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Exporting Contacts

Hamtrax lets you export your contacts to ADIF 3.1.4 or CSV format -- the industry standard for ham radio log interchange. Use exports to upload to LoTW, back up your log, submit to award programs, or share contacts with other operators.

Getting to the export screen​

  1. Open the Logbook tab and click the Export button in the header bar.

The Export screen has two sections:

  • Export to File -- choose between ADIF or CSV format, then filter, preview, and download.
  • Export directly to other accounts -- push contacts directly to QRZ or HamQTH without downloading a file.

Exporting to a file​

Choose a format​

Click ADIF Export or CSV Export from the format picker.

  • ADIF (.adi) -- the standard format for amateur radio logs. Use this for importing into other logging programs (Log4OM, N1MM+) or uploading to LoTW, QRZ, and POTA.
  • CSV (.csv) -- a spreadsheet-friendly format. Use this for Excel, Google Sheets, or non-ham-radio tools.

Export step by step​

  1. Apply filters (optional). Use the filter panel to narrow your export by band, mode, date range, or other criteria. Only matching contacts will be included. You can also toggle Export all contacts (ignore filters) to include everything regardless of active filters.

  2. Click "Review & Select Contacts." A preview panel opens showing all contacts that will be included in the export, along with the total count, filtered count, and estimated file size.

  3. Fine-tune the selection. In the preview, you can manually exclude individual contacts by clicking the exclude button next to each entry. Use the restore button to bring excluded contacts back.

  4. Click "Export." Hamtrax generates the file. If your browser supports the File System Access API, you can choose where to save the file and what to name it. Otherwise, the file downloads to your default Downloads folder.

  5. Confirmation. A success banner confirms the file name and location.

tip

The exported file is named qso-log-YYYY-MM-DD.adi (ADIF) or qso-log-YYYY-MM-DD.csv (CSV) by default. You can rename it in the save dialog if your browser supports it.

Downloading a single folder​

You can also download contacts from a specific folder without opening the full export screen. In the Logbook, select a folder and click the Download button in the folder toolbar. A dialog lets you choose ADIF or CSV, and the file downloads immediately with only that folder's contacts. The file is named <folder-name>-YYYY-MM-DD.adi or .csv.

Sharing as a contact map​

You can generate shareable PNG images of your contacts plotted on a world map with great-circle arcs from your station.

  1. Open the Logbook tab and select a folder.
  2. Click the Share button in the folder toolbar. A Contact Map dialog opens and immediately renders a preview of every contact in the folder.
  3. Download, or Share directly to social media, email, or messaging apps on devices that support the Web Share API (otherwise a 1920×1080 PNG downloads).
  4. To map only some contacts, click Options above the preview and narrow by a date range (it defaults to the folder's first and last contact and is limited to that span) plus radio and antenna filters (All by default, which keeps contacts logged with no equipment). The dialog shows how many contacts will be mapped; click Generate to re-render the preview with your selection.

The same Contact Map dialog is also available from the Showcase page: open one of your own activation or hunting folders and use the Share button at the top of the folder modal, just above the photos. It's one flow — everything below applies to both entry points.

Tapping the final Share button completes the getting-started checklist's contact-map task, even if you cancel the system share sheet. Downloading alone does not complete that task.

On an activation folder, Options opens the panel, but its controls are disabled — an activation map represents a single park session, so it always includes every contact.

The image includes your callsign with calendar-marked First contact and Last contact blocks beneath it. Each block shows the QSO time in the local timezone of the operator location or activation park used for that contact, followed by a long-form date such as July 20th, 2026; if that timezone cannot be resolved, Hamtrax labels the time in UTC. Before fitting every plotted endpoint, the map centers the combined footprint of the places you operated from and wraps across the International Date Line so Pacific-spanning routes stay balanced. The image also includes the contact count and summary stats for bands, modes, and countries. The first saved folder photo can feather into the lower-left background, while the most-used radio and antenna remain separate equipment circles; the outing photo is not duplicated as another circle.

note

For hunting and custom folders, your station location must be set in Settings (GPS, manual coordinates, or callsign lookup) to generate a contact map. Activation folders don't need a personal location — the map radiates from the activation park's coordinates, so it works even if you haven't set your location. Contacts without valid coordinates or grid squares are excluded from the map.

Common use cases​

Use caseWhat to do
Upload to LoTWExport your full log (or filter to recent contacts) as ADIF, then upload the .adi file through the TQSL application.
Upload to QRZUse the direct QRZ upload on the Export screen, or export an ADIF file and upload it through the QRZ Logbook import page.
BackupPeriodically export all contacts with no filters to keep an offline backup of your log.
Share with othersDownload a specific activation folder from the Logbook, or filter to a folder in the full export and send the file.
Create a visual recordGenerate a contact map image to share on social media or keep as a souvenir of your activation or month of contacts.
Submit to award programsFilter by the criteria for the award (band, mode, DXCC entities) and export the matching contacts.
Spreadsheet analysisExport as CSV and open in Excel or Google Sheets.

What gets exported​

ADIF fields​

Hamtrax exports all standard ADIF 3.1.4 fields including:

  • Core fields: callsign, date, time on/off, band, mode, submode, frequency, RST sent/received
  • Location fields: grid square (theirs and yours), QTH, state, county, country, continent, DXCC, CQ zone, ITU zone, coordinates
  • Activity references: POTA park references (MY_SIG, MY_SIG_INFO, SIG, SIG_INFO)
  • Contest fields: contest ID, serial numbers (sent/received)
  • QSL fields: QSL sent/received, eQSL sent/received, LoTW sent/received
  • Station info: operator callsign, station callsign, power, propagation mode
  • Folder path: preserved as a custom APP_HAMRT_FOLDER field
info

Hamtrax preserves non-standard ADIF fields that were present when you imported a file. These fields are included in exports for full round-trip fidelity -- nothing is lost between import and export.

CSV columns​

CSV exports include a fixed set of columns: callsign, date, timeOn, timeOff, frequency, band, mode, rstSent, rstReceived, name, qth, gridSquare, country, state, county, continent, power, myRadio, myAntenna, notes, mySig, mySigInfo, sig, sigInfo, stationCallsign, operatorCallsign, latitude, longitude, myLatitude, myLongitude, myGridSquare, qslSent, qslReceived, eqslSent, eqslReceived, lotwSent, lotwReceived.

warning

Exporting requires contacts in your log. If the "Review & Select Contacts" button is disabled, check that you have logged or imported at least one contact and that your filters are not excluding everything.

Syncing to external services​

Beyond file exports, Hamtrax can push contacts directly to external logbook services. The Export directly to other accounts section on the Export screen shows available integrations. Connections and credentials are managed in Settings → Preferences → Integrations.

QRZ Logbook​

Hamtrax can upload contacts directly to your QRZ.com logbook via the QRZ API -- no manual file upload required.

  1. Connect your QRZ API key once in Settings → Preferences → Integrations → QRZ Logbook (or use the inline setup on the Export screen). Need the key? See Get Your QRZ Logbook API Key.
  2. Click Export to QRZ to bulk-upload all contacts that have not been uploaded yet. There is no passphrase or repeated unlock step.

Contacts uploaded to QRZ are tracked by their QRZ log ID and the connected-logbook scope, so Hamtrax skips them only when uploading to that same QRZ logbook.

Importing from QRZ

To pull contacts the other direction, open Import Contacts in the Logbook and choose QRZ Logbook. QRZ contacts use the same review, folder-routing, guardrail, and duplicate checks as ADIF and CSV imports.

LoTW (Logbook of the World)​

LoTW requires the TQSL desktop application for uploads -- there is no direct upload API. To submit contacts to LoTW:

  1. Export your contacts as an ADIF file using the export workflow above.
  2. Open the .adi file in TQSL and sign/upload it.

Pulling LoTW confirmation status back into Hamtrax is supported. Configure your LoTW username and password in Settings → Integrations → Logbook of The World, then run a sync to fetch confirmations and mark matching local contacts as lotwReceived.

HamQTH​

HamQTH supports one-way export (push only -- no import via API).

  1. Set up your HamQTH credentials in Settings → Integrations → HamQTH Logbook (or use the inline setup on the Export screen).
  2. On the Export screen, unlock your HamQTH vault, then click Export to HamQTH to upload contacts.
note

HamQTH's API does not return a log ID, so Hamtrax cannot track which contacts have already been uploaded. Each sync uploads all contacts.