The Eclipse Project

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DXLab
Prepared for Williamson County Amateur Radio
Club ADØK
AA6YQ
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The DXLab Suite

• Better DXing Through Software

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What is the DXLab Suite?

• This is a DX-chasing programoptimized for DX
• It works well as a general purpose log, and can
  be used for contesting, but is NOT optimized for
  it.
• The Suite of programs
• Eight applications that
• Automate mundane DXing activities
• Can be used individually or in combination
• Automatically interoperate
• Include comprehensive online help
• Evolve continuously based on user feedback
• http//groups.yahoo.com/group/dxlab/
• http//www.qsl.net/dxlab
• Are free
• Developed by Dave Bernstein, AA6YQ

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DXLab Monolithic Architecture (1996-1999)
Transceiver Control Prefix lookup, world
map Logging award tracking Spot
Collection Propagation forecasting QSL routes
Rotator
XCVR
Sound Card
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DXLab Suite Distributed Architecture (2000
onward)
Logging awards
Propagation
Spot Collection
QSL routes
Transceiver Control
Prefix lookup, world map
Digital Modes
XCVR
Rotator
Sound Card
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AA6YQs shack
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ADØKs shack
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(No Transcript)
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DXLab With Dual Monitors
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What Functions Does DXLab Provide?

• Transceiver Control
• Rotator Control
• Solar terminator display and prediction
• Prefix Lookup
• World map display
• Callbook Lookup (with separately purchased CD)
• Logging
• Award Tracking and Submission
• QSL card/label generation
• eQSL.cc and LOTW support
• PSK31, PSK63, RTTY. CW generation (no reading)
• Voice Keyer
• DX WWV Spot collection and analysis
• Propagation prediction
• Propagation monitoring
• QSL route discovery
• Suite management

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What Do the Eight Applications Do?

• Transceiver Control Commander
• Rotator Control DXView
• Solar terminator display and prediction DXView
• Prefix Lookup DXView
• World map display DXView
• Callbook Lookup (with separately purchased CD)
  DXKeeper
• Logging DXKeeper
• Award Tracking and Submission DXKeeper
• QSL card/label generation DXKeeper
• eQSL.cc and LOTW support DXKeeper
• PSK31, PSK63, RTTY. CW generation (no reading)
  WinWarbler
• Voice Keyer WinWarbler
• DX WWV Spot collection and analysis SpotCollecto
  r
• Propagation prediction PropView
• Propagation monitoring PropView
• QSL route discovery Pathfinder
• Suite management Launcher

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Commander
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Commander

• Transceiver control for
• Elecraft K2
• FlexRadio SDR-1000
• Icom transceivers with CI-V interfaces
• Kenwood TS-50, TS-440, TS-450, TS-570, TS-690,
  TS-711, TS-811, TS-850, TS-870, TS-940, TS-950,
  TS-2000
• TenTec Omni V.9, Omni VI, Argonaut V, Jupiter,
  Pegasus, Orion
• Yaesu FT-100, FT-757, FT-767, FT-817, FT-840,
  FT-847, FT-857, FT-890, FT-897 FT-900, FT-920,
  FT-990, FT-1000D, FT-1000MP, FT-1000MP MarkV
• Switches between multiple radios based on
  frequency
• 10 banks of 10 memories
• Frequency-dependent devices (Tuners, Amps)
• User-defined commands
• Captures PC ? Radio message traffic

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DXView

• Prefix lookup
• Solar terminator display
• Now or anytime
• Sunrise/sunset calculator
• Auroral Zone Presentation
• Plots VHF QSOs
• World map display
• beam headings
• DX spots)
• MapQuest
• DX Atlas
• Country maps
• DXCC db maintenance
• Rotator control for
• Hygain
• M2
• Yaesu
• ARSWIN
• Heath

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DXKeeper

• Logging
• Comprehensive database
• Capture window optimized for operating
• Supports HamCall, Buckmaster, and QRZ callbooks
• QSLing
• Generates QSL cards and Labels
• Generates Address labels or prints envelopes
• Real-time interface to eQSL.cc
• ADIF interface to new ARRL Logbook of the World
  (LOTW)
• Independently tracks hardcopy, eQSL, and LotW
  confirmations for each QSO
• Automatically updates log to reflect downloaded
  eQSL and LotW confirmations
• Award Tracking
• Real-time DXCC and TOPLIST
• Reports DXCC, TOPLIST, VUCC, Grids, WAS, WAC,
  WAZ, WPX, IOTA, US. Counties
• Multiple QTHs per Log, Multiple Logs
• Importing and Exporting via ADIF, tab-delimited,
  and Cabrillo
• DXView Interoperation
• Lookups
• Showing progress

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DXKeeper
Capture Window
Database Window
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A DXKeeper-generated QSL Card
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DXKeeper

• Logging
• Comprehensive database
• Capture window optimized for operating
• Supports HamCall, Buckmaster, and QRZ callbooks
• QSLing
• Generates QSL cards and Labels
• Generates Address labels or prints envelopes
• Real-time interface to eQSL.cc
• ADIF interface to new ARRL Logbook of the World
  (LOTW)
• Independently tracks hardcopy, eQSL, and LotW
  confirmations for each QSO
• Automatically updates log to reflect downloaded
  eQSL and LotW confirmations
• Award Tracking
• Real-time DXCC and TOPLIST
• Reports DXCC, TOPLIST, VUCC, Grids, WAS, WAC,
  WAZ, WPX, IOTA, US. Counties
• Multiple QTHs per Log, Multiple Logs
• Importing and Exporting via ADIF, tab-delimited,
  and Cabrillo
• DXView Interoperation
• Lookups
• Showing progress

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WinWarbler

• Supports 5 modes
• PSK31 and PSK63 (uses AE4JYs PSKcore engine)
• 3 receive panes
• Broadband decode with callsign extraction to
  maintain stations heard list
• RTTY
• Soundcard RTTY (uses JE3HHTs MMTTY engine)
• External TNC (KAM, PK232, MFJ, SCS)
• CW
• Phone (voice keyer)
• Panoramic tuning display
• 32 macros, comprehensive macro language
• Logging
• Built-in ADIF minilog
• Automatically logs to DXKeeper if running
• Commander interoperation
• Frequency for logging
• QSY to optimize tone within transceiver bandwidth
• PTT
• GPS interface

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WinWarbler PSK
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WinWarbler
RTTY Spectrum View
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WinWarbler
RTTY Waterfall View
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SpotCollector

• Connects to six spot sources
• Four Telnet clusters
• DX Summit cluster (via IRC CQDX)
• Local packet cluster (via external TNC)
• Captures DX spots and places them in a database
• Duplicate spots eliminated
• Spots of same DX station are combined into one
  entry
• Spot database entries can be filtered by Need,
  Call, Entity, Freq, Band, Mode, Continent, Spot
  Source
• Spot database entries are colored based on
  need
• Spots are plotted on DXViews world map
• Spots can be announced via the soundcard
• Built-in web server provides access from other
  PCs on your network
• Tracks statistics
• Double-clicking on a spot database entry or a
  plotted spot
• QSYs the radio (will set QSX if available)
• Populates DXKeepers Capture window
• Captures WWV spots
• Displays most recent solar flux, A-index, and
  K-index
• Displays 1-month history of solar geomagnetic
  parameters

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SpotCollector
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PropView

• Propagation prediction
• Uses IONCAP engine
• Gets solar flux from SpotCollector
• Gets locations from DXView
• Produces graphical predictions
• Propagation monitoring
• Monitors NCDXF/IARU beacon network
• Builds beacon schedules by band, by bearing, or
  by specified beacons
• QSYs transceiver per beacon schedule
• Rotates antenna per beacon schedule

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PropView
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Pathfinder

• Searches the Web for QSL information
• Country-specific callbooks (100)
• QSL sites (40),
• DX Summit spot archives
• 12 user-assignable search keys
• Captures callsigns entered via DXView or DXKeeper
• Pathfinder Web Client
• Download or install not reqd
• 12 fixed search keys

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Pathfinder Web Client
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Launcher

• Provides ability to start and stop your DXLab
  applications with a single mouse click
• Provides ability to minimize and restore your
  DXLab applications with a single mouse click

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How is the DXLab Suite Developed?

• User-driven iterative development
• Full release standard Windows install
• All required components
• Required for first installation on a PC
• 2 to 14 Mbytes
• Development release
• Typically just an executable
• 200 to 500 Kbytes
• Frequent typically several per week
• Optional (Development releases are cumulative)
• User critique and feedback is a primary driver
• Yahoo-based DXLab reflector 1400 participants
• Defect repairs get highest priority goal is lt 24
  hours
• Prioritization is always a challenge
• Closed source, one developer (but lots of help)
• Public, documented DDE interfaces

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Where is the DXLab Suite going?

• Transceiver Control
• Kachina JRC support
• Bandmap (completed)
• User-defined controls
• DXView
• Ability to apply old prefix-to-entity rules
  (scripts to accomplish this, now)
• Display common phrases in the DX stations native
  language
• DXKeeper
• More real-time award tracking (e.g. counties)
• ADIF 2.0 support
• Literally hundreds of creature comforts
• User-defined fields
• WinWarbler
• CW decoding
• MFSK
• PropView
• Long-term beacon analysis for discovering
  secondary openings
• Launcher
• Automatic DXLab application updates

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What do I need to run the DXLab Suite?

• Minimum (2-4 applications) (struggled on a PII,
  266 Mhz/512 RAM)
• 133 Mhz Pentium
• 64 MB DRAM
• 800x600 SVGA monitor
• Windows 98SE
• Good (all applications) (I use a P3/650 Mhz/384
  MB RAM)
• 400 Mhz Pentium 2
• 128 MB DRAM
• 1280x1024 XVGA monitor
• Windows 2000 or Windows XP
• Optimum (all applications)
• 1.5 Ghz Pentium 4
• 256 MB DRAM
• 1600x1200 XVGA monitor (or multiple smaller
  monitors)
• Windows 2000 or Windows XP

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How Many Ops Use the DXLab Suite?
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Where do I get the DXLab Suite?http//www.qsl.net
/dxlab http//ad0k.net
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The DXLab Suite
AA6YQ

• Better DXing Through Software