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.
- Have the Schedule Checker tune your radio to a desired station.
- Perform a DX Atlas azimuth plot from your
location to that of a scheduled station.1
- Log the stations you've heard, retrieving the frequency and mode from the
Schedule Checker or your receiver.
- Perform a DX Atlas azimuth plot from your
location to that of a logged station.1
- 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.
- Generate DX Atlas maps when running Countries,
Stations, and Log Entries By Station reports.1
- 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!
1 — If you own a copy of Afreet DX Atlas.
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. A wide range of filter options lets you find out what's on now,
later, where, and when. And the Now filter refreshes the
schedule automatically on the hour, every hour.
You can also filter schedule information by band (LF, MF, and HF), country,
station, time, language, and target area, and you can sort schedule information
by frequency, time, day, country, station, language, target area, 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
- Perform a DX Atlas2 azimuth plot from your location to the country or
transmitter site of a scheduled station. Azimuth plots give you a way of
determining the long- and short-path beam headings required to monitor a scheduled station. Plot colors and
fonts are configurable in Preferences.
Country Azimuth Plots
Country azimuth plots are performed by clicking Plot Path to Country Using DX Atlas
on the shortcut menu.
Transmitter Site Azimuth Plots
A more precise azimuth plot can be made by transmitter site, by clicking
Plot Path Within Transmitter Sites Module on the shortcut menu.
When you do, the Transmitter Sites module performs a Find operation
based on the country of the schedule item and lets you navigate to the desired site.
Click Plot In DX Atlas to perform the plot.
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 V5.x (both free). Refer to
"Rig Control in DXtreme Reception Log" on this page for important information.
2 — A software license for DX Atlas is required if you intend to use it. You can obtain a
license from Afreet Software, Inc.
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!
Distance Calculation And Display
Reception Log calculates the distance between the station you monitored and your QTH
(you specify your latitude and longitude in Preferences) and displays
that distance in the DX field on the Reception Log tab
(in the unit of measure you specify in Preferences). The
Countries module or the Transmitter Sites module
can provide the coordinate information needed to calculate the distance.
The Countries module comes populated with default coordinate information
for each NASWA country. When NASWA adds countries to their list, you can easily add them to the
Countries module.
The Transmitter Sites module comes populated with
coordinate information for hundreds of transmitter sites around the world. When
new transmitter sites register with the ITU, you can easily add them to the
Transmitter Sites module.
When specifying a country and tabbing out of the Country field,
Reception Log obtains default coordinates from the Countries module
first, which indicate the geographical center of the country.
More precise coordinates can be obtained by entering an ITU-registered
transmitter site in the Tx Site field. To do so, click the ITU
code.
When you do, the Transmitter Sites module performs a Find operation
based on the country and lets you navigate to the site you want. When you arrive at
the desired site, click Send Data to Log Entry.
The name of the site appears in the Tx Site field and the DX
calculation appears because the coordinates of the site were added to the Latitude and
Longitude fields on the Station Information tab.
Frequency and Mode Entry
When either Omni-Rig or Ham Radio Deluxe V5.x 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.
User-Defined Fields
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.
DX Atlas Integration
You can perform a DX Atlas azimuth plot from your
location to that of a logged station, similar to how you produce plots
in the Schedule Checker.1
1 — A software license for DX Atlas is required if you intend to use it. You can obtain a
license from Afreet Software, Inc.
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.
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 Afreet Omni-Rig, a free-for-amateur-use
rig control program available over Web.
When Omni-Rig 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 to perform other rig-control functions supported by 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.
Using rig control is entirely optional. To enable it:
- Install a copy of Omni-Rig on your system.
- Configure it to work with your radio. Most popular radios are supported.
- In the Preferences window of DXtreme Reception Log, click the
Afreet Omni-Rig option button.
Refer to the Omni-Rig Web site at http://www.dxatlas.com
for software downloads and support with their software.
Contact us for integration support.
Note: DXtreme Reception Log also integrates with Ham Radio Deluxe V5.x, which is owned by
HRD Software, LLC.
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 WAV 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.
Non-WAV Audio File Support
Support for non-WAV audio file assignment and playback is also provided. Refer to the
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition Data Sheet page for more information.
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.
DX Atlas Integration
The following reports integrate with DX Atlas:2
- Countries — When you run a Countries
Performance report, Reception Log integrates with DX Atlas to
produce a map of pins; one color for heard countries, another color for verified
by QSL countries. You can set the pin colors in Reception Log's Preferences module.
This map shows overall country status. You can change the projection and rotate and
resize and zoom the map as desired.
- Stations and Log Entries By Station —
When you run a Stations report or a Log Entries By Station
report, Reception Log integrates with DX Atlas to produce a map of pins; one color for heard stations,
another color for verified by QSL stations. You can set the pin colors in Reception Log's
Preferences module.
You can change the projection and rotate and resize and zoom the map as desired.
Stations and Log Entries By Station reports depend on
latitudes and longitudes being present in each log entry. Global assignment functions
are available to populate existing log entries. The following map shows stations heard and verified by
QSL on the 60-Meter band.
1 — Requires an Internet connection with available Web space only if using FTP. You don't need to
FTP reports to view them.
2 — A software license for DX Atlas is required if you intend to use it. You can obtain a
license from Afreet Software, Inc.
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.
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® 8
- Microsoft Windows 7
- Microsoft Windows Vista®
- Microsoft Windows XP
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