1 The DXSpider Administration Manual v1.49
2 Ian Maude, G0VGS, (ianmaude@btinternet.com)
3 December 2001 revision 1.2
5 A reference for SysOps of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
6 ______________________________________________________________________
67 1. Routing and Filtering
71 1.3 The node_default filter
72 1.4 General route filtering
73 1.5 General filter rules
77 1.9 Advanced filtering
78 1.10 Basic hop control
79 1.11 Hop Control on Specific Nodes
80 1.12 Isolating networks
85 2.2 Filtering words from text fields in Announce, Talk and DX spots
86 2.3 Stopping (possibly bad) DX Spots from Nodes or Spotters
96 3.7 Distribution lists
103 5.1 Creating databases
104 5.2 Importing databases
105 5.3 Checking available databases
106 5.4 Looking up databases
107 5.5 Removing databases
109 6. Information, files and useful programs
114 6.4 Other text messages
117 6.7 Updating kepler data
127 9. The DXSpider command set
129 9.1 accept/announce (0)
130 9.2 accept/announce (extended for sysops) (8)
133 9.5 accept/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
135 9.7 accept/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
137 9.9 accept/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
139 9.11 announce full (0)
140 9.12 announce sysop (5)
144 9.16 clear/announce (8)
147 9.19 clear/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
149 9.21 clear/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
151 9.23 clear/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
161 9.33 directory (extended for sysops) (5)
165 9.37 export_users (9)
167 9.39 forward/latlong (8)
168 9.40 forward/opername (1)
174 9.46 kill/expunge (6)
176 9.48 load/aliases (9)
178 9.50 load/badwords (9)
180 9.52 load/cmd_cache (9)
181 9.53 load/forward (9)
182 9.54 load/messages (9)
183 9.55 load/prefixes (9)
190 9.62 read (extended for sysops) (5)
192 9.64 reject/announce (extended for sysops) (8)
193 9.65 reject/route (8)
194 9.66 reject/spots (0)
195 9.67 reject/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
197 9.69 reject/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
199 9.71 reject/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
203 9.75 set/announce (0)
204 9.76 set/arcluster (5)
207 9.79 set/badspotter (8)
219 9.91 set/homenode (0)
222 9.94 set/language (0)
223 9.95 set/location (0)
224 9.96 set/sys_location (9)
225 9.97 set/logininfo (0)
229 9.101 set/obscount (9)
231 9.103 set/password (0)
232 9.104 set/password (9)
233 9.105 set/pinginterval (9)
234 9.106 set/privilege (9)
236 9.108 set/sys_qra (9)
239 9.111 set/register (9)
245 9.117 show/badnode (6)
246 9.118 show/badspotter (1)
247 9.119 show/badword (1)
248 9.120 show/configuration (0)
249 9.121 show/configuration/node (0)
250 9.122 show/connect (1)
257 9.129 show/filter (0)
258 9.130 show/filter (extended for sysops) (5)
259 9.131 show/hfstats (0)
260 9.132 show/hftable (0)
262 9.134 show/isolate (1)
263 9.135 show/lockout (9)
267 9.139 show/newconfiguration (0)
268 9.140 show/newconfiguration/node (0)
270 9.142 show/prefix (0)
271 9.143 show/program (5)
274 9.146 show/registered (9)
276 9.148 show/satellite (0)
279 9.151 show/vhfstats (0)
280 9.152 show/vhftable (0)
286 9.158 stat/channel (5)
288 9.160 stat/route_node (5)
289 9.161 stat/route_user (5)
296 9.168 wx (enhanced for sysops) (5)
299 ______________________________________________________________________
301 1. Routing and Filtering
305 From DXSpider version 1.48, major changes were introduced to the way
306 node connections are treated. This is part of an ongoing process to
307 remove problems with loops and to enable talk and other functions to
308 propagate across the whole of the worldwide cluster network. In fact,
309 in a Spider network, it would be useful, perhaps even necessary to
310 have loops. This would give real resilience to the network, meaning
311 that if a link dropped, the information flow would simply come in and
312 go out via a different route. Of course, we do not have a complete
313 network of Spider nodes, there are other programs out there. Some of
314 these do not have any protection from loops. Certainly AK1A does not
315 handle loops well at all. It is therefore necessary to have some form
316 of protection for these nodes.
319 In fact DXSpider has had a simple system for some time which is called
320 isolation. This is similar to what in other systems such as clx, is
321 called passive mode. A more detailed explanation of isolation is given
322 further below. This system is still available and, for simple
323 networks, is probably all that you need.
326 The new functionality introduced in version 1.48 allows filtering the
327 node and user protocol frames on a "per interface" basis. We call this
328 route filtering. This is used instead of isolation.
331 What this really means is that you can control more or less completely
332 which user and node management PC protocol frames pass to each of your
333 partner nodes. You can also limit what comes into your node from your
334 partners. It is even possible to control the settings that your
335 partner node has for the routing information that it sends to you
336 (using the rcmd command).
341 Initially when route filters were being tested we generated a
342 "default" filter. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent that this
343 might suit the UK cluster network but didn't really fit anybody else.
344 However using a default filter is an appropriate thing to do. How, is
345 explained further on.
348 The first thing that you must do is determine whether you need to use
349 route filtering at all. If you are a "normal" node with two or three
350 partners and you arranged in an "official" non-looping tree type
351 network, then you do not need to do route filtering and you will feel
352 a lot better for not getting involved. If you are successfully using
353 isolation then you also probably don't need to use route filtering.
356 To put it simply, you should not mix Isolation and Route Filtering.
357 It will work, of sorts, but you will not get the expected results. If
358 you are using Isolation sucessfully at the moment, do not get involved
359 in Route Filtering unless you have a good supply of aspirin! Once you
360 have started down the road of Route Filtering, do not use Isolation
361 either. Use one or the other, not both.
364 You will only require this functionality if you are "well-connected".
365 What that means is that you are connected to several different parts
366 of (say) the EU cluster and, at the same time, also connected to two
367 or three places in the US which, in turn are connected back to the EU.
368 This is called a "loop" and if you are seriously looped then you need
372 I should at this stage give a little bit of background on filters.
373 All the filters in Spider work in basically the same way. You can
374 either accept or reject various options in order to create the filter
375 rules you wish to achieve. Some filters are user settable, others can
376 only be altered by the sysop. Route filtering can only be done by the
381 Anyway, without further discouragement, let me start the process of
385 1.3. The node_default filter
387 All normal systems should have a default routing filter and it should
388 usually be set to send only the normal, unlooped, view of your
389 "national" network. Here in the UK that means nodes from the UK and
390 Eire, in EU it is more complex as the networks there grew up in a more
395 The generic commands are:-
397 reject/route node_default <filter_option>
401 accept/route node_default <filter_option>
406 where filter_option is one of the following ...
415 channel_dxcc <numbers>
416 channel_itu <numbers>
417 channel_zone <numbers>
422 Please be careful if you alter this setting, it will affect ALL your
423 links! Remember, this is a default filter for node connections, not a
427 For the default routing filter then you have two real choices: either
428 a "national" view or the "safe" option of only your own callsign.
429 Examples of each (for my node: GB7DJK) are:-
433 acc/route node_default call_dxcc 61,38
434 acc/route node_default call gb7djk
439 GB7DJK uses the first of these. The DXCC countries can be obtained
440 from the show/prefix command.
443 The example filters shown control output TO all your partner nodes
444 unless they have a specific filter applied to them (see next section).
447 It is also possible to control the incoming routing information that
448 you are prepared to accept FROM your partner nodes. The reason this is
449 necessary is to make sure that stuff like mail, pings and similar
450 commands a) go down the correct links and b) don't loop around
451 excessively. Again using GB7DJK as an example a typical default input
452 filter would be something like:
456 rej/route node_default input call_dxcc 61,38 and not channel_dxcc 61,38
461 What this does is accept node and user information for our national
462 network from nodes that are in our national network, but rejects such
463 information from anyone else. Although it doesn't explicitly say so,
464 by implication, any other node information (not from the UK and Eire)
468 As I imagine it will take a little while to get one's head around all
469 of this you can study the effect of any rules that you try by watching
470 the debug output after having done:-
479 After you have got tired of that, to put it back the way it was:-
489 1.4. General route filtering
491 Exactly the same rules apply for general route filtering. You would
492 use either an accept filter or a reject filter like this ...
496 reject/route <node_call> <filter_option>
500 accept/route <node_call> <filter_option>
506 Here are some examples of route filters ...
510 rej/route gb7djk call_dxcc 61,38 (send everything except UK+EIRE nodes)
511 rej/route all (equiv to [very] restricted mode)
512 acc/route gb7djk call_dxcc 61,38 (send only UK+EIRE nodes)
513 acc/route gb7djk call gb7djk (equiv to SET/ISOLATE)
518 In practice you will either be opening the default filter out for a
519 partner by defining a specific filter for that callsign:-
524 acc/route gb7baa input all
529 or restricting it quite a lot, in fact making it very nearly like an
530 isolated node, like this:-
534 acc/route pi4ehv-8 call gb7djk
535 rej/route pi4ehv-8 input call_dxcc 61,38
540 This last example takes everything except UK and Eire from PI4EHV-8
541 but only sends him my local configuration (just a PC19 for GB7DJK and
542 PC16s for my local users).
545 It is possible to write much more complex rules, there are up to 10
546 accept/reject pairs per callsign per filter. For more information see
551 1.5. General filter rules
553 Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters.
554 From v1.45 though that has all changed. It is now possible to set
555 filters for just about anything you wish. If you have just updated
556 from an older version of DXSpider you will need to update your new
557 filters. You do not need to do anything with your old filters, they
558 will be renamed as you update.
561 There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating
562 filters. These are accept, reject and clear. First we will look
563 generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in
564 the DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism.
567 In general terms you can create a "reject" or an "accept" filter which
568 can have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...
579 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There
580 are filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects.
581 See each different accept or reject command reference for more
584 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter.
595 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
598 and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...
609 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply
610 the same principles to all types of filter.
615 There are two main types of filter, accept or reject. You can use
616 either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference
617 and which is more simple to do. It is pointless writing 8 lines of
618 reject filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing! Each
619 filter has 10 lines (of any length) which are tried in order. If a
620 line matches then the action you have specified is taken (ie reject
621 means ignore it and accept means take it)
624 If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match
625 the filter will be dumped but all else will be accepted. If you use
626 an accept filter, then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted
627 and all else will be dumped. For example if you have a single line
632 accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
637 then you will ONLY get VHF spots from or to CQ zones 14, 15 and 16.
640 If you set a reject filter like this ...
644 reject/spots on hf/cw
649 Then you will get everything EXCEPT HF CW spots. You could make this
650 single filter even more flexible. For example, if you are interested
651 in IOTA and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not
652 interested in CW, then you could say ...
656 reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
661 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
665 accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
670 which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the
671 other until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix
672 them if you wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the
673 same line) but don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you
677 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your
678 own understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
682 reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
683 reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
688 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots
689 on VHF which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe.
692 This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this
693 case), if you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits
694 '0'-'9' are available. This make it easier to see just what filters
695 you have set. It also makes it more simple to remove individual
696 filters, during a contest for example.
699 You will notice in the above example that the second line has
700 brackets. Look at the line logically. You can see there are 2
701 separate sections to it. We are saying reject spots that are VHF or
702 above APART from those in zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or
703 originated there). If you did not have the brackets to separate the 2
704 sections, then Spider would read it logically from the front and see a
705 different expression entirely ...
709 (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
714 The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets.
715 Whilst we are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the
716 same as 'and by_zone'.
718 As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible
719 than simply setting one complex one. Doing it in this way means that
720 if you want to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one
721 or more lines of it or one line. For example ...
725 reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
727 would redefine our earlier example, or
736 To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...
748 You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in
749 the various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter.
754 Sometimes all that is needed is a general rule for node connects.
755 This can be done with a node_default filter. This rule will always be
756 followed, even if the link is isolated, unless another filter is set
757 specifically. Default rules can be set for nodes and users. They can
758 be set for spots, announces, WWV and WCY. They can also be used for
759 hops. An example might look like this ...
763 accept/spot node_default by_zone 14,15,16,20,33
764 set/hops node_default spot 50
769 This filter is for spots only, you could set others for announce, WWV
770 and WCY. This filter would work for ALL nodes unless a specific
771 filter is written to override it for a particular node. You can also
772 set a user_default should you require. It is important to note that
773 default filters should be considered to be "connected". By this I
774 mean that should you override the default filter for spots, you need
775 to add a rule for the hops for spots also.
778 1.9. Advanced filtering
780 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to
784 The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf
785 spots from EU can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...
791 acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
793 Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number. This
794 will automatically be assumed to be number 1. In this case, we have
795 said reject all HF spots in the CW section of the bands but accept all
796 others at HF. Also accept anything in VHF and above spotted in or by
797 operators in the zones 14, 15 and 16. Each filter slot actually has a
798 'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed BEFORE
802 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match,
803 the default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for
804 'accept'. In the example what happens is that the reject is executed
805 first, any non hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets
806 through everything else on HF. The next filter line lets through just
807 VHF/UHF spots from EU.
810 1.10. Basic hop control
812 In /spider/data you will find a file called hop_table.pl. This is the
813 file that controls your hop count settings. It has a set of default
814 hops on the various PC frames and also a set for each node you want to
815 alter the hops for. You may be happy with the default settings of
816 course, but this powerful tool can help to protect and improve the
817 network. The file will look something like this ...
860 # hop table construction
865 # default hopcount to use
868 # some variable hop counts based on message type
879 # the per node hop control thingy
913 Each set of hops is contained within a pair of curly braces and
914 contains a series of PC frame types. PC11 for example is a DX spot.
915 The figures here are not exhaustive but should give you a good idea of
919 SHould any of the nodecalls include an ssid, it is important to wrap
920 the whole call in single quotes, like this ...
937 If you do not do this, you will get errors and the file will not work
941 You can alter this file at any time, including whilst the cluster is
942 running. If you alter the file during runtime, the command load/hops
943 will bring your changes into effect.
946 1.11. Hop Control on Specific Nodes
948 You can set a callsign specific hop count for any of the standard
953 set/hops gb7djk spot 4
954 set/hops node_default route 10
955 set/hops gb7baa wcy 5
960 all work on their specific area of the protocol.
963 The set/hops command overrides any hops that you have set otherwise.
966 You can set what hops have been set using the show/hops command.
969 1.12. Isolating networks
971 It is possible to isolate networks from each other on a "gateway" node
972 using the set/isolate <node_call> command.
975 The effect of this is to partition an isolated network completely from
976 another node connected to your node. Your node will appear on and
977 otherwise behave normally on every network to which you are connected,
978 but data from an isolated network will not cross onto any other
979 network or vice versa. However all the spot, announce and WWV traffic
980 and personal messages will still be handled locally (because you are a
981 real node on all connected networks), that is locally connected users
982 will appear on all networks and will be able to access and receive
983 information from all networks transparently. All routed messages will
984 be sent as normal, so if a user on one network knows that you are a
985 gateway for another network, he can still still send a talk/announce
986 etc message via your node and it will be routed across.
989 If you use isolate on a node connection you will continue to receive
990 all information from the isolated partner, however you will not pass
991 any information back to the isolated node. There are times when you
992 would like to forward only spots across a link (maybe during a contest
993 for example). To do this, isolate the node in the normal way and use
994 an acc/spot >call< all filter to override the isolate.
1001 In the /spider/msg directory you will find a file called
1002 badmsg.pl.issue. Rename this to badmsg.pl and edit the file. The
1003 original looks something like this ....
1008 # the list of regexes for messages that we won't store having
1009 # received them (bear in mind that we must receive them fully before
1013 # The format of each line is as follows
1015 # type source pattern
1016 # P/B/F T/F/O/S regex
1018 # type: P - private, B - bulletin (msg), F - file (ak1a bull)
1019 # source: T - to field, F - from field, O - origin, S - subject
1020 # pattern: a perl regex on the field requested
1022 # Currently only type B and P msgs are affected by this code.
1024 # The list is read from the top down, the first pattern that matches
1025 # causes the action to be taken.
1027 # The pattern can be undef or 0 in which case it will always be selected
1028 # for the action specified
1041 I think this is fairly self explanatory. It is simply a list of
1042 subject headers that we do not want to pass on to either the users of
1043 the cluster or the other cluster nodes that we are linked to. This is
1044 usually because of rules and regulations pertaining to items for sale
1045 etc in a particular country.
1049 2.2. Filtering words from text fields in Announce, Talk and DX spots
1051 From version 1.48 onwards the interface to this has changed. You can
1052 now use the commands set/badword to add words that you are not
1053 prepared to see on the cluster, unset/badword to allow that word again
1054 and show/badword to list the words that you have set.
1057 If you have a previous /spider/data/badwords, the first time you start
1058 the node, it will read and convert this file to the new commands. The
1059 old style file will then be removed.
1062 2.3. Stopping (possibly bad) DX Spots from Nodes or Spotters
1065 There are a number of commands that control whether a spot progresses
1066 any further by regarding it as "bad" in some way.
1069 A DX Spot has a number of fields which can be checked to see whether
1070 they contain "bad" values, they are: the DX callsign itself, the
1071 Spotter and the Originating Node.
1074 There are a set of commands which allow the sysop to control whether a
1086 These work in the same as the set/badword command, you can add any
1087 words or callsigns or whatever to the appropriate database. For
1088 example, to stop a spot from a particular node you do:
1092 set/badnode gb7djk gb7dxc
1101 set/badspotter b0mb p1rat nocall
1110 set/baddx video wsjt
1115 You can remove a word using the appropriate unset command
1116 (unset/baddx, unset/badspotter, unset/badnode) or list them using one
1117 of show/baddx, show/badspotter and show/badnode.
1125 DXSpider deals seamlessly with standard AK1A type mail. It supports
1126 both personal and bulletin mail and the sysop has additional commands
1127 to ensure that mail gets to where it is meant. DXSpider will send
1128 mail almost immediately, assuming that the target is on line.
1129 However, only one mail message is dealt with at any one time. If a
1130 mail message is already being sent or recieved, then the new message
1131 will be queued until it has finished.
1133 The cluster mail is automatically deleted after 30 days unless the
1134 sysop sets the "keep" flag using the msg command.
1139 Personal mail is sent using the sp command. This is actually the
1140 default method of sending mail and so a simple s for send will do. A
1141 full list of the send commands and options is in the command set
1142 section, so I will not duplicate them here.
1147 Bulletin mail is sent by using the sb command. This is one of the
1148 most common mistakes users make when sending mail. They send a
1149 bulletin mail with s or sp instead of sb and of course the message
1150 never leaves the cluster. This can be rectified by the sysop by using
1154 Bulletin addresses can be set using the Forward.pl file.
1159 DXSpider receives all and any mail sent to it without any alterations
1160 needed in files. Because personal and bulletin mail are treated
1161 differently, there is no need for a list of accepted bulletin
1162 addresses. It is necessary, however, to tell the program which links
1163 accept which bulletins. For example, it is pointless sending
1164 bulletins addresses to "UK" to any links other than UK ones. The file
1165 that does this is called forward.pl and lives in /spider/msg. At
1166 default, like other spider files it is named forward.pl.issue. Rename
1167 it to forward.pl and edit the file to match your requirements. The
1190 # this is an example message forwarding file for the system
1192 # The format of each line is as follows
1194 # type to/from/at pattern action destinations
1195 # P/B/F T/F/A regex I/F [ call [, call ...] ]
1197 # type: P - private, B - bulletin (msg), F - file (ak1a bull)
1198 # to/from/at: T - to field, F - from field, A - home bbs, O - origin
1199 # pattern: a perl regex on the field requested
1200 # action: I - ignore, F - forward
1201 # destinations: a reference to an array containing node callsigns
1203 # if it is non-private and isn't in here then it won't get forwarded
1205 # Currently only type B msgs are affected by this code.
1207 # The list is read from the top down, the first pattern that matches
1208 # causes the action to be taken.
1210 # The pattern can be undef or 0 in which case it will always be selected
1211 # for the action specified
1213 # If the BBS list is undef or 0 and the action is 'F' (and it matches the
1214 # pattern) then it will always be forwarded to every node that doesn't have
1215 # it (I strongly recommend you don't use this unless you REALLY mean it, if
1216 # you allow a new link with this on EVERY bull will be forwarded immediately
1217 # on first connection)
1228 Simply insert a bulletin address and state in the brackets where you
1229 wish that mail to go. For example, you can see here that mail sent to
1230 "UK" will only be sent to the UK links and not to PA4AB-14.
1233 To force the cluster to reread the file use load/forward
1237 3.4. The msg command
1239 The msg command is a very powerful and flexible tool for the sysop.
1240 It allows the sysop to alter to and from fields and make other changes
1241 to manage the cluster mail.
1243 Here is a full list of the various options ...
1255 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
1256 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
1257 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
1258 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
1259 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
1260 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
1261 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
1262 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
1263 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
1264 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waiting time for this message
1265 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
1266 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
1267 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
1268 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
1273 These commands are simply typed from within the cluster as the sysop
1279 You can check on a message from within the cluster by using the
1280 command stat/msg. This will give you additional information on the
1281 message number including which nodes have received it, which node it
1282 was received from and when etc. Here is an example of the output of
1287 G0VGS de GB7MBC 28-Jan-2001 1308Z >
1290 Msg Time: 26-Jan-2001 1302Z
1294 Subject: AMSAT 2line KEPS 01025.AMSAT
1296 Got it Nodes: GB7BAA, GB7ADX
1300 G0VGS de GB7MBC 28-Jan-2001 1308Z >
1308 This is described in the section on Other filters so I will not
1312 3.7. Distribution lists
1314 Distribution lists are simply a list of users to send certain types of
1315 mail to. An example of this is mail you only wish to send to other
1316 sysops. In /spider/msg there is a directory called distro. You put
1317 any distibution lists in here. For example, here is a file called
1318 SYSOP.pl that caters for the UK sysops.
1321 qw(GB7TLH GB7DJK GB7DXM GB7CDX GB7BPQ GB7DXN GB7MBC GB7MBC-6 GB7MDX
1322 GB7NDX GB7SDX GB7TDX GB7UDX GB7YDX GB7ADX GB7BAA GB7DXA GB7DXH
1323 GB7DXK GB7DXI GB7DXS)
1328 Any mail sent to "sysop" would only be sent to the callsigns in this
1334 Spider provides a simple BBS interface. No input is required from the
1335 sysop of the cluster at all. The BBS simply sets the cluster as a BBS
1336 and pushes any required mail to the cluster. No mail can flow from
1337 Spider to the BBS, the interface is one-way.
1340 Please be careful not to flood the cluster network with unnecessary
1341 mail. Make sure you only send mail to the clusters that want it by
1342 using the Forward.pl file very carefully.
1347 From 1.48 onwards it will become increasingly possible to control
1348 DXSpider's operation with scripts of various kinds.
1351 The directory /spider/scripts is where it all happens and is used for
1352 several things. Firstly it contains a file called startup that can be
1353 used to call in any changes to the cluster from the default settings
1354 on startup. This script is executed immediately after all
1355 initialisation of the node is done but before any connections are
1356 possible. Examples of this include how many spots it is possible to
1357 get with the sh/dx command, whether you want registration/passwords to
1358 be permanently on etc. An example file is shown below and is included
1359 in the distribution as startup.issue.
1364 # startup script example
1366 # set maximum no of spots allowed to 100
1367 # set/var $Spot::maxspots = 1
1369 # Set registration on
1370 # set/var $main::reqreg = 1
1373 # set/var $main::passwdreq = 1
1380 As usual, any text behind a # is treated as a comment and not read.
1382 Secondly, it is used to store the login scripts for users and nodes.
1383 Currently this can only be done by the sysop but it is envisaged that
1384 eventually users will be able to set their own. An example is
1385 included in the distibution but here is a further example.
1401 The lines in between commands can simply insert a blank line or a
1402 character such as a + sign to make the output easier to read. Simply
1403 create this script with your favourite editor and save it with the
1404 callsign of the user as the filename. Filenames should always be in
1408 Commands can be inserted in the same way for nodes. A node may wish a
1409 series of commands to be issued on login, such as a merge command for
1413 Thirdly, there are 2 default scripts for users and nodes who do not
1414 have a specifically defined script. These are user_default and
1420 Spider allows the creation of local or remote databases. It supports
1421 chained databases, allowing several different databases to be scanned
1422 with one simple command. Importing of databases is limited at present
1423 to the standard AK1A databases such as OBLAST and the DB0SDX QSL
1424 database but will expand with time.
1427 5.1. Creating databases
1429 Creating a database could not be more simple. All the commands are
1430 sent from the cluster prompt as the sysop user.
1432 To create a database you use the command dbcreate. It can be used in
1433 3 different ways like so ..
1442 To simply create a database locally, you just tell the command the
1443 name of the database. This does not create the actual database, it
1444 simply defines it to say that it exists.
1448 dbcreate <name> chain <name> [<name>...]
1453 This creates a chained database entry. The first database will be
1454 scanned, then the second, the third etc...
1458 dbcreate <name> remote <name>
1463 This creates a remote entry. the first name field is the database
1464 name at the remote node, then the remote switch, then the actual
1465 node_call of the remote node, for example...
1469 dbcreate buckmaster remote gb7dxc
1474 Remote databases cannot be chained, however, the last database in a
1475 chain can be a remote database.
1478 5.2. Importing databases
1480 The only databases that Spider can currently import are the standard
1481 AK1A databases such as OBLAST or the DB0SDX qsl and address database.
1482 This will be added to with time.
1484 To import such a database, first put the file somewhere useful like
1485 /tmp and then issue the following command ...
1489 dbimport oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
1494 This will update the existing local oblast database or create it if it
1498 5.3. Checking available databases
1500 Once a database is created, you will want to check that it has been
1501 added. To do this use the dbavail command. This will output the
1502 available databases. For example ...
1507 DB Name Location Chain
1511 G0VGS de GB7MBC 3-Feb-2001 1925Z >
1519 5.4. Looking up databases
1521 To look for information in a defined database, simply use the dbshow
1522 command, for example ...
1526 dbshow buckmaster G0YLM
1531 will show the information for the callsign G0YLM from the buckmaster
1532 database if it exists. To make things more standard for the users you
1533 can add an entry in the Aliases file so that it looks like a standard
1534 show command like this ...
1542 Now you can simply use show/buckmaster or an abreviation.
1545 5.5. Removing databases
1547 To delete an existing database you use the dbremove command. For
1557 would remove the oblast database and its associated datafile from the
1558 system. There are no warnings or recovery possible from this command.
1559 If you remove a database it ceases to exist and would have to be
1560 created from scratch if you still required it.
1563 6. Information, files and useful programs
1567 One of the more important things a cluster sysop needs to do is to get
1568 information to his users. The simplest way to do this is to have a
1569 banner that is sent to the user on login. This is know as a "message
1570 of the day" or "motd". To set this up, simply create a file in
1571 /spider/data called motd and edit it to say whatever you want. It is
1572 purely a text file and will be sent automatically to anyone logging in
1578 This message of the day file lives in the same directory as the
1579 standard motd file but is only sent to non-registered users. Once
1580 registered they will receive the same message as any other user.
1585 6.3. Downtime message
1587 If for any reason the cluster is down, maybe for upgrade or
1588 maintenance but the machine is still running, a message can be sent to
1589 the user advising them of the fact. This message lives in the
1590 /spider/data directory and is called "offline". Simply create the
1591 file and edit it to say whatever you wish. This file will be sent to
1592 a user attempting to log into the cluster when DXSpider is not
1596 6.4. Other text messages
1598 You can set other text messages to be read by the user if they input
1599 the file name. This could be for news items or maybe information for
1600 new users. To set this up, make a directory under /spider called
1601 packclus. Under this directory you can create files called news or
1602 newuser for example. In fact you can create files with any names you
1603 like. These can be listed by the user with the command ....
1612 They can be read by the user by typing the command ....
1621 If the file they want to read is called news. You could also set an
1622 alias for this in the Alias file to allow them just to type news
1625 You can also store other information in this directory, either
1626 directly or nested under directories. One use for this would be to
1627 store DX bulletins such as the OPDX bulletins. These can be listed
1628 and read by the user. To keep things tidy, make a directory under
1629 /spider/packclus called bulletin. Now copy any OPDX or similar
1630 bulletins into it. These can be listed by the user in the same way as
1631 above using the show/files command with an extension for the bulletin
1632 directory you have just created, like this ....
1642 An example would look like this ....
1647 bulletin DIR 20-Dec-1999 1715Z news 1602 14-Dec-1999 1330Z
1651 You can see that in the files area (basically the packclus directory)
1652 there is a file called news and a directory called bulletin. You can
1653 also see that dates they were created. In the case of the file news,
1654 you can also see the time it was last modified, a good clue as to
1655 whether the file has been updated since you last read it. To read the
1656 file called news you would simply issue the command ....
1665 To look what is in the bulletin directory you issue the command ....
1670 opdx390 21381 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx390.1 1670 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1671 opdx390.2 2193 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx391 25045 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1672 opdx392 35969 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx393 15023 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1673 opdx394 33429 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx394.1 3116 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1674 opdx395 24319 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx396 32647 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1675 opdx396.1 5537 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx396.2 6242 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1676 opdx397 18433 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx398 19961 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1677 opdx399 17719 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx400 19600 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1678 opdx401 27738 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx402 18698 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1679 opdx403 24994 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx404 15685 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1680 opdx405 13984 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx405.1 4166 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1681 opdx406 28934 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx407 24153 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1682 opdx408 15081 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx409 23234 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1683 Press Enter to continue, A to abort (16 lines) >
1688 You can now read any file in this directory using the type command,
1693 type bulletin/opdx391
1694 Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 391
1695 The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
1699 Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
1700 Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
1701 Online at 440-237-8208 28.8k-1200 Baud 8/N/1 (New Area Code!)
1702 Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX
1703 Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, K1XN & Golist, WB2RAJ/WB2YQH
1704 & The 59(9) DXReport, W3UR & The Daily DX, K3TEJ, KN4UG, W4DC, NC6J, N6HR,
1705 Press Enter to continue, A to abort (508 lines) >
1710 The page length will of course depend on what you have it set to!
1713 6.5. The Aliases file
1715 You will find a file in /spider/cmd/ called Aliases. First, copy this
1716 file to /spider/local_cmd/Aliases and edit this file. You will see
1717 something like this ...
1785 # provide some standard aliases for commands for terminally
1786 # helpless ak1a user (helpless in the sense that they never
1787 # read nor understand help files)
1789 # This file is automagically reloaded if its modification time is
1790 # later than the one stored in CmdAlias.pm
1792 # PLEASE make this file consistant with reality! (the patterns MUST
1793 # match the filenames!)
1795 # Don't alter this file, copy it into the local_cmd tree and modify it.
1796 # This file will be replaced everytime I issue a new release.
1798 # You only need to put aliases in here for commands that don't work as
1799 # you desire naturally, e.g sh/dx on its own just works as you expect
1800 # so you need not add it as an alias.
1808 '^\?', 'apropos', 'apropos',
1811 '^ann.*/full', 'announce full', 'announce',
1812 '^ann.*/sysop', 'announce sysop', 'announce',
1813 '^ann.*/(.*)$', 'announce $1', 'announce',
1820 '^del', 'kill', 'kill',
1821 '^del\w*/fu', 'kill full', 'kill',
1822 '^di\w*/a\w*', 'directory all', 'directory',
1823 '^di\w*/b\w*', 'directory bulletins', 'directory',
1824 '^di\w*/n\w*', 'directory new', 'directory',
1825 '^di\w*/o\w*', 'directory own', 'directory',
1826 '^di\w*/s\w*', 'directory subject', 'directory',
1827 '^di\w*/t\w*', 'directory to', 'directory',
1828 '^di\w*/f\w*', 'directory from', 'directory',
1829 '^di\w*/(\d+)', 'directory $1', 'directory',
1846 '^l$', 'directory', 'directory',
1847 '^ll$', 'directory', 'directory',
1848 '^ll/(\d+)', 'directory $1', 'directory',
1853 '^news', 'type news', 'type',
1863 '^r$', 'read', 'read',
1864 '^rcmd/(\S+)', 'rcmd $1', 'rcmd',
1867 '^s/p$', 'send', 'send',
1868 '^sb$', 'send noprivate', 'send',
1869 '^set/home$', 'set/homenode', 'set/homenode',
1870 '^set/nobe', 'unset/beep', 'unset/beep',
1871 '^set/nohe', 'unset/here', 'unset/here',
1872 '^set/noan', 'unset/announce', 'unset/announce',
1873 '^set/nodx', 'unset/dx', 'unset/dx',
1874 '^set/nota', 'unset/talk', 'unset/talk',
1875 '^set/noww', 'unset/wwv', 'unset/wwv',
1876 '^set/nowx', 'unset/wx', 'unset/wx',
1877 '^sh$', 'show', 'show',
1878 '^sh\w*/buck', 'dbshow buck', 'dbshow',
1879 '^sh\w*/bu', 'show/files bulletins', 'show/files',
1880 '^sh\w*/c/n', 'show/configuration nodes', 'show/configuration',
1881 '^sh\w*/c$', 'show/configuration', 'show/configuration',
1882 '^sh\w*/com', 'dbavail', 'dbavail',
1883 '^sh\w*/dx/(\d+)-(\d+)', 'show/dx $1-$2', 'show/dx',
1884 '^sh\w*/dx/(\d+)', 'show/dx $1', 'show/dx',
1885 '^sh\w*/dx/d(\d+)', 'show/dx from $1', 'show/dx',
1886 '^sh\w*/email', 'dbshow email', 'dbshow',
1887 '^sh\w*/hftest', 'dbshow hftest', 'dbshow',
1888 '^sh\w*/vhftest', 'dbshow vhftest', 'dbshow',
1889 '^sh\w*/qsl', 'dbshow qsl', 'dbshow',
1890 '^sh\w*/tnc', 'who', 'who',
1891 '^sh\w*/up', 'show/cluster', 'show/cluster',
1892 '^sh\w*/w\w*/(\d+)-(\d+)', 'show/wwv $1-$2', 'show/wwv',
1893 '^sh\w*/w\w*/(\d+)', 'show/wwv $1', 'show/wwv',
1894 '^sp$', 'send', 'send',
1898 '^ta$', 'talk', 'talk',
1899 '^t$', 'talk', 'talk',
1906 '^wx/full', 'wx full', 'wx',
1907 '^wx/sysop', 'wx sysop', 'wx',
1921 You can create aliases for commands at will. Beware though, these may
1922 not always turn out as you think. Care is needed and you need to test
1923 the results once you have set an alias.
1928 In later versions of Spider a simple console program is provided for
1929 the sysop. This has a type ahead buffer with line editing facilities
1930 and colour for spots, announces etc. To use this program, simply use
1931 console.pl instead of client.
1934 To edit the colours, copy /spider/perl/Console.pl to /spider/local and
1935 edit the file with your favourite editor.
1938 6.7. Updating kepler data
1940 Spider has a powerful and flexible show/satellite command. In order
1941 for this to be accurate, the kepler data has to be updated regularly.
1942 In general, this data is available as an email or via cluster mail.
1943 Updating it is simple. First you need to export the mail message as a
1944 file. You do this with the export command from the cluster prompt as
1945 the sysop. For example ...
1949 export 5467 /spider/perl/keps.in
1955 would export message number 5467 as a file called keps.in in the
1956 /spider/perl directory.
1959 Now login to a VT as sysop and cd /spider/perl. There is a command in
1960 the perl directory called convkeps.pl. All we need to do now is
1961 convert the file like so ...
1965 ./convkeps.pl keps.in
1971 Now go back to the cluster and issue the command ...
1981 That is it! the kepler data has been updated.
1984 6.8. The QRZ callbook
1986 The command sh/qrz will only work once you have followed a few simple
1987 steps. First you need to get a user ID and password from qrz.com.
1988 Simply go to the site and create one. Secondly you need to copy the
1989 file /spider/perl/Internet.pm to /spider/local and alter it to match
1990 your user ID and password. You also at this point need to set
1991 $allow=1 to complete the setup. Many thanks to Fred Lloyd, the
1992 proprieter of qrz.com for allowing this access.
1997 From version 1.49 DXSpider has some additional security features.
1998 These are not by any means meant to be exhaustive, however they do
1999 afford some security against piracy. These two new features can be
2000 used independently of each other or in concert to tighten the
2006 The basic principle of registration is simple. If a user is not
2007 registered by the sysop, then they have read-only access to the
2008 cluster. The only thing they can actually send is a talk or a message
2009 to the sysop. In order for them to be able to spot, send announces or
2010 talks etc the sysop must register them with the set/register command,
2020 The user g0vgs can now fully use the cluster. In order to enable
2021 registration, you can issue the command ...
2025 set/var $main::reqreg = 1
2030 Any users that are not registered will now see the motd_nor file
2031 rather than the motd file as discussed in the Information, files and
2032 useful programs section.
2035 Entering this line at the prompt will only last for the time the
2036 cluster is running of course and would not be present on a restart.
2037 To make the change permanent, add the above line to
2038 /spider/scripts/startup. To read more on the startup file, see the
2039 section on Information, files and useful programs.
2042 To unregister a user use unset/register and to show the list of
2043 registered users, use the command show/register.
2049 At the moment, passwords only affect users who login to a DXSpider
2050 cluster node via telnet. If a user requires a password, they can
2051 either set it themselves or have the sysop enter it for them by using
2052 the set/password command. Any users who already have passwords, such
2053 as remote sysops, will be asked for their passwords automatically by
2054 the cluster. Using passwords in this way means that the user has a
2055 choice on whether to have a password or not. To force the use of
2056 passwords at login, issue the command ...
2060 set/var $main::passwdreq = 1
2065 at the cluster prompt. This can also be added to the
2066 /spider/scripts/startup file as above to make the change permanent.
2069 Of course, if you do this you will have to assign a password for each
2070 of your users. If you were asking them to register, it is anticipated
2071 that you would ask them to send you a message both to ask to be
2072 registered and to give you the password they wish to use.
2075 Should a user forget their password, it can be reset by the sysop by
2076 first removing the existing password and then setting a new one like
2081 unset/password g0vgs
2082 set/password g0vgs new_password
2090 CVS stands for "Concurrent Versions System" and the CVS for DXSpider
2091 is held at Sourceforge. This means that it is possible to update your
2092 DXSpider installation to the latest sources by using a few simple
2096 Please be aware that if you update your system using CVS, it is
2097 possible that you could be running code that is very beta and not
2098 fully tested. There is a possibility that it could be unstable.
2101 I am of course assuming that you have a machine with both DXSpider and
2102 Internet access running.
2105 BEFORE YOU EVEN CONSIDER STARTING WITH THIS MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR
2106 ENTIRE SPIDER TREE!!
2109 Assuming you are connected to the Internet, you need to login to the
2110 CVS repository and then update your Spider source. There are several
2111 steps which are listed below ...
2113 First login as the user sysop. Next you need to connect to the CVS
2114 repository. You do this with the command below ...
2117 cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.DXSpider.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dxspider login
2121 You will get a password prompt. Simply hit return here and your
2122 machine should return to a normal linux prompt.
2125 What happens next depends on whether you have an existing installation
2126 that you want to update with the latest and greatest or whether you
2127 just want to see what is there and/or run it on a new machine for
2130 If you are installing Spider from CVS then change directory to
2133 If you are wanting to update Spider then cd to /tmp
2136 The next step will create a brand new 'spider' directory in your
2140 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.DXSpider.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dxspider co spider
2144 This command is all on one line.
2147 Hopefully your screen should show you downloading files. The -z3
2148 simply compresses the download to improve speed. When this has
2149 finished, you will have exactly the same as if you had untarred a full
2150 tarball PLUS some extra directories and files that CVS needs to do the
2154 Now if you are doing a new installation, that's it. Carry on as if
2155 you have just downloaded and untarred the lastest tarball.
2158 If you want to upgrade your current installation then do this ...
2162 tar cvfz /tmp/s.tgz spider
2164 tar xvfzp /tmp/s.tgz
2169 This is assuming you downloaded to the /tmp directory of course.
2172 NOTE: the 'p' on the end of the 'xvfz' is IMPORTANT! It keeps the
2173 permissions correct. YOU WERE LOGGED IN AS THE USER SYSOP WEREN'T
2176 Remember to recompile the C client (cd /spider/src; make)
2179 At this point the files have been upgraded. You can (usually) restart
2180 the cluster in your own time. However, if you attempt to use any new
2181 commands or features expect it to be fatal! At least your cluster
2182 will have been restarted then so it will be too late to worry about
2186 Now the magic part! From now on when you want to update, simply
2187 connect to the Internet and then, as the user sysop ...
2197 and your files will be updated. As above, remember to recompile the
2198 "C" client if it has been updated (CVS will tell you) and restart if
2199 any of the perl scripts have been altered or added, again, CVS will
2203 You will find any changes documented in the /spider/Changes file.
2206 9. The DXSpider command set
2208 Below is a complete list of commands available from the cluster
2209 prompt. Most maintenance tasks are automatic but there are some
2210 commands that are useful for a sysop. These are listed below in
2211 alphabetical order. The number in brackets following the command name
2212 is the permissions level needed to use the command.
2215 9.1. accept/announce (0)
2217 accept/announce [0-9] <pattern> Set an accept filter line for announce
2220 Create an 'accept this announce' line for a filter.
2222 An accept filter line means that if the announce matches this filter
2223 it is passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please
2224 read this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
2227 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2231 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
2232 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2234 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2235 origin_itu <numbers>
2236 origin_zone <numbers>
2241 wx 1 filter WX announces
2242 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
2250 acc/ann 2 by_zone 14,15,16
2251 (this could be all on one line: acc/ann dest 6MUK or by_zone 14,15,16)
2265 This filter would only allow announces that were posted buy UK
2266 stations. You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg:
2275 but this probably for advanced users...
2278 9.2. accept/announce (extended for sysops) (8)
2280 accept/announce <call> [input] [0-9]<pattern> Announce filter sysop
2284 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
2285 the default for nodes and users eg:-
2290 accept/ann input node_default by G,M,2
2291 accept/ann user_default by G,M,2
2297 9.3. accept/route (8)
2299 accept/route <call> [0-9] <pattern> Set an 'accept' filter line for
2303 Create an 'accept this routing PC Protocol' line for a filter.
2306 An accept filter line means that if a PC16/17/19/21/24/41/50 matches
2307 this filter it is passed thru that interface. See HELP FILTERING for
2308 more info. Please read this to understand how filters work - it will
2309 save a lot of grief later on.
2311 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2315 call <prefixes> the callsign of the thingy
2316 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2319 origin <prefixes> really the interface it came in on
2320 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2321 origin_itu <numbers>
2322 origin_zone <numbers>
2332 acc/route gb7djk call_dxcc 61,38 (send only UK+EIRE nodes)
2333 acc/route gb7djk call gb7djk (equiv to SET/ISOLATE)
2339 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg:
2349 9.4. accept/spots (0)
2351 accept/spots [0-9] <pattern> Set an accept filter line for spots
2354 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
2357 An accept filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
2358 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
2359 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
2361 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2377 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
2378 on <range> same as 'freq'
2379 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
2380 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
2382 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2395 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
2396 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
2397 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
2398 this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get too
2406 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2411 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything, eg:
2420 but this probably for advanced users...
2423 9.5. accept/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
2425 accept/spots <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> Spot filter sysop version
2428 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
2429 the default for nodes and users eg:-
2433 accept/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
2434 accept/spot node_default all
2435 set/hops node_default 10
2437 accept/spot user_default by G,M,2
2445 accept/wcy [0-9] <pattern> set an accept WCY filter
2448 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
2449 can filter on the following fields:-
2453 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2455 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2456 origin_itu <numbers>
2457 origin_zone <numbers>
2467 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place
2468 and you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want
2471 This command is really provided for future use.
2473 See HELP FILTER for information.
2476 9.7. accept/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
2478 accept/wcy <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> WCY filter sysop version
2481 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
2482 the default for nodes and users eg:-
2486 accept/wcy node_default all
2487 set/hops node_default 10
2495 accept/wwv [0-9] <pattern> Set an accept WWV filter
2498 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
2499 can filter on the following fields:-
2509 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2511 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2512 origin_itu <numbers>
2513 origin_zone <numbers>
2526 accept/wwv by_zone 4
2531 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV
2532 broadcasts by stations in the US).
2534 See HELP FILTER for information.
2537 9.9. accept/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
2539 accept/wwv <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> WWV filter sysop version
2542 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
2543 the default for nodes and users eg:-
2547 accept/wwv db0sue-7 1 by_zone 4
2548 accept/wwv node_default all
2549 set/hops node_default 10
2551 accept/wwv user_default by W,K
2559 announce <text> Send an announcement to local users
2562 Send an announcement to LOCAL users only, where <text> is the text of
2563 the announcement you wish to broadcast. If you do not wish to receive
2564 announces, use the set/noannounce command. Any announces made by a
2565 sysop will override set/noannounce.
2568 9.11. announce full (0)
2570 announce full <text> Send an announcement cluster wide
2573 This command will send your announcement across the whole cluster
2575 9.12. announce sysop (5)
2577 announce sysop <text>
2580 Send an announcement to Sysops only
2585 apropos <string> Search the help database
2588 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive), and
2589 print the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
2594 bye Exit from the cluster
2597 This will disconnect you from the cluster
2602 catchup <node_call> All|[<msgno> ...] Mark a message as sent
2605 When you send messages the fact that you have forwarded it to another
2606 node is remembered so that it isn't sent again. When you have a new
2607 partner node and you add their callsign to your /spider/msg/forward.pl
2608 file, all outstanding non-private messages will be forwarded to them.
2609 This may well be ALL the non-private messages. You can prevent this by
2610 using these commmands:-
2615 catchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
2620 and to undo what you have just done:-
2624 uncatchup GB7DJK all
2625 uncatchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
2630 which will arrange for them to be forward candidates again.
2632 Order is not important.
2635 9.16. clear/announce (8)
2637 clear/announce [input] <callsign> [0-9|all] Clear an announce filter
2641 A sysop can clear an input or normal output filter for a user or the
2642 node_default or user_default.
2645 9.17. clear/route (8)
2647 clear/route [input] ^lt;callsign> [0-9|all] Clear a route filter line
2650 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a route filter or
2651 to remove the whole filter.
2653 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
2655 A sysop can clear an input or normal output filter for a user or the
2656 node_default or user_default.
2659 9.18. clear/spots (0)
2661 clear/spots [1|all] Clear a spot filter line
2664 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or
2665 to remove the whole filter.
2667 If you have a filter:-
2672 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2686 you will be left with:-
2690 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2704 the filter will be completely removed.
2707 9.19. clear/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
2709 clear/spots [input] <callsign> [0-9|all] Clear a spot filter line
2712 A sysop can clear an input or normal output filter for a user or the
2713 node_default or user_default.
2718 clear/wcy [1|all] Clear a WCY filter line
2721 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a WCY filter or to
2722 remove the whole filter.
2724 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
2727 9.21. clear/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
2729 clear/wcy [input] <callsign> [0-9|all] Clear a WCY filter line
2732 A sysop can clear an input or normal output filter for a user or the
2733 node_default or user_default.
2738 clear/wwv [1|all] Clear a WWV filter line
2741 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a WWV filter or to
2742 remove the whole filter.
2744 see CLEAR/SPOTS for a more detailed explanation.
2747 9.23. clear/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
2749 clear/wwv [input] <callsign> [0-9|all] Clear a WWV filter line
2752 A sysop can clear an input or normal output filter for a user or the
2753 node_default or user_default.
2758 connect <callsign> Start a connection to another DX Cluster
2761 Start a connection process that will culminate in a new connection to
2762 the DX cluster <callsign>. This process creates a new 'client' process
2763 which will use the script in /spider/connect/<callsign> to effect the
2764 'chat' exchange necessary to traverse the network(s) to logon to the
2770 dbavail Show a list of all the databases in the system
2773 The title says it all really, this command lists all the databases
2774 defined in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
2779 dbcreate <name> Create a database entry
2780 dbcreate <name> chain <name> [<name>..] Create a chained database
2782 dbcreate <name> remote <node> Create a remote database entry
2785 DBCREATE allows you to define a database in the system. It doesn't
2786 actually create anything, just defines it.
2788 The databases that are created are simple DB_File hash databases, they
2789 are therefore already 'indexed'.
2791 You can define a local database with the first form of the command eg:
2795 You can also chain databases with the addition of the 'chain' keyword.
2796 This will search each database one after the other. A typical example
2799 DBCREATE sdx_qsl chain sql_ad
2801 No checking is done to see if the any of the chained databases exist,
2802 in fact it is usually better to do the above statement first then do
2803 each of the chained databases.
2805 Databases can exist offsite. To define a database that lives on
2808 DBCREATE buckmaster remote gb7dxc
2810 Remote databases cannot be chained; however, the last database in a a
2811 chain can be a remote database eg:
2813 DBCREATE qsl chain gb7dxc
2815 To see what databases have been defined do:
2817 DBAVAIL (or it will have been aliased to SHOW/COMMAND)
2819 It would be normal for you to add an entry into your local Aliases
2820 file to allow people to use the 'SHOW/<dbname>' style syntax. So you
2821 would need to add a line like:-
2828 '^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
2841 to work as they may be used to.
2843 See DBIMPORT for the importing of existing AK1A format data to
2844 databases. See DBSHOW for generic database enquiry
2849 dbimport <dbname> Import AK1A data into a database
2852 If you want to import or update data in bulk to a database you can use
2853 this command. It will either create or update entries into an existing
2854 database. For example:-
2856 DBIMPORT oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
2858 will import the standard OBLAST database that comes with AK1A into the
2859 oblast database held locally.
2864 dbremove <dbname> Delete a database
2867 DBREMOVE will completely remove a database entry and also delete any
2868 data file that is associated with it.
2870 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
2876 will remove the oblast database from the system and it will also
2877 remove the associated datafile.
2881 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
2883 You have been warned.
2888 dbshow <dbname> <key> Display an entry, if it exists, in a database
2891 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database
2892 system. It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local
2893 Aliases file so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of
2903 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
2904 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
2914 debug Set the cluster program into debug mode
2917 Executing this command will only have an effect if you are running the
2918 cluster in debug mode i.e.
2927 It will interrupt the cluster just after the debug command has
2931 9.31. delete/user (9)
2933 delete/user <callsign> Delete a user from the User Database
2936 This command will completely remove a one or more users from the
2939 There is NO SECOND CHANCE.
2941 It goes without saying that you should use this command CAREFULLY!
2947 directory List messages
2948 directory own List your own messages
2949 directory new List all new messages
2950 directory to <call> List all messages to <call>
2951 directory from <call> List all messages from <call>
2952 directory subject <string> List all messages with <string> in subject
2953 directory <nn> List last <nn> messages
2954 directory <from>-<to> List messages <from> message <to> message
2957 List the messages in the messages directory.
2959 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
2960 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
2962 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
2965 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
2973 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
2978 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a
2991 9.33. directory (extended for sysops) (5)
2993 Works just like the user command except that sysops can see ALL
2997 9.34. disconnect (8)
2999 disconnect <call> [<call> ...] Disconnect a user or node
3002 Disconnect any <call> connected locally
3007 dx [by <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks> Send a DX spot
3010 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
3011 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
3022 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end of
3023 the command and they will be added to the spot.
3027 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
3032 You can credit someone else by saying:-
3037 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
3042 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
3043 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
3048 export <msgno> <filename> Export a message to a file
3051 Export a message to a file. This command can only be executed on a
3052 local console with a fully privileged user. The file produced will be
3053 in a form ready to be imported back into the cluster by placing it in
3054 the import directory (/spider/msg/import).
3056 This command cannot overwrite an existing file. This is to provide
3057 some measure of security. Any files written will owned by the same
3058 user as the main cluster, otherwise you can put the new files anywhere
3059 the cluster can access. For example:-
3064 9.37. export_users (9)
3066 export_users [<filename>] Export the users database to ascii
3069 Export the users database to a file in ascii format. If no filename is
3070 given then it will export the file to /spider/data/user_asc.
3072 If the file already exists it will be renamed to <filename>.o. In fact
3073 up to 5 generations of the file can be kept each one with an extra 'o'
3076 BE WARNED: this will write to any file you have write access to. No
3077 check is made on the filename (if any) that you specify.
3082 filtering Filtering things in DXSpider
3085 There are a number of things you can filter in the DXSpider system.
3086 They all use the same general mechanism.
3088 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which
3089 can have up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example:-
3091 accept/spots ..... reject/spots .....
3093 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There
3094 are filters for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects.
3095 See each different accept or reject command reference for more
3098 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter and
3099 one to show you what you have set. They are:-
3101 clear/spots 1 clear/spots all
3107 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
3109 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply
3110 the principles to all types of filter.
3112 There are two main types of filter 'accept' or 'reject'; which you use
3113 depends entirely on how you look at the world and what is least
3114 writing to achieve what you want. Each filter has 10 lines (of any
3115 length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the action
3116 you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept
3119 The important thing to remember is that if you specify a 'reject'
3120 filter (all the lines in it say 'reject/spots' (for instance) then if
3121 a spot comes in that doesn't match any of the lines then you will get
3122 it BUT if you specify an 'accept' filter then any spots that don't
3123 match are dumped. For example if I have a one line accept filter:-
3125 accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
3127 then automatically you will ONLY get VHF spots from or to CQ zones 14
3128 15 and 16. If you set a reject filter like:
3130 reject/spots on hf/cw
3132 Then you will get everything EXCEPT HF CW spots, If you am interested
3133 in IOTA and will work it even on CW then you could say:-
3135 reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
3137 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
3139 accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
3141 which is exactly the same. You should choose one or the other until
3142 you are confortable with the way it works. Yes, you can mix them
3143 (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but
3144 don't try this at home until you can analyse the results that you get
3145 without ringing up the sysop for help.
3147 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your
3148 own understanding or simply convenience. I have one set frequently:-
3150 reject/spots 1 on hf/cw reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone
3151 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
3153 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots (being a class B I can't
3154 read any CW and couldn't possibly be interested in HF :-) and also
3155 rejects any spots on VHF which don't either originate or spot someone
3158 This is an exmaple where you would use the line number (1 and 2 in
3159 this case), if you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits
3161 You can leave the word 'and' out if you want, it is implied. You can
3162 use any number of brackets to make the 'expression' as you want it.
3163 There are things called precedence rules working here which mean that
3164 you will NEED brackets in a situation like line 2 because, without it,
3167 (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
3169 annoying, but that is the way it is. If you use OR - use brackets.
3170 Whilst we are here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just 'and
3173 If you want to alter your filter you can just redefine one or more
3174 lines of it or clear out one line. For example:-
3176 reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
3182 To remove the filter in its entirty:-
3186 There are similar CLEAR commands for the other filters:-
3188 clear/announce clear/wcy clear/wwv
3192 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to
3195 my example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU
3196 can be written with a mixed filter, eg:
3198 rej/spot on hf/cw acc/spot on 0/30000 acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and
3199 (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
3201 each filter slot actually has a 'reject' slot and an 'accept' slot.
3202 The reject slot is executed BEFORE the accept slot.
3204 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match,
3205 the default for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for
3206 first, any non hf/cw spot is passed to the accept line, which lets
3207 thru everything else on HF.
3209 The next filter line lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU.
3212 9.39. forward/latlong (8)
3214 forward/latlong <node_call> Send latitude and longitude information to
3218 This command sends all the latitude and longitude information that
3219 your cluster is holding against callsigns. One advantage of recieving
3220 this information is that more locator information is held by you.
3221 This means that more locators are given on the DX line assuming you
3222 have set/dxgrid enabled. This could be a LOT of information though,
3223 so it is not recommended on slow links.
3226 9.40. forward/opername (1)
3228 forward/opername <call> Send out information on this <call> to all
3232 This command sends out any information held in the user file which can
3233 be broadcast in PC41 protocol packets. This information is Name, QTH,
3234 Location and Homenode. PC41s are only sent for the information that is
3240 help <cmd> Get help on a command
3243 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated to
3244 SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
3246 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help
3247 database for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely
3248 commands to look at with HELP.
3253 init <node call> Re-initialise a link to an AK1A compatible node
3256 This command attempts to re-initialise a link to a (usually) AK1A node
3257 that has got confused, usually by a protocol loop of some kind. It may
3258 work - but you usually will be better off simply disconnecting it (or
3259 better, if it is a real AK1A node, doing an RCMD <node> DISC/F <your
3262 Best of luck - you will need it.
3267 kill <msgno> [<msgno> ..] Delete a message from the local system
3270 Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to
3271 delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are
3277 kill <msgno> [<msgno> ...] Remove or erase a message from the system
3278 kill from <call> Remove all messages from a callsign
3279 kill to <call> Remove all messages to a callsign
3282 You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign
3283 using this command. You can remove more than one message at a time.
3285 As a sysop you can kill any message on the system.
3290 kill full <msgno> [<msgno>] Delete a message from the whole cluster
3293 Delete a message (usually a 'bulletin') from the whole cluster system.
3295 This uses the subject field, so any messages that have exactly the
3296 same subject will be deleted. Beware!
3301 9.46. kill/expunge (6)
3303 kill/expunge <msgno> [<msgno>..]Expunge a message
3306 Deleting a message using the normal KILL commands only marks that
3307 message for deletion. The actual deletion only happens later (usually
3310 The KILL EXPUNGE command causes the message to be truly deleted more
3311 or less immediately.
3313 It otherwise is used in the same way as the KILL command.
3319 links Show which nodes are physically connected
3322 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and some
3323 information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
3327 9.48. load/aliases (9)
3329 load/aliases Reload the command alias table
3332 Reload the /spider/cmd/Aliases file after you have editted it. You
3333 will need to do this if you change this file whilst the cluster is
3334 running in order for the changes to take effect.
3337 9.49. load/badmsg (9)
3339 load/badmsg Reload the bad message table
3342 Reload the /spider/msg/badmsg.pl file if you have changed it manually
3343 whilst the cluster is running. This table contains a number of perl
3344 regular expressions which are searched for in the fields targetted of
3345 each message. If any of them match then that message is immediately
3349 9.50. load/badwords (9)
3351 load/badwords Reload the bad words table
3354 Reload the /spider/data/badwords file if you have changed it manually
3355 whilst the cluster is running. This file contains a list of words
3356 which, if found on certain text portions of PC protocol, will cause
3357 those protocol frames to be rejected. It will all put out a message if
3358 any of these words are used on the announce, dx and talk commands. The
3359 words can be one or more on a line, lines starting with '#' are
3363 9.51. load/bands (9)
3365 load/bands Reload the band limits table
3367 Reload the /spider/data/bands.pl file if you have changed it manually
3368 whilst the cluster is running.
3371 9.52. load/cmd_cache (9)
3373 load/cmd_cache Reload the automatic command cache
3376 Normally, if you change a command file in the cmd or local_cmd tree it
3377 will automatially be picked up by the cluster program. Sometimes it
3378 can get confused if you are doing a lot of moving commands about or
3379 delete a command in the local_cmd tree and want to use the normal one
3380 again. Execute this command to reset everything back to the state it
3381 was just after a cluster restart.
3384 9.53. load/forward (9)
3386 load/forward Reload the msg forwarding routing table
3388 Reload the /spider/msg/forward.pl file if you have changed it manually
3389 whilst the cluster is running.
3392 9.54. load/messages (9)
3394 load/messages Reload the system messages file
3397 If you change the /spider/perl/Messages file (usually whilst
3398 fiddling/writing ne commands) you can have them take effect during a
3399 cluster session by executing this command. You need to do this if get
3402 unknown message 'xxxx' in lang 'en'
3405 9.55. load/prefixes (9)
3407 load/prefixes Reload the prefix table
3410 Reload the /spider/data/prefix_data.pl file if you have changed it
3411 manually whilst the cluster is running.
3416 merge <node> [<no spots>/<no wwv>] Ask for the latest spots and WWV
3419 MERGE allows you to bring your spot and wwv database up to date. By
3420 default it will request the last 10 spots and 5 WWVs from the node you
3421 select. The node must be connected locally.
3423 You can request any number of spots or wwv and although they will be
3424 appended to your databases they will not duplicate any that have
3425 recently been added (the last 2 days for spots and last month for WWV
3431 msg <cmd> <msgno> [data ...] Alter various message parameters
3433 Alter message parameters like To, From, Subject, whether private or
3434 bulletin or return receipt (RR) is required or whether to keep this
3435 message from timing out.
3439 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
3440 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
3441 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
3442 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
3443 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
3444 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
3445 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
3446 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
3447 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
3448 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waitting time for this message
3449 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
3450 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
3451 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
3452 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
3457 You can look at the status of a message by using:-
3461 This will display more information on the message than DIR does.
3466 pc <call> <text> Send text (eg PC Protocol) to <call>
3469 Send some arbitrary text to a locally connected callsign. No
3470 processing is done on the text. This command allows you to send PC
3471 Protocol to unstick things if problems arise (messages get stuck etc).
3474 pc gb7djk PC33^GB7TLH^GB7DJK^400^
3476 You can also use in the same way as a talk command to a connected user
3477 but without any processing, added of "from <blah> to <blah>" or
3480 pc G1TLH Try doing that properly!!!
3485 ping <node> Check the link quality between nodes
3488 his command allows you to send a frame to another cluster node on the
3489 network and get a return frame. The time it takes to do this is a
3490 good indication of the quality of the link. The actual time it takes
3491 is output to the console in seconds. Any visible cluster node can be
3501 rcmd <node call> <cmd> Send a command to another DX cluster
3504 This command allows you to send nearly any command to another DX
3505 Cluster node that is connected to the system.
3507 Whether you get any output is dependant on a) whether the other system
3508 knows that the node callsign of this cluster is in fact a node b)
3509 whether the other system is allowing RCMDs from this node and c)
3510 whether you have permission to send this command at all.
3515 read Read the next unread personal message addressed to you
3516 read <msgno> Read the specified message
3519 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
3520 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
3524 9.62. read (extended for sysops) (5)
3526 read <msgno> Read a message on the system
3529 As a sysop you may read any message on the system
3532 9.63. reject/announce
3534 reject/announce [0-9] <pattern> Set a reject filter for announce
3537 Create an 'reject this announce' line for a filter.
3539 An reject filter line means that if the announce matches this filter
3540 it is passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please
3541 read this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
3544 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
3548 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
3549 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
3551 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3552 origin_itu <numbers>
3553 origin_zone <numbers>
3558 wx 1 filter WX announces
3559 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
3569 rej/ann by_zone 14,15,16 and not by G,M,2
3574 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
3583 but this probably for advanced users...
3586 9.64. reject/announce (extended for sysops) (8)
3588 reject/announce <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> Announce filter sysop
3592 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
3593 the default for nodes and users eg:-
3598 reject/ann input node_default by G,M,2
3599 reject/ann user_default by G,M,2
3605 9.65. reject/route (8)
3607 reject/route <call> [0-9] <pattern> Set an 'reject' filter line for
3611 Create an 'reject this routing PC Protocol' line for a filter.
3614 An reject filter line means that if a PC16/17/19/21/24/41/50 matches
3615 this filter it is NOT passed thru that interface. See HELP FILTERING
3616 for more info. Please read this to understand how filters work - it
3617 will save a lot of grief later on. You can use any of the following
3618 things in this line:-
3622 call <prefixes> the callsign of the thingy
3623 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3626 origin <prefixes> really the interface it came in on
3627 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3628 origin_itu <numbers>
3629 origin_zone <numbers>
3635 rej/route gb7djk call_dxcc 61,38 (everything except UK+EIRE nodes)
3641 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
3645 rej/route all (equiv to [very] restricted mode)
3651 9.66. reject/spots (0)
3653 reject/spots [0-9] <pattern> Set a reject filter line for spots
3656 Create a 'reject this spot' line for a filter.
3658 A reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
3659 dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read
3660 this to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief
3663 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
3667 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
3668 on <range> same as 'freq'
3669 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
3670 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
3672 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3684 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
3685 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
3686 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
3687 this is more efficient than saying simply: on HF (but don't get too
3695 rej/spot 2 on vhf and not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
3697 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
3706 but this probably for advanced users...
3709 9.67. reject/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
3711 reject/spots <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> Reject spot filter sysop
3715 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
3716 the default for nodes and users eg:-
3720 reject/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
3721 reject/spot node_default all
3722 set/hops node_default 10
3724 reject/spot user_default by G,M,2
3730 9.68. reject/wcy (0)
3732 reject/wcy [0-9] <pattern> Set a reject WCY filter
3735 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
3736 can filter on the following fields:-
3740 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
3742 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3743 origin_itu <numbers>
3744 origin_zone <numbers>
3753 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place
3754 and you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want
3757 This command is really provided for future use.
3759 See HELP FILTER for information.
3763 9.69. reject/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
3765 reject/wcy <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> WCY reject filter sysop
3769 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
3770 the default for nodes and users eg:-
3772 reject/wcy gb7djk all
3775 9.70. reject/wwv (0)
3777 reject/wwv [0-9] <pattern> Set a reject WWV filter
3780 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you
3781 can filter on the following fields:-
3785 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
3787 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3788 origin_itu <numbers>
3789 origin_zone <numbers>
3802 reject/wwv by_zone 14,15,16
3807 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV
3808 broadcasts by stations in the US).
3810 See HELP FILTER for information.
3813 9.71. reject/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
3815 reject/wwv <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> WWV reject filter sysop
3819 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as
3820 the default for nodes and users eg:-
3824 reject/wwv db0sue-7 1 by_zone 4
3825 reject/wwv node_default all
3827 reject/wwv user_default by W
3831 reply Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read
3832 reply <msgno> Reply (privately) to the specified message
3833 reply B <msgno> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
3834 reply NOPrivate <msgno> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message
3835 reply RR <msgno> Reply to the specified message with read receipt
3838 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
3839 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
3841 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
3842 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND for
3848 send <call> [<call> ...] Send a message to one or more callsigns
3849 send RR <call> Send a message and ask for a read receipt
3850 send COPY <msgno> <call> Send a copy of a message to someone
3851 send PRIVATE <call> Send a personal message
3852 send NOPRIVATE <call> Send a message to all stations
3855 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either
3856 to an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
3858 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that
3859 is it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster
3860 node that that callsign is connected to.
3862 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
3864 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
3868 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
3873 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you
3874 will receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
3876 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak) SP
3877 is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
3880 9.74. set/address (0)
3882 set/address <your_address> Record your postal address
3885 Literally, record your address details on the cluster.
3888 9.75. set/announce (0)
3890 set/announce Allow announce messages
3893 Allow announce messages to arrive at your terminal.
3895 9.76. set/arcluster (5)
3897 set/arcluster <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make the node_call an AR-
3901 Set the node_call as an AR-Cluster type node
3906 set/baddx <call> Stop words we do not wish to see in the callsign
3907 field of a dx spot being propagated
3910 Setting a word as 'baddx' will prevent spots with that word in the
3911 callsign field of a DX spot from going any further. They will not be
3912 displayed and they will not be sent onto other nodes.
3914 The word must be wriiten in full, no wild cards are allowed eg:-
3918 set/baddx FORSALE VIDEO FR0G
3923 To allow a word again, use the following command ...
3933 9.78. set/badnode (6)
3935 set/badnode <node_call> Stop spots from this node_call being
3939 Setting a callsign as a 'badnode' will prevent spots from that node
3940 going any further. They will not be displayed and they will not be
3941 sent onto other nodes.
3943 The call can be a full or partial call (or a prefix), eg:-
3952 will stop anything from K1TTT (including any SSID's)
3961 will allow spots from him again.
3963 Use with extreme care. This command may well be superceded by
3967 9.79. set/badspotter (8)
3969 set/badspotter <call> Stop spots from this callsign being propagated
3972 Setting a callsign as a 'badspotter' will prevent spots from this
3973 callsign going any further. They will not be displayed and they will
3974 not be sent onto other nodes.
3976 The call must be written in full, no wild cards are allowed eg:-
3980 set/badspotter VE2STN
3985 will stop anything from VE2STN. If you want SSIDs as well then you
3986 must enter them specifically.
3990 unset/badspotter VE2STN
3995 will allow spots from him again.
3997 Use with extreme care. This command may well be superceded by
4001 9.80. set/badword (8)
4003 set/badword <word> Stop things with this word being propogated
4006 Setting a word as a 'badword' will prevent things like spots,
4007 announces or talks with this word in the the text part from going any
4008 further. They will not be displayed and they will not be sent onto
4011 The word must be written in full, no wild cards are allowed eg:-
4013 set/badword annihilate annihilated annihilation
4015 will stop anything with these words in the text.
4017 unset/badword annihilated
4019 will allow text with this word again.
4025 set/beep Add beeps to terminal messages
4027 Add a beep to DX and other terminal messages.
4032 set/bbs <call> [<call>..]Make <call> a BBS
4037 set/clx <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make the node_call a CLX type
4041 Set the node_call as a CLX type node
4046 set/debug <name> Add a debug level to the debug set
4049 You can choose to log several different levels. The levels are
4051 chan state msg cron connect
4053 You can show what levels you are logging with the show/debug command.
4055 You can remove a debug level with unset/debug <name>
4060 set/dxAllow DX messages to arrive at your terminal
4063 You can stop DX messages with the unset/dx command
4066 9.86. set/dxgrid (0)
4068 set/dxgridAllow grid squares on the end of DX messages
4071 Some logging programs do not like the additional information at the
4072 end of a DX spot. If this is the case, use the unset/dxgrid command
4073 to remove the grid squares.
4078 set/dxnet <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make the node_call a DXNet
4082 Set the node_call as a DXNet type node
4087 set/echo Make the cluster echo your input
4090 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
4091 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
4092 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command to
4093 change the setting appropriately.
4095 You can remove the echo with the unset/echo command
4097 The setting is stored in your user profile.
4099 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
4104 set/email <email_address> Set email address(es) and forward your
4108 If any personal messages come in for your callsign then you can use
4109 these commands to control whether they are forwarded onto your email
4110 address. To enable the forwarding do something like:-
4112 SET/EMAIL mike.tubby@somewhere.com
4114 You can have more than one email address (each one separated by a
4115 space). Emails are forwarded to all the email addresses you specify.
4117 You can disable forwarding by:-
4124 set/here Set the here flag
4127 Let others on the cluster know you are here by only displaying your
4128 callsign. If you are away from your terminal you can use the
4129 unset/here command to let people know you are away. This simply puts
4130 brackets around your callsign to indicate you are not available.
4133 9.91. set/homenode (0)
4135 set/homenode <node_call> Set your home cluster
4138 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages
4139 sent to you will normally find their way there should you not be
4152 set/hops <node_call> ann|spots|wwv|wcy <n> Set hop count
4155 Set the hop count for a particular type of broadcast for a node.
4157 This command allows you to set up special hop counts for a node for
4158 currently: announce, spots, wwv and wcy broadcasts.
4160 set/hops gb7djk ann 10
4161 set/hops gb7mbc spots 20
4166 Set SHOW/HOPS for information on what is already set. This command
4167 creates a filter and works in conjunction with the filter system.
4170 9.93. set/isolate (9)
4172 set/isolate <node call> Isolate a node from the rest of the network
4175 Connect a node to your system in such a way that you are a full
4176 protocol member of its network and can see all spots on it, but
4177 nothing either leaks out from it nor goes back into from the rest of
4178 the nodes connected to you.
4180 You can potentially connect several nodes in this way.
4182 You can see which nodes are isolated with the show/isolate (1)
4185 You can remove the isolation with the command unset/isolate.
4188 9.94. set/language (0)
4190 set/language <language> Set the language you wish to use
4193 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use.
4194 Currently the languages available are en (English) and nl (Dutch).
4197 9.95. set/location (0)
4199 set/location <lat and long> Set your latitude and longitude
4202 You can set your latitude and longitude manually or alternatively use
4203 the set/qra command which will do the conversion for you.
4207 set/location 54 04 N 2 02 E
4214 9.96. set/sys_location (9)
4216 set/sys_location <lat & long> Set your cluster latitude and longitude
4219 In order to get accurate headings and such like you must tell the
4220 system what your latitude and longitude is. If you have not yet done a
4221 SET/QRA then this command will set your QRA locator for you. For
4225 SET/LOCATION 52 22 N 0 57 E
4231 9.97. set/logininfo (0)
4233 set/logininfo Show logins and logouts of nodes and users
4236 Show users and nodes when they log in and out of the local cluster.
4237 You can stop these messages by using the unset/logininfo command.
4241 9.98. set/lockout (9)
4243 set/lockout <call> Stop a callsign connecting to the cluster
4246 You can show who is locked out with the show/lockout command. To
4247 allow the user to connect again, use the unset/lockout command.
4252 set/name <your_name> Set your name
4255 Tell the cluster what your name is, eg:-
4267 set/node <call> [<call> ...] Make the callsign an AK1A cluster
4270 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as AK1A cluster and
4271 fed PC Protocol rather normal user commands.
4273 From version 1.41 you can also set the following types of cluster
4285 To see what your nodes are set to, use the show/nodes command.
4291 9.101. set/obscount (9)
4293 set/obscount <count> <node call> Set the 'pump-up' obsolescence
4297 From version 1.35 onwards neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular
4298 intervals (see SET/PINGINTERVAL), usually 300 seconds or 5 minutes.
4299 There is a 'pump-up' counter which is decremented on every outgoing
4300 ping and then reset to the 'obscount' value on every incoming ping.
4301 The default value of this parameter is 2.
4303 What this means is that a neighbouring node will be pinged twice at
4304 (default) 300 second intervals and if no reply has been heard just
4305 before what would be the third attempt, that node is disconnected.
4307 If a ping is heard then the obscount is reset to the full value. Using
4308 default values, if a node has not responded to a ping within 15
4309 minutes, it is disconnected.
4314 set/page <n> Set the number of lines per page
4317 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of
4318 lines of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20.
4319 Setting it explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
4329 The setting is stored in your user profile.
4332 9.103. set/password (0)
4334 set/password Set your own password
4337 This command only works for a 'telnet' user (currently). It will only
4338 work if you have a password already set. This initial password can
4339 only be set by the sysop.
4341 When you execute this command it will ask you for your old password,
4342 then ask you to type in your new password twice (to make sure you get
4343 it right). You may or may not see the data echoed on the screen as you
4344 type, depending on the type of telnet client you have.
4347 9.104. set/password (9)
4349 set/password <callsign> <string> Set a users password
4352 The password for a user can only be set by a full sysop. The string
4353 can contain any characters.
4355 The way this field is used depends on context. If it is being used in
4356 the SYSOP command context then you are offered 5 random numbers and
4357 you have to supply the corresponding letters. This is now mainly for
4360 If it is being used on incoming telnet connections then, if a password
4363 set/var $main::passwdreq = 1
4365 command is executed in the startup script, then a password prompt is
4366 given after the normal 'login: ' prompt.
4368 The command "unset/password" is provided to allow a sysop to remove a
4369 users password completely in case a user forgets or loses their
4373 9.105. set/pinginterval (9)
4375 set/pinginterval <time> <node call> Set the ping time to neighbouring
4379 As from version 1.35 all neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular
4380 intervals in order to determine the rolling quality of the link and,
4381 in future, to affect routing decisions. The default interval is 300
4384 You can use this command to set a different interval. Please don't.
4386 But if you do the value you enter is treated as minutes up 60 and
4387 seconds for numbers greater than that.
4389 This is used also to help determine when a link is down at the far end
4390 (as certain cluster software doesn't always notice), see SET/OBSCOUNT
4391 for more information.
4394 9.106. set/privilege (9)
4396 set/privilege <n> <call> [<call> ...] Set the privilege level on a
4400 Set the privilege level on a callsign. The privilege levels that
4401 pertain to commands are as default:-
4406 1 - allow remote nodes normal user RCMDs
4407 5 - various privileged commands (including shutdown, but not disc-
4408 connect), the normal level for another node.
4409 8 - more privileged commands (including disconnect)
4410 9 - local sysop privilege. DO NOT SET ANY REMOTE USER OR NODE TO THIS
4416 If you are a sysop and you come in as a normal user on a remote
4417 connection your privilege will automatically be set to 0.
4423 9.107. set/spider (5)
4425 set/spider <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make the node_call a DXSpider
4429 Set the node_call as a DXSpider type node
4432 9.108. set/sys_qra (9)
4434 set/sys_qra <locator> Set your cluster QRA locator
4439 set/qra <locator> Set your QRA locator
4442 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have
4443 not done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set
4444 roughly correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
4456 set/qth <your QTH> Set your QTH
4459 Tell the system where your are. For example:-
4463 set/qth East Dereham, Norfolk
4469 9.111. set/register (9)
4471 set/register <call> Mark a user as registered
4474 Registration is a concept that you can switch on by executing the
4476 set/var $main::regreq = 1
4478 command (usually in your startup file)
4480 If a user is NOT registered then, firstly, instead of the normal motd
4481 file (/spider/data/motd) being sent to the user at startup, the user
4482 is sent the motd_nor file instead. Secondly, the non registered user
4483 only has READ-ONLY access to the node. The non-registered user cannot
4486 The only exception to this is that a non-registered user can TALK or
4487 SEND messages to the sysop.
4489 To unset a user use the 'unset/register' command
4494 set/talk Allow talk messages to be seen at your console
4497 Allow talk messages to arrive at your console. You can switch off
4498 talks with the unset/talk command.
4503 set/wcy Allow WCY messages to be seen at your console
4506 Allow WCY information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
4507 WCY messages with the unset/wcy command.
4512 set/wwv Allow WWV messages to be seen at your console
4515 Allow WWV information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
4516 WWV messages with the unset/wwv command.
4521 set/wx Allow WX messages to be seen at your console
4524 Allow WX information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
4525 WX messages with the unset/wx command.
4528 9.116. show/baddx (1)
4530 show/baddxShow all the bad dx calls in the system
4533 Display all the bad dx callsigns in the system, see SET/BADDX for more
4537 9.117. show/badnode (6)
4539 show/badnode Show all the bad nodes in the system
4542 Display all the bad node callsigns in the system, see SET/BADNODE for
4546 9.118. show/badspotter (1)
4548 show/badspotter Show all the bad spotters in the system
4551 Display all the bad spotter's callsigns in the system, see
4552 SET/BADSPOTTER for more information.
4555 9.119. show/badword (1)
4557 show/badword Show all the bad words in the system
4560 Display all the bad words in the system, see SET/BADWORD for more
4564 9.120. show/configuration (0)
4566 show/configuration [<node>] Show all visible nodes and their users
4569 This command allows you to see all the users that can be seen and the
4570 nodes to which they are connected. With the optional node, you can
4571 specify a particular node to look at.
4573 This command is normally abbreviated to: sh/c
4575 BE WARNED: the list that is returned can be VERY long
4578 9.121. show/configuration/node (0)
4580 show/configuration/node Show all the nodes connected
4583 Show all the nodes connected locally and the nodes they have
4587 9.122. show/connect (1)
4589 show/connect Show all the active connections
4592 This command shows information on all the active connections known to
4593 the node. This command gives slightly more information than WHO.
4596 9.123. show/date (0)
4598 show/date [<prefix>|<callsign>] Show the local time
4601 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the
4602 format of the date string if no arguments are given.
4604 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the
4605 local time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some
4606 prefixes then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not
4607 including DST) at the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
4610 9.124. show/debug (9)
4612 show/debug Show what levels of debug you are logging
4615 The levels can be set with set/debug
4623 show/dx [options] interrogate the spot database
4626 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots (sysop
4627 configurable, but usually 10).
4629 In addition you can add any number of these options in very nearly any
4630 order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
4635 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
4636 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
4638 <number> - the number of spots you want
4639 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in
4642 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
4643 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
4644 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
4646 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
4647 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
4649 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
4651 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call>
4654 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
4655 held in the spot database.
4657 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will
4658 look for the string iota and anything which looks like
4659 an iota island number. If you specify then it will look
4662 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if
4663 you specify one or else anything that looks like a locator.
4674 SH/DX on 20m info iota
4675 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
4687 9.126. show/dxcc (0)
4689 show/dxcc <prefix> Interrogate the spot database by country
4692 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
4693 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is and
4694 then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
4696 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command. e.g.
4702 SH/DXCC W on 20m info iota
4708 9.127. sh/dxstats (0)
4710 sh/dxstats Show the DX Statistics for last 31 days
4713 Show the total DX spots for the last 31 days
4717 9.128. show/files (0)
4719 show/files [<filearea> [<string>]] List the contents of a filearea
4722 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
4723 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file area
4733 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the
4736 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
4737 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
4741 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
4746 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
4749 9.129. show/filter (0)
4751 show/filter Show the filters you have set
4753 Show the contents of all the filters that are set by you. This command
4754 displays all the filters set - for all the various categories.
4757 9.130. show/filter (extended for sysops) (5)
4759 show/filter <callsign> Show the filters set by <callsign>
4762 A sysop can look at any filters that have been set.
4765 9.131. show/hfstats (0)
4767 show/hfstats Show the HF DX Statistics for last 31 days
4770 Show the HF DX spots breakdown by band for the last 31 days
4773 9.132. show/hftable (0)
4775 show/hftable Show the HF DX Spotter Table for your country
4778 Show the HF DX Spotter table for your country for the last 31 days
4781 9.133. show/hops (8)
4783 show/hops <node_call> [ann|spots|wcy|wwv|] Show the hop counts for a
4787 This command shows the hop counts set up for a node. You can specify
4788 which category you want to see. If you leave the category out then all
4789 the categories will be listed.
4792 9.134. show/isolate (1)
4794 show/isolate Show a list of isolated nodes
4797 Show which nodes are currently set to be isolated.
4800 9.135. show/lockout (9)
4802 show/lockout Show a list of excluded callsigns
4805 Show a list of callsigns that have been excluded (locked out) of the
4806 cluster locally with the set/lockout command
4811 show/log [<callsign>] Show excerpts from the system log
4814 This command outputs a short section of the system log. On its own it
4815 will output a general logfile. With the optional callsign it will
4816 show output from the log associated with that callsign.
4819 9.137. show/moon (0)
4821 show/moon [<prefix>|<callsign>] Show moon rise and set times
4824 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or
4825 callsigns, together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun
4826 currently at those locations.
4828 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times
4829 for your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or
4830 SET/QRA), together with the current azimuth and elevation.
4832 In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal
4833 distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit.
4835 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
4836 that you are connected to.
4851 show/muf <prefix> [<hours>][long] Show the likely propagation to
4855 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting a
4856 station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a
4857 modest power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about
4860 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
4861 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
4862 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
4863 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced
4864 accuracy for paths shorter or longer than this.
4866 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
4867 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
4868 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
4869 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
4870 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
4871 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
4872 such as the Voice of America.
4874 The command will display some header information detailing its
4875 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
4876 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
4877 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
4878 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for
4879 which the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a
4882 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the
4883 conventional 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it
4884 means that it is 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by
4885 an 'm' it means that there is likely to be much fading and by an 's'
4886 that the signal is likely to be noisy.
4888 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
4889 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no
4890 of hours required after the prefix. For example:-
4903 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
4904 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
4905 Location Lat / Long Azim
4906 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
4907 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
4908 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
4909 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
4910 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
4915 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
4916 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
4927 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
4938 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
4939 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
4940 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
4943 9.139. show/newconfiguration (0)
4945 show/newconfiguration [<node>] Show all the nodes and users visible
4948 This command allows you to see all the users that can be seen and the
4949 nodes to which they are connected.
4951 This command produces essentially the same information as
4952 SHOW/CONFIGURATION except that it shows all the duplication of any
4953 routes that might be present It also uses a different format which may
4954 not take up quite as much space if you don't have any loops.
4956 BE WARNED: the list that is returned can be VERY long
4959 9.140. show/newconfiguration/node (0)
4961 show/newconfiguration/node Show all the nodes connected locally
4964 Show all the nodes connected to this node in the new format.
4967 9.141. show/node (1)
4969 show/node [<node_call> ...] Show the type and version number of nodes
4972 Show the type and version (if connected) of the nodes specified on the
4973 command line. If no callsigns are specified then a sorted list of all
4974 the non-user callsigns known to the system will be displayed.
4977 9.142. show/prefix (0)
4979 show/prefix <callsign> Interrogate the prefix database
4982 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
4983 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number it is
4984 and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country together
4985 with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
4991 9.143. show/program (5)
4993 show/program Show the locations of all the included program modules
4996 Show the name and location where every program module was load from.
4997 This is useful for checking where you think you have loaded a .pm file
5003 show/qra <locator> [<locator>] Show the distance between locators
5004 show/qra <lat> <long> Convert latitude and longitude to a locator
5007 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
5008 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
5009 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
5010 to the locator. For example:-
5017 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator
5018 from yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and
5019 bearing from the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6
5022 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator
5023 by using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument,
5028 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
5036 show/qrz <callsign> Show any callbook details on a callsign
5039 This command queries the QRZ callbook server on the internet and
5040 returns any information available for that callsign. This service is
5041 provided for users of this software by http://www.qrz.com
5044 9.146. show/registered (9)
5046 show/registered [<prefix>[ Show the registered users
5049 9.147. show/route (0)
5051 show/route <callsign> Show the route to <callsign>
5054 This command allows you to see to which node the callsigns specified
5055 are connected. It is a sort of inverse sh/config.
5065 9.148. show/satellite (0)
5067 show/satellite <name> [<hours> <interval>] Show satellite tracking
5071 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your
5072 choice from now on for the next few hours.
5074 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a
5075 list of all the satellites known currently to the system.
5077 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
5078 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
5079 give information for the next three hours for every five minute
5083 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
5086 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
5093 SH/SAT FENGYUN1 12 2
5101 show/sun [<prefix>|<callsign>] Show sun rise and set times
5104 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
5105 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
5108 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times
5109 for your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or
5110 SET/QRA), together with the current azimuth and elevation.
5112 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
5113 that you are connected to.
5120 SH/SUN G1TLH K9CW ZS
5126 9.150. show/time (0)
5128 show/time [<prefix>|<callsign>] Show the local time
5131 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the
5132 local time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some
5133 prefixes then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not
5134 including DST) at the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
5137 9.151. show/vhfstats (0)
5139 show/vhfstats Show the VHF DX Statistics for last 31 days
5142 Show the VHF DX spots breakdown by band for the last 31 days
5145 9.152. show/vhftable (0)
5147 show/vhftable Show the VHF DX Spotter Table for your country
5149 Show the VHF DX Spotter table for your country for the last 31 days
5154 show/wcy Show the last 10 WCY broadcasts
5155 show/wcy <n> Show the last <n> WCY broadcasts
5158 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the
5164 show/wwv Show the last 10 WWV broadcasts
5165 show/wwv <n> Show the last <n> WWV broadcasts
5168 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the
5175 shutdown Shutdown the cluster
5178 Shutdown the cluster and disconnect all the users. If you have Spider
5179 set to respawn in /etc/inittab it will of course restart.
5184 spoof <callsign> <command> Run commands as another user
5187 This is a very simple yet powerful command for the sysop. It allows
5188 you to issue commands as if you were a different user. This is very
5189 useful for the kind of things that users seem to always get wrong..
5190 like home_node for example.
5195 stat/db <dbname> Show the status of a database
5198 Show the internal status of a database descriptor.
5200 Depending on your privilege level you will see more or less
5201 information. This command is unlikely to be of much use to anyone
5205 9.158. stat/channel (5)
5207 stat/channel <callsign> Show the status of a channel on the cluster
5210 Show the internal status of the channel object either for the channel
5211 that you are on or else for the callsign that you asked for.
5213 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
5217 stat/msg <msgno> Show the status of a message
5220 This command shows the internal status of a message and includes
5221 information such as to whom it has been forwarded, its size, origin
5225 If no message number is given then the status of the message system is
5229 9.160. stat/route_node (5)
5231 stat/route_node <callsign> Show the data in a Route::Node object
5234 9.161. stat/route_user (5)
5236 stat/route_user <callsign> Show the data in a Route::User object
5239 9.162. stat/user (5)
5241 stat/user <callsign> Show the full status of a user
5244 Shows the full contents of a user record including all the secret
5247 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
5252 sysop Regain your privileges if you login remotely
5255 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
5256 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
5257 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
5258 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
5259 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
5262 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
5263 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
5264 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
5265 these values are for explanation :-):
5269 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
5281 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
5288 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
5289 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
5295 talk <callsign> Enter talk mode with <callsign>
5296 talk <callsign> <text> Send a text message to <callsign>
5297 talk <callsign> > <node_call> [<text>] Send a text message to
5298 <callsign> via <node_call>
5301 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the
5302 cluster system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a
5303 SHOW/CONFIGURATION command, they don't have to be connected locally.
5305 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
5306 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
5307 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the
5310 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can
5311 only see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use
5312 the second form of the talk message.
5314 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text
5315 message out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means
5316 is that a short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you
5317 are in a 'Talking' frame of mind and then you just type - everything
5318 you send will go to the station that you asked for.
5320 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on
5323 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you precede the
5324 normal command with a '/' character, eg:-
5328 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
5334 To leave talk mode type:
5349 type <filearea>/<name> Look at a file in one of the fileareas
5352 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
5353 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
5358 TYPE bulletins/arld051
5363 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a list of
5369 who Show who is physically connected locally
5372 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
5373 what sort of connection they have
5378 wx <text> Send a weather message to local users
5379 wx full <text> Send a weather message to all cluster users
5382 Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an
5383 extreme that may indicate enhanced conditions
5386 9.168. wx (enhanced for sysops) (5)
5388 wx sysop <text> Send a weather message to other clusters only
5391 Send a weather message only to other cluster nodes and not to general
projects / spider.git / blob