DX spot recommendation - off topic

Mark_WS7M

Hi All... 

Off topic but I need to know what is the best, most reliable net based DX spot system?

It seems there are a few out there and not sure which one is the best.  Recommendations please!

Mark

Larry Loen WO7R

This is one of those "it depends" situations. Dxsummir.fi is always there but a 10m spot from a Russian and you:re in the US, you might be disappointed. If you can find a local or regional telnet group, they can be very good but maybe not or maybe has too much downtime.

Some filter reverse beacon spots weakly, some fiercely.

Me, I find you have to try several out to get the right mix of "nailed it" versus false positives that aren't easy to filter out at a glance.

Ve7cc has nice software to help you sort through the sources, too. It can actually change the apparent quality of a source

Mark_WS7M

Thanks Larry,

I am working on pulling DX spots into a display that can place them over the pan adapter by frequency.

I think I'm going to need to support peoples favorites so that could be interesting.  I guess I should rephrase the question towards what would be most useful for a first pass?

KY6LA_Howard

BTW.... Spots on the Display is my #1 Feature request for SmartSDR

Ali 9K2WA

Me too!

I am using VE7CC DX Cluster spot system, you can also look at his CC cluster software (Free).  There are many more out there,  you can find lists in log programs such as N1MM, HRD and Log4OM to name some.

I find http://hamspots.net very good for digital modes.

Larry Loen WO7R

If the plan is to process a feed,figure out how to get DX summit and then filter regionally based on the spotter's DX location. You can use CTY.DAT or settle for simplified processing and let th e few spots from Chile or Indonesia through

Terry K8EET

Lots of good ones. I like the looks and flexibility of DXHeat.

Larry , W8LO

I understand Ham Radio Deluxe is good, as is Logic9.

Walt - KZ1F

Mark, I just use one of the stations on hrdlog's dxcluster. I am adding that dxcluster station to XPSSDR to do the same thing, rotate 90 and place over the waterfall. If there is nothing there, don't place it. That solves 'Proporgation differences. After 20 mins, expire it. It's just a telnet protocol.

Steve W6SDM

One of the Elmers in the club says to forget spotters and turn the dial, listening carefully, instead.  However, he's old, crotchety, **** near blind, and doesn't smell all that good either.  

I like VE7CC which will work with a variety of other software, like LOG4OM.

Neal_K3NC

dxc.k3nc.com is the best in the wprld!

Burt Fisher

Using DX spot is like going hunting in a zoo, hardly in the spirit of hunting, is it?

KY6LA_Howard

@Burt

I know I should just ignore you and

We all understand that you get your jollies by making people angry with you

But when you have nothing POSITIVE to contribute to a conversation, I am sure that most people would prefer that you keep your NEGATIVE thoughts bottled up inside you.... rather than moving electrons with them 

Terry K8EET

Burt, still a lot of sport if you're using a wire antenna and something less than the legal limit. Nice thing about the Flex is you can see where the pile ups are. I've waited 20 minutes for a station to send his call only to discover I've already worked the guy.  Spots are a little like using your GPS to avoid traffic jams. 

W9OY

For what you want it sounds like a telnet client might be the most economical then pick off the data and put it into a band filtered (possibly mode filtered) database for your display.  If you use a telnet client each user can tell the client which spot feed to use.  You can use something like puttytel or putty to collect the data

http://www.ng3k.com/misc/cluster.html

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Putty uses something like 1.5mb of memory

73  W9OY

Mark_WS7M

Burt, using a computer takes away much the beauty of writing because it does so much for you.   Maybe you will feel better about DX spots by writing out your comments using a parchment and quill and mailing them by pony express.

(Sorry I could not resist)

Walt - KZ1F

Mark, how is your regex? The data that comes back is predictable. Just **** off the fields you want and go from there.

Mark_WS7M

I'm not bad at regex.  What I'm trying to handle is everyone's favorite dx spot.  The ones I've checked do seem to have some differences.  I think what I will need to do is to support a few and add as people request them.

Rick Hadley - W0FG

DX Heat & QRZCQ are the two web-based clusters I use,  Of the two, I've come to like QRZCQ the best because it includes beam headings. I have our local club cluster connected to HRDLog.  My usual approach is to see what bands are open and then run one or two instances of CW Skimmer while I do my web browsing on this laptop, then click on anything that turns up that I feel like working.

Burt Fisher

Maybe hunters would be happier using artillery?

Burt Fisher

Howard someone nominated you to speak for them? You did say, "we."
It is interesting you know what most people want.
Don't you have the self confidence to speak for just yourself?

Mark_WS7M

I don't hunt, but have gone on a few trips and you are not far off Burt.  I watched one guy pull out a 50cal... Yes... a real live 50cal for hunting rabbits that were in the area.  The bigger the gun the better for some hunters.

Burt Fisher

I don't think I get points or awards for using a GPS

KY6LA_Howard

Maybe DX Hunters should. Use Big Beams and Big amps. Oops. I do.

KY6LA_Howard

Actually a number of people have commented to me about your obvious attempts to hijack threads with irrelevant comments. So we is appropriate whenever I comment on your picadillos.

KY6LA_Howard

In contests I use a K3 at the NX6T contest station The K3 feeds a program NaP3 which actually uses PowerSDR as a basis.... NaP3 was written by Pete F5VNB who abandoned further development in 2014.

http://www.telepostinc.com/NaP3.html

For better or worse, NaP3 is the current gold standard for Call Spots in a panafall.....

Steve W6SDM

Regardless of how many tools you have at your disposal, success at DX requires the skill to properly use them.  A spotter will get you to where the pileup is.  The amp will get you heard most of the time.  The antenna will let you hear the DX.  However, you still have to compete with hundreds of other guys calling within a small slice of bandwidth.

Even with a spotting software, an amp, and a 9 element Yagi up 50 feet I have still spent hours patiently sending my call hundreds of times until I finally got acknowledged by the DX - especially in my pre-Flex days.

Now I look at the panadapter and try to spot where the last guy was that got called on.  I look to see if there is a pattern like the DX moving his receiver either up or down and in what increments... then I plant my transmit slice where I think he will be and call.  That's got me more QSLs than all the other tools that I have used.

Kari Gustafsson SM0HRP

IMO spot programs give you half the help you need. You are bombarded with spots today. IF you chase dx on different bands COMCAT can filter all these spots in all dimensions. The support is great. I have used it effectively to work all Dx-peditions on most bands last years. It saves time behind the knobs inleds you want to "live in the radio" now when Palmyra comes up.

KY6LA_Howard

I have used virtually every spots program out there.

There are real time ones such as CWSkimmer, DM780 which give you the actual calls that you are seeing

There are virtual ones Writelog Band map and HRD LOGBOOK Spots Band Map which give you a separate band map but don't show the panafall.
COMMCAT falls into this category without a band map

But these two are less than optimal because they fail to superimpose the spots over the panafall

Finally there are Optimal Spots Band Maplike NaP3 and Dogspark Software which actually place the spots onto the Panafall

Frankly the most useful is the third category in that you can see the spots and the quality of the signal.

IMNSHO THIS is clearly the biggest missing feature in Samert SDR.

Burt Fisher

So if 50 hunters line up at the gate of the zoo, you all run to shoot the animals?
That is sport because you know where the animals are?

Burt Fisher

Who? You talk about me behind my back like a bunch of old woman?

picadillos: a traditional Latin American and Spanish dish of ground meat, onions, tomatoes, raisins, olives, and spices.


Are you Howard really advising me about negative thoughts, really?