Overview
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition™ is designed for all kinds of radio and television DXers
and listeners. With it you can:
- Use the Schedule Checker to check EiBi schedules. A
wide range of filter options lets you find out what's on now, later, where, and when.
- Have the Schedule Checker tune your radio to a desired station.
- Log the stations you've heard, retrieving the frequency and mode from the
Schedule Checker or your receiver.
- Get callsign and address information for monitored hams from optional Buckmaster™ HamCall™ or
HamCall.Net™.
- Automatically obtain the Solar Flux, A-Index, and K-Index values in effect at the
time of
reception. You can run reports on this information later.
- Create customized reception reports.
- Create single QSL and address labels.
- Send automatic eQSL requests to monitored hams operators via the popular
eQSL.cc Web
site.
- Produce an audio archive of the stations you've heard.
- Scan and save images of your QSL cards and letters.
- Create reports that track the performance of your monitoring station. If desired, you can
FTP these reports to the Web automatically. Doing so lets you access them remotely
and share them with your friends.
- Back up your database, QSL imaging, and audio files to two locations automatically
whenever you close the program.
- And much, much more.
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition continues DXtreme Software's tradition
of making it fun to maintain your logbook and manage your QSLs!
Schedule Checker™
Reception Log includes a Schedule Checker™ facility that lets you
import schedules from the EiBi Web site and display schedule data according to the filter
criteria you specify. You can filter schedule information by band (LF, MF, and HF), country,
station, time, and language. You can also sort schedule information by frequency, time, day, country,
station, language, target, and site.
For each schedule item, the Schedule Checker checks your
Reception Log database and lets you know by means of display
color
whether you need to monitor a station for a
brand new or verified country.
In addition, the Schedule Checker lets you:
- Tune your radio to the schedule frequency by double-clicking a schedule item1.
- Start a log entry for a scheduled station by right-clicking the schedule item and
clicking Log Scheduled Station on the shortcut menu. The main
Reception Log window appears with the following information pre-filled:
-
Class
-
Station
-
Country
-
Freq
-
Mode
-
Language
The Schedule Checker has a separate Options dialog box
that lets you indicate whether verification status should be based on QSLs only, the presence of
audio files you've recorded, or both (refer to the "Audio Processing" section on this page for
information about verification by audio). Plus it lets you specify
color
attributes for country status indication.
1 — Requires installation and configuration of either Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe (both free). Refer to
"Rig Control in DXtreme Reception Log" on this page for important information.
Full-Spectrum Logging
Reception Log lets you log all kinds of stations — radio
stations, television stations, broadcast stations, utility stations, Amateur Radio
stations, and more! And it lets you log stations across the entire radio spectrum —
from long wave, to medium wave, to short wave, and beyond!
Reception Log's Transmitter Sites module comes populated with
coordinate information for hundreds of transmitter sites around the world. When
you enter a log entry for such a site, Reception Log calculates the distance
between the station you monitored and your QTH (if your latitude and longitude are specified in
Preferences) and displays that distance in the DX field
on the Reception Log tab (in the unit of measure specified in
Preferences). When new transmitter sites register with the ITU, you can
easily add them to the Transmitter Sites module.
When either Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe is installed and configured on your
computer, Reception Log enters the frequency and mode from your transceiver in the
Frequency and Mode fields.
Refer to "Rig Control in DXtreme Reception Log" next for important information.
DXtreme Reception Log also provides 22 fields that you can define for whatever purpose you
desire. These user-defined fields (UDFs) are spread across two tabs that you can also
define. Log entries can be searched by UDF and each UDF is the subject of a Performance and
Stations report.
Support for Logging Amateur Radio Stations
With more and more shortwave broadcast stations leaving the airwaves every year, and with several of those
that remain unwilling to issue QSLs, many radio enthusiasts have set their sights on monitoring Amateur Radio
operators.
In that spirit, DXtreme Software has included special features in DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced
Edition that make it fun and rewarding to monitor
Amateur Radio operators around the world.
For starters, integration with Buckmaster™ HamCall™1 makes it possible for Reception
Log to obtain and save the following information when logging Amateur Radio stations:
- Operator name and address
- QSL manager name and address
- CQ zone
- Latitude2
- Longitude2
- Web address
- E-Mail address
Next, integration with the popular eQSL.cc Web site makes it possible for Reception Log to send automatic eQSL
requests to monitored Amateur Radio operators. A With field on the
Reception Log tab lets you specify the ham with whom the monitored Amateur Radio operator
was in contact. This information, along with the propagation mode you specify in the
Prop field, gets sent to the eQSL.cc server and ultimately to the Amateur Radio operator you monitored.
Later, when the monitored Amateur Radio operator replies to your eQSL request, you can log on to the
eQSL.cc Web site and retrieve your eQSL, making use of QSL Imaging's
screen-capture function to add the eQSL to your QSL Repository. Refer to "QSL Imaging Facility" on
this page for more information.
Of course, you can also create paper reception reports for monitored Amateur Radio operators. DXtreme
Reception Log includes templates and scripts designed specifically for that purpose. Plus you can create
single QSL and Address labels if you prefer to send SWL cards by snail mail.3
1 — Requires an optional subscription to Buckmaster HamCall. Information supplied by
HamCall may vary.
2 — Reception Log uses the latitude and longitude to calculate and display the great-circle distance
to the Amateur Radio station you monitored.
3 — Requires Microsoft® Word.
Upgrade and Import Support
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition includes utilities that let you:
- Upgrade from a previous version of DXtreme Reception Log.
- Import data from other sources via a comma-delimited file that you create in the format we specify.
Rig Control in DXtreme Reception Log
To provide our users with a robust logging program that also provides a degree of rig control,
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition integrates with Omni-Rig and Ham Radio Deluxe, both free-for-amateur-use
rig control programs that are available over Web.
When Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe is installed and configured on your PC:
- The Schedule Checker tunes your radio to the frequency of a clicked
schedule item and sets the mode to AM by default.
- Reception Log enters the frequency and mode from your radio in the
Frequency and Mode fields when you add a log entry.
You can then use Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe to perform other rig-control functions
provided for your radio.
While ...
Making maximum use of the advanced, general-purpose logging functions provided
by DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition, many of which are not provided by any other vendor
on the market today.
With DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition and either Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe, you'll have
the best of both worlds!
Using rig control is optional. To enable it:
- Install a copy of Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe on your system.
- Configure it to work with your radio. (Omni-Rig makes it possible for users to
create a rig descriptor file that provides rig control functions for a radio not currently supported.)
- In the Preferences window of DXtreme Reception Log, click the
Afreet Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe option button as desired.
- In the case of Ham Radio Deluxe, invoke a single instance of it running in the background.
It is not necessary to invoke an instance of Omni-Rig.
Refer to the Omni-Rig Web site or the Ham Radio Deluxe Web site for support when using
their software with your radio.
Contact us for support on our integration with those products.
Reception Report Facility
Reception Log includes a powerful reception report facility that lets you
create customized paper or electronic reception reports.
Each reception report has precisely the format and wording you
want, and includes the information you entered on the Reception
Log window.
If Microsoft Word is installed on your system, you can also create
single QSL and Address labels if you prefer to send SWL cards.
Audio Processing
Reception Log's Audio Processing facility lets you record, edit, and play
back audio clips of the stations you have heard.
For DXers, this feature is just the thing for reliving the capture
of a rare or distant station! For listeners, this feature is useful
for archiving historic broadcasts — especially during times like these!
Verification By Audio
The Audio Processing facility integrates with
Reception Log's performance reporting functions to support the concept
of Verification By Audio, an exciting feature that
lets you prove reception by the presence of audio!
While there is no substitute for an attractive QSL card, let's face it,
more and more stations are increasingly unable or unwilling to QSL by means of
traditional QSL cards or letters. Tracking verifications by
audio can be a very satisfying and inexpensive alternative.
QSL Imaging Facility
Reception Log's QSL Imaging facility lets you scan, view, and format your
QSLs right on your screen. It also lets you browse your collection
of QSLs using a Web-like interface.
QSL Imaging also includes a screen capture utility that lets you
capture eQSLs (electronic QSLs) as you receive them over the
Internet, especially from the eQSL.cc Web site.
Imagine how much fun you'll have with QSL Imaging and Audio Processing! Whenever
you browse your log, you'll be able to listen to a recording of the actual
broadcast you heard while viewing the QSL you received!
E-Mail Integration
Reception Log integrates with Microsoft Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail, Outlook Express, and
Office Outlook to let you:
- Send eReports (electronic reception reports) to stations by e-mail.
- Send loggings to clubs, magazines, and others by e-mail.
Performance Reporting
Reception Log has an array of reports that let you track the performance of your
station and view information about the stations you have heard.
You can run the following types of reports:
- Performance — Lets you track the overall performance
of your monitoring station. The following Performance reports are available:
- Summary — Lets you view the number of stations, countries, continents,
CQ zones, and states and provinces you have worked and verified.
- Countries — Lets you view a list of the countries you have worked, not worked,
verified, and worked but not verified.
- CQ Zones — Lets you view a list of the CQ zones you have worked, not worked,
verified, and worked but not verified.
- States and Provinces — Lets you view a list of the states and provinces you
have worked, not worked, verified, and worked but not verified.
- Stations — Lets you view a list of the stations
you have worked, verified, and worked but not verified.
- Log Entries By Station — Lets you view a list of the log entries you have
worked, verified, and worked but not verified by station.
Verification Tracking
Performance, Stations, and Log Entries By Station reports automatically track the stations, countries, continents, CQ zones, and states and provinces you have verified by means of:
- QSLs
- Audio files
- QSLs or audio files
Filter Reports
Reception Log lets you filter your Performance and Stations reports. You can run
a report that contains:
- All of the information in your log, or
- Specific information from your log that satisfies criteria you specify.
For example, you can run a report that shows results for a particular:
- Class
- Continent
- Date
- Year/Month
- Frequency
- Band
- Mode
- Propagation Mode
- Solar Flux, A-Index, or K-Index
- Rig, antenna, accessory
- Language
- Sent via
- User-defined field (up to 22 are available)
Just the thing for seeing how well a particular rig, antenna, or accessory is performing; or for
analyzing the effects of specific propagation index value.
Publish Options
You can output the reports to the following devices:
- Web Report Viewer — To the
DXtreme Web Report Viewer. The Web Report Viewer lets you view reports
in your Web browser. You can specify the colors and text sizes of reports and,
in the case of Stations reports, you can set the fields that appear in the
reports, including any of the 22 user-defined fields.
- Window — To a window on your PC. Stations reports
also work like a Search dialog box when displayed in a window: if you see a log entry
in the report that you'd like to display in the Reception Log window,
simply double-click the log entry in the report; Reception Log closes the report window
and displays the log entry in the Reception Log window.
- FTP — To upload your Performance, Stations, and
Log Entries by Station reports to the Web automatically, where you and your friends can
access them remotely.1 The reports appear within the Web Report Viewer.
1 — Requires an Internet connection with available Web space only if using FTP. You don't need to
FTP reports to view them.
But That's Not All!
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition has other exciting features!
For more information ...
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition runs on the following operating systems:
- Microsoft® Windows® 7
- Microsoft Windows Vista®
- Microsoft Windows XP
Above: The DXtreme Schedule Checker and main Reception Log window.
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition runs in 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft® Windows® 7,
Vista, and XP.