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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 frequency, and save -- Hamtrax fills in the rest automatically.

Prerequisites​

  • You must be signed in to your Hamtrax account.
  • Your account must have a callsign set. If it doesn't, Hamtrax shows an "Add your call sign first" prompt that takes you to Settings → Account — logging resumes once your callsign is saved.

Two ways to open the QSO form​

There are two entry points to manual logging, designed for different operating styles:

  • Add Contact -- the general-purpose QSO form, opened from the global Tools sidebar. Use this when you want to log into any folder (including activations, monthlies, or custom folders) or when you want full control over location mode (callsign address, device GPS, POTA park, or manual entry).
  • Add Contact on a folder -- every folder's action band in the Logbook has its own Add Contact button. Tapping it slides in a compact quick-add card in place of the folder's buttons, tuned to that folder type: custom folders ask for just the callsign, frequency, and date/time; monthly hunting folders get the park-hunt card; activation folders seed the park and date from the activation. The card is bound to the folder you opened it from, so the contact lands exactly where you expect.

The quick-add card covers the fields you fill in most often. For everything else, tap See full contact form at the bottom of the card — it opens the full QSO form with whatever you've already typed carried straight over, so you never re-enter the callsign or frequency. From there you have every field (location, equipment, their park, notes, and so on) plus the locked-field explanations described below.

On phones and tablets, Hamtrax also removes the most annoying part of typing callsigns on glass: whenever a Callsign field is focused, a row of extra digit keys — 0–9 — floats directly above the on-screen keyboard. Digits go in without ever flipping the keyboard to its number layer. The same key row appears on every callsign field in the app, including the live activation logger.

Logging a contact step by step​

  1. Open the QSO form. Tap Add Contact in the Tools sidebar, or Add Contact on a folder in the Logbook for that folder's quick-add card. The form opens with today's date, the current UTC time, and the default mode (SSB) pre-filled.

  2. Enter the callsign. Type the other station's callsign into the Callsign field. Callsigns must be 3–15 characters and can include letters, digits, and slashes (for portable prefixes like JA1/W5ABC). On a phone, the floating 0–9 key row above the keyboard handles the digits — no need to switch keyboard layouts. As you type, Hamtrax performs a callsign lookup and auto-populates available information such as the operator's name, grid square, QTH, state, and country.

  3. Enter the frequency. Type the frequency in MHz into the Frequency field. Hamtrax automatically derives the band from the frequency and can auto-fill the mode based on your band plan settings.

  4. Choose a folder. In the full form, the Log in field selects the destination folder for this contact; choosing one is optional -- if you skip it, Hamtrax files the contact into the current monthly folder (e.g., "March 2026"). A folder's quick-add card is already bound to the folder you opened it from, so there is nothing to choose.

  5. Fill in optional fields. The form includes additional fields you can fill in as needed:

    • Mode -- defaults to SSB, or auto-filled from band plan when a frequency is entered.
    • Signal Report -- RST Sent and RST Received. The default follows the mode: 59 for phone modes (SSB/FM/AM), 599 for CW and other RST modes (RTTY, PSK). Every digit is adjustable in the picker with up/down steppers -- readability (1–5), strength (1–9), and tone (1–9) in RST modes. Changing the mode reshapes the report automatically.
    • City, State/Province, Country, Grid -- location details for the other station (auto-populated by callsign lookup).
    • Power (W) -- your transmit power in watts.
    • Their Park -- if the other station is at a POTA park, search by name or reference and select it here. Hamtrax auto-detects the program type from the reference format.
    • Radio and Antenna -- select from your saved equipment profiles (configured in Rig Manager).
    • Date & Time -- pre-filled with the current UTC date and time.
    • Notes -- free-text notes about the contact.

  6. Set your location (optional). The My Location section lets you choose how your operating location is recorded:

    • From Park -- use the location of a registered POTA park you are activating. (Full form only; a folder quick-add card can open it through See full contact form.)
    • From callsign -- use your registered address from QRZ/HamQTH.
    • Device location -- use your current device GPS position.
    • Manual entry -- enter a grid square, coordinates, or search for a place (cities, parks, and landmarks).

  7. Save the contact. Tap Save. The QSO is written to your local database immediately and syncs to the cloud when connected.

[SCREENSHOT: QSO form with callsign and frequency 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.
  • Mode -- defaults to SSB; automatically changes based on frequency and your band plan settings.
  • RST defaults -- RST Sent and Received default to the mode's format: 59 for phone modes (SSB/FM/AM), 599 for CW and other RST modes (RTTY, PSK). Switching mode reshapes the value automatically.
  • Your location -- determined by your chosen location mode (callsign address, device GPS, POTA park, or manual entry).
  • Equipment -- your default radio and antenna profiles are pre-selected if configured in Rig Manager.

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 -- their city with state/province when available, or city and country for foreign records that do not provide a state/province.
  • State, Country, Continent -- location details from the callsign record.
  • Coordinates -- latitude and longitude for map visualization.

When you enter a park reference in Their Park, Hamtrax can auto-fill:

  • Grid square, QTH, state, country, coordinates -- from the park database.
info

Callsign lookup requires an internet connection. If you are offline, the contact is flagged for deferred lookup and the callsign data will be populated automatically when connectivity returns.

Editing and deleting contacts​

You can edit or delete any contact directly from the contact list on the Logbook page. Each contact row includes edit and delete actions. Tap edit to reopen the QSO form with that contact's data pre-filled, make your changes, and tap Update Contact. To remove a contact, tap delete and confirm. The changes sync to the cloud automatically.

Contacts logged as POTA contacts (where the other station was activating a park) display the contacted park's state and name directly on the contact row, so you can see at a glance which park the contact was at without opening the detail view.

Locked fields in auto-folders​

Most fields are freely editable, but a few are tied to how Hamtrax auto-organizes your folders, so the edit form keeps them fixed to protect the folder they belong to:

  • In an activation folder, the park, date, and your operating location are locked. Every contact in an activation folder belongs to the same park and day, and your station location stays tied to the activated park. The form shows those fields as read-only with an explanation — for example, "Park is locked to US-2325 for this activation." and "Date is set by the activation (2025-05-23)." The same locks apply when you add a brand-new contact to an activation: the folder, date, park, and operating location are seeded from the activation and can't be changed.
  • In a monthly hunting folder, the date is locked. A monthly folder only holds contacts from its own month, so the date field is read-only with a banner such as "Date is locked to 2025-05 for this monthly folder."

Every other field stays editable as normal. If a contact belongs in a different park, day, or month, log it through the correct folder flow. Custom folders do not add these folder-derived locks.

note

If a save is ever rejected for breaking folder organization, Hamtrax shows an error message explaining the reason instead of saving the change. This keeps a contact from quietly landing in a folder it doesn't belong in. The full rule set lives in Logbook Hygiene Rules.

note

Times are stored in UTC (required for ADIF compliance), but the contact list displays them in your local timezone for readability.

Activation QSO edit warning​

If a contact belongs to a POTA activation, Hamtrax displays a warning dialog before you edit it. Activation contacts have already been logged under a specific activation session, and changes you make in Hamtrax are not synced back to the POTA website. The warning reminds you that any edits (callsign corrections, frequency changes, etc.) must also be updated manually on pota.app to keep both logs consistent.

You can check "Hide this message in the future" in the warning dialog to suppress it for subsequent edits. This preference is saved to your account.

QSL Cards​

Every contact in your logbook can be turned into a shareable digital QSL card — a visual confirmation of your radio contact, complete with a map showing the signal path between stations.

Generating a QSL card​

  1. Open the Logbook and find the contact you want, or open one of your own activation or hunting folders from Showcase.
  2. Tap the contact row to expand its actions.
  3. Click QSL Card. A modal opens and generates the card automatically.

The card includes a mini world map with a great-circle arc between your station and the contacted station, along with contact details: date, time, frequency, band, mode, RST reports, grid squares, and distance. POTA park references and satellite info are included when available.

Use the right-aligned Options button above the preview to feature QRP or low-wattage operation and, if needed, enter the exact wattage before regenerating the card.

Downloading and sharing​

The modal footer offers two actions:

  • Download — saves a 1600 × 1000 PNG, ideal for social media, messaging, and printing.
  • Share — on supported devices (mobile, tablets), opens the native share sheet so you can send the card directly to messaging apps, email, or social media.
note

QSL cards need coordinates for both stations. Hamtrax first uses coordinates already saved on the contact and can recover a missing activation origin from the activation folder's park. Set your location in Settings only when a non-activation contact does not already contain your coordinates or grid; the contacted station must also have coordinates or a grid.

Configuring defaults​

In create mode, a Defaults button appears in the form footer. Use it to save your current mode, RST values, power, activity reference, and equipment profiles as defaults for future contacts. This saves time when you are working a consistent setup.

Tips​

tip

The form closes after each save. If you need to log another contact quickly, open the form again -- your default mode, RST, and equipment settings will carry over from your saved defaults.

warning

Callsign and frequency are both required fields. Contacts without a date or time may cause issues when exporting to ADIF or syncing with external logbooks. It is best to let the auto-populated date and time stand unless you are back-filling old contacts.

Photos​

The Log page includes an inline Images strip for each content folder. You can upload photos directly from the log page (up to 4 per folder, 10 MB each) and delete individual photos by tapping the red X on any thumbnail. See Folders for supported formats, validation, and failure behavior.