DX spotting is great.? We are kept up to date on the stations that are being heard in any given area, and many of us have added to our DX totals and?increased our contest results by using DX spotting.
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But DX spotting has its limitations.??Mainly,?we only become aware of the stations that someone takes the time to spot.? Many stations that might be of interest to us are never posted.? This means that there is not a way to find most of the stations that are on the air at any given time.
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Now, imagine an Internet database of all active stations.? Suppose?our software was?configured (optionally of course) to upload the following information to a web database each time a user either logged a contact or changed band (or frequency):
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Call, Country, State, County, Grid, Frequency, Lat, Long
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Here are just some of the applications:
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-? You need County "X".? You can simply query the web page to see who is on from that county and where they are operating (the same applies for states, countries, grids, or anything you want to track).? A page could be set up to display queries by band, etc.as well.
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-? You haven't caught up with your friend _____ in a while.? Simply do a query to see if he is on the air.
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-? You have a schedule, but the frequency you planned to use is occupied.? Simply check the website to see where the station you planned to contact is waiting for you.
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-? You can find that needed multiplier for the contest you are currently operating.
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-? Is 10 Meters really dead?? Query the database for a list of who is on the band and where they are listening/operating.
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-? Lots of cool displays and maps could be developed.
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I am?not a web guru, and at the moment this project is limited to a Telnet type of server.?This project can be of value, not only to the Amateur Community, but also give us a chance to showcase some?neat aspects of Amateur Radio to the public with lots of cool web displays.? For that to happen, we need some guys with web experience?to join in.
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A separate reflector has been set up for this project.? If you have web experience and can help, please subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to:
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By the way, this is not an "N3FJP Software" project.? It is just a group of hams who are interested in working together to enhance the hobby.? For more information on WOTA, please visit .
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