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Manual Logging

Manual logging is the fastest way to record a contact while you are on the air. Open the QSO form, type a callsign, and save -- Hamtrax fills in the rest automatically.

Prerequisites​

  • You must be signed in to your Hamtrax account.

Logging a contact step by step​

  1. Open the QSO form. Tap the New QSO button (or use the keyboard shortcut if available). The form opens with today's date, the current UTC time, and your location pre-filled.

  2. Enter the callsign. Type the other station's callsign into the Callsign field. As you type, Hamtrax performs a callsign lookup and auto-populates available information such as the operator's name, grid square, city, state, and country.

  3. Fill in optional fields. Set the band, mode, frequency, RST sent, and RST received as needed. If you are activating a park or summit, enter the relevant reference in the MY_SIG_INFO field.

  4. Choose a folder (optional). Select a destination folder to keep this contact organized with related QSOs -- for example, a folder for a specific contest or field day event.

  5. Save the contact. Tap Save. The QSO is written to your local database immediately and will sync to the cloud when connected.

[SCREENSHOT: QSO form with callsign entered and auto-populated fields highlighted]

Auto-populated fields​

When you open the QSO form, several fields are filled in for you:

  • Date and time -- set to the current UTC date and time.
  • Your location -- your grid square, city, state, and country from your profile or device GPS.
  • RST defaults -- RST sent and received default to 59 for phone modes.

When you enter a callsign, Hamtrax looks it up and can auto-fill:

  • Name -- the operator's name from callsign databases.
  • Grid square -- their Maidenhead grid locator.
  • QTH, state, country -- location details from the callsign record.
info

Callsign lookup requires an internet connection. If you are offline, the callsign field is marked for later lookup and will be populated when connectivity returns.

Editing a saved contact​

You can edit any contact after saving it. Open the contact from your log, make changes, and save. The updated record syncs to the cloud automatically.

Tips​

tip

If you are doing a rapid-fire contest or pileup, you can save a contact and immediately start the next one -- the form resets but keeps your band, mode, and frequency settings.

warning

Callsign is the only required field. However, contacts without a date or time may not match correctly when syncing with LoTW or QRZ. It is best to let the auto-populated time stand unless you are back-filling old contacts.