DX4WIN.TCP DX Cluster Database
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The DX4WIN.TCP file lists 474 DX cluster nodes reachable via the
Internet. It is derived from the
DXCluster.INFO database.
The file was last modified on 1 August 2010. Click this
link to download the file. Or you can use the
Update Script.
There is a version string at the end of the file. It will be in the format:
VERSION,20.10.08.01
The numerical "address" represents YY.YY.MM.DD (i.e. 2010, August 1). Do not try to connect to this address!
There are two different files in the archive. One file enables the
"keep-alive" functionality (see below). The other does
not (same as previous releases of DX4WIN.TCP). DX4WIN should not be
running when you update this file.
- If you do not need the "keep-alive" functionality, simply extract DX4WIN.TCP from the .ZIP file and
save it to your DX4WIN SAVE directory (over-writing the existing file).
- If you need/want the "keep-alive" functionality, first delete the existing
DX4WIN.TCP file from your DX4WIN SAVE directory. Next, extract
DX4WIN-KA.TCP from the .ZIP file and save it in your DX4WIN SAVE directory.
Finally, re-name the file from DX4WIN-KA.TCP to DX4WIN.TCP (you can do this by
right-clicking on the file name in your DX4WIN SAVE directory,
then choosing Rename).
If you used the Update Script, no additional work is necessary, unless you
want the "keep-alive" version of the file. In that case, you should
edit the UPDATE.BAT file to select the DX4WIN.TCP file you want, then run it
again. You will not have to do this the next time, unless the update script is
changed/updated.
The DX4WIN.TCP file lists over 450 DX cluster nodes reachable via the
Internet. The format of the file is:
NODE, IP address
Each node is on a separate line. Generally, the node name contains the callsign and the location. The IP
address can be a domain name or numerical. Here are a couple of examples from the
file:
4M5DX>Caracas-VENEZUELA,4m5dx.no-ip.org:7300
VE7CC-1>Maple Ridge-BC,ve7cc.net
DX4WIN uses this database when establishing an Internet packet connection (in
Packet1 Preferences, COM Port is set to TCP/IP). The first six entries in
the file are special:
25 OH8X,http://www.dxsummit.fi/text/dx25.html|1
100 OH8X,http://www.dxsummit.fi/text/dx100.html
1000 OH8X,http://www.dxsummit.fi/text/dx1000.html
10000 OH8X,http://www.dxsummit.fi/text/dx10000.html
LOCAL>CC User,localhost:7300
RBN>Reverse Beacon Network,telnet.reversebeacon.net:7000
- The first four entries download spots from
DX Summit. Only the first one will
auto-update (every minute).
- The fifth entry (beginning with LOCAL) is for people running VE7CC's
CC User program (see
below).
- The sixth entry is for the
Reverse Beacon Network,
a meld of DX spots from nodes that are running the
CW Skimmer software.
After these entries the file is organized in alpha-numeric callsign
order. The last entry in the file is the VERSION string.
Since version 7.02, DX4WIN has a keep alive feature (not well documented):
In the dx4win.tcp file, add a vertical bar at the end of the line followed by an integer.
The integer field is the number of minutes set for the timer. When the user types
a character in the packet window, the timer is reset to start over again.
Take, for example, the following entry from the DX4WIN.TCP file:
25 OH8X,http://www.dxsummit.fi/text/dx25.html|1
This downloads the last 25 spots every 1 minute. This is the same interval at which the
DX Summit web page updates.
The same field can be added to Telnet addresses:
VE7CC-1>Maple Ridge-BC,ve7cc.net|3
Instead of downloading the spots every "n" minutes, it will instead send a
"keep-alive" message to the cluster node you are connected to, so that
it will be less likely to disconnect you.
The VE7CC Cluster (CC) User Program
offers filtering, notification and reconnect options that supplement DX4WIN's
own DX Cluster interface.
To configure the CC User program for use with DX4WIN, follow the instructions
under CC User Setup.
You can connect DX4WIN to the CC User program (that's running on the same
computer as DX4WIN) using the "LOCAL" entry in DX4WIN.TCP:
LOCAL>CC User,localhost:7300
If DX4WIN is running on a different computer than CC User (but on the same
local area network [LAN]), modify your DX4WIN.TCP (in a plain text editor like
notepad) and change "localhost" to the IP address of the computer
running CC User, i.e. 192.168.0.100
When the "Select Internet address" window is up, you can type the callsign to
navigate to the entry, i.e. N0VD. Then type Enter or click the OK button to
connect.
The order of the DX4WIN.TCP file is not important, and most people find it
more convenient to put the node(s) they frequently connect to at the top. You
can use any plain-text editor like Notepad or Write to do this. Then, to connect
to the Internet, just type (press) the Enter key three times
while in the Packet Window:
- The first Enter brings up the "No connection active" warning
- The second Enter acknowledges the warning and brings up the
"Select Internet address" window
- The third Enter connects to the first address listed in the
"Select Internet address" window
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