VIRTUAL POWER but REAL results!
Hi All,
from Fab, IK4VYX.
If you use a dxcluster while
chasing DX, then this article is for you, otherwise it might hit your interest for
some other technical aspects.
As you probably know, dxspots
are nowadays available from a variety of sources: traditional packet
radio nodes, telnet gateways, IRC nodes, web sites.
Your favourite dxcluster application probably supports some of the above
sources.
But we all know that each
software application is strong under some point of views, weak under some
others.
It often happens that you would like to use your nice software
application (for logging, cluster monitoring or rig control) with some
additional features that you have seen in other software applications.
This article deals on how to link my DXTelnet software package to your favourite log, cluster monitor,
or rig control software, in a snapshot.
This union will surely bring
more power into your shack, without needing any learning effort.
DXTelnet is a powerful software package mainly oriented to receive
DXSpots from a variety of
sources, simultaneously, with a virtually unlimited number of connections.
All the spots are then
collected in a unique stream, dupe spots are filtered; you can define customized filters and all
the spots that are not rejected are finally sent to the linked application
which could be your favourite log, cluster monitor or rig control software.
But DXTelnet has also many
interesting and original features that make it worth of stand alone use
(DXTelnet is currently in use by hams in more than 150 DXCC countries).
Your favourite software will surely fall into at least one of these 3
classes:
1) dxspots reception via serial port
2) dxspots reception
via TCP/IP (telnet) connection
3) direct dxspots reception via a DXTelnet software link
For case 1), I redirect you to a web page which describes several
methods to link DXTelnet to the famous CT contest logging sw, via serial port
stream.
http://www.k1ea.com/dxtelnet.htm
This case mainly applies to DOS based applications (such as CT or TR and
many others).
In the very probable case that your application is windows based then it
surely falls into cases 2) or 3).
For example, the following software packages do fall into case 3):
DX4WIN, HAMLOG, LOGEQF,
LOGWINDOWS, SWISSLOG, VQLOG, WINLOG32, WRITELOG and others.
This article deals in detail with case 2):
how to link DXTelnet to any
software supporting outgoing telnet connections (some popular examples: DXBASE, EASYLOG, LOGGER, RXCLUS,
TRX-MANAGER, YPLOG and many others)
By following the next step by step you will find out how to activate
this very useful link in a snapshot.
The DXTelnet download
URL is:
http://members.tripod.com/dxhunter0/download.htm
The download file is named DXT51ENG.EXE (1.26M).
Once downloaded, just run it to self-install.
Double click on the DX-Telnet icon to start the main application.
Please don't worry, this is a safe file: no virus, no trojan, no hoax;
if you use an up-to-dated antivirus it will confirm what I state.
If you are starting DXTelnet for the first time it will prompt you to
enter your callsign.
In this case just type your callsign and press Enter.
Now, in the site list, select "Accept-1".
Click On the "Edit" button at the right.
In the service type section, select "Other" (Default is
DXCluster, so you will have to change it).
Now click on "Edit script".
The default script looks like this:
/S !!!Welcome into $$$$'s Telnet Box
/S !!!Please Login With your callsign
/S !!!login:
/C TERM 3
/F RELAY
You should change the script so that it results as follows:
/C TERM 3
/F RELAY
This by just removing the first three script lines
(select them with the mouse then hit DEL)
Now click on OK to save script changes.
You will get back to the previous form.
Click on OK again to save all changes.
Click on OK on the warning message box you will get.
Now press ESC to hide the site list.
Quit DXTelnet (Alt+F4).
Note: all the above
operations must be performed only the very first time: a sort of
one-shot configuration; the following part of this step by step is the only
part to be repeated after the very first configuration .
-----
Start DX-Telnet by double clicking its icon.
In the site list select Accept-1 and press the Enter key.
Now start your favourite application and set it to connect to 127.0.0.1
on port 23 (telnet)
Once connected, start another DXTelnet session.
Note: leave the previous DXTelnet instance (Accept-1) running when
starting the second DXTelnet instance.
For example connect the second DXTelnet session to the CQDX-IRC node.
The spots from the CQDX-IRC
node will start flowing from DXTelnet into your favourite application.
DXTelnet allows you to start as many sessions you wish and collects all the DX spots from all the sessions,
filters them for dupes and sends all the filtered DX spots to the TCP/IP
connection used by the other application
You may ask yourself why use DXTelnet as spot source if you already have
telnet capability into your favourite software.
There's more than one reason to do this.
One could be, for example, the additional features provided by DXTelnet such as:
* multi-source,
multi-connection support
* voice spot spell
on incoming spots.
* powerful spot filters
(by frequency, by words, by spotter area and others)
* powerful alerts
(that you can redirect into
your cell phone via SMS)
* powerful spot related
features (such as DXCC, antenna beaming, distance, Iota info and so on)
* automatic
connection/reconnection to any node
* dx-info and qsl-info
retrieval from the best
online databases such as BUCKMASTER, GOLIST and QRZ
* networking capability
(redirect spots from a machine to another, via network)
* internet spot bridge
to local, RF based, isolated clusters
* internet cluster use
from remote locations without internet facilities
* time/date adjustment
from a collection of sharp time servers
These and many other features...try to double click any spotted callsign, in DXTelnet ...
Does your log support connections to the precious CQDX-IRC resource?
DXTelnet does because it embeds IRC protocol.
If you run 3 DXTelnet sessions (1 to your favourite cluster, 1 to
CQDX-IRC, 1 in accept as above described) and your favourite software, linked
all-together, you will see the
difference!
Important: the here described TCP/IP local link will work even if you
are not connected to your ISP.
A packet radio example: if your packet cluster RF connection is not good
but you see the spots received by someone else, you can think to use DX-TNC, embedded in DXTelnet, which
works with a TNC either in connected or in monitor mode.
Then you would link your favourite software to DXTelnet/DX-TNC, as above
described (with a DXTelnet Accept-1 session and a DX-TNC session, running
together); this without needing any ISP connection (a local TCP/IP connection
uses the winsock stack locally).
Same result is achieved even if the packet traffic you monitor is a
cluster forwarding link: DX-TNC
will translate ^PC11 packets into "DX de..." plain text spots.
Please check:
http://www.geocities.com/onlydx/comments.htm
To see what DXTelnet users say about it.
Enjoy!
If you have any questions you can email me at
rac2610@REMOVETHISracine.ra.it
(please remove the string REMOVETHIS in uppercase to get my real email)
Best (((73))) de Fabrizio (IK4VYX)