[Dxspider-support] Discussion: Informing Users About Registration Requirement for Spotting

[Faizul]

Hi OM David,

When I mentioned registration, I wasn't referring to adding a mandatory
password but rather the process of registering a callsign to become a valid
spotter. The idea behind this is to ensure that users who spot DX stations
are legitimate, and it's not about making things harder for the general
user.

I know most general users don't utilize the spot function, but some logging
software (especially with auto-spot features) does use it, which is where
the registration comes into play. For DX Spider nodes like mine, the user
only needs to be registered if they want to use the spot function. If they
only want to read the spot list via their logging software, there should be
no issues at all and no password at all. This is just a way to streamline
the process while still ensuring valid spots are coming from legitimate
users.

You're right that the average user is getting older, and new tech can be
overwhelming. The goal is to make the process as simple as possible, so it
doesn't add complexity. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Faizul, 9M2PJU

On Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 2:00 AM David Spoelstra <davids at mediamachine.com>
wrote:

> 1. I am a heavy user of the cluster.
> 2. In 50 years, I have never posted a spot.
> 3. With my current logging software, I never see the telnet interface. I
> have a table with name, IP, Port, user name, and password. Everything is
> pre-filled in except for password. I don't even know where they get the
> list of nodes. I *can* change the table if needed.
> 4. For those of you that wonder why you lose half your people when you
> implement passwords, it's obvious to us that actually *use* the packet
> cluster software rather than sit in front of it managing it from the
> command line. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU HAVE ADDED A MANDATORY PASSWORD! We
> just know that *your node is no longer working* so we just click on the
> next node down in the table. I'll bet a lot of OMs wouldn't even know *how*
> to get on a telnet terminal and add a password anymore. From my experience
> as a club president, they can barely run the software as it is. Our most
> asked for monthly club topics now are how to use different software
> packages. Our most asked technical questions are no longer how to build an
> antenna, etc, they are "How do you do X in Y software?" It actually feels
> more like I'm running a computer club than a ham radio club!
>
> I believe that if you really want to implement mandatory passwords, you
> are going to have to *work with the logging program authors to make it
> much easier for the users*. For example, in my software if I just add a
> password in the table, it won't connect. I'm guessing that the software is
> assuming that somehow I have already established a password with the node.
>
> Remember, the average age of our users is getting older and older and they
> are having trouble coping with new technology. I have people in my club
> that buy new radios and then sell them because they are "too complicated"
> and they can't run them. You would be amazed how many people use SignaLinks
> with IC-7300s because they don't know or can't figure out how to use the
> built-in soundcard interface in the IC-7300! When I go over to their house
> and remove the SignaLink from their setup they argue with me that they need
> it to run FT8. When I run FT8 without it, they are amazed and wonder why it
> wasn't made more obvious in the software how to interface without a
> SignaLInk so they wouldn't buy something they didn't need.
>
> *If you want mandatory passwords, then look at it from the end user's
> perspective - not from you own bias of command lines and telnet windows -
> and make it much easier to implement from the end user's perspective which
> means you are going to have to get the software authors onboard.*
>
> This is from the documentation of the DXLabs software (DXKeeper
> specifically) - which from various tables like eQSL is one of the most used
> softwares. "If you'd like to monitor spots from the N6WS, EI7MRE, K1RFI,
> and JH1RFM  DXClusters, enable them and repeat the above steps. Like DX
> Spots, none of these DXClusters require a password, so you can leave their
> Password textboxes blank; *specifying a password when none is required
> may cause the login to fail*."
>
> -David, N9KT
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 7:34 AM Faizul via Dxspider-support <
> dxspider-support at tobit.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Hello OM Rick,
>>
>> Yes, this is exactly our concern now. Even during contests or other
>> on-the-air programs, we often see that some people are unaware of the rules
>> and regulations. A registration helps ensure that users understand the
>> requirements, but as you've noticed, it can also lead to a drop in
>> participation when enforcement is tightened.
>>
>> Perhaps we need to conduct a mass campaign to educate users on why
>> registration is necessary and how it benefits the community. Clear
>> communication and outreach could help more people comply while keeping
>> engagement strong.
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 8:18 PM Ricardo Suarez via Dxspider-support <
>> dxspider-support at tobit.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all.
>>>
>>> From more than one year, I have the motd saying some like "you need to
>>> send message to lu9da for registration, or you can`t send spots"
>>>
>>> A couple of days ago, I set registration on AND I LOST HALF OF USERS IN
>>> QUESTION OF HOURS!
>>>
>>>
>>> Rick LU9DA
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