Enable DXCC Coloring from an ADIF Log

DXCC coloring lets AetherSDR mark panadapter spots by whether the DX entity has been worked, confirmed, or is still needed, based on contacts in your ADIF log file. This helps you quickly distinguish new entities from ones you have already logged.

Before you start

• AetherSDR must be running. A radio connection is not required to configure this feature.
• You need an ADIF log file exported from your logging software. The file must use the standard .adi or .adif format.
• At least one spot source (DX cluster, RBN, WSJT-X, POTA, etc.) should be active so spots appear on the panadapter.

Steps

1. Open Settings > SpotHub....
2. Click the Display tab.
3. Click the DXCC Colors: toggle button to enable it. The button activates DXCC coloring (IsDxccColoringEnabled).
4. Click Log File (ADIF): to open a file chooser. Select your ADIF log file. The path is stored in DxccAdifFilePath.
5. Confirm the DXCC stats indicator updates to show the number of QSOs and entities imported from the file.
6. Optionally click the color swatches for New DXCC, New Band, New Mode, and Worked to customize the color assigned to each DXCC status category.

What each control does

Control	Behavior	Setting key
DXCC Colors:	Master toggle. Colors panadapter spots by worked/confirmed/needed DXCC status.	IsDxccColoringEnabled (changed from DxccColoringEnabled in v26.5.1)
Log File (ADIF):	Opens a file picker. The chosen ADIF file is read to populate DXCC status. Auto-watches the file for changes after selection.	DxccAdifFilePath (changed from DxccAdifPath in v26.5.1)
Imported:	Shows QSO count and entity count when a log is loaded. Format: <N> QSOs / <M> entities.	—
New DXCC color swatch	Opens a color picker for the color assigned to never-worked DXCC entities.	DxccColorNewEntity (new in v26.5.1)
New Band color swatch	Opens a color picker for the color assigned to DXCC entities worked on other bands but needed on the current band.	DxccColorNewBand (new in v26.5.1)
New Mode color swatch	Opens a color picker for the color assigned to DXCC entities worked on other modes but needed on the current mode.	DxccColorNewMode (new in v26.5.1)
Worked color swatch	Opens a color picker for the color assigned to fully-worked and confirmed DXCC entities.	DxccColorWorked (new in v26.5.1)
Spots:	Master toggle for DX spot overlay on the panadapter.	IsSpotsEnabled
Memories:	Toggles memory-channel overlay on the panadapter.	IsMemorySpotsEnabled
Auto:	Automatically switch slice mode when clicking a spot that includes mode info (e.g. CW, FT8, RTTY).	SpotAutoSwitchMode (changed from SpotsAutoMode in v26.5.1)
Signals (Signal History)	Gold markers for detected voice-width signals on the panadapter. New in v26.5.1 (#2426). Same toggle as View > Signal History Markers.	SHistoryMarkersEnabled (new in v26.5.1)
QRM (Signal History)	Red markers for persistent carriers and wideband interference. New in v26.5.1 (#2426). Same toggle as View > QRM History Markers.	SHistoryQrmEnabled (new in v26.5.1)
Clear All	Clears all DX spots, memory feed, Signal History markers and QRM markers from the spectrum.	—
Levels:	Number of vertical stacking rows for spots (1–10).	SpotsMaxLevel
Position:	Vertical position on panadapter (0–100%).	SpotsStartingHeightPercentage
Font Size:	Spot text size (8–32).	SpotFontSize
Spot Lifetime:	Seconds before a spot fades away (10 sec – 24 hrs, non-linear steps).	DxClusterSpotLifetimeSec
Override Colors:	Forces a single text color for all spots.	IsSpotsOverrideColorsEnabled
Spot text color picker	Opens QColorDialog to pick spot text color when Override Colors is enabled. Default #FFFF00.	SpotsOverrideColor
Override Background: Enabled	Enables custom spot background color.	IsSpotsOverrideBackgroundColorsEnabled
Override Background: Auto	Auto-picks background color for contrast when custom background is enabled.	IsSpotsOverrideToAutoBackgroundColorEnabled
Spot background color picker	Opens QColorDialog for spot background color. Default #000000.	SpotsOverrideBgColor
Background Opacity:	Opacity of spot background color (0–100%). Default 48.	SpotsBackgroundOpacity
Spot Lines:	Draws vertical lines from the spectrum up to each spot label. Disable during contests to reduce visual clutter. Default enabled. The toggle button always displays "Enabled".	IsSpotsLinesEnabled
DXCC Coloring (section)	Section header for DXCC coloring controls in the left column below the divider.	—
Signal History (section)	Section header for Signal History tunables in the right column below the divider. New in v26.5.1 (#2506).	—
Marker Lifetime:	How long an inactive Signal History marker persists before being removed (15–300 sec). Default 60 s. New in v26.5.1.	SHistoryLifetimeS (new in v26.5.1)
QRM Gate:	How long a narrow carrier or wideband signal must persist before being classified as QRM (3–30 sec). Default 6 s. New in v26.5.1.	SHistoryQrmGateS (new in v26.5.1)
Edge Threshold:	Threshold above noise floor for the slope edge walk that refines the S-History carrier-side edge (1.0–10.0 dB). Default 3.0 dB. Lower = closer to carrier but more noise-sensitive. New in v26.5.1.	SHistorySoftEdgeDb (new in v26.5.1)
Signals color swatch	Opens a color picker for the voice signal markers (gold). Default #FFC800. New in v26.5.1.	SHistoryColorSignals (new in v26.5.1)
QRM color swatch	Opens a color picker for the QRM markers (red). Default #FF0000. New in v26.5.1.	SHistoryColorQrm (new in v26.5.1)
Snap to Step:	Rounds S-History click-to-tune to the nearest multiple of the active slice's step size, hiding the small carrier offset. Default disabled. The toggle button always displays "Enabled". New in v26.5.1.	SHistorySnapToStep (new in v26.5.1)
Total Spots:	Live readout of how many spots are currently tracked across all sources. Updated whenever spots are added or cleared.	—

Tuning from the Spot List

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

Cluster and RBN Startup Commands

The Cluster and RBN tabs each have a Startup Commands… button that opens an editor for commands sent automatically after every login to that source. New in v26.5.2.1 (#2683).

Steps

1. Open Settings > SpotHub....
2. Click the Cluster tab or RBN tab.
3. Click Startup Commands….
4. Type one command per line (for example, SET/NAME, SET/QTH, ACCEPT/SPOT).
5. Click Save. The commands are stored separately for each source:
6. Cluster tab uses the DxClusterStartupCommands setting key.
7. RBN tab uses the RbnStartupCommands setting key.

The commands replay after every connection, including reconnects.

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 whenever the RADE modem is active.

Requirements before enabling

• A non-empty callsign must be available, either from the radio (when Use radio (callsign) is checked) or entered manually in the Callsign: field.
• A non-empty Maidenhead grid square must be available, either from the radio's GPS (when Use GPS (grid) is checked, on supported hardware) or entered manually in the Grid Square: field.
• If either value is missing when you check Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active, a warning dialog appears and the checkbox reverts to unchecked.

Steps

1. Open Settings > SpotHub... and click the FreeDV tab.
2. In the Station Reporting group, confirm Use radio (callsign) is checked if you want AetherSDR to pull the callsign from the radio automatically. Uncheck it and type a callsign in Callsign: to enter one manually.
3. If your radio has GPS hardware, confirm Use GPS (grid) is checked to populate Grid Square: automatically. Otherwise uncheck it and type your Maidenhead grid square (up to six characters) in Grid Square:.
4. Optionally type a short message in Station Msg: to display beside your callsign on the map.
5. Check Enable FreeDV Reporter reporting when RADE is active (FreeDvAutoReport). If callsign or grid is missing, a warning appears — fill in the missing field and try again.
6. To have reporting start automatically each time AetherSDR launches, enable Auto-start on startup (FreeDV) (FreeDvAutoStart).

Theme Support

Starting in v26.6.1, the SpotHub dialog and all its status labels use theme-aware colors instead of hardcoded values. The dialog container applies the dialog/dxCluster theme style, and tab widgets, status labels, and connection states all resolve colors from the active theme. This means the dialog adapts automatically to light, dark, or custom themes without manual color tweaking.

Tips

• The DXCC stats indicator in the dialog shows how many QSOs and entities were imported from the ADIF file. If it reads zero after loading, verify the file is valid ADIF.
• The Log File (ADIF): button stores the path persistently. You do not need to re-select the file after restarting AetherSDR.
• AetherSDR auto-watches the ADIF file for changes after selection. When your logger writes to the file, spot colors on the panadapter update automatically — no separate reload toggle is needed.
• DXCC coloring is independent of per-source spot colors. If Override Colors: is also active, see Pick colors for each spot source for how those settings interact.
• Spot Lines: (IsSpotsLinesEnabled) as of v26.6.3, the toggle button always displays the text "Enabled" regardless of its actual state. Click the toggle to enable or disable the lines; the button appearance (checked/unchecked) shows the current state.
• The four DXCC color swatches (New DXCC, New Band, New Mode, Worked) replace the previous fixed color scheme. Customize each to suit your preference.
• When Use radio (callsign) is checked, the callsign field updates automatically if you change the callsign in Radio Setup without reopening SpotHub.
• Reporter broadcasting is build-g