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There have been discussions in this group about the 13 character limitation. The supported maximum callsign length can vary in Amateur Radio software.? However, there are known callsigns (with and without modifiers) that are longer than 13 characters; if you have Microsoft Access, they can easily be seen in the LoTW and eQSL Access databases supplied in DXLabs.? The maximum size of the Callsign field in the appropriate table (Callsigns table in LoTW, AGCallsigns table in eQSL) is 16 characters.?

These are present in the LoTW Access database table:

EA9/EA7KMZ/QRP, JK3HFN/SO2005/3, JK3HFN/SO2005/4, VI2020STAYHOME

All 4 entries have uploaded QSO's into LoTW.? VI2020STAYHOME is a searchable callsign on QRZ.com.

By the way, states TQSL supports a maximum callsign length of 20 characters.?

The eQSL Access database table has more entries >= 14 characters, several /QRP style calls, along with dual calls (call/special event call), and several entries that would not be considered valid.? Callsigns in the eQSL Access database look to be truncated to a maximum 15 characters (this does not appear to be the case in the LoTW Access database).? Take for example "EA8/OE7WGT/p/QR".? This should be EA8/OE7WGT/p/QRP.? On the eQSL.cc web page, I can only type up to EA8/OE7WGT/p/Q (14 characters) in the search field.? If you enter the URL , and click on "See if cards waiting", you'll see several cards waiting to be retrieved.? Therefore, eQSL supports uploading QSO's with callsigns up to 16 characters.

The takeaway is that hams have uploaded QSO's to LoTW and eQSL with callsigns longer than 13 characters.? It remains to be seen if there is enough demand to increase the callsign length support in DXKeeper.

73,
Bill
WB2RIS

13 seems to be a de facto standard.?

The callsign field in the Cabrillo standard is 13 characters wide.

Contest loggers like Win-Test and DXLog have the same.

Bj?rn SM7IUN

On Tue, Feb 11, 2025 at 4:46?AM Dave AA6YQ via <aa6yq=[email protected]> wrote:

+ AA6YQ comments below

The ITU has fairly clear regulations on valid amateur callsigns

<>


essentially limiting callsigns to Letter-number (e.g. W1, G5, F2, etc.), Letter-letter-number (e.g., WA1, KH6, PY3, VE2, etc.), Letter-number-number (e.g. A61, C53, E77, etc.) or Number-letter-number (e.g., 2E1, 3B8, 4L1, 4X4, 5A1, etc.) followed by up to four characters the last of which must be a letter *except* in the case of half series assignments (3DA-3DM Eswatani, 3DN-3DZ Fiji, SSA-SSM Egypt, and SSN-SSZ
Sudan) where the prefix should be *three* characters followed by a number then a maximum of *three* characters the last of which must be a letter.

*However* Article 19, section 3 includes language that permits the use of callsigns with more than four characters in the suffix "On special occasions, for temporary use".

DXKeeper permits logging callsigns of up to 13 characters (to handle up to 7 character callsigns with a "portable" prefix or suffix).? I could not find a reference to maximum callsign size for SpotCollector.

For those who chase Special Event operations, what is a reasonable
(practical) limit for the length of special event (special occasion, temporary use) callsigns that one might encounter on the air or see via the cluster network?? Is the 13 character limit in DXKeeper workable (assuming there is no need for a "portable" modifier to an already jumbo sized callsign <G>)?

+ There have been no complaints posted here about DXKeeper's 13-character limit on callsigns.

+ SpotCollector also imposes a 13-character limit on callsigns.

? ? ? ?73,

? ? ? ? ? ? ? Dave, AA6YQ

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Thanks Larry for taking the time to explain this to me…we will take a look at doing it this way.

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I use a program called syncback from
They even have a free version which will do just fine for what most need.
mine is set to back up my log every hour, so unless i am making a lot of q's
chances are i won't ever loose much.

73
Bob

Good idea Bruce,

I turned that on as well.? As a former systems analyst I'm kind of kicking myself.? One of my primary jobs was to write code to backup headend unix servers and verify them for integrity.? I hang my head in shame! :)? At least I didn't? lose anything this time!

73, Don

VA7ZT

On Fri, Feb 14, 2025 at 5:37?AM Bruce - K5WBM via <bruce.mclain=[email protected]> wrote:

DXKeeper can automatically backup your log on shutdown.? That won’t protect from a spontaneous PC reboot but at least you would have a backup from the last DXKeeper shutdown which might minimize the lost data.

I shutdown DXKeeper every evening and it backs up my log to my NAS.

Bruce McLain

bruce.mclain@...

On Feb 13, 2025, at 8:34 PM, Don Carlgren via <don.carlgren@...> wrote:

Yep, I know.? I'm a systems analyst.? I just need to smarten up and do backups more often.? The plan is to replace the computer when we get moved into our new house but for now it's the best I can do.? I'll start doing a backup everyday just in case.?

73, Don

VA7ZT

On Thu, Feb 13, 2025 at 6:18?PM Dave AA6YQ via <aa6yq=[email protected]> wrote:

+ AA6YQ comments below

I keep the log file on a Raid 5 NAS drive because I know the little computer at my rig is an old piece of garbage.? It's done spontaneous reboots once in a while since I got it several years ago.

+ A RAID drive won't protect against disk corruption caused your PC's spontaneous reboots; RAID protects against data loss due to disk failure, not incorrect write operations from the PC - as you've now experienced.

? ? 73,

? ? ? ? ?Dave, AA6YQ

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Don,

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Larry, thanks for your tip…if we cannot get it to work as we had before, this will b a fall back position. ?BTW, SmartLink should have nothing to and should not prevent us from connecting Commander to the Flex 6500. ?

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DXKeeper can automatically backup your log on shutdown. ?That won’t protect from a spontaneous PC reboot but at least you would have a backup from the last DXKeeper shutdown which might minimize the lost data.