Using the RBN Telnet Server - a Brief Tutorial

While we work on solving the RBN server problem in preparation for CQWW CW, I've had a request for a brief tutorial. I think this logically divides into two parts: connecting to the server and setting the server's filters so that you can control the size of the firehose.

1. Connecting

This part really couldn't be easier. You connect to the RBN Telnet server just like you connect to any Telnet DX cluster, by adding the address to your logging program or other Telnet client. I can't prescribe exactly how your particular software handles adding a telnet server to its list, but there are only two key ingredients, the address and the port number. The RBN Telnet server's address is telnet.reversebeacon.net, and the port at that address is 7000.

Once you are set up, just open the connection, and you'll see a login request. The server will ask for your call. No password. And that's all - you're in.
















2. Filtering

Now the interesting part, and I promise screenshots to help things along.

Filtering at the server is almost essential, because there are so darned many spots. During the middle 24-hour day of SSCW, for example, the RBN database logged over 470,000 spots. That's an average of over 5 a second, and if the average was that high, you know there were many occasions when the unfiltered RBN delivered several times that. None of the contest loggers I know of is designed for that sort of load, but you can easily test - just let it run and see what happens.

The RBN's Telnet server uses the DXSpider cluster software, which has quite sophisticated filtering. For example, American users can filter so that they only receive spots of W and VE stations, as I did during SS, or you can set up to receive only spots that are of particular interest. During next weekend's LZ DX Contest, for example, you might filter to receive only spots of LZ stations. Or you might choose to filter by origin, so that you could be pretty sure that you would be able to hear any station that is spotted. You can do this by country, by US or VE call area, or even by state or province.

The DXSpider filters are set up differently than the AR-Clusters that most of us are used to, and I didn't want to wrestle with the new syntax, so I found an easy way out. VE7CC has written a sophisticated Telnet client called CC User whose best trick is the ability to program a DX cluster's filters from simple check-box-type selections. You can download the software free right here. There is also a detailed tutorial on the same web page, but for our purposes, I've tried to simplify it. While you can use CC User as an intermediary between the server and your logging program, for this purpose that's not necessary. You can use it to log on, set filters, check that they are working, and then log off, start yoiur regular logger, and reap the benefits.

Let's assume you're going to do it that way. Install and start CC User. On the main Configuration menu, in the upper left corner of the screen, left-click to check Telnet, then left-click again to open the window where you specify how to connect. See this screen-shot:


Enter it just as you see here, click Apply, and then Exit. Then click on the Connect button to the right of the RBN in the top center window, and stand back!


That gives you a sense of the full flow from the RBN. The upper window is raw data with all the bells and whistles left in, while the lower one is filtered (or in this case, not filtered). But for now, let's focus on two of the tabs that run across the middle of the screen:


Click on the "Country" tab first.


Let's say, for the sake of discussion, that we want to limit spots only to those from K and VE. You check the K and VE boxes, check to be sure Spotter Country is selected, and click "Pass" at the bottom of the right-hand pane.

You'll note that when you select "Pass", the backgrounds of the selected country prefixes, continent, and Filter type all turn green, and the red message appears to remind you that you must set your filters on the cluster you're connected to. Many people don't realize this at first - CC User has no filters of its own, so it sets them on the cluster. Click the Tell Cluster button, and you'll see this in the raw data window at the top of the screen:

spots Filter 7 deleted for N4ZR
N4ZR de K4TD-1 16-Nov-2010 1233Z 2.3860 dxspider >
Filter 7 updated for N4ZR.pl
N4ZR de K4TD-1 16-Nov-2010 1233Z 2.3860 dxspider >
spots Filter 8 deleted for N4ZR
N4ZR de K4TD-1 16-Nov-2010 1233Z 2.3860 dxspider >
N4ZR : spots
filter7 reject not by_dxcc k,ve
N4ZR de K4TD-1 16-Nov-2010 1233Z 2.3860 dxspider >

All that has been taken care of for you, and your filters are set. You can immediately see the result in the raw data window - all the spots are coming only from W and VE stations, where a few minutes ago they were coming from all over the world.

Let's look at the next tab over.


The setup is exactly the same, only this time you can select call areas, or individual states and provinces. In my case, I know that there are RBN receivers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and here in West Virginia, but I don't want ones in Alabama, Florida or Georgia, so I'll just select states. Pick the states you want, make sure you've chosen "Pass" and "All" for bands, and click the "Tell Cluster" button.


As soon as you've done so, the flow of spots will reflect your new selection. If you mess up - I frequently forget to select "Pass" - you can just over-write by correcting the settings and clicking "Tell Cluster" again. If you want to clear all your filters, the Clear button alone isn't enough - you must clear your selections and then "Tell Cluster."

A couple of other refinements - you must select Pass US, VE on the previous tab before you can select individual states or provinces to pass, and when clearing filters you must clear each tab individually - you'll see, if you clear the state filter, for example, that the K,VE filter remains in effect until you cancel it.

So that's all there is to it - once you have your filters as you want them for a particular contest, close CC User and open your logging program. Connect to the RBN Telnet server, and enjoy the filtered fire hose of spots.

73, Pete N4ZR