PacketCluster!^TM Support

ProLog's PacketCluster!^TM interface is a powerful monitoring tool. ProLog will monitor DX Spot information either from a TNC or directly from the internet via DX-Summit. A separate monitor window is maintained through which you can view all packet activity. ProLog's selective alerting and Origination Filtering makes snaring the new ones easy. First, file a band plan, select the bands and modes of interest, set the selectivity of the Origination Filter. Next, in the "Cluster Traffic" panel of the Logging Form, select the type of QSL'ing you use, either QSL, eQSL or Both. That accomplished, whenever a DX spot is received, ProLog will use those selections to interrogate the award database of the selected logbook. If you need the spotted station, and you have requested an audible alert, ProLog will issue an alarm tone every fifteen seconds for a user-selected period (1-9 minutes or ad-infinitum). A convenient "Cluster Traffic" grouping in the logging form contains counters conveying just how many DX spots have been received, most important, the DX Alert Counter indicates the number of DX spots received, that if contacted, will improve your award standings. Tend to other things around the shack and let ProLog do the work!

For each supported band ProLog permits you to file a band plan. Each band plan consists of three segments that define the frequency range for Phone, CW and RTTY/DATA. Setup the band plan for your operating privileges so only those spots that fall into those frequency ranges will be listed and checked for award status.

Each DX Spot is comprised of two lines. The first line contains the actual DX Spot as it was received followed by an award status line for that specific prefix.  Checkout the "4J9M" spot line in the screenshot below, notice the "LoTW" at the end of the spot line. As ProLog receives each spot, it passes the callsign through the LoTW member database and if the station is registered, an "LoTW" string is placed at the end of the spot line. If you are a member of LoTW this is an important piece of information because it lets you know, even before you work the station, that you'll be able to confirm the contact via the LoTW system.

The first entry of the Status Line contains the DXCC prefix which is preceded by one of three strings "MXQ" designates that the status colors are based on Standard QSL's, "MXE" designates that your eQSL Status was used and "MXB"  designates that both methods were used to determine the status coloring. Focus on the spot for "3C9B" on 18.128 Mhz towards the center of the spot list screenshot shown below. The award status line below the 3C9B spot itself contains a wealth of information about your current award status for the DXCC "3C" entity, all conveyed at a glance using ProLog's  exclusive Traffic Signal coloring. 

Lets review how quickly you can determine your exact award status from the information displayed.  The "MXB:3C" in green indicates that you have worked and confirmed this entity in Mixed Mode, however the Red "PHN", "CW" and "RTTY" indicates that working 3C9B would give you a new DXCC entity on 17 meters in any of the three listed modes.  The "CONT:AF", "CQ:36", and "ITU:47 in green indicates that you have already workedthe continent of Africa, CQ Zone 36 and ITU Zone 47 all of which are confirmed.

Checkout the Spot for HA7TM (3rd from the bottom). Although you already have it confirmed for Mix Status, you still need a QSL confirmation for 20M phone based on "PHN" displayed in yellow. Notice that "HA7TM" is displayed in light blue, this means that you have worked him before. If you select the spot line containing the HA7TM spot, the "Worked" pushbutton will activate so you can view your prior contact(s) with HA7TM.   Maybe he gave you that 20M phone contact and you can ask him to send you the QSL. If not he'll make a good insurance contact for the 20M phone confirmation.

Even with Traffic Signal coding, when the DX Spot List gets lengthy, picking out the new ones among hundreds of spots becomes more challenging. When your DX Spot List gets to this level, ProLog's "Prioritize" command pushbutton permits you to sort the list on a top-to-bottom most needed basis. "Prioritize" will group those spots that represent all time new ones (Red) at the top of the list, followed by those spots that you have worked without a QSL (Yellow), finally followed by those spots that you have worked with QSL (Green). You may choose to prioritize the list by Entity:  DXCC, Continent, CQZ or ITUZ or by Mode: Phone, CW, or Digital/RTTY.

The screenshot below shows how easily you can review your past contacts with a given station directly from the DX Spot Window. Based on the light blue coloring of the ZF2NT callsign we know that we have previoulsy worked this station. To display our previous contacts with ZF2NT, simply place the selector bar on the line containing the "ZF2NT" callsign then click on the "Worked"  command pushbutton which will display the window showing nine previous contacts with ZF2NT; one on 80M-CW, one on 40M-CW, one on 30M-CW, one on 20M-CW, two on 15M-CW and three on 10M-CW. Double-Clicking on any one of the entries in the previously worked list will display the entire logging form information relating to that specific contact. In this case, we double clicked on the 40M CW contact so we can view all of the information associated with that specific contact, all without having to leave the DX Spot window.

Ready for more features? Normally the DX Spot list is sequenced in an "as received" order. With good propagation and when monitoring a busy cluster, you may accumulate a hundred spots or so in a short period of time. Although award status coloring makes spotting the new ones easy, you still have to scan the entire list for a given entity.  For example, if CQ Zone 10 is the last zone you need to get the certificate, wouldn't it be nice to order the spots by CQ Zone and then simply check to see if there are any CQ Zone 10 spots in the list?  To do this, simply click on the "Sort By" pushbutton, select  "Sort List By CQ Zone" then click "Begin"; the entire spot list will be ordered by CQ Zone in increasing order. 

Lets say you are currently on 15 meters, all tuned up ready to go.  Bring up the DX Spot Window, click on "Sort By", select "Sort List By Band" and click "Begin". The entire DX Spot List will be sorted by frequency, grouping all of the 15 meter spots together for a quick review. With rig control it gets even easier, click on one of the mode pushbuttons at the bottom of the DX Spot Window and QSY the rig directly to the frequency of the DX Spot.

When the audible alarm sounds, activate the DX spot file window, position the selector bar on the DX spot of interest, and depress one of the mode pushbuttons (SSB, CW or RTTY). This will initiate a series of automatic operations; with rig control support enabled, your rig will be immediately switched to the frequency and mode of the DX station, the DX station's callsign is transferred to the log form. If you wish to make the contact, simply depress the ENTER key to continue. What could be easier?!

With the DX Spot Window activated you can also get a complete Band/Mode Overview Matrix for the award entities associated with the prefix of the DX spot. The "DXCC, CONT, CQZ and ITUZ" command pushbuttons let you do this. This feature will immediately tell you if moving the DX station to a new band and/or mode will benefit your award standing for that prefix. A great tool!

Also, you can tell at a glance whether you have worked the station before. Normally the callsign of the DX station is displayed in white. If you have worked the station before on any band or mode, the callsign will be colored in Light Blue. Taking it a step farther, simply place the selector bar on the DX Spot line containing the callsign of the station you have worked before and then click on the "Worked" command pushbutton at the bottom of the DX Spot Window. Another window will open displaying all of your previous contacts with that station. The format of this window is identical to that shown in the "More Logging Features" section. 

Clicking the "Filter" command pushbutton displays the DX Spot Filter Dialog Window. From this window you can establish the Bands, Modes and Awards you wish to monitor. Whether you monitor your spots via your local Packet Cluster using a TNC, or the Internet using the DX Summit website, ProLog's Packet Cluster filter has the flexibility to meet your monitoring needs. Spotting via the Internet,  while very convenient, has the unfortunate side effect of  potentially generating hundreds of spots from all over the world, all potentially, for the same DX station. It becomes very frustrating to change your transceivers frequency as each of these spots are received, only to find that the propagation in your area is not sufficient  for you to hear the spotted Station. The Prolog Packet Cluster Filter will permit you to accept spots only from those areas geographically close to you, so you can be reasonably assured that you too will be able to hear the spotted station. 

Additionally, once you have worked the station, you may not want to be bothered with additional spots for that station cluttering up your DX Spot Display. Enabling the "New Band Only" and/or the "New Mode Only" selections in the Packet Cluster Filter instructs ProLog to only display and alert on spots that will provide you with a new band or mode.

Lets say you reside in the "5" area and you want to monitor for the Peter I expedition; they are using the 3Y0PI callsign and you want to work them on 40M, 20M and 15M. The first thing you want to do is to determine when they are active and are being received by anyone in the world on those bands. To do this, simply check the bands of interest, next, enter "3Y0PI" into the callsign alert queue, then open the filter as wide as it will go by selecting "All Modes", "All DX" and "All US". With those settings any spot received spotting 3Y0PI, regardless of origination, will popup a window notifying you that 3Y0PI is active, together with the frequency and originator of the spot.

Now, once 3Y0PI has been spotted, simply make the filter more selective by switching to "Selective DX" and "Selective US" and if you want, specify a particular US Callsign Area. With the selections below we have not specified any specific DX Origination, so activating "Selective DX" has easily eliminated all spots originating from DX Stations and by activating "Selective US" and checking the "5" checkbox we will only be alerted on a 3Y0PI spot originating from any "5" area callsign. 

Originating your own DX Spots via the Internet or VHF PacketCluster is a snap. Don't worry about formatting, once you have entered the information into the formatted entry window ProLog will correctly format and send the information to the TNC or Internet connection. Also, when connected to a VHF TNC,  conversing with others is just as easy, simply enter packet converse mode and type-away. Dual windows separately display your output and answer-back information.

ProLog also monitors for WWV reports. When a report is received, the "WWV" on-screen counter is incremented notifying you of the reports arrival which can be displayed with a single mouse-click. The WWV and DX spot files are maintained across ProLog sessions, so viewing Solar Flux trends over time is easily accomplished.

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