Dealing with an empty Spot Database Display
If your Spot Database Display is empty, there are several possibilities:
SpotCollector has not successfully connected with a spot source
at least one of the LED-like displays in the Main window's Spot source status panel should be green; if not, check the settings on the Configuration window's Spot Sources tab for each active cluster:
Host address should specify the cluster's published internet address
Port should specify the cluster's published Telnet port
Username should specify your callsign
Password and Cmd should be empty
the Enable box should be checked
DXClusters that utilize DX Spider can be configured to disable the
YourCallsign de ClusterCallsign
prompt sequence that enables SpotCollector to confirm that you've logged in, preventing the cluster's LED-like status indicator from advancing from yellow to green. To correct this, click the cluster's LED-like status indicator to display its cluster window, and issue the command
set/Prompt
If the cluster responds to this command with the message
Need at least some text
then issue the command
unset/Prompt
The filtering enabled in one or more spot sources results in no spots being conveyed to SpotCollector
SpotCollector's pre-filtering is configured to discard all incoming spots
- The Spot Database Display is filtered in a way that hides all of its entries
to remove all filters, depress the CTRL key while clicking the Filter panel's X button
The Maximum age of valid incoming spots parameter is set to too low a value
on the Configuration window's Controls panel, set Maximum age of valid incoming spots to 60
All incoming spots are from skimmers, and you have the Discard Skimmer Spots box checked in the Pre-Filtering window.
- Your PC's clock is set to the incorrect time and/or time zone
if the Main window's title bar does not display the correct UTC time, incoming spots will be rejected as too old or in the future; open the Windows Control Panel and run the Date and Time applet to set the correct time and time zone
- be particularly mindful of this if your region has recently changed into or out of daylight savings time
In the Network section of the Windows Control Panel, you have not configured Windows to never power down the wired or wireless adapter by which your computer is connected to the internet.
Your anti-virus or firewall application is preventing SpotCollector from accessing the internet
configure the application in question to consider SpotCollector (and your other DXLab applications) to be safe
- The bands are dead so no one is spotting DX
double-click one of the green LED-like displays in the Main window's Spot source status panel to see that spot source's incoming data; if no spots are arriving from this source or any other source, no Spot Database Entries will be created
The title bar of SpotCollector's Main window indicates the presence of an errorlog.txt file in your SpotCollector folder; if so, follow these instructions.
Post a question or suggestion on the DXLab Discussion Group
Getting Started with Spot Collection, Active DX Identification, and Analytics