Description

Add DX cluster functionality to provide real-time DX spots and enhance QSO opportunities.

Current State

• No DX cluster integration
• Manual frequency and callsign discovery
• No spot alerting capabilities

Required Features

Cluster Connection

• Connect to popular DX cluster networks:
  • DX Summit
  • DX Spider nodes
  • AR-Cluster nodes
  • CC Cluster
  • VE7CC Cluster
• Telnet protocol support
• WebSocket connections for modern clusters
• Multiple simultaneous cluster connections

Spot Display

• Real-time spot list with automatic updates
• Spot filtering by band, mode, country
• Spot aging and automatic removal
• Color coding by band/frequency
• Sortable spot columns
• Spot detail tooltips

Spot Filtering

• Band filtering (160m-70cm)
• Mode filtering (CW, SSB, Digital)
• DXCC entity filtering
• Minimum frequency spacing
• Spotter reliability filtering
• Age-based filtering
• Custom filter criteria

DX Alerting

• Visual spot alerts for wanted entities
• Audio alerts for priority spots
• DXCC needed alerts
• Band/mode specific alerts
• Custom alert criteria
• Alert history tracking

Spot Integration

• Click-to-tune integration (with CAT)
• Pre-populate QSO from spot data
• Quick logging from spots
• Spot quality indicators
• Duplicate spot detection

User Interaction

• Post spots to cluster
• Spot current QSO frequency
• Comment on spots
• Thank spotters
• Spot validation and correction

Cluster Management

• Cluster server configuration
• Login credentials management
• Connection status monitoring
• Automatic reconnection
• Cluster performance metrics

Advanced Features

• Spot statistics and analysis
• Spotter reputation tracking
• Geographic spot mapping
• Propagation correlation
• Contest spot integration
• Spot archiving and history

Cluster Protocols

Telnet Protocol

• Basic telnet connection handling
• Command interpretation
• Response parsing
• Connection keep-alive
• Error handling and recovery

DX Spider Protocol

• Native DX Spider commands
• Filter management
• User profile handling
• Extended spot information

AR-Cluster Protocol

• AR-Cluster specific commands
• Binary protocol support
• Enhanced spot data

Spot Data Format

Standard Fields

• Frequency
• Callsign (DX station)
• Spotter callsign
• Time stamp
• Comment/additional info

Extended Information

• DXCC entity
• Grid locator
• QSL information
• Contest exchange
• Signal reports

Implementation Notes

• Use WebSocket or Telnet libraries
• Implement efficient spot parsing
• Add rate limiting for outgoing spots
• Consider local spot caching
• Ensure thread safety for real-time updates

Database Changes

• Add spot storage tables
• Add cluster configuration tables
• Add spot filter settings
• Add alert configuration tables

UI Components

• Spot list display component
• Cluster configuration dialog
• Filter management interface
• Alert settings panel
• Spot posting dialog

Security Considerations

• Secure credential storage
• Connection encryption where available
• Rate limiting for spot posting
• User authentication validation

Performance Considerations

• Efficient real-time updates
• Memory management for large spot lists
• Network bandwidth optimization
• UI responsiveness during high activity

Acceptance Criteria

• Users can connect to major DX clusters
• Spots display in real-time with filtering
• Alerts work for wanted entities/bands
• Spot integration enhances logging workflow
• Connection issues are handled gracefully
• Spot posting works correctly

Priority

Low - Advanced feature for DX-focused operators

Dependencies

• Real-time WebSocket/Telnet communication
• CAT control integration (for click-to-tune)
• Award tracking system (for needed alerts)
• DXCC entity database (✅ already implemented)

Notes

• Popular among contest and DX operators
• Requires reliable internet connection
• Should be optional feature that doesn't impact basic logging
• Consider integration with existing propagation tools