Toolbox

The toolbox is hidden by default. To show it, click Toolbox in the View menu.

DX cluster

A DX cluster is essentially a server through which amateur radio operators can report and receive updates about QSOs that are in progress across the bands. PyQSO is able to connect to a DX cluster that operates using the Telnet protocol to provide a text-based alert service. As a result of the many different Telnet-based software products that DX clusters run, PyQSO currently outputs the raw data received from the DX cluster rather than trying to parse it in some way.

Click on Connect to Telnet Server then New... in the Connection menu, and enter the DX server details in the dialog that appears. If no port is specified, PyQSO will use the default value of 23. A username and password may also need to be supplied. Frequently used servers can be bookmarked for next time; bookmarked server details are stored in ~/.config/pyqso/bookmarks.ini, where ~ denotes the user’s home directory.

Once connected, the server output will appear in the DX cluster frame (see figure:dx_cluster). A command can also be sent to the server by typing it into the entry box beneath the server output, and clicking the adjacent Send Command button.

_images/dx_cluster.png

The DX cluster frame.

Grey line

The grey line tool (see figure:grey_line) can be used to check which parts of the world are in darkness. The position of the grey line is automatically updated every 30 minutes.

_images/grey_line.png

The grey line tool.

Awards

The awards progress tracker (see figure:awards) updates its data each time a record is added, deleted, or modified. Currently only the DXCC award is supported (visit the ARRL DXCC website for more information).

_images/awards.png

The award progress tracker.