If you are logging a new QSO (as opposed to logging already-completed QSOs from a paper logbook), you can do so via the Main window's Log QSOs tab, or via the Capture window. The Log QSOs tab can be configured to provide direct access to every item, but at a cost in screen space and in the number of gestures (keystrokes or mouse clicks) required to log a QSO. The Capture window is optimized for fast real-time logging, but does not provide the ability to specify every item; for example, it automatically computes the band from frequency, and so does not provide independent access to the band item.
There are three basic steps in logging a QSO via the Main window's Log QSOs tab:
record the information items you care about
On the Main window's Log QSOs tab, DXKeeper organizes items into 9 groups, each associated with a panel:
The QSO panel is always present; you can independently control the presence of the Auxiliary, QSL, Online QSL, Award, Contest, Propagation, Details, and User-defined panels using the Log Panel checkboxes in the Configuration window's Log tab or using the eight checkboxes to the right of the QSO panel. Enabling the Display panels in two columns option will display these panels side-by-side in two columns rather than stacked in a single column - a format more suitable for widescreen monitors. All information items are stored with each QSO, whether or not the panels displaying them are visible. This allows you to adjust DXKeeper's consumption of screen real estate by displaying only the panels containing the items you care about.
If you are logging a new QSO (as opposed to logging already-completed QSOs from a paper logbook), check the optimize for realtime QSO entry box. If you are logging new satellite QSOs, you may prefer to enable optimize for realtime satellite QSOs.
To create a new QSO record, click the New button. This saves any previously open QSO record, initializes all of the textboxes used to capture information items to blanks, and places the cursor in the call item awaiting your entry of a callsign.
If, after entering or modifying a callsign in the call item, you strike the Enter key or the Tab key or immediately click the mode item selector, DXKeeper will
automatically initialize many information items for you
color the callsign to reflect its DXCC/Challenge/Toplist award status:
red, bold font: the callsign's DXCC entity is unworked, the entity-band is sought and unworked, or the entity-mode is sought and unworked
blue, bold font: the callsign's DXCC entity is worked but not confirmed, or the entity-band is sought and worked but not confirmed, or the entity-mode is sought and worked but not confirmed
black, normal font: the callsign's DXCC entity is confirmed, the entity-band is either confirmed or not sought, and the entity-mode is either confirmed or not sought
if the Display previous QSOs on lookup box is checked,
DXKeeper will show all previous QSOs with the callsign in the Log Page Display and, unless an override for the callsign is defined in DXView or Spotcollector, initialize the DXCC, name, QSL via, QTH, gridsquare, IOTA, QSL address, Primary Administrative Subdivision, Secondary Administrative Subdivision, ITU, CQ, continent, eQSL.cc member and LotW member items with information found in previous QSOs, with priority given to information extracted from the most recent QSOs
if the Display callsign progress on Lookup box is checked, displays the Callsign Progress window, which shows the bands and modes on which previous QSOs were made
if Display previous comments on Lookup box is checked, displays a scrollable window containing comments extracted from previous QSOs with the same base callsign, each preceded by the QSO's start time and terminated by the QSO's callsign
if the LotW database is installed, sets the LotW membership selector to Y if the callsign is a known participant in the ARRL's Logbook of the World, subject to the Maximum age of most recent LotW upload setting
if the eQSL AG database is installed, sets the eQSL.cc membership selector to A if the callsign is an Authenticity-Guaranteed member of eQSL.cc
if the USAP database is installed, it will be queried for a US State if the callsign is located in the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii; location information that can be unambiguously determined from the State will also be utilized to initialize the QSO, e.g. CQ and ITU zones
if the RDA database is installed, it will be queried for a Russian Oblast and District if the callsign is located in Asiatic Russia, European Russia, Franz Josef Lane, or Kaliningrad; location information that can be unambiguously determined from the Oblast will also be utilized to initialize the QSO, e.g. CQ and ITU zones
if a Callbook is installed, selected, and configured for automatic initialization, DXKeeper will query the Callbook's database for name, location, and QSL route information.
move the mouse cursor to the mode item - unless you depressed the Shift key while striking the Enter key, in which case the mouse cursor will move to the begin item.
If a callsign is found to be a known participant of LotW but not an Authenticity-Guaranteed member of eQSL.cc, the callsign's background color is set to yellow. If a callsign is found to be an Authenticity-Guaranteed member of eQSL.cc but not a known participant of LotW, the callsign's background color is set to pink . If a callsign is found to be a known participant of LotW and an Authenticity-Guaranteed member of eQSL.cc, the callsign's background color is set to cyan (light blue). If SpotCollector is installed, however, the background colors specified on the Spot Database Display tab of SpotCollector's Configuration window - if not too dark - are used in place of yellow, pink, and cyan. The eQSL AG and LotW databases can be installed via the Databases tab of DXView's Configuration window.
You can set any of the remaining items manually. Double-clicking several items immediately performs useful actions.
In determining the DXCC entity from the callsign, DXKeeper uses the current ITU Prefix Allocations. If you are logging an older QSO, you should verify that that DXKeeper has deduced the correct DXCC entity by inspecting the Aux panel's entity item. If you log a 1990 QSO with UP1BZO, for example, DXKeeper will set the QSO's DXCC entity to Kazakhstan, which is incorrect. You can correct this by selecting the correct DXCC entity -- in this case, Lithuania -- in the Aux panel's entity item.
If the first letter of the callsign you enter is an exclamation point, DXKeeper assumes that you are logging a CQ, an unsuccessful call, a test, or some other transmission that you wish to record but does not represent a QSO. Such log entries are not assigned a DXCC entity, do not initiate a Callbook database lookup, and are not included in award tracking statistics.
When any item is modified, the panel labels are rendered in blue as a reminder to save the information. To do so, click the Log button; this resets the panel labels to black. If you plan to immediately log another new QSO, you can instead click the New button, which will both save the current QSO's information and create a new QSO record. With the cursor in any item textbox, you can perform the Log or New operations without lifting your hands from the keyboard by striking Ctrl-L or Ctrl-J respectively.
If you attempt to save a QSO whose Grid 1, Grid 2, Grid 3, or Grid 4 item specifies a valid two-character Maidenhead Field, 00aa will be appended to the item to make it a valid Maidenhead Grid Square.
After a newly-created QSO is recorded by clicking the Log or New buttons, the Require Edit to modify logged QSOs setting determines whether the Edit button must be clicked before subsequent modifications to that QSO are permitted. If Require Edit to modify logged QSOs is enabled and the Edit button has not been clicked, any attempt to change an item in the current QSO is ignored. If the Edit button is clicked, changes are permitted, and the Edit button is replaced by a Save button that can be clicked to record the changes. If Require Edit to modify logged QSOs is not enabled, changes to items in the current QSO can be made at any time; such changes can be recorded by clicking the Save button. Changes are also recorded by taking any action that causes another QSO become selected.
If the Provide audible feedback box is checked, successfully logging a QSO via the New or Log buttons will play the "Windows Default Beep" sound.
If an item contains an invalid value, or if a required item is missing, clicking the Log or New buttons or attempting to select another QSO will flash the labels of any such items in red font, but will not enter the QSO into the current log; if the Provide audible feedback box is checked, the "Windows Default Beep" will play each time the labels flash. Frequencies not falling within a defined band are considered invalid. Callsign validity checking can be enabled or disabled via the Flag Invalid Callsigns setting. If an item's data exceeds its specified maximum length, its label will be flashing in red font, and the Log button will not enter the QSO into the current log. Until you correct the error(s) causing the item labels to flash or until you delete the QSO, the New, and Log buttons will not function, and you will be unable to select another QSO. Disabling the Flag Invalid Callsigns option will immediately stop an invalid callsign from being considered invalid.
If a non-critical item is missing or contains an inappropriate value, clicking the Log or New buttons or attempting to select another QSO will enter the QSO into the current log but while flashing the labels of any such items in blue font (if the panel's that contain them are visible). Examples of non-critical errors include:
missing Operator
have an End date/time that occurs before their Begin date/time
include a Satellite name but do not have Propagation Mode set to SAT
have an empty myQTH field in a Log for which multiple QTHs have been defined
have an invalid Iota item
an invalid grid 1 item
Iota items that are valid but not in standard format will be placed in standard format when you click the Log or New buttons. For example, AF1 will be changed to AF-001.
If you modify one or more items and then change your mind, clicking the Undo button will restore them to their last saved state.
Double-clicking the caption of an unselected item will select that item:
the item immediately receives keyboard focus (which means that keys you strike will be directed to the selected item)
the item's caption is rendered in underlined font
selecting another QSO in the Log Page Display will set the keyboard focus in the selected item of that QSO
Double-clicking the underlined caption of a selected item will de-select that item, setting keyboard focus in the Filter panel textbox.
If an item has a default value, Ctrl-double-clicking the caption of that item will display the Configuration window and place the mouse cursor in the default value.
In fields containing dates, the year must be 1930 or later.
If you do not include time separators in the begin or end fields, DXKeeper will insert them appropriately:
Time Result 1 01:00:00 12 12:00:00 123 1:23:00 1234 12:24:00 12345 1:23:45 123456 12:34:56
If you have configured Windows to use a time separator other than colon, DXKeeper will use the time separator you have specified.
With the mouse cursor in the begin or end fields, you can incrementally change the specified date and time using the up and down arrow keys:
| Modifier | Effect of Up or Down Arrow keys |
| none | increases or decreases the date and time by 1 minute |
| Ctrl | increases or decreases the date and time by 10 minutes |
| Shift | increases or decreases the date and time by 1 hour |
| Alt | increases or decreases the date and time by 1 day |
Uncapitalized first letters of each word entered into the Name or QTH items will be automatically capitalized unless the word contains a capitalized letter.
Striking the Enter key in the QTH item initiates a word-by-word inspection of the QSL field.
If the QTH item contains a valid grid square and the QSO's, then the QSO's Grid 1 item will be set to the Grid Square found in the QTH item
If the QTH item contains a valid US State abbreviation, and the QSO's DXCC entity is USA or Alaska or Hawaii, then the QSO's State item will be set to the State found in the QTH item
If the QTH item contains a valid Canadian Province abbreviation, and the QSO's DXCC entity is Canada, then the QSO's Province item will be set to the Province found in the QTH item
If the QTH item contains a valid ARRL Section abbreviation, and the QSO's DXCC entity is USA or Alaska or Hawaii or US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico or US Pacific possessions, or Canada, then the QSO's ARRL Section item will be set to the ARRL Section found in the QTH item
If the State, Province, ARRL Section, and Grid Square items found in the QTH item unambiguously identify a CQ Zone, then the QSO's CQ zone item will be derived from the information found in the QTH item
If the State, Province, ARRL Section, and Grid Square items found in the QTH item unambiguously identify an ITU Zone, then the QSO's ITU zone item will be derived from the information found in the QTH item
To make it easy to copy QSL route information into a QSO record, the address item supports drag and drop from OLE sources such as Pathfinder or Microsoft Internet Explorer. To use this feature, first select the QSL route text in the source; then drag the selected text to the address item and drop it there. Semicolons in the selected text will be converted to newline sequences in the address item. The drag and drop action replaces any pre-existing address item contents with the selected source text. You can also invoke the Address Editor by double-clicking the address item or the via item.
Double-clicking the comment item will invoke a Comment editor window that makes it easier to enter or modify lengthy content; click the Save button to preserve your changes, or the Cancel button to abandon them.
You can include substitution commands in the QSLMsg item to include information determined by your current location.
Double-clicking or striking the Enter key in the Grid 1 item updates DXView's display to show the specified grid square as its current position. Depressing the CTRL key while double-clicking the Grid 1 item updates DXView's display and rotates the antenna to the short-path heading; depressing the ALT key while double-clicking the Grid 1 item updates DXView's display and rotates the antenna to the long-path heading.
To allow operation without removing one's hands from the keyboard, DXKeeper provides keyboard shortcuts for navigating among the items on the Main window's Log QSOs tab..
Logging Information Needed for Award Tracking
To track progress towards awards like WAS, USA-CA, RDA, WAJA, JCC, JCG, and AJA, DXKeeper provides items in its Awards panel that let you record a callsign's Primary Administrative Subdivision and its Secondary Administrative Subdivision. Some DXCC entities formally define a set of Primary Administrative Subdivisions, e.g. States in the United States, Oblasts in European and Asiatic Russia, and Prefectures in Japan; unique abbreviations or codes are used to identify these primary subdivisions. When you log a QSO with one of these entities, DXKeeper provides an appropriately-labeled (e.g. state, oblast, prefecture) selector that lets you choose from among the valid codes for that entity; if you click the ? button to the right of this selector, DXKeeper's Main Administrative Subdivision Selector window will appear, which provides a cross-reference between codes or abbreviations and full names, and lets you choose a primary subdivision by clicking in either the window's Code or Name selector.
If a country contains multiple DXCC entities, then when you select one of these entities the selector will provide choices valid for the selected entity; if a QSO's DXCC entity is Asiatic Russia, for example, the subyekt selector will only offer Oblasts located in Asiatic Russia.
ADIF defines the District of Columbia (DC) as a Primary Administrative Entity of the United States. DXKeeper's WAS report treats QSOs with stations in the District of Columbia as being in Maryland; its Worked All Counties report treats QSOs with stations in the District of Columbia as being in Maryland's Washington County.
ADIF defines Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) as a Primary Administrative Entity of Canada, replacing the previous separate provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador
Some of the DXCC entities that define a set of Primary Administrative Subdivisions formally define a set of Secondary Administrative Subdivisions for each of their Primary Administrative Subdivision, e.g. Counties in the United States, Districts in Russia, and Cities and Guns in Japan; unique abbreviations or codes are used to identify these secondary subdivisions. For such entities, DXKeeper provides an appropriately-labeled (e.g. county, district, city/gun) selector lets you choose from among the valid codes; if you click the ? button to the right of this selector, DXKeeper's Main Administrative Subdivision Selector window will appear, which provides a cross-reference between codes or abbreviations and full names, and lets you choose a secondary subdivision by clicking in either the window's Code or Name selector.
ADIF defines 28 Alaskan Counties; DXKeeper expect these to be logged with Alaskan QSOs. The Worked All Counties report automatically maps these counties to the correct Judicial District and reports your County progress accordingly.
If the Allow direct Subdivision entry setting is enabled, you can directly enter and edit abbreviations or codes in the Primary and Secondary Administrative Subdivisions rather than be restricted to making selections.
For entities that do not define Primary or Secondary Subdivisions, DXKeeper provides pri sub and sec sub textboxes with which any subdivision name can be recorded; you can use this to capture a subdivision name for QSO with a country that does not formally define its subdivisions, but this information may not be accepted by other logging applications when they import an ADIF file that you export.
The Main window's Log QSOs tab also provides region and DOK items to record entity-specific information required for certain awards.
For a summary of what information to record in what item for each supported award, see the table here.