PSK Reporter
The 'PSK Reporter' tab-page of the Settings Menu provides a place to configure the settings required for the 'PSK Reporter' map-layer that do not involve the map-style: Points, Lines, Labels, Additional Features, which are set in the 'Layers Menu'.
The other required settings for the layer: the Callsigns, ADIF-Entities, 4-character Grid Squares, Mode, Band, and Time-Period, that make up the Topic Filters are all set in the 'Settings Menu > PSK Reporter' sub-page.
Filters
The quantity of Reports received live from the PSK Reporter Website via an MQTT Feed can quickly become overwhelming, and so therefore we apply Filters to limit the data. We might wish to see only the signals that one Callsign is hearing, for instance, or signals that are being sent from one or two Countries, defined by ADIF Entity. We might be only interested in one or two different Bands, or Modes. Or combinations of any of the above. There is always one filter in force, though there can be up to four, which run concurrently.
To create or update a Filter, we first select which filter, by clicking it in the 'Current Filters' panel, then use the 'Configure Filter' panel above to change it's settings. Enter values in the boxes of interest, then check the adjacent check-box(es). Only checked entities are incorporated into a new Filter. Click the 'Update Filter' button to update the selected 'Current Filter' below. You can have up to four Filters running at one time.
To delete a Filter from the list, right-click it and select 'Delete PSK Filter'. Do not delete all of the Filters. You must always leave at least one valid Filter.
Receiving and Sending Stations
PSK Reporter provides for two types of stations: 'Receiving Station' (aka Rx) and 'Sending Station' (aka Tx). When the 'Receiving Station' is selected, the map will show whatever signals are being received by the 'Receiving Station'. When the 'Sending Station' is selected, the map will show where the signals from the 'Sending Station' are being received.
In the Layers Menu, you can use the 'Additional Layer Features' control that is associated with the 'Ham Radio > PSK Reporter' layer to select:
1 - PskReporter Rx Signals - Callsign Label
2 - PskReporter Rx Signals - Band Label
3 - PskReporter Rx Signals - Mode Label
4 - PskReporter Rx Signals - SNR Label
5 - PskReporter Rx Countries - Country Name Label
6 - PskReporter Rx Countries - Prefix Label
7 - PskReporter Rx Countries - Flag
8 - PskReporter Tx Signals - Callsign Label
9 - PskReporter Tx Signals - Band Label
10 - PskReporter Tx Signals - Mode Label
11 - PskReporter Tx Signals - SNR Label
12 - PskReporter Tx Countries - Country Name Label
13 - PskReporter Tx Countries - Prefix Label
14 - PskReporter Tx Countries - Flag
15 - PskReporter Unique Country Pairs - Prefix Label
16 - PskReporter Unique Country Pairs - Flag
When you select one of the 'Signals' options, the plotted points will show where each Report was sent or received from. When you select one of the 'Countries' options, the plotted points will show the default position for each country in the Report. The base-position: where the Lines originate from, is the position of the 'Receiving Station' or the 'Sending Station'.
The last two options: 'Unique Country Pairs' are a new and exciting way to display PSK reports, and are very useful for all who are interested in current band conditions. Rather than show the usual mass of lines or points that fill the screen and make it quite difficult to see what is actually happening, these options will show a Line for each report between two countries, with the ends of the line marked by either a Prefix Label, or a Flag. Thus, you can quickly and clearly see which countries are currently contacting each other. The recommended way to use these options is to use a selected band as the Filter value, though you can, of course, introduce more Filter values if you wish.
Grid Squares
If you want to plot the Grid Squares for the PSK Reporter, this is done in the 'Ham Radio > Worked Grid Squares' map-layer.