SpotCollector Online Help Contents
SpotCollector's Special Callsign List can be used to accomplish three objectives:
to specify callsigns that should be ignored when spotted, e.g. PIRATE or SLIM
to specify callsigns whose spots should be ignored, and that should be ignored when spotted
to associate callsigns with groups or activities so they can be rapidly identified when spotted
The Special Callsign List is displayed on the Configuration window's Special Callsigns tab. Each entry on the Special Callsign List contains a callsign and optionally a tag; a tag is string of up to 32 characters.
A Special Callsign List Entry containing a callsign but no tag means that spots of that callsign should be ignored; such entries are displayed in red font.
A Special Callsign List Entry containing both a callsign and a tag whose value is BadSource means that spots of that callsign should be ignored, and spots sourced by that callsign should be ignored
such entries are also displayed in red font
SpotCollector only checks the source (spotting station callsign) for a BadSource tag if the Check Spotting station callsigns for BadSource tags option is enabled
A Special Callsign List Entry containing both a callsign and a tag other than BadSource means that the Spot Database Entry for that callsign will have its tag set to the value specified in the Special Callsign List Entry; SpotCollector's Tag Filter can be used to hide all Spot Database Entries that don't match a specified tag value.
When a new spot arrives, SpotCollector checks the Special Callsign List for an entry matching containing the spot's callsign.
If a matching entry is found in the Special Callsign List and the Special Callsign List Entry contains a tag that isn't BadSource, then SpotCollector either creates or updates the Spot Database Entry for the spotted callsign; in either case,
the Spot Database Entry's tag item will be the value specified in the matching Special Callsign List Entry
the Spot Database Entry will be displayed in the specified font color
if not previously announced, the Spot Database Entry will be announced
the announcement is preceded by playing the file Special.wav in SpotCollector's Sounds folder. If Special.wav is not present, then the file You Want This One.wav in the General sub-folder of SpotCollector's Sounds folder is played.
settings in the Audio Alarm panel on the Config window's General tab allow you to
enable or disable the audio alarm
specify whether the DXCC country, band, and mode should be announced
specify that the alarm should be triggered whenever a Spot Database Entry for a tagged Special Callsign is created, or only if this entry passes the Band, Mode, Origin, Continent, and LotW filters.
test the audio alarm to verify proper volume settings
If a matching entry is found in the Special Callsign List but the Special Callsign List Entry does not contain a tag or contains the tag BadSource, then the spot is ignored
If no matching entry is found in the Special Callsign List, then SpotCollector checks the callsign to see if it contains a forward slash character, e.g. 7O1DX/SLIM
if the callsign contains no forward slash, then SpotCollector either creates or updates the Spot Database Entry for the spotted callsign; in either case, the Spot Database Entry's tag item will be empty
if the callsign contains a forward slash, the SpotCollector separates the callsign into two components and probes the Special Callsign List for each component
if either component matches a Special Callsign list entry with no tag specified, then the spot is ignored
if neither component matches a Special Callsign list entry with no tag specified, then SpotCollector either creates or updates the Spot Database Entry for the spotted callsign; in either case, the Spot Database Entry's tag item will be empty
If the Check Spotting station callsigns for BadSource tags option is enabled SpotCollector checks the Special Callsign List for an entry matching containing the spot's source (spotting station callsign); if a matching entry is found whose tag is BadSource, then the spot is ignored
You can add an entry to the Special Callsign List directly, or by importing from a comma-delimited text file. To add an entry directly,
scroll to the last row of the list; this row is distinguished by an asterisk in its leftmost cell
click in the Callsign cell of this last row; SpotCollector will immediately create a new row, into which you can type the desired callsign and optional tag.
To load Special Callsign List Entries from a comma-delimited text file, click the Load button to display a navigation window that lets you specify the file to be loaded. Each line of this file should contain a callsign, followed optionally by a comma and a tag:
BROKE
W2NRA,DXLabBUST
BOZO
SP3E,DXLab
B0ZO
DX
MUSIC
SLIMW4TV,DXLab
G6CSY,DXLab
V1DEO
VIDEO
BCI
BROADCAST
PIRATE
SL1M
BADK3BZ,DXLab
AA6YQ, DXLab
Loading a file containing the above text into your Special Callsign List would specify 15 callsigns to ignore and 6 callsigns to tag as members of the DXLab group.
If a line of a comma-delimited file being loaded contains a callsign already present in Special Callsign List, then the tag in the existing Special Callsign List Entry will be updated to match the tag specified in the comma-delimited file line; if no tag is specified, then the tag in the existing Special Callsign List Entry will be cleared.
You can arrange the Special Callsign list in ascending order of Callsign by clicking the Sort button.
You can save the contents of the Special Callsign list to a tab-delimited text file by clicking the Save button; SpotCollector will display a navigation window that lets you specify the name and location of the file to be save.
To clear the Special Callsign List, click the Clear button. This is useful as a prelude to re-loading the list from one or more text files.