DIGITAL MASTER

780

U SER G UIDE

Simon Brown, HB9DRV

Last update: Sunday, April 01, 2007

 User
Guide

Martin Lynch and Sons of London supplies all radios used by

HB9DRV and GD4ELI.
Special thanks are due to Chris Taylor for his friendly and efficient
service.

If you are looking for a new radio to use with digital mode software
I recommend Kenwood’s TS-480SAT. It offers excellent value for
money, is very easy to use and has the best computer support
available today.

2
Contents

Introduction ...........................................................................................................................5
Supported Modes....................................................................................................................................................... 5
Operating System Support......................................................................................................................................... 5
VISTA ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Hardware Requirement.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Meet The Users.......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Getting Started.......................................................................................................................7
Audio Interfacing....................................................................................................................................................... 7
Commercial Solutions .................................................................................................................................... 7
DIY................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Tags ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Soundcard.................................................................................................................................................................. 9
SignaLink USB ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Radio Control .......................................................................................................................................................... 10
PTT.......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
COM Port ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Ham Radio Deluxe ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Your First QSO ....................................................................................................................13
QSO Window .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
More Detail.............................................................................................................................................................. 14
Mode ............................................................................................................................................................ 14
Transmitting ................................................................................................................................................. 15
Test Transmission ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Using Macros ............................................................................................................................................... 15
Add Log Entry......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Add............................................................................................................................................................... 17
More ............................................................................................................................................................. 18
My Station.................................................................................................................................................... 19
Advanced QSO Options........................................................................................................21
Squelch .................................................................................................................................................................... 21
AFC ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Signal Quality.......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Multi-Channel Support............................................................................................................................................ 21
Split Mode ............................................................................................................................................................... 22
Repeats .................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Waterfall.................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Main Toolbar................................................................................................................................................ 23
Favourites Toolbar ....................................................................................................................................... 24
Modes Toolbar ............................................................................................................................................. 24
Markers ........................................................................................................................................................ 24
Appearance................................................................................................................................................... 25
Options .................................................................................................................................................................... 25
Logbook ...............................................................................................................................27
Quick Log................................................................................................................................................................ 27
 User
Guide

Main Logbook ......................................................................................................................................................... 28

Layout .......................................................................................................................................................... 28
ADIF ............................................................................................................................................................ 29
Cabrillo......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Merge HRD.................................................................................................................................................. 32
Google Earth ................................................................................................................................................ 33
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................... 33
SuperBrowser ......................................................................................................................35
Options .................................................................................................................................................................... 36
Main Toolbar................................................................................................................................................ 36
Favourites Toolbar ....................................................................................................................................... 37
Transfer To QSO Windows..................................................................................................................................... 37
QSO Window ............................................................................................................................................... 37
Options .................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Visual ........................................................................................................................................................... 38
Operation...................................................................................................................................................... 38
Web Browsers ......................................................................................................................41
World Map...........................................................................................................................43
Alarms .................................................................................................................................45
Manager................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Editor ....................................................................................................................................................................... 46
Match Text ................................................................................................................................................... 46
Testing Alarms ............................................................................................................................................. 49
Text-To-Speech ....................................................................................................................................................... 49
Identities ..............................................................................................................................51
Logfile..................................................................................................................................53
Macros .................................................................................................................................55
Manager................................................................................................................................................................... 55
Editor ....................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Definition ..................................................................................................................................................... 58
Preview.................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Program Options..................................................................................................................61
eQSL.cc ................................................................................................................................................................... 61
Themes And Skins................................................................................................................................................... 61
Storage..................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Radio Interface.....................................................................................................................63
Favourites ................................................................................................................................................................ 63
Manager........................................................................................................................................................ 63
Center Frequency..................................................................................................................................................... 64
Change Log ..........................................................................................................................65
Index....................................................................................................................................67

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 User
Guide

Introduction

Digital Master (DM780) is a new program supporting the most

commonly used digital modes, a replacement for PSK31 Deluxe.
DM780 is closely integrated with Ham Radio Deluxe.
Too see what is new look at the Change Log (page 65).

Supported Modes
The first release supports PSK/QPSK 31/63/125 using the PSK
engine developed by Moe Wheatley AE4JY and modified by myself.
The source for the DLL is available, if you can’t find it on the Ham
Radio Deluxe website just ask and I’ll make sure it’s available.
In DM780 you find all the features you expect of a modern program
such as an integrated logbook, world map and web browsers. The
DM780 philosophy is to get the UI working properly before more
modes are added.
The development target is to support the commonly used digital
modes by the end of 2007, these modes being:
• CW
• DominoEX 4, DominoEX 5, DominoEX 8, DominoEX 11,
DominoEX 16, DominoEX 22
• Feld-Hell, FSK-Hell, FSK-Hell 105
• MFSK-8, MFSK-16, MFSK-16 pix
• OLIVIA various tones and bandwidth
• RTTY various Baud Rates, Shifts, Number of data bits, etc.
• Throb-1 Throb-2 Throb-4 ThrobX-1 ThrobX-2 ThrobX-4
The above list is taken from Fldigi, a fine digital mode program for
Linux. For more information: http://www.w1hkj.com/Fldigi.html .
The author of Fldigi, W1HKJ has kindly allowed me to use his code
for these modes.
Once this is work is finished WSJT will very probably be added.

Operating System Support

DM780 is designed for Windows 2000, XP and VISTA. Older
versions of Windows such as Windows 98 are not supported.
There are no plans for Linux or Mac OS versions. The UI code
cannot be made available; also it is not possible to port it to a

5
 UNIX-based operating system. If you want a UNIX / Linux solution
look at Fldigi (see above).

VISTA
Although the first release works with VISTA, the soundcard names
and input sources will not be displayed with the same titles seen
when using VISTA’s soundcard programs. To add correct support
for VISTA more code must be written on a VISTA development
machine, this will be part of the second release of DM780.

Hardware Requirement
Although one member of the test team has satisfactory results
using a 500 MHz CPU and Windows XP a realistic minimum system
would be a 1 GHz Intel CPU and 512 MB of RAM.
A high-end soundcard such as the M-Audio Delta 44 is not essential
but recommended.
If you are using a laptop be aware that the internal soundcard may
be very poor indeed, consider the SignaLink USB from Tigertronics
http://www.tigertronics.com/ .

Meet The Users

The HRD and DM780 support forums are found at
http://forums.ham-radio.ch/ .
You do not need to register to view the forums!

6
 User
Guide

Getting Started

Follow these steps to configure DM780 and enjoy your first digital
mode QSO.

Audio Interfacing
You need an audio interface to connect your rig's audio in/out to
the computer's soundcard. This eliminates troublesome ground
loops and prevents hum and noise from degrading the signals.
Audio interfacing can be done in so many ways that it would take
days to plough through all the available information. It is possible
to connect your radio directly to your soundcard without any form
of isolating interface but this is not recommended.

Commercial Solutions
From England there are the ZLP Electronics DigiMaster interfaces,
inexpensive, very well made and used with my TS-480SAT.

From Oregon USA, Tigertronics manufactures the SignaLink

interfaces, used with my IC-703 and FT-817.

From Connecticut USA, West Mountain Radio provide the

RIGBlaster solutions.

7
DIY
Here is a circuit recommended by Peter PH1PH (SK), this text was
written by Peter in 2004.
"Here is a circuit that has proved its worth many times. It will work
with any ICOM or Yaesu rig that has a 6-pin mini-DIN connector for
external audio. It will of course work on just about any other rig
that exists, but you will have to make changes to the connections
to your radio. Please check the actual connections to the mini-DIN -
I can accept no responsibility for damage to your rig should things
go wrong. I have to say that the one that I built to this circuit
worked perfectly well on my FT-817 and IC-703 without changes..."
"You should always use the rig's high-impedance audio output if
there is one available: this supplies a constant signal level to the
soundcard. Most rigs also have a TX audio connector independent
to the microphone input: you are advised to use this input. Some
commercial interfaces don't allow this: my recommendation is to
avoid any interface requiring use of the microphone connector and
speaker output unless there is no other option for getting signals in
and out of the radio."

8
 User
Guide

Tags
Enter values in the Tags window; these values are used in macros
(shortcuts which save you entering the same text every time you
have a QSO). The values are saved automatically.

Soundcard
Select your soundcard as follows:
Either:
• From the View menu select Soundcard,
• In the Soundcard pane press the Options button.
Or:
• Press F8 to display the Program Options (or select Program
Options from the Tools menu),
• Select the Soundcard page.

A good soundcard is recommended; some PC's come with very poor

solutions built onto the mothercard (this is especially true for
laptops). You can use the PC's default soundcard to get going, but
the difference between a poor soundcard and a card such as the M-
Audio Delta 44 or a Creative Audigy is like night and day. You will
be able to decode signals much better with a good soundcard.

9
 SignaLink USB
Tigertronics make a great external soundcard that you connect to a
USB port on your computer; this is the SignaLink USB, which also
provides an audio interface between the radio and PC to isolate
your computer from your radio.
Available direct from Tigertronics and Martin Lynch & Sons (UK).

An advantage of a second soundcard is you can use the internal

card for normal Windows sounds and the DM780 alarms.

Radio Control
DM780 uses Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) for radio control. To set up a
connection between DM780 and HRD:
• In DM780 open the Radio display (select Radio from the
View menu),
• Press Configure (the right-most button on the toolbar),
• Read the help text, this contains everything you need to
know!

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 User
Guide

To configure the radio interface:

• Make sure Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) is started and
connected to a radio, you must use build 1317 or later.
• In HRD select IP Server from the Tools menu, make sure the
IP Server is started and is configured to start when HRD
starts.

• In DM780 select Radio from the View menu, in the Radio

pane press the Configure button.

In the Configure Radio Pane window:

• HRD address - the address or name of the computer where
HRD is running, localhost (or 127.0.0.1) if the local
computer.
• HRD port - the default port is 7809.
• Press Connect to HRD.

If a connection can be established:

• All buttons are enabled,
• The Dropdown buttons are automatically loaded with the
dropdown buttons shown the HRD's display,
• The TX push button is automatically loaded (if available for
your radio).
• TS-480SAT - the TX Alt button is used for PTT via the rear
connector.

To change a selection click on a button, then select an entry from

the popup window. To clear the current selection, select the first
entry '- - -'.
When you have finished defining your layout press Save. The
definitions are saved in your local storage folder (from the Tools
menu select Program Options, then select the Storage pane). For
example, the IC-703 definitions are stored in DMRadioLayout_IC-
703.xml .

In the Radio pane press the Connect button to connect to HRD.

11
PTT
Normally you use HRD for PTT control, PTT is configured on the PTT
pane of the Program Options (page 61).

COM Port
To use a COM port for PTT:
• Select [X] Enable PTT...
• Select the COM port; this must not be in use by another
program,
• Select DTR, RTS or DTR and RTS.
When you switch to TX DTR and/or RTS are set (raised), when you
return to RX they are cleared.

Ham Radio Deluxe

To use HRD the radio pane must be connected to HRD:
• In the View menu select Radio
• In the Radio pane press Configure and read the instructions!

12
 User
Guide

Your First QSO

If a QSO window is not displayed just press the QSO button. A

typical QSO window layout is shown below.

QSO Window
The major components of the QSO window are:

13
 • Logbook (Add Log Entry) add an entry to DM780’s logbook.
Click on the tabs to select the pages.

• Macros, Tags, Modes:

o Macros – pre-defined text that you use when
composing the text you want to send.
o Tags – information about yourself and your station,
which is organized into fields, which in turn are used
by macro definitions.
o Modes – add modes currently supported by DM780.
• Receive window – decoded text is displayed here.

• Transmit window – the text you send is composed here.

• Waterfall - at the bottom you see the Waterfall, the red

stripes are PSK31 signals. To select a signal, just click on
the stripe.

More Detail
If the Waterfall is not displaying signals, check:
• Your radio is switched on,
• The correct soundcard is selected,
• The correct input source is selected and enabled,
• The cables are correctly connected to your radio and
soundcard interface.

Mode
Select the correct mode. The default is PSK31, used in 95% or
more PSK QSO’s. Select the mode with either:
• The dropdown option in the receive window, or

14
 User
Guide

• The Modes pane.

Transmitting
Before you make your first test transmission you must decide how
you will switch your radio between transmit and receive.
The options are:
• PTT using a serial (COM) port,
• PTT via Ham Radio Deluxe,
• VOX (depends on your radio and soundcard interface).
To select PTT open the PTT page of the Program Options (selected
from the Tools menu).

Test Transmission

It is very important that you transmit a clean, linear signal.

Never, ever use any compression or ALC.

To transmit just press either:

• Send (F1) – starts sending, when all text has been sent
press Stop (F4).
• Auto (F2) – starts sending, stops when all text has been
sent.

When you start sending you will see the classic PSK ‘tramlines’ in
the waterfall window:

When text is being sent the signal looks like this:

If you have configured your radio interface correctly your radio will
switch to transmit mode when you start sending.

Using Macros
To select a macro either:
• Select an entry from the Macros pane, or
• Click an entry in the Macros bar.

15
 The macros bar is usually the most convenient option. In the
picture below the macros bar is the second strip of buttons.

In this example the text that has been sent is displayed with a
blue strikethrough font.

To directly edit a macro right-click on the button in the macros

bar.

Add Log Entry

Although you can type values into the fields in the Add Log Entry
window, a faster option is to double-click on text in the receive
window and select options from the popup menu.

In this example the text UR4UP has

been selected.
(Because UR4UP is an alphanumeric
string and possibly a valid callsign, the
entries in the popup window include the
callsign lookup / QRZ options.)
To copy UR4UP into the Callsign field in
the Add Log Entry window just select
Callsign from the popup menu.

Hint: if you press Shift while double-

clicking the selected text is copied
into the Callsign field without
displaying the popup menu.

The entries in the menu are:

• Worked status,
• Lookup using QRZ.com or DM780’s Callsign Lookup window,
• The Add Log Entry fields – the main fields are supported,
• Copy to clipboard,
• Add Alarm – create an alarm from the callsign,
• Google for the callsign.

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 User
Guide

Add
This page contains the most commonly
used fields.
Start and End Times
The times are usually shown using UTC,
use the Program Options / Logbook
pane to select either UTC or Local time.
The time is always stored in the logbook
using UTC.
Start
The start time for the QSO. If you check
[_] Now the start time is updated with
the current time.
In the Program Options / Logbook pane
optionally select:
Update when adding callsign - the time
is updated when you add a new value in
the Callsign field if previously empty,
Update when adding logbook entry.
End
The end time of the QSO. If you check
[_] Now the end time is updated with
the current time. In the Program
Options / Logbook pane optionally
select:
Update when adding logbook entry.
Callsign
The station contacted. When you enter the callsign the Country is
updated automatically. This field is mandatory.
Name
The operator's name, free-format text.
QTH
The operator's location, free-format text.
Locator
The Maidenhead locator, usually 6 characters, for example JN46pt.
Country
Updated automatically when you enter a callsign, the list shown
corresponds to the latest DXCC list of countries.
Frequency
The current frequency, updated automatically from the Radio pane.
Band
The current band, determined from the frequency.
Mode
The current mode - the list contains the ADIF modes that are used
for logbook import / export, awards, etc.
Sent
Sent has two fields: Report (example - 599) and Exchange (for
contests).

17
Report
The standard, select from the dropdown or entered via the
keyboard.
Exchange
To enable auto-incremented values in the Exchange field enclose
the numeric value to be incremented inside square brackets. For
example, if you enter [001] then the value added to the logbook
and inserted in macros is 001 and this value is incremented to 002
when you press Add. The square brackets are ignored.
Remark
A free-format text field.

More
This page contains less frequently used
fields.
Continent
Select from the dropdown list.
IOTA
Islands On The Air reference – the IOTA
hompage is: http://www.rsgbiota.org/ .
Age
The other station’s age.
URL
The other station’s homepage.
Contest
If the contact is made during a contest,
enter the name of the contest here.
A index, K index, Solar flux
The current space weather information
available from NOAA via WWV.

18
 User
Guide

My Station
This page contains information about your station. As you may
have many configurations up to ten different station profiles are
supported.
After you have entered values press Save.
Use the Copy To option to save the current values to a different
profile.

19
 User
Guide

Advanced QSO Options

Squelch
The Squelch control operates in a similar way to the squelch on
your FM receiver; the signal is only decoded when the strength is
equal to or greater than the squelch setting.

In the above example the squelch threshold is set to 25 (the

available range is 0 to 100), the actual signal level is significantly
higher.

AFC
Automatic Frequency Control ensures that you track a signal which
may be drifting, also that your receive frequency is in the center of
the signal.
The normal value is +/- 50 Hz, this tracks within 50 Hz
of the signal.
If the value is set too high there is the risk of being
moved from a weak signal to a stronger near-by
signal.

Signal Quality
The quality of the received signal is shown in the vector data
display.

Vertical lines like this indicate a good PSK signal.

Random lines like this indicate a bad PSK signal.

Multi-Channel Support
The standard QSO window supports 1, 2 or 3 receive channels.

21
 One channel (Main).
Two channels, Main and Sub-A.
Three channels, Main, Sub-A and Sub-B.

You can only transmit using the Main channel, Sub-A and Sub-B are
receive only.
Use the button to swap the contents of Sub-A or Sub-B with the
Main channel.
An alternative to multi-channels is the SuperBrowser.

Split Mode
To enable split mode operation just press the split mode button .
Instead the main channel marker is replaced with a transmit
and receive marker.
To change either frequency click on the marker, then drag over a
signal trace.

Repeats
To send text at a regular interval use the repeat option. Typically
you use this option to send a CQ text on a normally quiet band
such as 50 MHz.
There are two buttons associated with repeats:

Select the repeat interval.

Enable repeats.

When a repeat interval is selected a progress bar is displayed at the

bottom of the transmit window (on the window’s status bar).

For example, with an 8 second interval:

Waterfall
The waterfall is your tuning dial; you select the signal to decode
and if in split mode your transmit frequency.

22
 User
Guide

The waterfall display consists of:

• Main toolbar,

• Favourites toolbar,

• Modes toolbar,

• Markers,

• Frequency,

• Signal traces.

Main Toolbar
The main toolbar options are:

Show frequency spectrum

Display mode – various algorithms to pull the signal
trace out of the background noise. This does not
affect the signal decoding.
Show radio frequency (frequency of radio + audio
offset).
Rewind the display – replays the stored audio.
Maximise the contrast (this does not affect the
signal decoding).
Enable info popups – the trace under the cursor is
decoded, the result displayed in a small popup
window.

23
 Waterfall options.

Favourites Toolbar
The favourites toolbar contains the frequencies you commonly use,
it is provided to make switching between these frequencies as
painless as possible.

A favourite frequency (not selected).

The currently selected favourite frequency.

Adjust frequency by +/- 500Hz.

Start the favourites manager.

Modes Toolbar
The modes toolbar contains the modes you commonly use.

A favourite mode (not selected).

The currently selected mode.

Start the modes manager.

Markers
The various markers you will see in the waterfall are shown below.
To change a frequency click on, then drag the marker over a signal.
The cursor indicates the marker you are dragging.
To change the main channel frequency just click in the waterfall.

A current Main channel frequency. Split mode must be off.

The current channel Sub-A (VFO-A) frequency.
The current channel Sub-B (VFO-B) frequency.
If split mode is enabled this is the receive (RX) frequency.
If split mode is enabled this is the transmit (TX) frequency.
Center frequency – see Center Frequency on page 64.

24
 User
Guide

Appearance
The waterfall appearance is configured with the Waterfall page of
the Program Options (selected from the Tools menu).

The most commonly used options are Colour File and the Display
Mode settings.
Select the colour file that is best for you, (I prefer Scope 1).
The display mode settings adjust the data to make the signal traces
more prominent; this has no effect on the decoding. The default
setting is shown in the above screenshot.

Options
There are three panes in the Program Options (page 61) used by
the QSO window:
• QSO:General,
• QSO:Receive and
• QSO:Transmit.
Familiarise yourself with the options on these panes.

25
 User
Guide

Logbook

Every modern program has a built-in logbook; DM780 is no

exception. The database engine is taken from Ham Radio Deluxe;
the operation will be familiar to anyone who has used Ham Radio
Deluxe.
There are two logbook windows:
• Quick log - a docking pane that shows the most recent
entries, designed as a quick reference window.
• Main logbook - this is the option you select for general
logbook maintenance.

Whichever window you use – TAKE REGULAR BACKUPS!

Quick Log
Select Display Quick Log from the Logbook menu or Quick Log from
the View menu to display this window.
Much simpler than the main logbook window, this is a docking pane
with only the most basic options available, selected from the
toolbar.

Fit to Text
Refresh
Modify
Delete
Max Entries

27
 Plot
Backup
Enable Filter (find by callsign)
Apply Filter
Options

If the Find option is enabled then any callsign entered in the Add
Log Entry window is automatically applied here.
To try this:
1. Make sure the Quick Log window is displayed.
2. Find must be selected.
3. In the Add Log Entry window enter a callsign in the Callsign
field.
All previous QSO’s with this station are now shown.

Main Logbook
Select Display Main Logbook from the Logbook menu or press the
Logbook button on the main toolbar.

Note: The selection fields at the top of the window are enabled
when the Advanced button is pressed.

All options are selected from either the Logbook menu, the context
(right-click) menu or the toolbar.

Layout
The column layout is user-definable. Select the columns and the
order in which they are displayed.

28
 User
Guide

Save up to four custom layouts.

ADIF
Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) files are used to
exchange QSO information between logging programs. In DM780
you can save (export) the logbook to an ADIF file and load (import)
an ADIF file into the logbook.

Export
Create and ADIF file to send your records to another logging
program, Logbook of The World (LoTW) or eQSL.cc.

29
After selecting the output file you select the fields to be included in
the file.
• ADIF / LoTW: the fields supported by ADIF 2.0 (also
required by LoTW).
• ADIF + Ham Radio Deluxe: all fields.
• EQSL: only the fields required by eQSL – this makes the
ADIF file smaller and the eQSL upload faster.
An example of an ADIF file containing a single record is shown
below:

#++
#
# Digital Master 780 version 1.0 build 1431
# http://www.hb9drv.ch
#
# Free software for ever!
#
# Created: 28-Mar-2007 20:54:55
# Database: C:\Documents and Settings\…\HRD Logbook 19-
Mar-2007 230254.mdb
# Exported: 1 record
#
#--

<ADIF_VERS:3>2.0
<PROGRAMID:14>HamRadioDeluxe
<PROGRAMVERSION:22>Version 1.0 build 1431
<EOH>

<call:5>NP2KW <qso_date:8:d>20070201 <time_on:6>091822

<band:3>40m <mode:5>PSK31 <rst_sent:4>599 <a_index:2>18
<cont:2>NA <dxcc:3>285 <freq:8>7.034500
<gridsquare:6>FK77np <iota:6>NA-106 <k_index:1>4

30
 User
Guide

<my_city:8>Wickford <my_cnty:5>Essex
<my_country:7>England <my_cq_zone:2>14
<my_gridsquare:6>JO01go <my_iota:6>EU-005
<my_itu_zone:2>27 <my_lat:8>51.60545 <my_lon:7>0.54845
<my_name:5>Terry <my_postal_code:8>SS11 8XN
<my_rig:33>Yaesu FT1000 MkV + Balanced tuner
<my_street:18>2 Coltishall Close <name:5>Manny
<operator:5>G6CNQ <owner_callsign:5>G6CNQ <qth:18>St
Croix, Vi 00821 <rst_rcvd:4>599 <sfi:2>89
<station_callsign:5>G6CNQ <time_off:6>092252 <tx_pwr:8>40
watts <EOR>

Import
Use this option to load and ADIF file into your logbook database.

When importing an ADIF file the band information may be missing,

if you check the option:

the band is recomputed.

If the DXCC information is missing you can generate this by
checking:

The first step is to load the file; the records are shown in the
bottom half of the window. If you are satisfied that the information
shown is correct you save this information to your database.

31
Cabrillo
Many contests require the log in Cabrillo format (why they can’t
just load an ADIF file is a mystery).

Not all Cabrillo templates are supported - these are added as

required.

Merge HRD
You can load (import) records from another logbook providing it is
already in the HRD format.
Typical use would be to import a database created during a contest
of an expedition to an exotic location or while using your laptop
from a portable site.

Duplicate QSO’s are ignored when you press Load.

32
 User
Guide

Google Earth
Selected entries can be sent to Google Earth, a fantastic program
available for free download.

The interface to Google Earth is a Keyhole Markup Language (kml)

file.

Note: Home information is taken from the Tags window shown

in the QSO Windows.

Analysis
The current analysis shows DXCC, IOTA, QSO and Grid squares by
band and mode.
Printing is supported!

33
34
 User
Guide

SuperBrowser

The aim of the SuperBrowser is to display as many PSK QSO’s as

possible.
Not only display – you can have a QSO using the SuperBrowser!
A standard display is shown below. From left to right:
• Frequency,
• Waterfall,
• Active channels.
At the bottom you see the status bar, containing:
• Current soundcard selection,
• Active channel count / total channels,
• Hold time before a channel is no longer shown,
• Audio rewind when a new signal is detected,
• CPU used by the background SuperBrowser processing,
• Overload status (incoming signal level is too high),
• Current AFC setting.

35
 In this example the callsign RU6DZ has been reliably identified, so
is shown at the beginning of the channel.
The icon indicates that you have not worked RU6DZ on this
band. If you have worked RU6DZ the icon is displayed.

Options

Main Toolbar
The main toolbar options are:

Mode selection

Squelch level

Squelch value

AFC

Max Entries

Plot
Backup
Enable Filter (find by callsign)
Apply Filter

36
 User
Guide

Options
Waterfall display mode
Number of channels
Options

Favourites Toolbar
The favourites toolbar contains the frequencies you commonly use,
it is provided to make switching between these frequencies as
painless as possible.

A favourite frequency, not selected.

The currently selected favourite frequency.

Adjust frequency by +/- 500Hz.

Start the favourites manager.

Transfer To QSO Windows

Double-click on a channel to transfer the settings and data to a
main QSO window (not the built-in QSO window).
Press shift and click on a channel to open the SuperBrowser QSO
window (if not already open) and select the channel.

QSO Window
Press the button to display the SuperBrowser QSO windows:
• Add Log Entry,
• QSO: RX,
• QSO: TX.
These windows are the same as those in the main QSO window
(page 13).
Click anywhere in the channel text (not the callsign or icons) to
select a different channel.
Click anywhere in the waterfall to change the frequency of the
current channel.

37
Options
Press F8 to display the Program Options (or select Program Options
from the Tools menu), then select the SuperBrowser:1 or
SuperBrowser:2 page to view the available options.

Visual
The SuperBrowser:1 page concentrates on the appearance of the
SuperBrowser.

Operation
The SuperBrowser:2 page concentrates on the way the
SuperBrowser operates.

38
 User
Guide

39
 User
Guide

Web Browsers

DM780 offers two styles of web browser:

• A fully featured full-sized browser, and
• A small docking mini-browser.
The options available in the mini-browser are a subset of those
available in the full-sized browser.

Both browsers use on the Internet Explorer engine, any settings

you make with Internet Explorer are automatically applied here.
Options are selected from the toolbars and the Browser menu. As
an experienced Internet user you will already be familiar with the
operation of a web browser.

Note: when viewing QRZ.com information an auto-close option

is enabled as QRZ.com makes very heavy use of flash
animations, flash chews up CPU!

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 User
Guide

World Map

The world map is used to:

1. Plot the greyscale line,
2. Show a locator square overlay,
3. Plot stations as you work them,
4. Plot locators as they are detected in the SuperBrowser.

The options are:

Print the map

Print preview
Save to a file
Show greyscale
Show gridlines
Show locator overlay

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Select aspect ratio
Set text size
Zoom In (+)
Zoom Out (-)
Zoom 100%
Select zoom factor
Erase plots
Show home location (as defined in Tags window)
Select time offset, +/- 24 hours

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 User
Guide

Alarms

In the QSO windows you use alarms to monitor received text for
special callsigns, locators or any string you want.

Manager
To define alarms select Alarms Manager from the Tools menu.

The options are selected from the toolbar.

Callsign Create a ‘quick’ alarm definition from a callsign.

New Create a new alarm definition.
Copy Copy the currently selected definition.
Edit Edit the currently selected definition.
Delete Delete the currently selected definitions.
Up Move the currently selected definition up.
Down Move the currently selected definition down.
Test Text the enabled definitions.

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 Import Import from another Alarms set.
Load Load from a file.
Save Save to a file.

Editor
The alarms editor is very simple to use, however you must pay
attention to the regular expression syntax.

Match Text
The value in the Match field is a regular expression, examples are
shown below. In the table * represents any character, <spaces>
matches one or more spaces.

Match Text Description

HB9DRV *HB9DRV*
\sGD[0-9][a-z]{2,3}\s Any callsign following a space (\s) starting with
GD, then a digit (0 to 9), then 2 or 3 letters (a to
z).
DM780|Digital Master 780 *DM780* or (|) *Digital Master 780*
PSK31\s+Deluxe *PSK31<spaces>Deluxe*
\sCQ\s+CQ\s|\sCQ\s+DE\s <space>CQ<spaces>CQ<space> or

46
 User
Guide

<space>CQ<spaces>DE<space>
\sCQ\s+DX\s <space>CQ<spaces>DX<space>
VK[0-9][a-z]{2,3}|ZL[0- Any VK or ZL callsign
9][a-z]{2,3}

The most commonly used regular expression syntax is:

Expression Matches
. Any Character
[] Character in Range
[^] Character Not in Range
^ Not
| Or
* 0 or More Matches
? 0 or 1 Matches
+ 1 or More Matches
{2,4} 2 to 4 Matches

Some Examples
\s Single Space
\s+ 1 or More Spaces
[a-z] A to z
[a-z0-9] A to z or 0 to 9
[abx] a, b or x
[0-9] 0 to 9
[347] 3, 4 or 7
CQ\s*DX CQ DX
[gm][a-z]?[0-9][a-z]{2,3} A UK Callsign starting with G or M
hb9drv HB9DRV
[a-z]{2}[0-9]{2}[a-z]{2} Locator (e.g. JN46pt)

47
If you use the dropdown
menu you can build your
own regular expressions.
Use the Test option to check
your definitions.

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 User
Guide

Testing Alarms
Use the Test option to compare a string with the enabled
definitions.

Enter text in the top window, then press Test. The alarm definitions
which match are flagged with , those which do not match with .
Check [_]Include sound effects if you want to hear the alarms.

Text-To-Speech
DM780 alarms use Microsoft’s Text-to-Speech solution. This is
usually installed by default on Windows XP and VISTA systems.
If you computer doesn’t have Text-to-Speech installed you can
download it from Microsoft’s website.

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 User
Guide

Identities

The concept of multiple identities used in DM780 is similar to that

found in Outlook Express.
Typical use of multiple identities:
• At home,
• Portable,
• Contest.

All identities share the same

logbook but are otherwise unique
(macros, tags, layouts).
Identity support is selected from the
File menu.

The Main Identity is used by default. To create / delete an identity

use the New and Remove options.

To reset an identity (remove all files and clear registry settings)

press Reset. You cannot reset the Main Identity.

51
 Note: The logbook database and registry settings are never
removed.

When you press Select DM780 closes and starts using the selected
identity.

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 User
Guide

Logfile

The logfile window contains diagnostic information used when there

are problems with DM780. You will not normally display this
window.

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 User
Guide

Macros

Macros are used when composing text to be sent during a QSO.

Using macros avoids repetitive typing. thus ensuring fewer errors.
Typical uses for macros:
• Calling CQ,
• Information about your station,
• Starting a reply.
Macros are selected in the QSO windows
from either the Macros window or the
Macros toolbar.

Manager
To define Macros start the Macros Manager:

• Select Macros Manager from the

Tools menu,
• Press Define in the Macros window,
or
• Press Define in the toolbar (right-
most button).

55
 Here you define the macros shown in the macros window and the
macros toolbar.
The top toolbar contains the Manager options:

• New – create a new macro,

• Copy – copy the selected macro,
• Edit – edit the selected macro,
• Delete – delete the selected macro,
• Up, down – move the selected macro,
• Import – load definitions from another macro set,
• Load – load definitions from a file,
• Save – save definitions to a file.

The next toolbar shows the enabled definitions as they are shown
in the QSO windows.

Editor
The Macro editor window is shown below.

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 User
Guide

Note: Right-click on an entry in the macros window or macros

toolbar to launch the editor without starting the Macros
Manager.

The components of a macro are:

Group
Macros are grouped together in the Macros window (shown in QSO
windows).
Title
As shown in the Macros window.
Short Title
As shown in the Macros toolbar.
[X] Enabled
Only enabled macros are shown in the Macros window and toolbar.
Definition
See below.
[X] Erase TX window…
If enabled the contents of the transmit window are erase unless
either Shift is pressed or you are transmitting.
[X] Send immediately
If enabled the macro is sent as soon as it is applied, typically used
in a CQ macro.

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[X] Start on new line
If enabled the macro always starts on a new line when added to the
transmit window.

Definition

A macro contains free-format text and optional tags. A tag is an

item of information, for example his callsign or your output power.
To insert a tag just double-click on an entry on one of the tag lists.
The currently supported tags are shown at the bottom of the editor
window. There are three lists:
1. Tags (My Info)
These fields come from the Tags window in the QSO
windows.
2. Logbook (His Info)
These fields come from the Add Log Entry window.
3. Special
These are pre-defined.
A tag is enclosed in <>. The actual substitution is made when the
macro is selected into the transmit window.

Special Tags
More information about the special tags.

date Inserts the current date using local time and the user’s
Windows settings for short dates.
time Inserts the current time using local time in ISO 8601 format
(HH:MM:SS).

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 User
Guide

date_utc Inserts the current date using UTC (GMT) time and the user’s
Windows settings for short dates.
time_utc Inserts the current time using UTC (GMT) time in ISO 8601
format (HH:MM:SS).
add-log The same as pressing the Add button in the Add Log Entry
window – the QSO is added to the logbook.
erase Erases the transmit window.
repeat The same as pressing the Repeat button.
stop Stops sending.

Preview
The macro is displayed as it will be sent when the cursor is placed
over an entry in the macros window or macros toolbar.
In the example below the cursor is over the Station button. Text
derived from tags is shown in italics.

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 User
Guide

Program Options

DM780 is a fully featured program with many displays; as a result

the level of user customization is very extensive.

You can customize almost every part of

DM780 by selecting Program Options from
the Tools menu.
The Programs Options window is modeless –
while it is displayed you can still use
DM780, also any changes you make are
applied immediately.

eQSL.cc
The integrated logbook will automatically upload new contacts to
eQSL.cc if enabled here.

Themes And Skins

The Theme and Skinning panes define the appearance of DM780.
Although the defaults should be acceptable there is no harm in
selecting an appearance you find more appealing.

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 Skins add an extra load on your CPU and graphics card, so if
you are using an older PC (less than 1 GHz CPU) you may
consider disabling skins.

Storage
This pane provides easy access to the file and registry storage used
by DM780. The folder names depend on the currently selected
identity (page 51).

Don’t mess around with the registry – if you don’t know

what you are doing leave it alone!

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 User
Guide

Radio Interface

The radio interface configuration is described in the section Radio

Control on page 10.

Favourites
Use favourite frequencies to switch between commonly used digital
mode frequencies.

Manager
From the toolbar select Manager from the Favourites menu:

The favourites manager is a simple list of frequencies that are

displayed in the dropdown menu and in the favourites toolbar in the
QSO transmit windows.

63
 Options are selected from the toolbar.

Center Frequency
If you have a radio with a narrow filter you use this option to
position the selected signal in the center of your filter.
In the toolbar there are two buttons associated with this option:

Enables center frequency operation.

Click to apply center frequency.

When enabled, the marker is displayed in the waterfall. Click and

drag this to the center of your narrow filter.
To move the selected signal to the center frequency, click the
button on the toolbar or double-click the marker in the waterfall.

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 User
Guide

Change Log

The change log is selected from the Help menu. It shows my to-do
notes and current development status.
I generally record changes and outstanding issues here.
It is provided for your information, there is no guarantee that
everything recorded in the change log will be implemented.

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 User
Guide

Index

A
K
Add Log Entry, 14, 16
ADIF, 29 Keyhole Markup Language, 33
Advanced QSO Options, 21 kml, 33
AE4JY, 5
AFC, 21 L
Alarms, 45
Audio Interfacing, 7 Logbook, 27
Logbook Analysis, 33
Logbook of The World, 29
C
Logfile, 53
Cabrillo, 32
Center Frequency, 64 M
Change frequency, 24
Creative Audigy, 9 Macros, 14, 55
Macros Manager, 55
Main Logbook, 28
D
Markers, 23, 24
DigiMaster, 7 Martin Lynch, 2
DIY interface, 8 M-Audio Delta 44, 9
DominoEX, 5 Merge HRD Logbook, 32
MFSK, 5
E Mode, 14
Modes, 14
eQSL.cc, 29
Modes Toolbar, 24
Moe Wheatley, 5
F Multi-Channel Support, 21
Favourites, 63 My Station, 19
Favourites Manager, 63
Favourites Toolbar, 24 O
Feld-Hell, 5
OLIVIA, 5
Fldigi, 5
Operating System Support, 5
FSK-Hell, 5
FSK-Hell 105, 5
P
G Program Options, 61
PSK31 Deluxe, 5
G4ZLP, 7
PSK31 signals, 14
Google Earth, 33
PTT, 12
Greyscale, 43
Q
H
QSO window, 13
Ham Radio Deluxe, 5
Quick Log, 27
Hardware Requirement, 6
HRD IP Server, 11
R
I Radio Control, 10
Radio Interface, 63
Identities, 51

67
Receive window, 14 Themes, 61
Regular expression syntax, 47 Throb, 5
Repeats, 22 ThrobX, 5
RIGBlaster, 7 Tigertronics, 7
RTTY, 5 Transmit window, 14
Transmitting, 15
S TS-480SAT, 2, 11
TX push button, 11
Signal Quality, 21
SignaLink, 7
U
SignaLink USB, 10
Skins, 61 Using Macros, 15
soundcard, 9
Soundcard, 9 W
Sourcecode, 5
Special Tags, 58 Waterfall, 14, 22
Web Browsers, 41
Split Mode, 22
Squelch, 21 West Mountain Radio, 7
Storage, 62 Windows 2000, 5
Windows VISTA, 5
SuperBrowser, 35
Support forums, 6 Windows XP, 5
Supported Modes, 5 World Map, 43
WSJT, 5
T
Z
Tags, 9, 14
Test Transmission, 15 ZLP, 7
Text-To-Speech, 49

68
 User
Guide

SIMON BROWN
HB9DRV

Postfach 159
7031 Laax
Switzerland

s imo n @ h b 9 d r v . c h

69