Logging Contacts

The logger tab is your primary workspace. This guide covers everything about entering and saving QSOs.


Callsign Entry

Type a callsign into the callsign field. After a 500ms pause, the app validates the input (minimum 3 characters, standard callsign pattern including portable suffixes like /P or /M) and performs a QRZ lookup if auto-lookup is enabled.

The lookup badge next to the field shows the current status:

Badge Meaning
Gray (search) Idle — waiting for input
Gray (typing) Not enough characters yet
Blue (ready) Valid callsign, lookup pending
Yellow (invalid) Doesn't match callsign pattern
Blue (loading) Looking up on QRZ...
Green (success) Found on QRZ
Red (not found) Not in QRZ database
Red (error) Connection issue

After a successful lookup, the display area shows:

  • Operator name and photo (if available)
  • Location (city, state, country) with country flag
  • Grid square
  • Age (if birth year available on QRZ)
  • Timezone and live-updating local time

Auto-lookup toggle: You can disable automatic lookups in Settings. When disabled, lookups only happen when you manually trigger them. This is useful for offline operation or when you want to minimize API calls.

Deduplication: The app tracks the last callsign looked up and won't re-query QRZ if you re-enter the same call. This resets when you clear the form.


Multi-Operator Lookup

Enter up to 5 comma-separated callsigns (e.g., KK7QAS, W1AW, N0CALL) to look up multiple operators at once. The display switches to a grid view showing each operator's photo, name, location, and lookup status.

When you save, individual QSOs are created for each callsign — each with its own lookup data (name, grid, location) and a slight time offset to avoid duplicates. This is handy for field day or multi-contact scenarios.


Frequency, Band, and Mode

Frequency Input

Enter your operating frequency in MHz. The app auto-detects:

  • Band — mapped from standard amateur frequency ranges (160m through 70cm)
  • Mode — guessed from the frequency:
    • Known FT8 frequencies (within 5 kHz tolerance) → FT8
    • CW sub-bands → CW
    • Phone sub-bands → SSB
    • Everything else defaults to SSB

Both auto-detections are suggestions — you can manually change the band or mode dropdown at any time without affecting the other.

Mode Dropdown

The dropdown is populated from your enabled modes in Station Settings. Only modes you've checked will appear. If you're editing an existing QSO, the dropdown always includes that QSO's current mode even if you've since disabled it, so you won't accidentally lose data.


RST Sent / Received

RST defaults are set automatically based on the current mode:

Mode Default RST
CW 599
SSB and all others 59

Defaults only apply when the field is empty or contains a previous default value. If you've entered a custom RST, changing modes won't overwrite it.


TIME_ON and TIME_OFF

QAS-log captures two timestamps for each QSO:

  • TIME_ON — recorded when you enter the callsign (the start of the contact). This is the moment the callsign lookup triggers, not when you click save.
  • TIME_OFF — recorded at save time (the end of the contact). This is always the current UTC time when you click Log QSO.

This means if you chat with someone for a few minutes before saving, the QSO accurately reflects the duration of the contact.

Manual Time Mode

If you edit the date field, the app switches to manual mode:

  • The time field becomes editable
  • A Back to Live button appears
  • Your entered date and time are used for TIME_ON instead of the auto-captured values

Click Back to Live to return to automatic time tracking. This is useful for logging a contact after the fact.


More Options (POTA, SOTA, WWFF)

Click More Options (chevron button) below the main form to reveal additional fields for the other station's program references:

Field ADIF Tag Example
POTA Ref POTA_REF US-0001
SOTA Ref SOTA_REF W7W/KG-001
WWFF Ref WWFF_REF KFF-1234

These describe the contacted station's activation — not yours. Your own activation references are configured in Station Settings and attached to every QSO automatically.

If you're logging a POTA spot from the POTA tab, these fields are populated automatically when you click a spot.


Saving a QSO

Click Log QSO or press Enter to save. Here's what happens:

  1. Validation — the form checks for required fields. If anything's missing, the invalid fields are highlighted.

  2. Data collection — all form fields are gathered, along with your station settings (callsign, grid, rig, power, etc.) and any QRZ lookup data (name, location, country, DXCC entity).

  3. Storage write — the QSO is saved to IndexedDB or localStorage depending on your storage backend setting.

  4. Form clear — the form resets for the next contact. Frequency and mode are preserved so you can keep logging on the same band.

  5. QRZ auto-upload (if enabled) — a 15-second countdown toast appears. When it expires, the QSO is pushed to QRZ Logbook. Click the toast to cancel.

  6. Display update — the new QSO appears at the top of your recent contacts list.


Editing and Deleting QSOs

Editing

Click the expand arrow on any QSO in the recent contacts list, then click Edit. The row transforms into an inline edit form with all fields editable:

  • Callsign, name, state, grid square
  • Date (YYYY-MM-DD format) and time (HH:MM:SS format, auto-formatted on blur)
  • Frequency, mode (dropdown), RST sent/received
  • POTA, SOTA, and WWFF references

The mode dropdown shows your enabled modes but always includes the QSO's current mode — even if you've since disabled that mode in settings — so you can't accidentally blank it out.

Click Save to commit changes, or Cancel to discard. Band is automatically recalculated if you change the frequency. The timestamp is recalculated from the new date and time.

Deleting

Click Delete on an expanded QSO. A browser confirmation dialog asks "Are you sure you want to delete this QSO?" — confirm to permanently remove it from storage.


QRZ Upload

Automatic Upload

If Auto QRZ Upload is enabled in Settings, each saved QSO triggers a 15-second countdown. When the timer expires, the QSO is uploaded to QRZ Logbook via the /api/logger proxy. Click the countdown toast to cancel.

Upload status is shown inline on the QSO row:

Icon Meaning
Green check Successfully uploaded
Yellow warning QRZ reported duplicate (still marked as uploaded)
Red X Upload failed (error message shown)

Manual Bulk Upload

Click Send to QRZ to upload all manually-logged QSOs that haven't been sent yet. Imported QSOs are skipped. Each QSO is sent sequentially with a brief delay between requests, with a progress indicator for each.

What's Included

QRZ uploads include the same comprehensive set of fields as ADIF file exports: all contact fields, your full station information (callsign, grid, rig, antenna, power, zones), POTA/SOTA/WWFF references, and DXCC entity data. See ADIF Import & Export for the complete field list.


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