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Connect to a DX cluster

AetherSDR's SpotHub dialog lets you connect to a telnet DX cluster and show incoming spots as overlays on the panadapter. Use this page to make your first connection and optionally reconnect automatically on every launch.

Before you start

  • Know the hostname (or IP address) and telnet port of your chosen DX cluster (for example, dxc.k0xm.net on port 7373).
  • Know the callsign you will use to log in to the cluster.

Steps

  1. Open Settings > SpotHub....
  2. Click the Cluster tab.
  3. In the Server: field, type the cluster hostname or IP address. This saves to ClusterHost.
  4. In the Port: field, set the telnet port (1–65535). This saves to ClusterPort.
  5. In the Callsign: field, type your callsign. This saves to ClusterCallsign.
  6. Click Connect.
  7. The status indicator changes to Connected and the button label changes to Disconnect.
  8. Incoming cluster traffic appears in the Cluster Console read-only display.
  9. To reconnect automatically every time AetherSDR starts, enable Auto-connect on startup. This saves to ClusterAutoConnect.

What each control does

Control Description Setting key
Server: Hostname or IP address of the DX cluster telnet server. ClusterHost
Port: Telnet port. Valid range: 1–65535. ClusterPort
Callsign: Login callsign sent to the cluster on connect. ClusterCallsign
Connect / Disconnect Toggles the telnet connection. Label shows current action. —
Auto-connect on startup Connects to the cluster automatically when AetherSDR launches. ClusterAutoConnect
Cluster Console Read-only display of raw telnet traffic from the cluster. —
Send (command line) Sends a typed command to the cluster while connected. —
Spot Color: Opens a color picker for cluster spot overlays on the panadapter. ClusterSpotColor
Auto Mode: Automatically switches the slice mode when clicking a spot that includes mode information (e.g. CW, FT8, RTTY). Enabled by default. SpotsAutoMode
Spot Lines: Draws vertical lines from the spectrum up to each spot label. Disable during contests to reduce visual clutter. New in v0.9.7. IsSpotsLinesEnabled
Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active Enables station-reporting to the public FreeDV Reporter map (qso.freedv.org) whenever the RADE modem is active. Requires a valid callsign and grid square; the checkbox refuses to enable and shows a warning if either field is blank or unresolvable. FreeDvAutoReport
Callsign: (FreeDV Reporter) Callsign to report to the FreeDV Reporter map. Read-only when Use radio is checked. Automatically updated if the radio's configured callsign changes while Use radio is checked. FreeDvMyCallsign
Use radio (callsign) Pre-fills the callsign field from the radio's configured callsign and locks the field read-only. Enabled by default. FreeDvUseRadioCallsign
Grid Square: (FreeDV Reporter) Maidenhead grid square to report (up to six characters). Read-only when Use GPS is checked. FreeDvMyGrid
Use GPS (grid) Pre-fills the grid field from the radio's GPS module and locks the field read-only. Only shown on radio models that have GPS hardware. FreeDvUseGpsGrid
Station Msg: (FreeDV Reporter) Optional free-text message shown beside the callsign on the public FreeDV Reporter map. FreeDvMyMessage
Total Spots: Live readout of how many spots are currently tracked across all sources. Updated whenever spots are added or cleared. Resets to 0 when Clear All Spots is pressed. —

Tuning to a spot by double-clicking

Double-clicking a row in the Spot List tab tunes the active slice to the spot's frequency. As of v0.9.7, AetherSDR also forwards mode information extracted from the spot comment, so the slice switches to the appropriate mode (for example, CW or SSB) to match the spot rather than only changing frequency.

FreeDV Reporter reporting

The Station Reporting group on the FreeDV tab lets AetherSDR broadcast your station's activity to the public FreeDV Reporter map at qso.freedv.org while the RADE modem is active.

Requirements

  • The FreeDV tab and all reporting controls are only present in builds compiled with HAVE_WEBSOCKETS. On Windows, the Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active checkbox additionally requires HAVE_RADE.
  • Both a callsign and a grid square must be resolvable before reporting can be enabled. If either is blank when you check Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active, AetherSDR shows a warning dialog and leaves the checkbox unchecked.

Setting up reporting

  1. Open Settings > SpotHub... and click the FreeDV tab.
  2. In the Station Reporting group, confirm or enter your callsign:
  3. If Use radio is checked (default), the Callsign: field is filled automatically from the radio's configured callsign and is read-only. Uncheck Use radio to type a different callsign.
  4. Confirm or enter your grid square:
  5. If Use GPS is checked (default, GPS-capable radios only), the Grid Square: field is filled from the radio's GPS and is read-only. Uncheck Use GPS to type a grid square manually.
  6. Optionally, enter a short message in Station Msg: to appear beside your callsign on the map.
  7. Check Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active.
  8. If both callsign and grid square are present, reporting is enabled and saved to FreeDvAutoReport.
  9. If either is missing, a warning dialog appears and the checkbox remains unchecked. Fill in the missing field and try again.

Reporting controls

Control Description Setting key
Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active Master switch for public map reporting. Blocked if callsign or grid square is blank. FreeDvAutoReport
Callsign: Callsign sent to the FreeDV Reporter map. FreeDvMyCallsign
Use radio Copies the callsign from the radio and locks the field read-only. FreeDvUseRadioCallsign
Grid Square: Maidenhead locator sent to the FreeDV Reporter map. FreeDvMyGrid
Use GPS Copies the grid from the radio's GPS and locks the field read-only. Visible only on GPS-capable radio models. FreeDvUseGpsGrid
Station Msg: Optional free-text status line shown on the public map. FreeDvMyMessage

Display tab: Auto Mode default changed

As of v0.9.5.1, the Auto Mode: toggle defaults to Enabled. In previous releases the default was Disabled. SpotsAutoMode is saved as True unless you have previously set it otherwise. If you preferred the old behavior, open the Display tab and disable Auto Mode:.

Display tab: Spot Lines (new in v0.9.7)

The Spot Lines: toggle on the Display tab controls whether AetherSDR draws a vertical line from the spectrum baseline up to each spot label on the panadapter. The toggle defaults to Enabled and saves to IsSpotsLinesEnabled.

Disable Spot Lines: during contests or when the panadapter is heavily populated with spots to reduce visual clutter.

Tips

  • While connected, type a cluster command in the field next to Send and click Send to interact with the cluster directly (for example, set/dx or sh/dx 20).
  • Spot overlays appear on the panadapter only when the master Spots: toggle on the Display tab is enabled (default: Enabled, saved to IsSpotsEnabled).
  • To review recent cluster traffic from before you opened SpotHub, scroll up in the Cluster Console — AetherSDR loads up to the last 500 lines from the cluster log file when the dialog opens.
  • If your radio's callsign changes in Radio Setup while Use radio is checked, the Callsign: field in the FreeDV Reporter section updates automatically.
  • Auto Mode defaults to Enabled. When you double-click a spot that carries mode information (e.g. CW, FT8, RTTY), AetherSDR automatically switches the slice to that mode. As of v0.9.7, mode information is parsed from the spot comment using a shared resolver, so mode detection is consistent across all spot sources.
  • Disable Spot Lines: on the Display tab during contests to reduce panadapter clutter while keeping spot labels visible.

Troubleshooting

  • Status shows "Error: ..." — The hostname or port is wrong, or the cluster server is unreachable. Verify the address and port, then click Connect again.
  • Cluster Console is empty after connecting — Some clusters require you to send your callsign as the first command. Type your callsign in the command field and click Send.
  • Spots do not appear on the panadapter — Open the Display tab and confirm Spots: is enabled.
  • Double-clicking a spot does not switch mode — Confirm Auto Mode: is enabled on the Display tab. Mode switching requires that the spot comment contains a recognizable mode token (e.g. CW, FT8, SSB).
  • Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active checkbox cannot be checked — A warning dialog will explain that the callsign or grid square is missing. Fill in both fields (or enable Use radio / Use GPS so they populate automatically) and try again.
  • FreeDV tab is not visible — Your build of AetherSDR was compiled without WebSocket support (HAVE_WEBSOCKETS). Contact your package provider for a build that includes FreeDV features.
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