Ham Radio > Logger Feed
Vector > Ham Radio > Logger Feed
Data Source: Live QSOs from the UDP or TCP Feed
Description
This layer shows the live Amateur Radio contacts (aka QSOs) that are received from an Amateur Radio Logger program, such as the 'DXLog', 'N1MM', 'LOG4OM', 'WriteLog', or 'Ham Radio Deluxe' loggers, which use a UDP feed; or the 'N3FJP' logger, which uses a TCP feed. See the 'Settings Menu > Logger Feed' help page for details of how to configure the program to receive QSOs via UDP or TCP, and to learn where the feed obtains its QSO positions from. If a logger program is not available, the 'Time Mapper UHD' includes a Contest Simulator which will generate random QSOs from anywhere in the world, or from a selected Continent or Country, for display on the Map. There is also a stand-alone UDP Monitor, for testing your UDP link. Both are activated by clicking the 'Contest Sim' or 'UDP Mon' buttons in the pop-up 'Controls-Panel', or by typing 'CS' or 'UM' on the keyboard.
This Map Layer is a Vector Layer composed of Points, Lines and Labels, so the Style for each of these can be changed as desired by opening the 'Layers Menu' and clicking the relevant Style buttons. If the 'Flag' option is chosen, adjusting any label-settings will be ignored.
We can select UDP or TCP, and view the contents of the Logger Feed in two different ways: We can show all the QSOs, or we can show all the Countries. This is controlled by the 'Additional Layer Features' control that is associated the the 'Ham Radio > Logger Feed' layer, as follows:
1/ UDP Logger Feed - All QSOs, Colored by Band
2/ UDP Logger Feed - All QSOs, Colored by Mode
3/ UDP Logger Feed - All Countries - Country Name Label
4/ UDP Logger Feed - All Countries - Prefix Label
5/ UDP Logger Feed - All Countries - Flag
6/ TCP Logger Feed - All QSOs, Colored by Band
7/ TCP Logger Feed - All QSOs, Colored by Mode
8/ TCP Logger Feed - All Countries - Country Name Label
9/ TCP Logger Feed - All Countries - Prefix Label
10/ TCP Logger Feed - All Countries - Flag
If we are showing one of the 'All QSOs..' options, then the Point and Line colors can use 'Group Colors' rather than a single 'Common Color'. Click on 'Change Point Style Settings' or 'Change Line Style Settings' to open the 'Group Style Editor' window, which assigns colors for the existing Bands, Modes, or QSL Status present in the log, as selected by the 'Additional Layer Features' control. When you select 'Use Group Colors' you can also to filter what is shown on the map by checking only some of the Bands/Modes in the 'Group Colors' panel.
If we are showing 'All Countries', then there is just a single Points color, as shown in the Layer Menu 'Point Color' box. For the label, you can choose the Country Name, the country's Standard Prefix, or the country's Flag, from the Amateur Radio country flag-set.
When showing QSOs from the Logger Feed, you can also add 'Intensity Decay', to make QSOs fade from the map after a pre-determined period. This is very useful during, say, a long contest so that the map does not get too crowded.
Additionally, as a feature that is useful when showing the contest to an audience, such as a large-screen TV in your Field Day Tent, you can enable 'Logger Feed Plot Highlighting'. This will outline the last plotted QSO on the map with a large circle, for a specified number of seconds. You can set the size and color of the circle, plus its duration after the QSO is plotted, using the controls in the 'Logger Feed Plot Highlighting' panel.
The Data Bar (the region below the map) also has an option to show details of the latest QSO in large letters: again, this is useful when showing the contest to an audience.
When viewing the 'Logger Feed' map-layer, you might also find it useful to see lots of extra information about the Connection-Status, the QSOs received, and the log being created, by typing 'IL' to view the Info Bar's 'Logger Feed' page. This has a number of sub-pages that cycle automatically: QSO count; Band count and list; Mode count and list; Intensity Decay settings; List of most recent QSOs with Call, DateTime, Band, Mode, Short Path Bearing, Distance; List of Total Countries; List of Total Grid Squares; List of Countries by Band; List of Countries by Mode; List of Grid Squares by Band; List of Grid Squares by Mode.