
-filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects. See each
-different accept or reject command reference for more details.
-
-There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter. They are ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-clear/spots 1
-clear/spots all
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
-
-<P>
-and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-show/filter
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<P>
-For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply the same
-principles to all types of filter.
-
-<sect1>Types of filter
-
-<P>
-There are two main types of filter, <em>accept</em> or <em>reject</em>. You
-can use either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference
-and which is more simple to do. It is pointless writing 8 lines of reject
-filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing! Each filter has 10
-lines (of any length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the
-action you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept
-means take it)
-
-<P>
-If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match the filter
-will be dumped but all else will be accepted. If you use an accept filter,
-then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted and all else will be dumped.
-For example if you have a single line <em>accept</em> filter ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-then you will <em>ONLY</em> get VHF spots <em>from</em> or <em>to</em> CQ zones
-14, 15 and 16.
-
-<P>
-If you set a reject filter like this ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-reject/spots on hf/cw
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-Then you will get everything <em>EXCEPT</em> HF CW spots. You could make this
-single filter even more flexible. For example, if you are interested in IOTA
-and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not interested in
-CW, then you could say ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the other
-until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix them if you
-wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but
-don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you are doing!
-
-<P>
-You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your own
-understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
-reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots on VHF
-which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe.
-
-<P>
-This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this case), if
-you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits '0'-'9' are available.
-This make it easier to see just what filters you have set. It also makes it
-more simple to remove individual filters, during a contest for example.
-
-<P>
-You will notice in the above example that the second line has brackets. Look
-at the line logically. You can see there are 2 separate sections to it. We
-are saying reject spots that are VHF or above <em>APART</em> from those in
-zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or originated there). If you did
-not have the brackets to separate the 2 sections, then Spider would read it
-logically from the front and see a different expression entirely ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-(on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets. Whilst we are
-here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the same as 'and by_zone'.
-
-As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible than
-simply setting one complex one. Doing it in this way means that if you want
-to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one or more lines of it or
-one line. For example ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-would redefine our earlier example, or
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-clear/spots 1
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-clear/spots all
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-<sect1>Filter options
-
-<P>
-You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in the
-various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter.
-
-<sect1>Advanced filtering
-
-<P>
-Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to experiment.
-
-<P>
-The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU
-can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-rej/spot on hf/cw
-acc/spot on 0/30000
-acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number. This
-will automatically be assumed to be number 1. In this case, we have
-said <em>reject all HF spots in the CW section of the bands but accept
-all others at HF. Also accept anything in VHF and above spotted in or
-by operators in the zones 14, 15 and 16</em>. Each filter slot actually
-has a 'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed
-BEFORE the accept slot.
-
-<P>
-It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match, the
-default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for 'accept'.
-In the example what happens is that the reject is executed first, any non
-hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets through everything
-else on HF. The next filter line lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU.
-
-
-<sect>Hints, tips and common questions.
-
-<p>
-<bf/Q./These commands seem very long! Can I shorten them?
-
-<bf/A./Of course you can and the usual abbreviations work. If you
-are unsure, try it.
-
-<bf/Q./I am not sure if this command is correct. Can I cause any
-harm if I try it?
-
-<bf/A./Do not be afraid to try a command to see if it will work,
-at the worst you will get an error message. If you require any
-help on a command, just type help followed by the command you
-want help on. Look at the "DXSpider Command Reference" section to see
-what help can be found.
-
-<bf/Q./How should I use the announce command?
-
-<bf/A./With respect. Use the command by all means, but please
-only use the "full" extension if absolutely necessary. It can
-create a LOT of messages passing between clusters.
-
-<bf/Q./I like to be working in the shack while logged into the
-cluster but I can't be looking at the screen all the time. How
-can I be alerted when anything happens?
-
-<bf/A./Use the <bf>SET/BEEP</bf> command. You can find information
-on this in the "DXSpider Command Reference" section.
-
-<bf/Q./I got disconnected from the cluster and now I can't log
-back in again. What is wrong?
-
-<bf/A./Probably the cluster thinks you are still logged on and
-will not let you reconnect using the same call to prevent loops.
-Try logging on again adding an ssid to your callsign as DXSpider
-treats G0YLM and G0YLM-1 as different users.
-
-<bf/Q./How do I know if I have got the latest version of this
-user manual?
-
-<bf/A./The latest and greatest will always be on the Website. It will
-also be included with every release of DXSpider. As always, if unsure,
-ask your sysop what version number is the latest.
-
-<sect>The DXSpider command reference
-
projects / spider.git / blobdiff