Why DxQSO?
Why are we developing DxQSO? Our intent is to provide hams worldwide with a new technology platform that will improve the operating experience.
This project started as an LoTW 2.0 prototype to demonstrate to the ARRL how a modern, high performance and scalable system could match QSOs in realtime and do it in a cost effective manner. Of course, like many other things I have done, we built more and more functionality in and eventually productized it.
After proving that we could process realtime QSOs in a serverless cloud based architecture at scale, I then decided to build into DxQSO the first phase of my previous plan (as the former ARRL IT Director) for improvements to the TQSL application. (TQSL is the ARRL/LoTW provided application that connects your logbook application to the back end LoTW server to submit QSOs)
So we built an improved TQSL application (calling it DX-TQSL) which backs up it’s configuration information to the cloud. (My first planned LoTW upgrade module when I was with the ARRL) This allows users to restore their environment from the cloud and for users to be able to install it on a new PC/Mac with simply a DxQSO login and password. It will also (hopefully!) significantly reduce the support requirements of the ARRL staff in resolving certificate recovery issues.
We also modified DX-TQSL to submit its data to not only LoTW but also DxQSO. Your entire QSO logbook record now flows to both systems. The difference is that DxQSO stores all of your logbook data. A true and complete logbook backup system.
We then built an integration between LoTW and DxQSO allowing all QSLs to be regularly imported from LoTW. We also improved the DX-TQSL app to automatically backup and restore it’s configuration data.
We added a universal logbook translator which allows you to download logbooks into a specific logbook format and an LoTW submission module (My second planned LoTW upgrade module) which submits QSOs to LoTW. We are now building mobile applications for Android, IPhone, tablets and IPads to view, upload and download logbooks to and from DxQSO. This means that mobile apps will now be able to submit QSOs to LoTW while also storing all of their QSO information in a cloud based logbook storage system.
Our goal is to provide a true realtime logbook sync (We call it Ham Logbook SyncTM). Imagine saving your POTA log on an IPad logbook app like HAMRS , Rumlog or SDR-Mobile and then going to your PC and having all of those QSOs appear in your primary logbook (and have those contacts autoamtically submitted to LoTW and QRZ in the background?) . How about operating a contest with N1MM or Skookumlogger and when you are finished, your QSOs appear immediately in your primary logging application?
Our next major development will be focused on teams and clubs. We want to encourage and support both small teams and groups to compete together with realtime contest scoring and the ability to see how you and your team are doing in the contest. Single op contesters should be able to see their realtime scrore from within their current logbook application. We also want to provide teams and clubs with more tools that will encourage operating activity and make it even more fun.
Our focus is to provide communications and collaboration tools to all of the logbook applications. We do not plan to build or compete with logbook applications that already do such a great job. We want to empower these applications to provide more features (many other things are planned) and functionality from within their app and grow the excitement and fun of this hobby!
Our initial product includes:
Improved LoTW experience (reducing the support load on the ARRL)
Automatic backup of your TQSL environment as well as all of your QSOs and QSLs from LoTW.
Restore TQSL on any PC/Mac by simply downloading DX-TQSL and logging in to DxQSO.
Email and push alerts to your phone for new QSLs and new achievements. (Worked all states, DXCC and grid square hunting alerts coming soon).
Universal logging
DxQSO works with all logging applications and their different ADIF output formats. We believe that you should not lose data when exporting data from your contest/mobile/POTA/remote log and importing into your primary logging application. All your data is saved, and you can import that data into any other logging application without losing fields.
You can upload and download your logbooks whether for a specific contest or POTA activation through a simple mechanism. Why get lost with managing multiple ADIF files formats from different logging applications?
You can upload your logbook data from any platform or application and not have to worry about duplicating data since it is all merged without duplicates.
If you have done like I have done and transferred an old logbook into a new logging app and lost fields, you can upload both of your logbook exports into your cloud logbook and restore all the fields in each unqiue QSO record.
Integrated, real-time cloud logging
We are building an open API for all logging applications to directly access your complete logbook and allow you to make real time changes from within different logging applications simultaneously.
When you work a contest using a contest logger, you should be able to open your primary logging application and see all those contest contacts in your log. You should not have to hassle with exporting and importing and losing data in the process.
When you are mobile, your mobile logging app should have all of your logbook history, so you know if you have worked a station or country or county before.
When working remote, you should not have to hassle with exporting/importing and keeping all of your logbooks in sync.
That’s why we are building a real-time API so that your logging applications can immediately receive any new data found in your cloud logbook as well as automatically updating the cloud logbook with any changes that you make locally.
Every logging application that you access should have direct and complete access to all your QSOs from any application whether entered on a mobile, PC or Mac application.
One cloud logfile with universal and real-time access.
Access your full logbook from your mobile device
View your cloud logbook in real-time from any mobile device with our native Android and IOS applications.
The DxQSO mobile app gives provides user selectable push alerts on new achievements in real-time. You can upload new POTA logs from your mobile app and immediately see changes in your cloud logbook and LoTW. Your QSLs will automatically be pulled into your cloud logbook from LoTW and you will see them immediately appear in the mobile app. You see new and updated QSOs sent from your PC/Mac logbook immediately as well.
Our mobile app allows you to view your entire and complete logbook and import any mobile logbook. You can also export your consolidated cloud logbook from the Android or IOS DxQSO application (on mobile or tablet) and import that data directly into your logging application.
