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AR-Cluster User Manual

1. www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWxAnnouncements htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 43 03 AM AR Cluster WX Announcements Example wx full Three inch hail reported in travis county Weather Station Data Certain nodes may have the capability of displaying data from an optional weather station This data can be polled with the SH WXSTATION command The wind chill will be displayed if it is less that 4 degrees lower that the current temperature Optional values for humidity barometric pressure and rainfall will be shown if available Example Show wxstation ab5k Example Output WX for Bee Cave TX Temp F 81 Wind 180 at 12 MPH SHOW Weather by Zipcode If your node has a Internet connection try the Show WXZIP zip code command This command makes a call to a Internet server using SOAP and returns current WX conditions by 5 digit zip code The command will only work on nodes connected to the internet Example Show wxzip 96555 returns wx for the Marshall I slands Show wxzip 72501 Sample Weather for zip 96555 Temp 79 Conditions partly cloudy Barometer at 29 93 Falling http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWxAnnouncements htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 43 03 AM AR Cluster WX Announcements http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWxAnnouncements htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 43 03 AM AR Cluster Talk Talk ar ciuster User Manual Talk Command Talk mode is used to send comments to a specific user connected in the network Talk mes
2. 1015 show dx 20 28 OR show dx 20 10 It is also possible to check for certain spotted callsigns Examples show dx v73aq show dx 10 k5k It is also possible to check for spots in a particular country The character at the end of the command tells ARC to display all spots from the country extracted from the callsign To show all spots from the Marshall Islands Examples http www abS5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 2 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster DX show dx v73 show dx 20 V73AQ You can also check for DX spots across a specified frequency range Examples show dx 21000 21050 show dx 80 3490 lt gt 3600 show dx 75 3600 lt gt 4010 show dx 3 3490 lt gt 4010 You can also check for DX spots by a specific band and callsign Examples show dx 12 vkOhi You can also check for DX spots by a specific band and country Examples show dx 12 vk If you logged off the cluster for a few minutes and then got back on the SHOW DX MISSED command can be used to display a list of spots since your last logout Examples show dx missed The SHOW ZONE command can be used to display a list of spots in a particular CQ Zone Examples show zone 18 The SHOW ITU command can be used to display a list of spots in a particular ITU Zone Examples show itu 32 The SHOW DX STATS command will display a list of the DX spot totals for selected intervals from the last hour to the last mo
3. 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters set filter wos off You can examine your current WX spot origination filters with the following command show filter wxorigcty or show filter woc show filter wxorigstate or show filter wos DX Spot Band Mode Filter DX Spot Band Mode filters allow for the filtering of DX spots by the band and mode of operation Valid bands are 160 80 40 20 17 15 12 10 6 2 1 70 VHF UHF and MW microwave Valid modes are CW RTTY and SSB The Band Mode filter is a commonly used as HFers may want to reject spots above 30 MHz and UHF VHFers may want to reject spots below 30 MHz The spot DX Band Mode filter can be placed in the PASS mode to pass spots from a certain areas or in the REJ ECT mode where it rejects spots from selected areas The user should be aware that the mode of operation is determined by the frequency of the spot and that during contests stations tend to spread out beyond what is normally accepted frequency range for their operating mode For example if a CW station is operating in the RTTY part of the band his mode will be flagged as RTTY The best way to demonstrate the various options of the spot DX band mode filter is by example The command to receive only 20 meter spots is set filter dxbandmode pass 20 cw 20 rtty 20 ssb or set filter dxbm pass 20 cw 20 rtty 20 ssb The command to receive only 20 meter and 40 meter CW spots is set filter dxbandmode pass 20 cw 40
4. ARChive pe BULletins pe FlLes Show the files in the files folder Show the location lat lon of a station Displays a list of nodes in the network Show the time Shows the uptime for the node Show data from an optional weather station Display a file in the files folder http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcCmdSummary htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 45 32 AM AR Cluster Command Summary Send a WWV spot to the cluster Wwv WX Make a local weather announcement WX Full Make a weather announcement to the network http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcCmdSummary htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 45 32 AM
5. DTS lt 5 1 00 sh dx 50 where dx FOOAAA AND comment LIKE QSL The database fields that are available for Advanced DX Spot Queries are Spotter Callsign of the spotter FromNode Callsign of the spotting node DTS mm __ Dat Time Stamp http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 5 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster DX CqZone CQ zone for the spot ItuZone JITU zone for the spot Sic AR Cluster tag indicating the spot source for spot suckers UserSpot 0 PC26Spot 1 OH2AQSpot 2 and MIRCSpot 3 and for the spot Example 20 Mode Mode for the spot Example SSB B potterCty Country of the spotter follows ARRL CTY file SpotterSubCty State of the spotter from the AR Technology callsign database rcStation Node Station that we received the spot from Spotting DX To post a DX spot use the DX command The syntax options are shown below Example dx frequency callsign optional comment dx callsign frequency optional comment The frequency parameter can be in megahertz or kilohertz and is the frequency that the station is operating on The callsign is the callsign of the station you have worked or heard The maximum length of characters in a callsign is twelve The optional comment can be user to tell the stations name location or QSL information Don t worry if you forget whether the frequency or callsign comes first ARC will sort that out for you Example dx 14088 8 jalbn dx j
6. Do the commands have to be in the same case as listed in the manual A No they can be in upper or lower case Q When using DX Telnet with AR Cluster Announcements do not show up in the DX Telnet Announcements Window A The DX Telnet program needs a Beep character at the end of each line Do a Set Beep on the node and DX Telnet will work Q How can I filter DX spots with obvious typos like 280005 5 A You can apply a Band Mode filter for each ham band that you would like to see spots on However be careful as this might keep you from interesting DX or SWL information For example what if that P5 that you needed was spotted on 280005 5 The typo would not stop most hams from the chase Another example was that a few years ago Air Force One was spotted just below the 40 meter ham band tuned down and heard some very interesting phone patches It seems that the high dollar military satellite phone system was down and they had resorted to using their HF backup Q When I use the telnet client on my machine and telnet into my local DX Cluster cannot see any of the information that I type A If your telnet client supports local echo turn it on If it does not there are several free telnet programs available off the Internet If you are http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFags htm 1 of 2 11 9 2003 5 45 15 AM AR Cluster FAQ s running a windows operating system you can use the built in HyperTerminal program Start it by doing
7. UF e MaidenHead Grid e Time lt Personalization e Login Profiles e Commands e Macros Filters e DX Spot Origination Filter e Announce Spot Origination Filter e Wx Spot Origination Filter e DX Spot Band Mode Filter http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserManual htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 36 18 AM AR Cluster User Manual e DX Spot CTY Filter e DX Spot Keyword Reject Filter e DX Needs Database and Needs Filter e Cluster Filters FAQ s ARC Command Summary http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserManual htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 36 18 AM AR Cluster Introduction Introduction ar custer User Manual What is a DX Cluster A DX Cluster is a network of connected amateur radio operators Users connect into a cluster which generally serves a local region and clusters are linked together to form wider areas of coverage by geographical area such as state country and even international level The result is a vast network of connected users sharing information pertaining to amateur radio Connections into a DX Clusters can be made using TNC RF devices usually operating on VHF UHF frequencies or Telnet using the Internet for connectivity Stations connecting into a cluster share amateur radio information including e DX Spots e WWV Spots e Talk Announcements and Mail e Weather and Emergency Services In addition DX Clusters offer general utilities for amateur operations such as e Callsign Lookup Databas
8. client and automatically be disconnected If connected using packet you can also use the TNC Disconnect command http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcConnecting htm 2 of 2 1 1 9 2003 5 42 00 AM AR Cluster DX User DX Spots AR Cluster User Manual DX spots share important information about amateur radio stations such as their callsign operating frequency date time and an optional comment This information is valuable for amateurs chasing rare countries or operating in contests DX Spots are shared across the various DX clusters and any user connected to the clusters By being connected into a DX Cluster you will get DX spots in real time as they are spotted You can also query the database for past DX spots Note if you have user filters activated they will also be applied to both the real time spots and spot queries of the database Additionally you can add DX spots into the network Remember the cluster network depends on spots so please spot Please use DX spots to spot information relating to real propagation reports of operating stations Questions and comments are usually passed using the Announce function If you do have to use a DX spot to pass a comment make sure its listed on a frequency on the very bottom of the band Real Time DX Spots As soon as you connect into a DX Cluster you will automatically start receiving DX spots These spots can be furthered filtered based on individual user preferences The Filter sec
9. cw or set filter dxbm pass 20 cw 40 cw The command to receive only HF spots is set filter dxbandmode reject vhf uhf mw or set filter dxbm reject vhf uhf mw The command to receive only VHF UHF and microwave spots is set filter dxbandmode pass vhf uhf mw or http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 6 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters set filter dxbm pass vhf uhf mw The command to receive only 6 Meter spots is set filter dxbandmode pass 6 CW 6 SSB 6 FM or set filter dxbm pass 6 CW 6 SSB 6 FM The command to receive only 30 Meter spots is set filter dxbandmode pass 30 CW 30 RTTY or set filter dxbm pass 30 CW 30 RTTY The command to receive only VHF UHF and microwave spots is set filter dxbandmode reject vhf uhf mw or set filter dxbm reject vhf uhf mw The command to turn off band mode filtering is set filter dxbandmode off or set filter dxbm off The command to examine your current band mode filtering is show filter dxbandmode or show filter dxbm Special commands can be applied to set up DX band mode filters for contesting which reject all spots except on the contest bands of 160 80 40 20 15 and 10 meters Examples set filter hf cw set filter hf ssb set filter hf rtty set filter hf off DX Spot CTY Filter The spot CTY filter allows DX spots to be filtered by the county of the spot The country is determined based on the ARRL CTY fil
10. with the following commands show filter dxorigcty or show filter doc show filter dxorigstate or show filter dos You can use the SHOW DX NOFILTER command to display non filtered spots when you have active filters show dx nofilter Announce Spot Origination Filter The announce spot origination filter filters announcement spots based on the country and state or Canadian province of the spotter This filter allows the user to control the area of spot coverage presented to him The spot origination is usually placed in the PASS mode to only pass spots from a certain areas It can also be operated in the REJECT mode where it rejects spots from selected areas The country locations are specified by the abbreviation in the ARRL CTY country list file The states and provinces are standard postal abbreviations The best way to demonstrate the various options of the announcement spot origination filters is by example If you use a State filter you also have to activate the country filter for the state The commands to receive announcement spots originating in the USA Mexico and Canada are set filter annorigcty pass k xe ve set filter annorigstate off or set filter aoc pass k xe ve set filter aos off The commands to receive announcement spots originating in the states of http www abS5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 3 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters Texas Oklahoma and Arkansas are set filter a
11. AR Cluster Mail Mail ar ciuster User Manual You can send and receive both personal mail and mail bulletins while connected to the cluster Bulletin mail is mail addressed to ALL FORSALE WANTED UK or HELP You will be informed as new mail arrives for you while you are logged in the cluster When you log into the node you will receive an announcement for personal mail displaying the station that sent the mail and the number of messages A mail summary will also display showing the total personal and bulleting mail Example You have new mail from K5AB 3ea You have new mail from K5NA lea New Mail Personal 4 Bulletin 0 Listing Mail The DIRECTORY command lists the last five messages received by the node As with other commands you can display more by specifying a number with the command Messages which have been read are indicated by a hyphen next to the message number A private message is indicated by a Di Examples directory dir 10 If you want to just see new mail use the NEW option Example directory new dir new If you want to just see mail addressed to your callsign use the OWN option Example directory own dir own If you want to just see bulletin mail to you use the BULLETIN option Example http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcMail htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 14 AM AR Cluster Mail directory bulletin If you want to list mail based on a subject use the SUBJ ECT option Exam
12. AR Cluster User Manual AR Cluster User Manual January 2003 Version 4 4 1 Introduction e What is a DX Cluster e What is AR Cluster e On Line Help e Helping the Network e Helping your Sysop e K8SMC News Letter Connecting to a DX Cluster e Who can telnet to e Packet Connections e Telnet Connections e Disconnecting DX Spots e Real time DX Spots e Normal DX Spot Queries e Formatted DX Spot Queries e Advanced DX Spot Queries e Spotting DX WWV e Real Time WWV Spots http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserManual htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 36 18 AM AR Cluster User Manual e WWV Spot Queries e Spotting WWV Announcements e Real Time Announcements e Querying Announcements e Making Announcements e Regional Announcements Weather e Real Time Weather Announcements e Weather Queries e Making Weather Announcements e Weather Station Data Talk Mode e Talk Command e Talk Routing Conference Mode User Information e Displaying User Information e Updating Your User Information Cluster Network Information e Network Show Commands e Keeping the Network Clean http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserManual htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 36 18 AM AR Cluster User Manual Databases e Callsign Lookup e QSL Lookup e Other Databases e File Based Data Cluster Mail e Listing Mail e Reading Mail e Sending Mail e Replying Mail e Deleting Mail DX Calculations WN un
13. Active WX Announcements Active TALK Active Beep Bell I n Active Login Active http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcPersonalization htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 38 AM AR Cluster Personalization http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcPersonalization htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 38 AM AR Cluster Filters Filters ar cluster user Manual Many of the AR Clusters nodes connect into the AR Cluster Internet backbone which yields a huge selection of local continental and worldwide DX spots During contest periods we sometimes run over 40 000 DX spots in a 48 hour period Station spot filtering preferences range from I only want to see spots within a few surrounding states to I want so see spots from a large area such as North America to give me anything spotted in the world You can use the built in filtering to limit the spots to your desired area of coverage even down to the state by state level DX spots can be filtered by the originating stations location by the country of the spot and by the band and mode of the spot Filters can also be applied for Announcements and weather The following commands can be used to reset all user filters Both commands are equivalent If you suspect you have entered a invalid filter command reset your filters set nofilter The following commands can be used to display all of your user filters Both commands are equivalent show filter The following commands can be us
14. EPLY command to reply to a mail message Command options are to request a return receipt RR and to delete the message you are replying to Examples reply 12 r 12 reply delete 12 reply delete rr reply rr Deleting Mail The DELETE command is used to delete mail messages A Delete command without a message number will delete the last read message The KILL command can be used as an alias for the DELETE command Examples delete 12 del 12 delete 3 4 5 kill 12 http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcMail htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 14 AM AR Cluster Mail http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcMail htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 14 AM AR Cluster DX Calculations DX Calculations ar cluster User Manual The following commands display useful information for working DX and contesting Sun The SHOW SUN command displays the sunrise and sunset for the specified country If the exact country prefix is not known enter a valid call for the country and the Cty prefix will be automatically determined A SHOW SUN without any callsign defaults to the sun data for the user s location SH SUN also works on US call areas of KO through K9 resulting in the sunrise sunset being shown for each state Examples show sun show sun v73c show sun k5 The SHOW SUN command can also be used with an optional date parameter Examples show sun v73aq 3 15 2001 show sun 3 15 2001 show sun kO 3 15 2001 MUF The SHOW MU
15. F command displays maximum useable frequency MUF calculations for the country specified on the command The origination point is your station if you have previously specified it with the SET LOCATION command otherwise the latitude longitude of the node is used You do not have to know the exact CTY prefix just enter a call and AR Cluster will calculate the country prefix Examples show muf v73c http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDxCalculations htm 1 of 2 11 9 2003 5 44 26 AM AR Cluster DX Calculations Maidenhead Grid The SHOW GRID command displays the MaidenHead Grid Locator for a specified station Examples show grid ka5eyh Time The SHOW TIME command displays the current time if no country is presented If a country is included the local time in the country is displayed Note it s not possible to resolve the correct local time from all countries due to their size i e US VE etc Examples show time show time v73c http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDxCalculations htm 2 of 2 11 9 2003 5 44 26 AM AR Cluster Personalization Personalization ar cluster User Manual Your connection into the cluster can be personalized to your particular operating needs Login profiles During login you may want the cluster to execute a series of commands Rather than type these commands after each login you can build a LOGIN PROFILE The LOGIN PROFILE commands are sent to the node that you check into usi
16. Mountain Dr Vernon CT 06066 Lat 41 8 Long 72 5 Grid FN31ST Email tom nlmm com Buckmaster Call NIMM Class Extra Expires 20040517 Birthday 10 01 1949 Thomas F Wagner 301 Box Mountain Dr Vernon CT 06066 County Tolland Grid FN31ST Lat 41 8 Long 72 5 Email tomwagner mindspring com URL http tomwagner home mindspring com nlmm htm Callbook Call NIMM Class E Expires 05 17 2004 Thomas F Wagner 301 Box Mountain Dr Vernon CT 06066 County Tolland Lat 41 8 Long 72 5 Email tomwagner mindspring com http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDatabases htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 02 AM AR Cluster Databases QRZ Call NIMM Class Extra Expires 5 17 04 THOMAS F WAGNER 301 BOX MOUNTAIN DR VERNON CT 06066 QSL Lookup The SHOW QSL command queries the AR Technology master QSL database and displays registered QSL managers and addressed for stations The database contains over 250 000 QSL records at present In addition it queries a local QSL database for the node and displays information entered by other local node users Example show qsl v73aq The following commands allow users to enter and clear information stored in the local cluster QSL database Example set qsl v73aq via ab5k clear qsl v73aq Other Databases AR Cluster also has some built in databases General information can be stored in tables for fast lookup The Internet has almost made this feature obsolete The DB command will show the avail
17. Start gt Programs gt Accessories gt Communications gt HyperTerm Enter a name for the connection like AB5K Cluster select connect using Tcpip Winsock Enter the host address or domain name for the telnet connection dxc ab5k net and press the OK button Sign into the cluster using your call To activate the local echo do a File gt Properties gt Settings gt ASCII Setup and check the box Echo typed characters locally When you exit if you save your session you will see an icon AB5K Cluster that you can run the next time for a quick access with the local echo parameter and telnet connection already setup http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFags htm 2 of 2 11 9 2003 5 45 15 AM AR Cluster Command Summary Overview of AR Cluster User Commands az Cluster User Manual The following list is a Summary of AR Cluster commands The upper case part of the commands is required and the lower case part of the command is optional Thus the command A F is the same as the ANNOUNCE FULL command Details for each command can be found by clicking on its link Announce Full LEAR OSL ONFErence ONFErence Full Eelete rectro List mail messages Suit ead EPI end Et ANNouncements Et BEep Et DX_Announcements Et DXSCt Et DxSath Et EMAIL Set your Internet email address Et FILTER Set the spot filters Et HEre Let others know you are at your station Et HOMenode Set your home node Et LOCAtion Set the location lat lon of y
18. Y country list file The states and provinces are standard postal abbreviations The best way to demonstrate the various options of the DX spot origination filters is by example Note if you use a State filter you also have to activate the country filter for the state The commands to receive spots originating in the USA Mexico and Canada are set filter dxorigcty pass k xe ve set filter dxorigstate off or set filter doc pass k xe ve set filter dos off The commands to receive DX spots originating in the states of Texas Oklahoma and Arkansas are set filter dxorigcty pass k set filter dxorigstate pass tx ok ar or set filter doc pass k set filter dos pass tx ok ar The commands to receive DX spots originating in the US 4th and 5th call areas are set filter dxorigcty pass k set filter dxorigstate pass k4 k5 or set filter doc pass k set filter dos pass k4 k5 The commands to receive US DX spots except for California and the US 7th call area are set filter dxorigcty pass k set filter dxorigstate reject k6 k7 http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 2 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters or set filter doc pass k set filter dos reject k6 k7 The commands to receive DX spots originating anywhere in the world are set filter dxorigcty off set filter dxorigstate off or set filter doc off set filter dos off You can examine your current DX spot origination filters
19. able tables The DB TABLES command will display the custom database tables in the system The general command DB will display all available databases The command DB SUBJ ECT will show information on the subject The DB SUBJECT DETAILS will show detained information on the selected item Example db db mic db mic ken4 File Based Data AR Cluster has three areas for file based storage of bulletins ARCHIVE http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDatabases htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 02 AM AR Cluster Databases BULLETINS and FILES These areas are set up so sysops can place pertinent information for user download You can list the files and download the interesting ones Don t be surprised if you find this area empty as the Internet has made this feature almost obsolete The SHOW ARCHIVE command displays a listing of files in the ARCHIVE area Example show archive The SHOW BULLETINS command displays a listing of files in the ARCHIVE area Example show bulletins The SHOW FILES command displays a listing of files in the ARCHIVE area Example show files The TYPE command can be used to display files fro any of the three areas Example type archive newuser text type bulletins station txt type files club txt http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDatabases htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 02 AM AR Cluster Databases http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDatabases htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 02 AM
20. albn 14088 8 Once posted the DX spot will be send to all stations in the network It will also be echoed back to you as a confirmation If you need to do a test spot from your contest software spot the station TE1ST That is a reserved call that will not be sent throughout the network It will be echoed back to you for confirmation http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 6 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster DX http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 7 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster WWV WWV AR Cluster User Manual When connected into a DX cluster you will receive WWV spots in real time You can also query the database for past WWV spot information As a user you can also input WWV spots into the network The hour of each WWV spot is aligned with the publication times of 00 03 06 09 12 15 18 or 21 The scales used in WWV forecasts can be found at http www sec noaa gov NOAAscales index html Real Time WWV Spots As soon as you connect into a DX Cluster you will automatically start receiving WWV spots as they are posted into the network The display of real time WWV spots can be controlled with the following commands Examples set nowwv_ announcements set wwv_ announcements WWV Spots Queries The SHOW WWV command is used to query the database for past WWV spots You can get the last five WWV spots postings as follows Example show wwv If more than the default five WWV spo
21. ce mode ar custer User Manual The Conference mode allows multiple stations to participate in a talk session at the same time Exit the conference mode with a EXIT Example conference k5k listing on 205 now on 210 213 exit While in the conference mode DX spots can be send by preceding the DX command with an Example dx k5k 14033 0 listing up http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcConference htm 11 9 2003 5 43 29 AM AR Cluster User Information User Information ar Cluster User Manual Information on users of the DX cluster is available using several commands You can also update your own personal user information Displaying User Information The SHOW STATION command can be used to display information from the network database pertaining to a stations name location latitude longitude email address and last connect date and time The distance and heading to the station is also calculated and shows if both stations have a location registered in the database If the station is connected in the network his connection status user or a node is also displayed The SHOW STATION command also gives date and time for the last connection not the current one Example show station nx5m The SHOW LOCATION command can be used to display information from the network database pertaining to a stations latitude and longitude Example show location k5dx The SHOW HOMENODE command can be used to display informa
22. e You simplify have to verify the data and make changes as needed Packet Connections The AX25 protocol or packet communications requires the use of a Terminal Node Controller TNC The CONNECT command issued to your TNC will connect you into the cluster Configuration of the TNC involves setting up parameters for operation with packet Consult your TNC manual for details Make sure you have set up your callsign in the TNC To connect into your local cluster tune your radio to the cluster operating frequency and than issue the connect command to the cluster callsign Some nodes use a SSID on the end of their callsign as KSHOG 5 Example connect K5NA connect AB5K 2 Telnet Connections On a machine connected to the Internet simply start a Telnet client session and open a connection to the IP address of the Cluster you are connecting to Example telnet dxc ab5k net You will see a login message similar to Connected to AB5K 1 Welcome to the AB5K 1 AR Cluster node Telnet port Please enter your call http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcConnecting htm 1 of 2 11 9 2003 5 42 00 AM AR Cluster Connecting Enter your callsign to complete the connection According to Fabrizio IK4VYX DX Telnet works with the AR Cluster with the following DX Telnet script its S W de P de Disconnecting Logging out is done by issuing either the BYE or QUIT command If connected by Telnet you can exit your Telnet
23. e user to program his own WX spot queries using http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWxAnnouncements htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 43 03 AM AR Cluster WX Announcements SQL SQL queries are very powerful and allow you to build custom commands to query the WX spot database With some simple examples is not too hard to pick up some SQL basics The SH WX query commands can be ran against any of the fields in the WX spot database Examples sh wx where FROMCALL K1TTT sh wx where FROMNODE N1EW sh wx where SpotterCty K sh wx where SpotterSubCty TX sh wx where SpotterSubCty TX OR SpotterSubCty OK You can also use the LIKE operator and the wildcard character to do partial matches Example sh wx where ANN LIKE TEMP sh wx 30 where ANN LIKE SEVERE The database fields that are available for Advanced WX Spot Queries are FromCall Callsign that originated the spot ToFlag Field indicating who the spot is directed to SysopFlag Flag indicating a sysop announcment FromNode Node that originated the announce spot SrcStation _ Node that we received the spot from potterSubCty Making Weather Announcements The WX command is used to make a general broadcast of weather conditions To make an announcement to users on the DX cluster you are connected to Example wx Tornado alert for travis county To make an announcement to users across the whole network use the FULL operator http
24. ed as a Shortcut to quickly set the DX Announcement and WX origination filters to the same value This should make it easier for the casual user as he generally wants to set all filters to see US or US and VE DX announcements and weather spots The command turns off the DX CTY BandMode KeyWord and state level filters To just see DX ANN and WX from US stations set filter K pass To just see DX ANN and WX from US and VE stations set filter K VE pass DX Spot Origination Filter The most popular filter used is the DX spot origination filter filters DX spots http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 1 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters based on the country and state or Canadian province of the spotter This filter allows the user to control the area of spot coverage presented to him Stations with limited antennas may only want to see spots originating from a few states away Stations with better antenna configurations might want to see spots from all across a wide region such as North America The big gun multi stations with plenty of extra operators to tune the bands may want to turn off all filters and receive spots from stations around the world The spot origination is usually placed in the PASS mode to only pass spots from a certain areas It can also be operated in the REJECT mode where it rejects spots from selected areas The country locations are specified by the abbreviation in the ARRL CT
25. eds cw vu4 You can activate and deactivate the display of spots based on need with the following commands set filter dxneeds off set filter dxneeds on You can display your stored needs list with the command show filter dxneeds You can display your stored needs list with the command show filter dxneeds You can also query the needs database looking at the needs of other stations or a specific country prefix You may also specify a mode qualifier CW SSB RTTY to just show the needs for that mode Examples follow You can show the needs of another station with the following command show need k1ttt show need ssb k1ttt You can show all stations that need the Marshall Islands with the following command show need V7 http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 9 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters Cluster Filters AR Cluster has other built in filters that are either automatic or configured by the sysop You should be aware of these filters as they may effect and their capabilities as they may effect the spots that you receive Upstream Filters These filters reside on the ARC node that your node connects to These filters can be used to narrow the coverage of the node to a specific geographical area Anti Loop Filter Is always on and removes duplicate spots Spot Lockout Filter Is usually activated and removes bad calls such as TEST FROG and etc Spot Origination Filter Simila
26. eneral information that may be important to all users connected on the network By being connected into a DX Cluster you will get announcements in real time as they are spotted You can also query the database for past announcements Additionally you can post announcements to the network Announcements can be made to the whole network to just the node you are connected to or to a specific region Real Time Announcements As soon as you connect into a DX Cluster you will automatically start receiving announcements The display of real time announcements can be controlled with the following commands Examples set noannouncements set announcements Normal Announcement Queries You can list previous announcements in the standard format with the SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS command The default number in the listing is set by your sysop Announcement user filters will be applied to the resulting display Example show announcements If you want to see more announcements than this you can also add an optional number to the end of the command as in SHOW announcements nn This will allow you to display the last 20 or 30 announcements Examples show announcements 20 show announcements 30 http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcAnnouncements htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 42 48 AM AR Cluster Announcements Advanced Announcement Queries AR Cluster also allows the user to program his own announcement spot queries using SQL SQL queries a
27. es e QSL Databases e Great Circle Heading and Sunrise Sunset calculations What is AR Cluster AR Cluster is a next generation DX Cluster system based on 32 bit Windows platforms AR Cluster features built in Internet connectivity for connecting to other AR Cluster nodes User connections are available using Telnet over the Internet or by TNC RF devices AR Cluster integrates easily into existing cluster networks This manual is designed to help you become familiar with the AR Cluster http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcIntroduction htm 1 of 3 11 9 2003 5 41 43 AM AR Cluster Introduction user commands AR Cluster is constantly being updated with new features and commands so make Sure your manual is up to date Several of the commands listed in this manual are specific to an AR Cluster node AR Cluster nodes always sign with a arc gt at the end of an ID Check out the AR Cluster web site at www ab5k net Telnet into AR Cluster at dxc ab5k net or dxc us ab5k net On Line Help On Line help is available while connected into a DX Cluster using the Help command You can also use shortcuts for help such as HE and Examples help help set help show AR Cluster has Smart Help logic so that any partial command will fall through into the help logic and display the help for the command User enters a mal formed command as DX 14000 or DX J ALAAA or DX and the help for the DX command will be displa
28. es The DX spot CTY filter can be placed in the PASS mode to pass spots from designated countries or in the REJECT mode to reject spots from designated countries The best way to demonstrate the various options of the spot CTY filter is by example http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 7 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters The command to show all DX spots except for those in the USA would be set filter dxcty reject k The command to show all DX spots except for those in US Mexico and Canada would be set filter dxcty reject k xe ve The command to show only DX spots from the US Mexico and Canada would be set filter dxcty pass k xe ve The command to turn off all DX CTY filters is set filter dxcty off The command to display the current settings of the DX CTY filter is show filter dxcty DX Spot Keyword Reject Filter The DX Spot Keyword Reject Filter allows the user to specify a list of keywords which if contained in the DX spot call field will cause the spot to be rejected set filter dxkeyword reject bust reject spots with bust in the callsign set filter dxkw reject bust reject spots with bust in the callsign set filter dxkeyword reject bust video reject spots with bust or video in the callsign set filter dxkw reject bust video reject spots with bust or video in the callsign set filter dxkeyword off turn the keyword reject filter off set filter d
29. he TOCALL and the FROM CALL both have LAT LON s entered into the database the distance and bearing is calculated and reads as follows Station KSHOG 360 deg 68 mi 42 km from user WA5IED If the FROM CALL does not have a LAT LON in the database the location of the node is used instead as Station KSHOG 360 deg 68 mi 42 km from node AB5K If the TOCALL does not have a LAT LON in the database the location of the country is used as Country V7 Marshall Islands 280 deg 6206 mi 3856 km from user KSHOG Updating Your User Information The SET NAME command will update your name in the network databases http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserInfo htm 2 of 3 11 9 2003 5 43 40 AM AR Cluster User Information Example set name Jim Smith The SET QTH command will update your city state and country location in the network databases Example set qth Fort Smith Arkansas The SET LOCATION command will update your latitude and longitude location in the network databases Latitude longitude information is used for calculating beam headings and MUF information Note Make sure you use the correct format for the position information Syntax SEt Location lat deg lat min N S long deg long min E W Example set location 30 40 N 97 46 W The SET HOMENODE command will update your primary home node to the network databases Example set homenode w0ecm The SET EMAIL command will updates your email address on your local
30. is date time stamp Examples sh dx 10 where dx XZOA http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 4 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster DX sh dx 50 where freq gt 50000 0 and freq lt 54000 0 sh dx 50 where cty V7 sh dx 50 where spotter N5CQ sh dx 50 where FromNode WU3V sh dx 50 where CqZone 23 sh dx 50 where ItuZone 64 sh dx 50 where Bnd 12 sh dx 50 where Mode CW sh dx 50 where SpotterCty VE sh dx 25 where SpotterSubCty TX sh dx 30 where Comment RTTY sh dx 50 where DTS gt 2 1 00 AND DTS lt 5 1 00 sh dx 50 where DTS gt 2 1 02 11 00am AND DTS lt 2 1 02 12 00pm You can also use the LIKE operator and the wildcard character to do partial matches To show spots with the word QSL anywhere in the comment field use the following example Example sh dx 50 where comment LIKE QSL You can use the SQL ORDER BY operator to order the spots by date and time Normally you would not specify an ORDER BY operator since you want to see the most recent spots shown first If you want to see older spots you can use the ORDER BY ASC operator Example sh dx 30 where DX XZOA ORDER BY DTS ASC Compound SQL queries can be generated by combining two or more operations into one query Examples sh dx 50 where Mode CW AND Bnd 10 AND spotter N5CQ sh dx 50 where dx FOOAAA AND DTS gt 2 1 00 AND
31. jects spots from selected areas The country locations are specified by the abbreviation in the ARRL CTY country list file The states and provinces are standard postal abbreviations The best way to demonstrate the various options of the announcement spot origination filters is by example If you use a State filter you also have to activate the country filter for the state The commands to receive WX spots originating in the USA Mexico and Canada are set filter wxorigcty pass k xe ve set filter wxorigstate off or set filter woc pass k xe ve set filter wos off The commands to receive WX spots originating in the states of Texas Oklahoma and Arkansas are set filter wxorigcty pass k set filter wxorigstate pass tx ok ar or set filter woc pass k set filter wos pass tx ok ar The commands to receive WX spots originating in the US 4th and 5th call areas are set filter wxorigcty pass k set filter wxorigstate pass k4 k5 or set filter woc pass k set filter wos pass k4 k5 The commands to receive US WX spots except for California and the US 7th call area are set filter wxorigcty pass k set filter wxorigstate reject k6 k7 or set filter woc pass k set filter wos reject k6 k7 The commands to receive WX spots originating anywhere in the world are set filter wxorigcty off set filter wxorigstate off or set filter woc off http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 5 of
32. n networks users connections are not reported In these situations the routing of the talk message can be done if the destination user has a HOMENODE published to the network databases with the SET HOMENODE command If the users call is not reported as being connected but his registered homenode is connected in the network the talk message will be routed and the following message generated CALL not visible directing talk to home node If the user has a HOMENODE listed but the homenode is not connected in the network the talk message will not be routed and the following message will be displayed Sorry CALL and his home node are not connected If the user is not connected and he also does not have a homenode registered in the database the talk message will not be routed and the following message will be generated Sorry CALL not connected and has no home node listed Talk aborted A special flag character gt can be used in the one liner talk message to direct the talk to a specific node The gt character directs the talk command to a specific node which is responsible for routing it to the correct station The syntax of the message is TALK CALL gt VIA NODE MESSAGE Examples talk k5xh gt k5hog u there mark http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcTalk htm 2 of 3 11 9 2003 5 43 17 AM AR Cluster Talk http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcTalk htm 3 of 3 11 9 2003 5 43 17 AM AR Cluster Conference Conferen
33. ncement to users on the DX cluster you are connected to Example announce Ten meters is open to the Pacific announce local Ten meters is open to the Pacific TO make an announcement to users across the whole network use the FULL operator Example announce full anyone know the QSL info for K5K announce full Six is open to Europe To send an announcement to a users connected to a specific DX Cluster use the cluster CALLSIGN can be specified int the announce command Example announce K5AB Is anyone hearing the DX on 1 833 Regional Announcements Regional announcements are used to make directed announcements to selected nodes and users In Texas the following regions are defined e AUS Austin Tx Clusters AB5K K5NA K5AB and N5UXT e CTDXCC Local DX and Contest Club Clusters AB5K K5NA K5AB and N5UXT e STX South Texas Clusters AB5K N5UXT K5NA K5AB KA5EYH 2 and W5BE e TX Texas Clusters AB5K N5UXT K5NA K5AB KA5EYH 2 W5BE and N1EW Each node has both a routing and a distribution list for each regional announcement command The distribution list keeps announcements local and not accessible to out of area users who may telnet into a node The local Austin users chat back and forth on the 4 Austin nodes as follows Examples a aus Good morning If a user wanted to make a wider announcement to participating nodes and users in the state of Texas as follows http www ab5k net ArcDoc
34. ng cluster mail The user creates an cluster mail message addressed to the node or nodes he connects to with a subject of LOGI N PROFILE and a body containing the list of commands Upon receipt of the mail the AR Cluster node saves the commands for later execution AR Cluster will echo back the text LOGIN PROFILE updated Sending an empty LOGIN PROFILE mail message will any clear previous LOGIN PROFILE commands AR Cluster will echo back the text LOGI N PROFILE cleared For RF connections we recommend keeping your LOGIN PROFILE file short Configuring a LOGIN PROFILE that results in transferring a lot of traffic on a marginal RF connection may cause timeouts and traffic congestion Keep your LOGIN PROFILE short so it produces a max of 20 lines from the cluster Example LOGIN PROFILE sh dx 10 sh wwv 1 dir new Certain commands are stored on the node between logins Thus LOGIN PROFILE commands should not contain any of the following commands Filters set beep set name set location set homenode set latlon set email and enable commands for DX ANN TALK and WX Commands http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcPersonalization htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 38 AM AR Cluster Personalization The SET HERE command can be used to indication to other users when you are away from your station Being AWAY sets a set of prentices around your call in the commands that show you connected into the network SHOW USER e
35. nnorigcty pass k set filter annorigstate pass tx ok ar or set filter aoc pass k set filter aos pass tx ok ar The commands to receive announcement spots originating in the US 4th and 5th call areas are set filter annorigcty pass k set filter annorigstate pass k4 k5 or set filter aoc pass k set filter aos pass k4 k5 The commands to receive US announcement spots except for California and the US 7th call area are set filter annorigcty pass k set filter annorigstate reject k6 k7 or set filter aoc pass k set filter aos reject k6 k7 The commands to receive announcement spots originating anywhere in the world are set filter annorigcty off set filter annorigstate off or set filter aoc off set filter aos off You can examine your current announcement spot origination filters with the following command show filter annorigcty or show filter aoc show filter annorigstate or show filter aos Wx Spot Origination Filter The WX spot origination filter filters announcement spots based on the country and state or Canadian province of the spotter This filter allows the user to control the area of spot coverage presented to him The spot Origination is usually placed in the PASS mode to only pass spots from a http www abS5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 4 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters certain areas It can also be operated in the REJ ECT mode where it re
36. node database Example set email poo poobear com The SET PHONE command will updates your phone number in your local node database The SHOW PHONE command is only enabled for the sysop Example set phone 555 1212 The SET QRA command will updates your QRA on your local node database Example set qra 12abcd http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserInfo htm 3 of 3 11 9 2003 5 43 40 AM AR Cluster Network Cluster Network Information ar custer User Manual Several commands are available to display information pertaining to the DX cluster network Most of the SHOW commands default to the users call if no call is specified in the command The SHOW CONFIGURATION command displays the physical configuration of the DX cluster network The nodes are listed along with the users connected to each node An optional parameter at the end of the command can be used to show the configuration of just one node Examples show configuration show configuration k8smc The SHOW NODES command displays a list of DX cluster nodes connected in the network Example show nodes The SHOW USERS command displays a list of users connected to the node A call displayed in parentheses signifies that user is not present at his station see SET NOHERE command An asterisk by the call signifies that the station is in Conference Mode Example show users The SHOW CLUSTER command displays the number of nodes in the current cluster config
37. nth Examples show dx stats The SHOW VLF command can be used to display a list of VLF spots Examples show vif http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 3 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster DX The SHOW IOTA command can be used to display a list of IOTA spots Examples show iota The SHOW 4MTR command can be used to display a list of 4 meter spots Examples show 4mtr Formatted DX Spots Queries The DX spot format varies based on the spot being a real time spot or a queried spot with e SH DX command This feature is by design and allows you to tell the new real time spots from older spots you just queried The SH FDX Formatted DX command can be user to replace the SH DX command and the output will be in the real time format This is useful if you want to input queried spots into a contest program that only processes spots in the real time format Examples show fdx 20 show fdx 30 v73aq The SH FZONE and SH FITU can be used to display CQ zone and ITU zone spots in the real time format Examples show fzone 18 show fitu 32 Advanced DX Spots Queries AR Cluster also allows the user to program his own DX spot queries using SQL SQL queries are very powerful and allow you to build custom commands to query the DX spot database With some simple examples is not too hard to pick up some SQL basics The SH DX query commands can be ran against any of the fields in the DX spot database Note DTS
38. our station U Quit O ia VN http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcCmdSummary htm 1 of 4 11 9 2003 5 45 32 AM AR Cluster Command Summary SEt Show user logins LOGIN announcements Et Name Et NOAnnouncements Et NOBeep urn off the beep for DX and Announcements SEt urn off DX announcements NODX Announcements Et NODXSCt urn off the display of the spot CTY country Et NODXSqgth urn off the display of the spotter QTH Et NOHere Indicate you are away from your station Siete urn off login announcements NOLOGin_announcements Et NOTalk urn off the display of talk messages SEt urn off the display of WWV spots NOWWV_announcements EVNOWX_announcements Turn of the display of weather announcements et PHONE et ORA et O5L Et QTA EVTAKK EVWWV_announcements EWY announcements How ANnounce How ARCHive How BUCmaster How BULLEtins How CBA How CLuster How Configuration How Dx How Dx SQL How EMAIL How FDx Display a formatted SH DX command WN WN j http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcCmdSummary htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 45 32 AM AR Cluster Command Summary SHow FILEs How FILTER How FI Tu How FZOne How Grid How HAM How Heading How HOMEnode How I Tu How LOCation How LOG How Muf How NEeds How NOdes How Prefix how QRA How Qsl How STation How Sun How TAIk How Tlme How TIP how UPTime How Users How Version How WWv How WX How WxXStation How Zone alk alk Timestamp pe
39. ples directory subject meeting dir subject hamfest Reading Mail Reading a mail message is done with the READ command followed by the message number that you wish to read A READ command without a message number will read the last message to your station The LIST command can be used as an alias for the READ command Example read 231 r 231 Sending Mail The SEND command is used to send a mail message to another station The system will prompt you for the destination call and the subject Enter the message line by line The mail send process is terminated with either a ctrl Z or EXIT The PRIVATE qualifier can be used to send a private message The RR qualifier requests a return receipt which forces a confirmation when the mail is read The Copy is used to send a copy of a message to another station A mail message can be canceled with the Ctrl Y or a CAncel command The SP command is used as a shortcut for the SEND PRIVATE command Examples send send private send rr send private rr send private r sendcopy sp A mail message addressed to ALL FORSALE WANTED or HELP becomes a bulletin mail and is sent to all nodes connected in the network A mail http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcMail htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 14 AM AR Cluster Mail message addressed to LOCAL becomes a bulletin mail but stays on the node it s entered on and is not sent through the system Replying to Mail Use the R
40. r to the user spot origination filter but effects all users on the node Spot Age Filter Rejects spots over xx minutes old Spot CTY Filter Similar to the user spot CTY filter but effects all users Spot Node Filter Pass or reject spots from designated nodes Spot Band Time Reject Filter Rejects spots based on band and time of day Spot Comment Filter Rejects spots containing specific text in the comment field Internet Spot Filter Rejects spots which originated from the OH2AQ spot grabber Spot Close Dupe Filter Rejects spots with the same call spotted within the last x minutes within a designated frequency spread Spot Close Dupe Filter Does not allow a user to spot himself http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 10 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 11 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster FAQ s ARC FAQ s AR Cluster User Manual Q Can I put a test spot into the system without it being echoed to other users and nodes A Yes just spot the callsign TE1ST and it will not be propagated throughout the network Q How can I execute a specific set of commands when logging into the cluster A You need to set up a USER PROFILE The USER PROFILE commands will be executed upon each login Q How can I limit the coverage of spots being sent to my station A See the Filter section for details on setting user filters Q
41. re very powerful and allow you to build custom commands to query the announcement spot database With some simple examples is not too hard to pick up some SQL basics The SH Announcement query commands can be ran against any of the fields in the announcement spot database Examples sh ann where ANN CQ CQ CQ WSJT for DXCC via cluster sh ann where FROMCALL K5UTD sh ann where FROMNODE K5DxX sh ann where SpotterCty K sh ann where SpotterSubCty TX sh ann 30 where SpotterSubCty TX OR SpotterSubCty OK You can also use the LIKE operator and the wildcard character to do partial matches Example sh ann where ANN LIKE QSL sh ann 30 where ANN LIKE QSL The database fields that are available for Advanced Announcement Spot Queries are FromCall Callsign that originated the spot TToFlag Field indicating who the spot is directed to Ann Announcement message SysopFlag Flag indicating a sysop announcment FromNode Node that originated the announce spot SrcStation Node that we received the spot from DTS Date Time Stamp SpotterCty Country of the spotter follows ARRL CTY file SpotterSubCty State Province of the spotter Making Announcements The ANNOUNCE command is used to make a general broadcast to a specified http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcAnnouncements htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 42 48 AM AR Cluster Announcements portion of the network To make an annou
42. s UserManual ArcAnnouncements htm 3 of 4 11 9 2003 5 42 48 AM AR Cluster Announcements Examples a tx Anyone in texas hearing the weak signal on 1 833 http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcAnnouncements htm 4 of 4 11 9 2003 5 42 48 AM AR Cluster WX Announcements Weather Announcements ar cluster User Manual Weather announcements contain weather information that is distributed to all users connected on the network By being connected into a DX Cluster you will get weather announcements in real time as they are spotted You can also query the database for past weather announcements Additionally you can post weather announcements to the network Real Time Weather Announcements As soon as you connect into a DX Cluster you will automatically start receiving weather announcements as they are posted The display of real time announcements can be controlled with the following commands Examples set nowx_ announcements set wx_ announcements Normal Weather Queries You can list previous weather announcements in the standard format with the SHOW WX command The default listing is the last five announcements Example show wx If you want to see more weather announcements than this you can also add an optional number to the end of the command as in SHOW WX nn This will allow you to display the last 20 or 30 weather announcements Examples show wx 20 show wx 30 Advanced WX Queries AR Cluster also allows th
43. sages can be send as one liners Examples talk k5xh hello mark talk k5as are you around You can also enter into a dedicated talk session with another user by leaving the message line blank In this mode everything you type from the keyboard will be sent to the user You can exit the dedicated talk mode by entering a EXIT or ctri Z command Examples talk k5xh congratulations on working the kh5 see you later 73 exit While in the dedicated talk mode you will still receive DX and other cluster information You can also execute a DX spot if the command is preceded by a character Example dx kh5k 14025 0 listing up You can use the TALK TIMESTAMP command to send a talk message with the current date and time Example talk timestamp n3bb are you there jim You can show past talk messages to your station with the SHOW TALK command The default number in the display is set by your sysop You can increase the number of messages displayed using a optional number at the end of the command Examples show talk show talk 10 show talk 20 http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcTalk htm 1 of 3 11 9 2003 5 43 17 AM AR Cluster Talk You can also enable and disable the talk messages sent to your station Examples set talk set notalk Talk Routing In most cases talk messages are automatically routed through to the station via the network and no special routing is required In certai
44. ser or node that generated the spot If a user is telneting into a node his Internet address will also be displayed This capability has been very successful in tracking interference to the cluster network http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcClusterNetwork htm 2 of 2 11 9 2003 5 43 51 AM AR Cluster Databases Cluster Databases ar custer User Manual Several databases are available for searching for callsign information QSL information or other general database information In addition commands are available for displaying file based data stored on the DX cluster node Callsign Lookup AR Cluster supports interfaces into the following callsign lookup databases AR Technology Buckmaster Callbook Flying Horse and QRZ Callsign databases can be queryied by several commands SHOW ARTECH SHOW BUCK SHOW CALLBOOK SHOW QRZ and SHOW HAM Your sysop may have up to all four of the databases on line Examples show artech nlmm uses the AR Technoloy callsign database show buckmaster nimm uses the Buckmaster callsign database show callbook nlmm uses the Flying Horse callsign database show qrz nlmm uses the QRZ callsign database show ham nlmm will use all callsign databases that are on line With all four callsign databases installed and enabled for users the command SH HAM N1MM yields the following Ar Techology Callsign Database updated 2 4 2002 Call NIMM Class E Expires 05 17 2004 Thomas F Wagner 301 Box
45. te Examples set here set nohere The SET BEEP command can be used to control whether the bell character is send to you on each transmission Examples set beep set nobeep The SET LOGIN_ANN command can be used to control whether you receive announcements of other users logging into the system The sysop has a master override for this command so it may be permanently disabled Examples set login_ ann set nologin_ann Command Macros AR Cluster also includes macro command capability The 0 thru 9 keys can be custom configured by the user as a macro Macros are defined shortcuts that are expanded in the command engine If the first character of a command is a 0 thru 9 the character is replaced with its user defined macro definition Macros are programmed using the SET MACRO n MESSAGE command where n is the macro key number 0 thru 9 and MESSAGE is the message stored in the macro The SHOW MACRO command displays user defined macros Examples set macro 1 sh dx set macro 2 sh wwv sh macro User Settings http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcPersonalization htm 2 of 4 11 9 2003 5 44 38 AM AR Cluster Personalization The Show SEttings command can be used to display summary information for the users settings Examples show setting Current switch settings for XE2KK DX Spots Active DX Bottom of Band Spots Active DX Spotter QTH Active DX Spot CTY Active WWV Spots Active Announcements
46. tion from the network database pertaining to a stations home node Example show homenode n3sl The SHOW EMAIL command can be used to display information from the network database pertaining to a stations email address Example show email n2la The SHOW QRA command can be used to display information from the http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcUserInfo htm 1 of 3 11 9 2003 5 43 40 AM AR Cluster User Information network database pertaining to a stations QRA Example show qra n3bb The Show Prefix command will calculate the prefix of the passed call and display the prefix and country information Such as the country name and CQ ITU zones Example show prefix v73c The SHOW HEADING displays the heading and distance to the call specified on the command The heading calculations use your latitude longitude information if you have specified it with the SET LOCATION command Otherwise it will use the location of the node your are connected into If the destination call is found in the Userlnfo database with a valid latitude longitude the heading and distance to that call will be displayed If the destination call is not found in the Userlnfo database then the prefix of the country is determined and the heading and distance to the country is displayed The user does not have to know the exact prefix of the country thus V7 V73 V73AQ all work Long path LP headings are also shown Example show prefix v73c If t
47. tion of this manual described the various filtering options available If there is room in the comment field ARC nodes also show the country abbreviation CTY for the spot The CTY display is optional and controlled by the following commands Examples set nodxscty set dxscty ARC nodes also show the country CTY or state of the spotter at the end of the spot The display of the spotter s state or country at the end of the DX spot may cause parsing issues with certain logging and contest programs It can be turned on and off with the following commands Examples http www abS5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcDx htm 1 of 7 11 9 2003 5 42 19 AM AR Cluster DX set nodxsqth set dxsqth The display of real time DX spots can be controlled with the following commands Examples set nodx_ announcements set dx_ announcements Normal DX Spots Queries You may also wish to check on spots posted in the past The general command to do this is SHOW DX Without any other arguments this command will output the last few spots posted Example show dx If you want to see more spots than this you can also add an optional number to the end of the command as in SHOW DX nn This will allow you to look at the last 20 or 30 spots Examples show dx 20 show dx 30 You can filter the displayed spots by band by adding a band in either wavelength or frequency Examples show dx 14 OR show dx 20 show dx 20 21 OR show dx
48. ts are desired an optional number can be added at the end of the command Example show wwv 10 show wwv 20 Spotting WWV To post a WWV spot enter the details in the following syntax where nn are http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWwv htm 1 of 3 11 9 2003 5 42 34 AM AR Cluster WWV numbers wwv sf nn a nn k nn comment Example wwv sf 174 a 2 k 3 very low gf quiet Solar Monitor Several of the AR Cluster nodes also participate in a special version of Solar Announcements from the Solar Monitor Contact you sysop for details Thanks go to K1TTT for providing the Solar Monitor spots on the AR Cluster backbone Regular WWV announcements show up with expanded text as Example To SOLAR de SolarMonitor lt 0303Z gt WWV 0302Z SFI 177 A 5 K To SOLAR de SolarMonitor lt 0303Z gt Last 24 Hours Solar activity was low The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled To SOLAR de SolarMonitor lt 0303Z gt Next 24 Hours Solar activity will be low The geomagnetic field will be quiet to unsettled Special announcements also appear as Example To SOLAR de SolarMonitor lt 2205Z gt ALERT M Class flare in progress current magnitude M1 0 http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWwv htm 2 of 3 11 9 2003 5 42 34 AM AR Cluster WWV http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcWwv htm 3 of 3 11 9 2003 5 42 34 AM AR Cluster Announcements Announcements ar custer User Manual Announcements contain g
49. uration the number of local users the total number of users and the uptime for the node Example show cluster The SHOW UPTIME command displays the uptime for the node Example show uptime The SH LOG command displays the log data for the station showing dates and times when the station logged onto and logged out of the cluster Example show log http www abSk net ArcDocs UserManual ArcClusterNetwork htm 1 of 2 11 9 2003 5 43 51 AM AR Cluster Network show log 10 show log k5pi show log 10 k5ab The SH LOG command displays the version of the AR Cluster software Example show version Keeping the Network Clean A George Carlin s 7 words plus a few others you can t say on TV filter is active to keep things G rated The Carlin filter is applied to user spots as well as spots coming in from other nodes on the network Spots coming in on the network get dumped if they contain restricted language If any of the Carlin words are contained in a user announcement the user gets a message Your DX WX announce was aborted since it contains restricted language Additionally AR Cluster has advanced protocol for tracking questionable spots across the network Spots for DX Announcement TALK WWV and WX can be traced by sysops back to their source The trace commands generate special protocol walks the network back to the source of the spot The route of the spot will then be displayed to the sysop along with the u
50. xkw off turn the keyword reject filter off show filter dxkeyword show the keyword reject filter show filter dxkw show the keyword reject filter DX Spot Keyword Reject Filter The DX Bottom of the Band filter can be used to remove DX spots that occur on the very bottom of each band 14 000 21 000 50 000 etc The DX spots that occur on the bottom of the band are generally announcements and not DX spots http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcFilters htm 8 of 11 11 9 2003 5 45 03 AM AR Cluster Filters set dx_ bob announcements set nodx_bob_announcements DX Needs Database and Filters AR Cluster includes a DX Needs database which can be used to track the needs DX country needs of node users Spot filtering can also be applied to only show the DX spots based on your country needs The SET FILTER NEEDS command is used to set your needs User needs can be set on each of the three operating modes of CW SSB and RTTY If the first character in the filter command is a the data is appended into the needs list if the first character in the filter is a data is removed from the list otherwise the existing list is overwritten Needs countries prefixes are based on the ARRL CTY country list Examples set filter dxneeds ssb 3d2 r 3y b bv9p jd 0 jd m set filter dxneeds rtty rlmv sv5 t33 zk1 n set filter dxneeds cw rlmv sv5 t33 zk1 n set filter dxneeds cw r1fj vp8 h jy zs8 vu4 vu7 set filter dxne
51. yed Examples dx dx 14000 wwv Random help tips are available with the SHOW TIP command Examples show tip Helping the Network If you use spots off the cluster network then contribute by spotting back to the network Helping your Sysop http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcIntroduction htm 2 of 3 11 9 2003 5 41 43 AM AR Cluster Introduction Setting up and operating a DX Cluster takes and lot of time and expense on the part of the sysop He has to maintain computers radios TNC s software Internet connections and additionally updates to callsign databases Expenses can add up very quickly Let your sysop know that you Support him with an occasional thanks and by kicking in some money into the cluster maintenance fund KS8SMC Newsletter Terry K8SMC publishes a great user newsletter about AR Cluster He currently has over 400 subscribers Details are on his web site at http www k amp 8smc com http www ab5k net ArcDocs UserManual ArcIntroduction htm 3 of 3 11 9 2003 5 41 43 AM AR Cluster Connecting Connecting to a DX Cluster ar cister User Manual There are several ways to connect into a cluster depending on its specific setup and configuration During your first login you will be asked to enter and verify your Name Location If your callsign is issued by the USA or Canada AR Cluster will automatically populate your name and location based on information from the AR Technology callsign databas

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