Logging Overview
The Log tab is where all your contacts live. Hamtrax gives you a full-featured digital logbook that works offline, syncs automatically to the cloud, and supports the fields you need for everyday operating, contesting, and portable activations.
How contacts are stored
Hamtrax uses an offline-first architecture. Every contact you log is saved immediately to your device's local database (IndexedDB). When you have an internet connection, contacts sync automatically to cloud storage (Firestore), keeping your log backed up and available across devices.
- No internet required to log. You can log contacts in the field with no cell signal. They will upload when you reconnect.
- Automatic sync. Changes propagate to the cloud in the background -- you do not need to press a sync button.
- Conflict-free. If you log from multiple devices, Hamtrax reconciles records so nothing is lost.
What fields are tracked
Each contact (QSO) in Hamtrax can store a wide range of fields:
| Category | Fields |
|---|---|
| Core | Callsign, frequency, band, mode, submode, date, time on, time off |
| Signal reports | RST sent, RST received |
| Location | Grid square, QTH, city, state, county, country, continent, latitude/longitude |
| My station | My grid square, my city/state/country, my radio, my antenna, station callsign, operator callsign, TX power |
| Activity references | Park reference (POTA), MY_SIG / MY_SIG_INFO, SIG / SIG_INFO (for POTA, SOTA, WWFF) |
| Contest | Contest ID, serial sent, serial received |
| Satellite | Satellite name, satellite mode, propagation mode |
| QSL tracking | QSL sent/received, eQSL sent/received, LoTW sent/received, QRZ sync status |
| Organization | Folder, labels, tags, notes |
You do not need to fill in every field. Only callsign is required -- everything else is optional. Hamtrax auto-populates date, time, and your location when you open the QSO form.
What you can do from the Log tab
- Log contacts manually -- open the QSO form and enter details. See Manual Logging.
- Import contacts -- bring in logs from other software via
ADIF,CSV, orCabrillofiles, or sync directly from QRZ and LoTW. See Importing Contacts. - Export contacts -- generate
ADIFfiles for upload to LoTW, QRZ, or other logging programs. See Exporting Contacts. - Organize with folders and labels -- group contacts into a folder hierarchy and tag them with labels for fast filtering. See Folders and Labels.