Identifying Special Callsigns

SpotCollector Online Help Contents

 

SpotCollector's Special Callsign List can be used to accomplish three objectives:

  1. to specify callsigns that should be ignored when spotted, e.g. PIRATE or SLIM 

  2. to specify callsigns whose spots should be ignored, and that should be ignored when spotted

  3. 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 list of one or more alphanumeric tags

An incoming spot's callsign matches the callsign of an entry in the Special Callsigns list if

  1. the incoming spot's callsign is identical to an entry's callsign (ignoring upper/lower case)

  2. the incoming spot's callsign contains one or two forward slash characters separating the callsign into two or three components, one of which is identical to an entry's callsign (ignoring upper/lower case)

When a spot arrives with the Check Spotting station callsigns for BadSource tags option is enabled, SpotCollector checks to see whether the incoming spot's spotting station callsign matches the callsign of an entry in the Special Callsign list. If a matching entry is found and this entry's tag is BadSource, then the incoming spot is ignored.

If the Check Spotting station callsigns for BadSource tags option is not enabled, or if it is is enabled but the spotting station callsign matches no entry in the Special Callsign list or matches an entry whose tag is not BadSource, then SpotCollector checks to see whether the incoming spot's callsign matches the callsign of an entry in the Special Callsign list. If a matching entry is found and this entry either specifies no tag or specifies the tag BadSource, then the spot is ignored.

If a matching entry is found for the spot's callsign and this entry specifies tags other than BadSource, then SpotCollector will either create or update a Spot Database Entry for the spotted station. In either case, 

EPC-2640, FOC, QCWA

would set the Spot Database Entry's tags field to

<EPC-2640>, <FOC>, <QCWA>

If an incoming spot's callsign contains one or two forward slash characters that separate the callsign into two or three components, then

Example: suppose the Special Callsign List contains 7 entries:

Callsign Tag List
B  
SLIM  
SP3E DXLab
W4TV DXLab
G6CSY DXLab
AA6YQ DXLab, EPC-2640
P portable

The Spot Database Entry for the spotted callsign KP2/G6CSY/P would be recorded with its tags set to <DXLab> (rather than portable), because G6CSY is the left-most callsign component to match a Special Callsign List entry. The Spot Database Entry for the spotted callsign KP2/K4CY/P would be recorded with its tags set to <portable>.

Adding entries to the Special Callsign List

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,

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 comma-separated list of tags:

BROKE
W2NRA,DXLab

BUST

BOZO

SP3E,DXLab

B0ZO
DX
MUSIC
SLIM

W4TV,DXLab
G6CSY,DXLab
V1DEO
VIDEO
BCI
BROADCAST
PIRATE
SL1M
BAD

K3BZ,DXLab

AA6YQ, DXLab, EPC

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

Membership lists for several amateur radio clubs are available in files formatted for direct loading into SpotCollector's Special Callsign List.

 

Sorting the Special Callsign List

 

You can arrange the Special Callsign list in ascending order of Callsign by clicking the Sort button.

 

Saving the Special Callsign List

 

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.

 

Clearing the Special Callsign List

 

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.