Configuring SpotCollector's General Settings

SpotCollector Online Help Contents

The General tab contains nine panels:

General panel 

Show control explanations

when checked, enables the display of explanatory information when the mouse cursor lingers over a textbox, button, checkbox, display pane, or setting.

Confirm spot deletion when checked, attempting to delete a spot database entry displays a dialog box that asks you to confirm the deletion

Show 0 as Ø

when checked, displays received numeric zeros with a slash in Packet Cluster, IRC, and  DX Cluster windows

Seek everything if DXKeeper is not installed
  • checking this box indicates that your award objectives are to work every country on every band and mode; thus every spot database entry will be considered needed
  • not checking this box indicates spot database entries will be considered confirmed

Set Xcvr split when checked, double-clicking on a spot database entry specifying a split frequency will place the transceiver in split mode (if support) and set the split frequency into the transceiver's alternate VFO
Spot Xcvr split when checked with Commander  running (version 5.9.2 or later), the outgoing spot notes will track the transceiver's split frequency in kHz, e.g. "up 2.5" or "dn 1"
Main F-keys via WW when checked, striking the function keys F5 through F12 will direct WinWarbler to invoke the associated macro; striking the ESC key will direct WinWarbler to abort the current transmission 
Capture location info from notes when checked, SpotCollector attempts to recover location information for an entry's DX station (grid square, IOTA tag)  and spotting station (grid square) from its spot notes; if successful, this information is used in preference to location information provided by the cluster software 
Lookup missing location info when checked, SpotCollector attempts to obtain location information for an entry's DX station (grid square, IOTA tag, CQ zone, ITU zone, continent, primary administrative subdivision, region) and spotting station (grid square) via DXCC or USAP database ookup if this information has not been extracted from spot notes or provided by the cluster software.
Automatic DXView Update when checked, creation of a new Spot Database Entry will automatically direct DXView to perform a lookup operation, displaying the station's location on its world map (if DXView is running and its SC Lock button has not been clicked)
Request Prop Forecast when checked, double-clicking a Spot Database Entry will direct PropView (if running) to compute a propagation forecast based on the current solar flux and parameters pre-establish in PropView (this box will be disabled unless both PropView and DXView are running)
Display info in title bars when checked, UTC time and log information is displayed in the Main window's title bar, and UTC time is displayed in the spot source windows' title bars (uncheck if running Vista)
Use multiple monitors when checked, windows that resided on a secondary monitor during the previous session will be restored to the same secondary monitor on startup; when not checked, all windows will be restored to the primary monitor on startup

Log debugging information

when set, diagnostic information is recorded in the file errorlog.txt within SpotCollector's folder

Operator callsign 

Spots you originate are attributed to this callsign

Operator location

Spots you originate are associated with this geographic origin:

  • North American East coast

  • North American Midwest

  • North American West coast

  • South America, Europe

  • Africa

  • Asia

  • Oceania)

Operator Latitude and Longitude are used to compute the distance to the station originating a DX spot for Band filtering

Log Filter When you select a DX station (e.g. by double-clicking on a Spot Database entry), determines whether DXKeeper displays all previous QSOs with that station's base callsign, or all previous QSOs with that station's DXCC entity
DX Unit

Specifies whether Origin Distances and Band Filter Maximum Origin Distances are stored and displayed in miles or kilometers.

 

 

Interoperation panel

Controls on this panel let  you specify the Digital Mode Application to which SpotCollector will send frequency and mode information when you select a Spot Database Entry, subject to settings on the panels described below. By default, the Digital Mode Application textbox is set to WinWarbler; if the Digital Mode Application textbox is empty, SpotCollector sets it to WinWarbler . If you specify a Digital Mode Application like MultiPSK and click the Connect button, then when you select a Spot Database Entry, SpotCollector will send the frequency and mode information to that Digital Mode Application from then on. 

 

RTTY Mode if no Digital Mode Application panel

If you select a RTTY DX spot with the specified Digital Mode Application running, the spot information will be conveyed to that application, which will set the transceiver's frequency and mode according to its configuration. If the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, but Commander is running, then the settings on this panel determine the transceiver mode:

RTTY

when a RTTY DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to normal RTTY mode (if Commander is running)

RTTY-R

when a RTTY DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to reversed RTTY mode (if Commander is running)

USB

when a RTTY DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to USB mode (if Commander is running)

LSB

when a RTTY DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to LSB mode (if Commander is running)

PKT when a RTTY DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to PKT mode (if Commander is running)
PKT-R when a RTTY DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to reversed PKT mode (if Commander is running)

 

Digital Mode if no Digital Mode Application panel

If the specified Digital Mode Application is running and you select a spot whose mode is other than USB, LSB, AM, FM, or CW, the spot information will be conveyed to the Digital Mode Application, which will set the transceiver's frequency and mode according to its configuration.

 If the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, but Commander is running, then the settings on this panel determine the transceiver mode:

RTTY

when a non-RTTY digital mode DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to normal RTTY mode (if Commander is running)

RTTY-R

when a non-RTTY digital mode DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to reversed RTTY mode (if Commander is running)

USB

when a non-RTTY digital mode DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to USB mode (if Commander is running)

LSB

when a non-RTTY digital mode DX spot is selected set the transceiver to LSB mode (if Commander is running)

PKT when a non-RTTY digital mode DX spot is selected set the transceiver to PKT mode (if Commander is running)
PKT-R when a non-RTTY digital mode DX spot is selected set the transceiver to reversed PKT mode (if Commander is running)

 

CW Mode panel

CW

when  a CW DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to normal CW mode (if Commander is running)

CW-R

when  a CW DX spot is selected, set the transceiver to reversed CW mode (if Commander is running)

CW via Digital Mode Application when  a CW DX spot is selected and the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to the Digital Mode Application; if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running but Commander is running, set the transceiver to normal CW mode. 

 

Phone Modes Panel

SSB via Digital Mode Application

when  an SSB DX spot is selected and the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to the Digital Mode Application; if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running but Commander is running, set the transceiver to USB or LSB mode as a function of frequency. 

AM via Digital Mode Application

when  an AM DX spot is selected and the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to the Digital Mode Application; if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running but Commander is running, set the transceiver to AM mode.

FM via Digital Mode Application when  an FM DX spot is selected and the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to the Digital Mode Application; if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running but Commander is running, set the transceiver to FM mode. 

 

User-defined Sequence after QSY panel

If Commander is running, the user-defined command sequence named in this panel's textbox is executed after any QSY directive sent from SpotCollector to Commander -- such as when you double-click on a Spot Database Entry; this capability could be used to enable an automatic antenna tuner, select a specific antenna, or set a clarifier offset.

Sub-band Definition panel

 

File pathname textbox

  • pathname to a Sub-band definition file used by SpotCollector to identify a spot's band and default mode from its frequency or QSX frequency

  • each line of the file defines a sub-band, sequentially specifying a lower-frequency limit, an upper-frquency limit, the default mode name, and the band name, e.g. the following four entries used to define 15m sub-bands:

21000,21070,CW,15M
21070,21110,RTTY,15M
21110,21200,CW,15M
21200,21450,USB,15M

  • sub-band frequency ranges must be non-overlapping

  • sub-band entries must be sorted in order of increasing frequency

  • valid mode names are AM, CW, FM, LSB, RTTY, and USB

  • valid band names are 160M, 80M, 40M, 30M, 20M, 17M, 15M, 12M, 10M, 6M, 4M, 2M, 1.25M, 70CM, 33CM, 23CM, and 12CM

Select button

displays a file selector dialog that allows you to select and activate a Sub-band definition file

 

Help Browser panel 

Browser pathname textbox

if this setting is blank, SpotCollector displays online help using your PC's default HTML browser -- typically Internet Explorer or Netscape; if you'd prefer to display online help with a specific HTML browser, place its full pathname here.

Select button

displays a file selector dialog that allows you to choose a Browser pathname

Help button

displays the information you are now reading