What is the DX Cluster? Well, in 2003, we could say the DX Cluster is a mess. But you probably were looking for a more detailed answer to that question. The DX Cluster is a "network" (and in our case we use that term loosely because nobody really knows which is connected to what) of DX Cluster "nodes". Each node is in turn connected to "users". Some users are connected to nodes via packet radio on RF links, but these days most are connected to nodes via the internet using a telnet program of one kind or another.

The users exchange information (DX spots, announcements, talk messages, etc.) with other users on the cluster. DX Spots are sent by a user when he finds a station on his radio that he thinks other people would like to make contact with. A DX spot consists of the call of the DX station, the frequency he's operating on, the date and time of the spot, and any comments that the user wishes to add. To send a DX spot on most nodes, you simply enter:

DX [frequency] [call] [note] or DX [call] [frequency] [note] so a DX spot would look like "DX 14.200 KH2D Calling CQ". The DX spot is the most common bit of information exchanged between users on the DX cluster.

DX spots you will see from a cluster node look like this:
DX de K4CIA:	10114.0		ZC4VG	wkd w/QRP	ZC4	2136Z
DX de VE1TK:	3778.6		DL4KAO	cqdx	DL	2136Z
DX de W6BH:	28490.0		D88S		HL	2134Z

Another bit of information that users exchange on the cluster is the Announcement. The announcement is sent with any general information that the user feels would be useful to other users and can be sent to the entire network (everybody) or to only users connected to the node where the message originates.

Users, under certain circumstances, depending on who's connected to which node, and how the nodes are configured, can exchange Talk messages. These messages are intended for chatting from one user to another and don't go to the entire network, they only go to the user to whom they are addressed.

The final common type of information you'll see on the DX cluster is the WWV Spot, which contains the current solar indices: SFI, A index, K index, and sometime the raw sunspot number. WWV spots are not usually sent by people, they are usually generated automatically every three hours by a computer program and distributed around the network. WWV spots look like this:

WWV de KH2D <0000z>: SFI=115, A=8, K=2, R=50 SpaceWx: none > none

How do you use the cluster? The first thing that needs to be done to use the cluster is find a node. You may have a local node in your area that you can connect to via an RF link (packet radio) or you may want to use a telnet program and connect via the internet. In selecting a node, you need to decide what you want to see. Do you want spots from everywhere (the whole world) or spots generated only in your local area? Do you want to be able to use the TALK function to chat with your friends? Do you want to see all the garbage spots (non DX) and all the redundant spots (same DX spotted by ten people in five minutes) or do you want to use a node that eliminates some of the overhead?

Different nodes use different software, which offers different options to the user and offer different amounts of data that the user can see. For example, the two nodes that I run (KH2D, kh2d.tzo.com, port 23 and KH2D-1, kh2d.tzo.com, port 5995) offer worldwide spots (KH2D) or spots generated in North America only (KH2D-1) and they both take out the trash (redundant, duplicate, non DX spots) so you don't have to wade thru the muck to find the DX. Other nodes will give you everything they get, and it's up to you to do the filtering or to figure out what's useful and what's not. Some U.S. nodes will give you spots only from one call area, or one geographic region of the U.S.

Next you'll need some software, either for your TNC or for making an internet connection using the telnet protocol. The telnet program that comes with Windows, and the Hyperterminal program that comes with Windows are very poor choices for software. Don't use them unless you never make a typing mistake, because depending on what type of software the node you connect to is using, your backspaces and typing mistakes will show up on the other end of the connection. You are much better off using a program that is designed for cluster connections, like the interface in many of the Windows logging programs, or a telnet program like NETTERM, a shareware telnet client that you can find on any shareware web site and download.

To configure your software, you'll need a basic idea of telnet parameters. First, you need the IP number (123.123.123.255) or host name (dx.cluster.com) of the node you want to connect to, and the port number it accepts connections on. So, to connect to KH2D you'd need to know that the HOST NAME = kh2d.tzo.com and the PORT NUMBER = 23. If you wanted to connect to KH2D-1 and get only NA spots, you would configure the same host name, but the port number would be 5995. Port 23 is 'standard' for most telnet connections but you'll find nodes using many different numbers, depending on the configuration of the computer that they run on.

You also need to configure a few options in some software, like NETTERM. In NETTERM, you need to set LOCAL ECHO ON (so you can see what you type) and turn SELECT LINE MODE FOR LOCAL INPUT ON (which allows you to edit your typos and then send the corrected input line to the node with the ENTER key). The Windows terminal program doesn't have the LINE INPUT option, that's why there are so many TYPOS in DX spots.

Once you have your node selected and configured, and your software setup, just connect to the node and use the HELP or H command to see how the commands work on the particular node you are using.

How NOT to use the cluster. At the beginning of this page, you might remember I said we could describe the cluster as a mess. It's a mess, because whenever there's a computer around, the old "Garbage In Garbage Out" thing applies. It's a mess because people using either don't understand the scope of what they are using, or they simply don't care about other hams who are using the cluster. So a few tips on how to be a GOOD user of the cluster are in order.

1. Don't use the spot or announce functions to argue with other hams. If you get mad at the ham down the street and send an announcement that says "KH2D, you are an IDIOT", be aware that it goes to EVERYBODY, all over the world. If you want to argue with other hams, use the discussion forums at QRZ.Com, that's what they are for, arguing.

2. Don't use the spot function to chat with your buddies. "DX 14.0000 KH2D Hi Jim" isn't a DX spot that 99.99% of the cluster users world wide want to see. If your buddy is on a node you can't send TALK messages to, then connect to the node he's on and chat with him using the TALK function of the cluster. Or call him on the phone. Don't bore the whole world with your chit chat.

3. Don't send idiotic, non DX spots. If you have to send ridiculous stuff to the whole world, use the announce function - at least that way the people who have announcements turned off don't have to see it. What kind of idiotic DX spots? Things like VIDEO, JAFISHBOATS, INTRUDERS, PIRATES, CEMUSIC, HALLO, SOSURMAMA, etc. are idiotic. If you send spots like this, you won't make any friends, and soon you'll be known as just another DX Cluster Monkey. If you want to be a world famous jerk, the cluster can get you to that level very quickly. DX Cluster Monkeys like VK3SIX and PA1SIX don't really need any help.

4. Don't send TEST spots. Everyday you see a hundred spots with a comment that says TEST IGNORE. It's hard to ignore them because there are so many of them. Use your head. Be creative. Sure, there might be a circumstance where you want to send a test spot to see if something (your software) is working right. So turn on your radio and spot somebody that's really there, even if he's a W6. Or make up a nice JA call, like JA1XYZ, and spot him on 21.350 with no TEST IGNORE comment. Get your testing done without being an obnoxious pain in the butt while you are doing it.

5. THINK before you SEND. Did somebody else just spot the same DX 32 seconds ago? If so, don't spot it again. Is "DX 14.200 KH2D Now QRT" REALLY useful to anybody? If not, don't spot it. Realize that what you send out on the cluster goes to thousands of users on hundreds of nodes all over the world. Use the resource wisely.

6. Never 'bridge' spots. Some cluster client programs will allow you to connect to several clusters at the same time and pass spots from one to the other. Very bad idea, you'll just be causing network problems and not making friends. The cluster system is now connected so any spot gets to every node in record time, so don't try and 'help' speed things up.

7. Don't be a Cluster Lump. Participate. Elsewhere on this web site you'll see monthly/yearly statistics about who sends how many spots. But there are still hundreds of cluster users who send none, they just sit and watch. Why? I guess they just let everybody else do the work. Or maybe they aren't smart enuff to realize that if NOBODY sent spots, there would be NO spots and NOTHING to watch.

That should just about cover the basics of DX Cluster 101. The cluster is a useful tool to those hams who chase DX, so give it a try and see if you like it.