Spot 1.9.6 Released on 15 November.
This release fixes two bugs: the first bug involved the formatting of frequencies of spots causing some programs using Spot's server function to not recognize the spot. The frequency sent to programs using Spot as a server no longer have formatted frequencies. Second bug was the inappropriate warning that an update was in progress via Spot's update mechanism. This initial check has been disabled and a newer version of the update mechanism will be implemented in the next release.
K3NC Review in Oct., 2008 CQ Magazine
Read Neal's review of the fantastic Flex-Radio Systems Flex-5000a transceiver in the October 2007 CQ Magazine or download a pdf version from the Flex-Radio website (click here).
Neal Campbell, K3NC, Receives Software Excellence Award.
On May 17, 2008 at the FlexRadio Banquet and Forum held at the Dayton Hamvention, a Flexi Award was presented to Neal Campbell, K3NC, in honor of providing services and solutions to all Flex Radio operators. Flex-Radio stated that Flexi award were given to people who recognized an opportunity to unselfishly give of themselves a knowledge or skill that advanced the cause of software defined radio and benefited the FlexRadio community as a whole. You can read more about the Flexi awards on the FlexRadio web page at this URL: http://www.flex-radio.com/Users.aspx?topic=flexies.
virtuallY
A virtual Y cable, for Windows platforms, makes connecting amateur radio programs to each other possible. Go to download page for version 1. If you are a PowerSDR user, use K5FR's DDUtil program.
Band-mode-time filter definitions
Screen Details
Band-mode-time filters offer the most granularity of filtering control and can be the most difficult to exploit for hunting for the mode-oriented DX awards or filter out spots during band dead times.
Only the most modern of DXCluster types support this level of sophistication (i.e., CC Cluster, DX Spider). Other cluster types support some of these features and Spot will adjust this screen to fit the capability of the DXCluster type you have connected to.
In simplistic terms, the left column represents CW band segments, the middle column is digital segments and the right column is SSB. Currently these frequency ranges are frozen (that is you cannot change them), primarily because the DXCluster software has defined these segments. There are indications that user-specified ranges might be supported in the future and Spot will be updated to allow that capability when available.
All the band-mode selections are rejection only, so if you want to define "pass" filters, select everything but the band segments you want to see.
On the right of the screen you can see a band-time filter capability which is primarily supported on CC Cluster. This type of filter lets you define the time of day you want to receive spots from that frequency. This is a Pass only filter and you are allowed only one time range.
As with all filter specifications, you must press the update cluster button to activate the filter. Spot depends on the DX Cluster to remember the settings and regularly inquires of their setting. In other words, Spot does not maintain a database of all these settings to remember between executions (with the exception of the band reject filters specified on the Program Option display). If you forget to click the Update Cluster button and close the preference window, when you re-open it, none of your settings will appear unless you have told the cluster!
