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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most common questions about Hamtrax.

Is Hamtrax free?​

Hamtrax offers a free tier with up to 200 contacts logged directly in Hamtrax. Contacts imported through the browser app do not count toward that native-contact allowance, although source-specific import safeguards still apply. Optional premium plans are available for additional capabilities -- you can manage your subscription in Settings > Plans.

Do I need an account to try Hamtrax?​

No. Signed out, hamtrax.com opens on five tabs -- Home, Hunt, Activate, DX, and Repeaters: the POTA spot list beside the world map, the activation map, the DX cluster feed with a country flag on every station, and the repeater directory starting with every repeater within 50 miles of Chicago, IL. Browse, filter, and open any spot or repeater for details as long as you like. The Repeaters top card keeps Search by area above Use my location, followed by the explanation. No device location is requested until you tap, and the result is only a session browse center.

Logging a contact is where an account comes in -- a QSO needs a logbook to land in. See Getting Started for what each public tab shows.

Do I need a callsign to log contacts?​

Yes. You can create an account and browse without one, but logging any contact -- hunting, manual entry, or import -- requires a callsign on your account. If you skipped it at signup, Hamtrax asks for it the moment you need it, and the prompt saves it right there: it runs the same callbook check as Settings and hands you straight back to what you were doing. During an import it even reads the operator callsign out of your file and offers it pre-filled. Settings > Account is still the other way in, and the prompt links to it.

Hamtrax can't find my callsign during signup -- what do I do?​

If signup says Lookup couldn’t finish. Tap the callsign to try again., tap the callsign field to retry. That is a network or lookup-service failure, not a license-database verdict. For a true not-found result, double-check for O-vs-0 or I-vs-1 mix-ups first. If it still isn't found, choose I don't have a callsign yet to finish signing up -- nothing is lost -- then add your callsign later in Settings > Account, which runs the same lookup. A new callsign can already be active in the official registry while Hamtrax's available lookup sources are still behind; if that happens, send the callsign via Feedback so we can investigate our source or update lag. See Hamtrax Can't Find My Callsign for the full walkthrough.

What platforms does Hamtrax run on?​

Hamtrax runs on the web at hamtrax.com and as a native app for iOS and Android. Hamtrax works in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or phone, and your account and supported logbook data sync when you're online.

I forgot my password -- how do I get back in?​

Tap Forgot password? on the sign-in screen. It sits under the password box on the web and Android and under the email box on iPhone, and it also appears inside the red message after a failed sign-in attempt -- already filled in with the email you typed. Enter your email, tap Send Reset Link, and open the email we send you. The link opens a page on hamtrax.com where you choose a new password — then Hamtrax signs you straight in.

On an iPhone, make sure Hamtrax is up to date in the App Store first. Older builds intercepted the reset link and opened the app instead of the page, so nothing appeared to happen. If you can't update right away, press and hold the link and choose Open in Safari, or open the email on a computer. See I Can't Sign In for the full walkthrough.

What should I do if my browser says "Your connection isn't private"?​

Do not bypass the warning. First, turn on automatic date, time, and timezone sync on the device. Record the exact URL and the full NET::ERR_CERT_* code, then try Hamtrax from another trusted network or device.

If Hamtrax opens normally elsewhere, check the affected device's clock, VPN, antivirus HTTPS inspection, captive Wi-Fi sign-in, and trusted root certificates. If the warning continues, send the exact error code to Hamtrax support so we can distinguish a local trust problem from a public certificate or DNS incident.

If the code is NET::ERR_CERTIFICATE_TRANSPARENCY_REQUIRED, fully update and restart Edge before retrying. If it remains, send Hamtrax support the code, the certificate details Edge shows, and the exact time it happened.

Does it work offline?​

Yes. Hamtrax is built local-first. QSO commands are saved on your device, and cloud-accepted changes automatically sync when you're back online. A resettable cloud safety pause keeps the exact command queued and resumes without duplication; a non-resetting emergency account hold keeps it for support review without a futile retry timer. If the cloud permanently rejects one, Hamtrax shows a warning notification and keeps the command on that device under Logbook → Needs Filing with a plain outcome, reason, and next step instead of treating it as synced; internal ids and raw server messages are not shown. Only a new contact rejected for folder hygiene offers Choose folder and an explicit valid-folder choice; a contact-limit rejection offers View plans, while rejected updates, other deletes, and other creates stay review-only. Failed updates and deletes are never converted into creates, so they cannot duplicate a contact. A delete for a contact already absent is complete and creates no review item; another failed delete says Contact not deleted and asks you to reload before trying again. A refile stays Saving corrected contact until the cloud accepts it, and the retained work is not cloud-backed or available on another device before then.

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Offline mode makes Hamtrax especially useful for portable operations -- POTA activations, Field Day, or anywhere cell service is spotty.

Why does a contact show a different date than when I made it?​

Because ham logging runs on UTC, and your evening isn't UTC's. Contacts are stored and folder-organized by their UTC day — log at 9:22 pm Central on July 31 and the contact is 02:22 on August 1 in UTC terms, which is why it files into the August folder. Contact rows display that same UTC day and 24-hour time by default, so the log always matches its folders; hover over a row's time to see your local clock. Prefer reading local? Turn on Settings → Preferences → Logbook → Show my local time — rows switch to your local timezone and the UTC value moves into the hover tooltip. Storage, folders, and exports stay UTC either way.

I entered the wrong park number -- can I fix it?​

Yes, and you don't have to delete the activation and start over. While online, open the activation folder in the Log tab and tap Edit beside Activation -- or tap Wrong park? in the activation session header, just under the park line, if you're still on the air. Search the right park by name or reference and tap Update Park: Hamtrax validates the whole activation, then changes the folder and every contact in one all-or-nothing update. An interruption cannot leave only part of the activation corrected, and retrying the same change is safe. Two other caveats -- if you already uploaded the log to pota.app, re-upload it there afterwards, because Hamtrax can't change what POTA already has; and if you already have an activation folder for the corrected park on the same date, Hamtrax refuses rather than merging two sessions into one log.

This also rescues the worse case: if a folder's saved park was never a usable reference at all -- a park name stored where US-1234 belongs -- it lands under Unrecognized program and stops accepting contacts, and Edit beside Activation is how you bring it back. You don't need a valid park in order to set one.

Individual contacts still can't have their park changed one at a time -- the park stays locked in the contact form so a contact can't drift out of the activation it belongs to. See Fixing the Wrong Park.

Can I rename an activation folder to something friendlier?​

Yes. Activation folders are named with POTA's own log-filename convention (callsign@reference-YYYYMMDD), but that is only the label -- Hamtrax stores the activation's real identity separately. Rename the folder "Spring Mountain Trip" and it keeps its submission identity for ADIF downloads, stays listed under Parks on the Air, and goes on accepting new contacts. The single name Hamtrax refuses is one that impersonates a different activation: a name in the callsign@reference-YYYYMMDD form claiming a park, date, or callsign this activation doesn't have. To change the park itself, open the folder and use Edit beside Activation -- see Fixing the Wrong Park.

One of my folders moved to "Unrecognized program" -- where did it go?​

Nowhere. Automatic folders in the Log tab are grouped under the award program that created them, and if Hamtrax can't safely tell which program a folder belongs to -- its saved program or reference details are missing, malformed, or contradict each other -- it lists that folder under an Unrecognized program heading rather than showing it under a program it may not belong to. The folder keeps its name, every contact is still inside it, and you can open, export, and delete it exactly as before. Only the heading it appears under changed. Hamtrax won't file new contacts into a folder in that state, so it's worth repairing: if it's an activation folder whose park reference is wrong -- a park name saved where a reference like US-1234 belongs -- open it and use Edit beside Activation to pick the real park, and the folder returns to its program card and starts accepting contacts again. Otherwise, move its contacts into a folder with a known program. Renaming a folder is not a cause -- a folder you renamed by hand keeps its saved identity and stays under its program. See Folders.

How do I import my existing log?​

Open the Log tab and click the Import Contacts button above the Contact Folders heading at the top of the folder tree. Start with Import from file, Import from connection, or See guides for common loggers. File import accepts a whole logbook as ADIF (.adi / .adif) or CSV (.csv), including exports from other loggers. Connection import includes QRZ Logbook, while the guides explain exports from World Radio League, Ham2K PoLo, and HAMRS. Hamtrax auto-sorts every contact into the right folder: activation folders for parks you activated, monthly folders for hunts, and a custom folder for everything else. Duplicates are skipped automatically, so re-importing the same file or QRZ Logbook is safe. When you add or change your account callsign, Hamtrax also imports the latest public POTA hunter QSOs POTA exposes for that callsign. The Import a past activation card on Activate and the Import action beneath Parks on the Air → Activations open this same importer.

Cabrillo and other contest formats aren't supported; export those to ADIF first (most loggers can do this).

For step-by-step instructions, see Importing Contacts.

How do I connect with LoTW or QRZ?​

You can link QRZ and LoTW from Settings > Preferences > Integrations. QRZ provides a per-logbook API key with an XML-level subscription or higher. Paste that key once; Hamtrax validates and encrypts it server-side, so QRZ import and upload need no passphrase or repeated unlock. You can also turn on Auto-Push New Contacts so each new contact you log lands in your QRZ logbook on its own. LoTW can pull confirmations back to mark matching local contacts as confirmed.

See Import from QRZ for direct connection and file-export steps.

What is FT8 Auto-Hunt, and why don't I see the card?​

FT8 Auto-Hunt works FT8 activators hands-free through a connected radio -- it tunes the rig to each matching FT8 spot, calls the activator, completes the exchange, and logs the contact for you. The FT8 Auto-Hunt card shows at the top of the hunting activator list, but only when all of these are true:

  • You're on the iOS app (it drives the radio over the network).
  • An FT8-capable connection is active via Settings → Radio Control (currently Icom IC-705 → Direct Wi-Fi). Future methods without FT8 support will not show the card.
  • You have a callsign on your profile -- it's transmitted on the air, so it's required to start.

Once started, the hunt runs app-wide: you can browse the rest of Hamtrax while it works, the navbar radio pill turns into a pulsing red Transmitting tower whenever the rig is actually keyed, and if a run ends while you're away the card explains why, with the final tally and the full air log kept for review.

See FT8 Auto-Hunt for the full workflow. Auto-Hunt is the only way to work FT8 inside Hamtrax today — the mic-based FT8 Decoder tool, which only listened and showed a manual Log button, is not currently available.

Can I use Hamtrax for contests?​

Hamtrax is not a live contest logger — it's not designed for real-time contest operation, and it does not import Cabrillo files. Keep live contest operation in a contest logger, then bring the results into Hamtrax afterward by exporting them to ADIF or CSV and importing that logbook.

What is the practice activator I see on my first visit?​

The first time you open the Parks on the Air view, Hamtrax runs a short guided walkthrough that teaches how the app fits together -- you make contacts in Hunting or Activating, and your Logbook keeps them all, filed automatically. It puts a synthetic practice activator on the air, has you work it, and then lands you in your Logbook to show the contact already sorted into this month's hunting folder before returning you to the live hunting list. The practice activator is clearly marked so you won't confuse it with a real one, and the contact you log against it is automatically removed -- it never stays in your real log. You can replay the walkthrough anytime from Settings > Help.

How do I look up another operator's callsign?​

Use the search at the top of the sidebar, choose Callsigns, then type at least three characters and select the result. Its public dossier starts with the lightweight name, city/region/country, license class, and grid result, then independently fills in licence dates, local time, QSL manager, current POTA/DX spots, receptions from the last hour on RBN and PSK Reporter, and the operator's public POTA hunter total plus latest 25 hunter contacts when available. An unavailable section or service group gets a Retry action without blanking successful sections.

This lookup is about the callsign, not Hamtrax membership. It never shows a street address, ZIP code, exact coordinates, whether the operator uses Hamtrax, a Showcase prompt, or private QRZ/POTA logbooks, LoTW, or N1MM records. The same search also has Parks and Activators tabs for POTA parks and live activations.

How do I report a bug or request a feature?​

Open Feedback in the sidebar — its own row just below Tools, marked with a bug icon. This launches the in-app feedback form where you can describe the issue or suggestion. The small bug button at the bottom of the sidebar opens the same form, and on the iOS app, answering Not really to the Enjoying Hamtrax? prompt does too.

Each account can send 50 feedback messages, a ceiling that exists to keep the form from being abused rather than to limit you — if you ever reach it, the form says so and email works from there on.

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If the app is crashing on launch and you can't reach Settings, email support directly at the address listed on hamtrax.com.

How do I stop Hamtrax emails?​

Every automated email has its own switch under Settings → Preferences → Notifications — nearby activations, parks near you, product announcements, and review requests. You can also unsubscribe straight from any email: use the Unsubscribe or change which emails you get link in its footer, or your mail app's own one-click unsubscribe. Neither needs you to be signed in. Password resets and account notices always arrive.

Why did Hamtrax ask if I'm enjoying it?​

On the iOS app, after a good session — your 20th real hunted contact, or finishing an activation of ten or more — Hamtrax may show a short Enjoying Hamtrax? card. Yes, loving it opens the App Store review sheet. Not really opens the in-app Feedback form instead, because a problem we can fix is worth more to us than a rating. It asks at most once a week, goes quiet for 90 days once you answer either way, stops on its own if you close it three times in a row, and Don't ask me again ends it permanently. It never appears in the web app.