My DX Summit

A new DX Summit version has been recently announced by the OH8X Radio Arcala team and will be released in 1st December 2014. The new DX Cluster will be named MyDXSummit

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MyDXSummit

[dropcap type=”3″]T[/dropcap]he finnish OH8X Radio Arcala team is going to release a new version of the popular dxsummit.fi web cluster, one of the very first Online DX Clusters appeared on the net.

The new name for the internet based DX Cluster will be MyDXSummit, or MDXS for short.
Release date has been planned for the 1st December 2014, and till that date the team will work on setting up the new website, and is asking the help of up to 200 volunteers that will test and debug the current version.

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We will welcome some 200 pre-users, who are prepared to try it out and provide immediate feedback to the development team,”  OH2BH said “The aim of this exercise is to serve as the final debug phase and to enhance user experience to maximum satisfaction before tens of thousands suddenly fire their browsers to help them in their future DX hunt
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Martti Laine, OH2BH asking for beta testers

 

DXSummit Changes across years

MyDXSummit New Features

The DXZone recently visited MyDXSummit,  and compared the new beta version to the current web site.
Immediately appear evident a new modern approach to display and update dx spots and not only for the new graphic layout or for the new font used (say good-bye to monospaced Courier), but rather for the background technology implemented. DXSummit now meets the feature of the more recent DX Clusters available online

DX Spots Updates

myDXSummit preview
Current interface of the new DX Summit web site

DX spots get automatically displayed with a fast transition effect as they arrive and users have no more to wait for the canonical 60 seconds for the page to update.

As appear evident the dx spots are listed under a common table, with a sans-serif font, in a completely different way from the old space-aligned text in a monospaced font.

This useful technique was first introduced by another popular web DX Cluster, the brazilian DXWatch.com by Felipe PY1NB several years ago, and now gets implemented also by the finnish Web Cluster.

Filtering

MyDXSummit Filter
MyDXSummit DX Spot Filter Window

As all of you know, DX Spots research and monitoring can be very tedious without filtering.
The new filter interface allow easy access to the options that permit to select DX or DE call sign inputs and expanding the Filter icon , a more detailed and complete By Band filtering window appear. Simply clicking on the desired band, will automatically add the filtered band to the correct input field.

The Filtering window is divided in Include and Exclude sections, permitting users to easily add bands and exclude modes in example.

This band and mode filtering is complementary to the call sign search that is available on the main window.

 

Voacap Integration

DXSummit Voacap
DXSummit Voacap Integration

Another interesting feature implemented by  the Radio Arcala team in the new DXSummit, is the integration with the Online VoaCap propagation prediction service. (another valuable finnish-based ham radio resource)

In fact, when users click on a dx spot a pop-up window  will display propagation to that location not only for that particular time but for an entire period of 24 hours on all bands.

 

QRZ.com and Club Log

myDXSummit
DXSumit QRZ ClubLog

Clicking on the dx spot, the pop-up window will offer you the possibility to query the QRZ.com or the ClubLog database for that particular call-sign

 

 

 

Announcements

DXSummit Annoucements
DXSummit Annoucements

At the bottom of the main DX Spot page, you will be able to expand the Announcement window. As in previous versions it is integrated with the DXSpot result page, and acting often mainly as a chat system rather than for the original goal.

 

 

Adding Spots

DXSummit
Share a Spot

Adding spots is now Share Spot, meaning that even the common terms changes in this new dx cluster version, updating  the concept of adding a spot, to the its social meaning. Sharing Spot simply add the DX Spot to the DB.

 

Time Filtering and Export to CSV

DX Summit Search
DX Summit Search Spot

Spot search feature, let you restrict or expand the time-frame of your search, allowing to choose the start and end date (and time) of your spot search along to the common call-sign, band  and mode filters.

DXSummit Export CSV Spot
DXSummit Export Spot

While looking then at the bottom of the dx spot list, you can notice a “Download spot as CSV file” button.

This will allow you (and third-party programs?) to download a comma separated values file containing your dx spots search results.

 

Responsive

MyDXSummit on Mobile Device
MyDXSummit on Mobile Device

Like all recent DXCluster web sites, this new DXSummit version, is also available for mobile device access, implementing a responsive layout that can fit perfectly every mobile screen size and resolution.
DXSummit is now ready to be considered a mobile dxcluster site.

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DXZone
The DXZone merges amateur radio and Internet, since early internet days. Established in 1996 as a radio-related-mailinglist, has registered its domain name in 1998. Main goal is to review and promote ham-radio web sites, classifying them in categories. The DXZone is managed by ham radio operators with ham radio operators in mind.

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