Changelog

This page documents the version history and changes to the DX Spotter firmware.

Version 1.2.3

Release Date: 2026-06-06

New Features

  • Added the xOTA DX cluster (xota.iz2lsc.eu:7373) to the built-in cluster presets.

  • Added the *OTA filter preset (accept/spot 0 info pota or info sota or info bota or info wwff) for POTA / SOTA / BOTA / WWFF activations.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed the Device ID reading as 00:00:00:00:00:00 on the configuration page while the unit was in setup / access-point mode. The all-zero ID could stop the device registering and leave it repeatedly dropping back into configuration mode. The device ID is now read reliably in every WiFi mode.

Version 1.2.0

Release Date: 2026-04-05

New Features

Redesigned Spot Display Layout

  • Spotter callsign and "DE" label moved to the bottom of the spot area for improved readability

  • "DE" label now displayed at the same baseline as the spotter callsign (previously superscript)

  • "DE" and "@" rendered in a smaller font to keep focus on callsign information

Spot Time Display

  • Spot report time now shown on screen above the spotter callsign

  • Time is automatically converted from UTC to the configured local timezone

  • Displayed in HH:MM format with an "@" prefix

  • Uses the timezone setting from the web configuration (see Configuration)

Bug fix

  • Fixed the display time to be local time.

Version 1.1.1

Release Date: 2026-03-05

Bug Fix

  • Fixed the FIFO (First in First out) list for the spots.

Version 1.1.0

Release Date: 2026-02-24

New Features

Dropdown Cluster and Filter Presets

  • Cluster host/port replaced with a dropdown selector in the web configuration portal

  • 6 built-in cluster presets: HamServe G1FEF, Rusty Cluster, G3LRS UK, M0KGX, NC7J

  • 5 built-in filter presets: All Bands, 20M Only, 40M Only, HF SSB, HF CW

  • Support for up to 5 user-defined custom clusters (name, host, port)

  • Support for up to 5 user-defined custom filters (name, command)

  • Selecting a preset automatically populates host, port, and filter fields

Serial CLI for Headless Management

  • New interactive serial command-line interface at 115200 baud

  • help — display available commands

  • show — print all settings and live connection status (WiFi, cluster, RSSI)

  • reboot — restart the device

  • reset — factory reset (clear NVS settings and reboot into config portal)

  • upgrade — trigger OTA firmware update

  • Commands are case-insensitive and work in any device state

  • Startup banner reminds users of CLI availability

Firmware upgrade

  • Progress now reporting back to webpage. Once complete page goes back to configuration

  • Better upgrade failure protection

Misc

  • Help button added to top of configuration webpage

  • Register button, displays if device is not registered, pre-fills device ID for registration page.

Version 1.0.9

Release Date: 2026-01-09

New Features

Configurable Timezone

  • New timezone setting in web configuration

  • Dropdown with 20 common worldwide timezones

  • Automatic daylight saving time adjustment where applicable

  • Default set to UTC

  • Changes take effect immediately without reboot

Version 1.0.8

Release Date: 2026-01-03

New Features

WiFi Connection Display

  • Shows WiFi network name and IP address on successful connection

  • Displays for 10 seconds before proceeding to show spots

  • Helps users confirm network connection and find device IP

Monospace Fonts with Slashed Zeros

  • Callsigns and frequencies now use monospace fonts

  • Slashed zeros (0) clearly distinguish from letter O

  • Improved readability for amateur radio callsigns

Version 1.0.7

Release Date: 2025-12-29

New Features

Enhanced Spot Display with Spotter Callsign

  • Spotter callsign now displayed on the comment line

  • "DE" prefix shown as superscript before the spotter callsign

  • Vertical separator line between spotter callsign and comment

  • Clear visual distinction between spotter info and comment text

Scrolling Comment Text

  • Comments now scroll horizontally from right to left

  • All comments scroll regardless of length for consistent appearance

  • Comments loop continuously until it's time to advance to the next spot

  • Spot only advances after at least one complete scroll of the comment

  • Smooth scrolling animation with configurable speed

Improved Frequency Display

  • Frequencies now displayed in MHz (most common) or GHz (microwave bands)

  • Commas added for thousands separation (e.g., 1,296.000 MHz)

  • Appropriate decimal precision based on frequency range

  • Cleaner, more readable frequency presentation

Version 1.0.6

Release Date: 2025-11-29

New Features

Multiple WiFi Credentials with Priority

  • Store up to 5 WiFi network credentials

  • Priority-based connection attempts

  • Device scans for available networks on boot

  • Automatically connects to highest-priority available network

  • Drag-and-drop reordering in web interface

  • Add/remove WiFi networks without losing other settings

  • Seamless roaming between configured networks

Enhanced WiFi Management

  • Visual priority indicators (1-5) for each network

  • Individual delete buttons for each credential

  • Network scanner integration - add scanned networks directly to list

  • Password fields support "keep existing" behavior

  • Legacy single-credential migration on first boot

  • Intelligent WiFi reconnection with retry logic

  • When WiFi disconnects, device scans and tries all configured networks before falling back to AP mode

  • Automatic reconnection attempts every 10 seconds (max 3 attempts before AP mode)

  • Prevents flapping between STA and AP modes during temporary network issues

Automatic Firmware Updates via Factory WiFi

  • When connected to factory default WiFi, device automatically checks for firmware updates

  • Only installs released versions (dev builds are skipped)

  • Compares version numbers to determine if update is available

  • Displays update information on OLED before installing

  • Fully automatic - no user interaction required

  • Provides "emergency update" capability for devices in the field

Web Interface Improvements

  • Complete redesign of WiFi settings section

  • Drag-and-drop interface for priority reordering

  • Visual feedback during drag operations

  • Maximum 5 networks enforced with user-friendly error messages

  • Responsive design works on mobile and desktop

Upgrade Notes

  • Existing single WiFi credential will be automatically migrated to new format

  • After upgrade, you can add additional WiFi networks

  • No configuration loss during OTA update

  • Reboot required when WiFi credentials are modified

  • Factory default WiFi credentials are hidden and tried as last resort

  • If device can see factory WiFi and has internet access, it will automatically check for and install newer released firmware versions on boot

Version 1.0.5

Release Date: 2025-11-28

New Features

Display Rotation

  • Added display rotation setting for upside-down mounting

  • Configurable via web interface dropdown

  • Two options: Normal (0 degrees) or Flipped (180 degrees)

  • Useful when mounting device in different orientations

Device ID Display

  • Added Device ID to configuration page

  • Displayed at top of configuration interface

  • Read-only field for device identification

  • Useful for managing multiple DX Spotters

  • Helpful for network troubleshooting and MAC filtering

Version 1.0.4

Release Date: 2025-11-27

New Features

Configurable Device Name

  • Added device name configuration setting in web interface

  • Device name is used for DHCP hostname and mDNS identification

  • Default value: dxspotter

  • Allows users to identify multiple DX Spotters on the same network

  • Configurable via web interface under "Device Name (DHCP/mDNS Hostname)"

Enhanced Error Display

  • Telnet connection errors now displayed on OLED screen

  • Shows connection status during connection attempts

  • Displays error messages when cluster connection fails

  • Countdown timer shown during retry attempts

  • Prevents normal spot display from overwriting error messages

Filter Validation

  • DX cluster filter commands are now validated automatically

  • Invalid filter syntax is detected and reported

  • Error messages from cluster displayed on OLED screen

  • Helps users identify filter configuration problems quickly

  • Works with all standard cluster error responses

Duplicate Login Detection

  • Automatically detects when kicked off cluster due to duplicate callsign

  • Prevents reconnect loop when multiple devices use same callsign

  • Displays clear error message explaining the issue

  • Stops automatic reconnection attempts to avoid cluster flooding

  • Instructs user to either change callsign (e.g., add /2) or disconnect other device

  • Saving configuration automatically resets error state and retries connection

  • No power cycle needed - just update callsign and save

Factory Reset Button

  • Added Factory Reset button to web configuration page

  • Confirmation prompt prevents accidental resets

  • Erases all settings including WiFi credentials, callsign, and cluster configuration

  • Device reboots into configuration mode after reset

  • Optimized for iOS captive portal compatibility

  • Shows success page before rebooting

Improvements

Callsign Validation

  • Displays "Configuration Error" message on screen when callsign is not configured

  • Prevents connection attempts with invalid callsign (blank or "NOCALL")

  • Clear instructions displayed: "Callsign not set - Please configure"

Serial Console Improvements

  • Reduced serial console spam for recurring errors

  • Error messages now print only once instead of every loop iteration

  • Cleaner serial output for debugging and monitoring

  • Factory reset status clearly logged with visual separators

Display Error Handling

  • Fixed issue where error messages were immediately overwritten

  • Error messages now remain on screen until resolved

  • Improved visibility of connection and filter errors

Configuration Save Improvements

  • Saving configuration now resets all error flags

  • Duplicate login errors automatically cleared when saving new callsign

  • No need to power cycle after fixing configuration errors

  • Immediate reconnection attempt after saving cluster settings

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed filter error messages not displaying on OLED screen

  • Fixed serial console continuously scrolling error messages after factory reset

  • Fixed displayingConnectionError flag being cleared prematurely

  • Improved error message persistence during cluster connection issues

  • Fixed duplicate login flag not being reset when configuration is saved

  • Fixed device not attempting reconnection after changing callsign to resolve duplicate login

Configuration Changes

  • New configuration field: deviceName (default: "dxspotter")

  • Device name stored in NVS preferences

  • Legacy devices will default to "dxspotter" on first update

Known Issues

None reported.

Upgrade Notes

  • Existing configurations will be preserved during OTA update

  • New deviceName field will default to "dxspotter"

  • If you have multiple DX Spotters, configure unique device names after updating

  • Factory reset functionality requires compatible web browser (all modern browsers supported)

Version 1.0.2

Release Date: 2025-11-20

Initial Features

  • WiFi connectivity with WPA/WPA2 support

  • DX cluster telnet connection

  • OLED display with smooth scrolling

  • Band filtering support

  • Configurable spot history (1-15 spots)

  • Adjustable scroll interval

  • Web-based configuration interface

  • Captive portal for initial setup

  • OTA firmware update support

  • NTP time synchronization with GMT/BST automatic DST

  • WiFi signal strength indicator

  • Automatic reconnection on network drops

  • Network scanning in configuration portal

Version History

Version

Date

Summary

1.2.0

2026-04-05

Redesigned spot layout with spot time display and local timezone conversion

1.1.0

2026-02-24

Dropdown cluster/filter presets with custom entries, serial CLI for headless management

1.0.8

2026-01-09

WiFi connection display, configurable timezone, and monospace fonts with slashed zeros

1.0.7

2025-12-29

Enhanced spot display with spotter callsign, scrolling comments, and improved frequency formatting

1.0.6

2025-11-29

Multiple WiFi credentials with priority-based connection, drag-and-drop reordering, and automatic firmware updates via factory WiFi

1.0.5

2025-01-28

Added display rotation setting for upside-down mounting

1.0.4

2025-01-27

Added device name configuration, enhanced error display, filter validation, and factory reset

1.0.2

2025-01-XX

Initial release with core DX cluster functionality