Getting Started

This section walks you through the first-time setup of your DXSpotter Pro device. The whole process happens directly on the touchscreen — no laptop or phone is required for a basic setup.

Unboxing and First Power-On

What's in the Box

Your DXSpotter Pro package should contain:

  • DXSpotter Pro device

  • USB-C power cable

Initial Power-Up

  1. Connect the USB-C cable to the DXSpotter Pro's USB-C port

  2. Connect the other end to a USB power source (5 V wall adapter, computer, or quality power bank)

  3. The 7-inch LCD will light up and show the DXSpotter Pro splash screen

Note

Use a quality 5 V USB-C power supply rated at 1 A or more. Insufficient power may cause boot loops or display instability.

First Boot Sequence

When DXSpotter Pro powers on for the first time (or after a factory reset), the following happens:

  1. Splash Screen: The DXSpotter Pro logo and version number appear briefly.

  2. Configuration Check: The device looks for stored WiFi credentials and a configured callsign in non-volatile storage.

  3. Wizard Launch: Because nothing has been configured yet, the on-screen first-run wizard opens automatically and takes over the screen.

The On-Screen First-Run Wizard

The wizard is the simplest way to get DXSpotter Pro online. It guides you through two steps and saves your settings as you go.

Wizard Layout

_images/SpotterPro-Wizzard.png

The wizard fills the entire 800x480 screen and shows:

  • A "Welcome to DXSpotter Pro" header

  • A short reassuring subtitle: "Let's get you set up. You'll need a WiFi network and your callsign."

  • Step 1 — WiFi network with a CONFIGURE button on the right

  • Step 2 — Callsign with a SET button on the right

  • A DONE button at the bottom-right (greyed out until both steps are complete)

Step 1: WiFi Network

Tap the CONFIGURE button on the WiFi row.

The wizard hides itself and the WiFi picker opens. The picker scans for nearby 2.4 GHz networks and lists them with signal-strength indicators.

  1. Choose your network

    Tap the SSID of your home or shack WiFi from the list.

    Note

    DXSpotter Pro does not support 5 GHz networks. Make sure your router has 2.4 GHz enabled.

  2. Enter the password

    An on-screen keyboard appears. Type your WiFi password using the touchscreen.

    • Tap letters to type them

    • Tap the shift / symbol keys for capital letters and special characters

    • Tap OK when done, or Cancel to back out

  3. Saved

    The wizard returns and the WiFi row now shows your SSID in the accent colour. The device begins attempting to connect in the background.

If you cancel the WiFi picker, the wizard simply reopens with no change made.

Step 2: Callsign

Tap the SET button on the Callsign row.

The on-screen keyboard opens with a blank input field, capped at 11 characters.

  1. Type your callsign

    Use the touch keyboard to enter your amateur radio callsign (e.g. K3ABC, G4XYZ, VK2ABC).

  2. Tap OK

    Your callsign is automatically converted to upper-case and saved. The wizard returns and the Callsign row now shows your call in the accent colour.

Important

You must enter a valid callsign. The device will not attempt to connect to the cluster while the callsign is blank or set to NOCALL.

Completing Setup

Once both rows show values:

  • The DONE button at the bottom-right becomes active (highlighted in the accent colour)

  • Tap DONE to dismiss the wizard

DXSpotter Pro now drops into its main screen and starts:

  • Joining the WiFi network you configured

  • Synchronising the clock via NTP

  • Connecting to the default DX cluster server

  • Fetching cached HamQSL propagation data in the background

Within 10 to 40 seconds you should see your first spots appearing in the spot list.

What If the WiFi Step Fails?

If DXSpotter Pro can't connect to the WiFi network you configured (wrong password, network out of range, etc.), it retries a few times then falls back to AP setup mode. The screen switches to a dedicated setup screen showing two QR codes:

  • Left QR: Join the device's setup access point (DXSpotter Pro Setup)

  • Right QR: Open the configuration page (http://192.168.4.1/)

Both URLs are shown as text below the QR codes in case your camera can't read them.

(screenshot placeholder: AP setup screen with QR codes)

To recover:

  1. Scan the left QR with your phone — it joins the DXSpotter Pro Setup open network

  2. Scan the right QR — your phone opens the configuration page

  3. Use the web form to correct the WiFi password or pick a different network

  4. Save — the device reboots and tries again

The AP-mode screen is also useful if you ever need to re-configure WiFi without using the touchscreen.

The Main Screen at a Glance

After the wizard completes, the main screen has three regions:

_images/SpotterPro-MainScreen.png

Status Bar (top, full width, 36 px tall)

  • Left: your callsign — tap to edit

  • Centre: local clock with timezone abbreviation

  • Right: cluster name (tap to switch clusters) and a LINK indicator (tap for network details, long-press to manage WiFi networks)

Spot List (left side)

  • Each row shows frequency, DX callsign, spotter callsign, time, and the start of the comment

  • Newest spots arrive at the top

  • Tap any row to open the full spot detail modal

  • Spots that match an alert callsign are highlighted in amber

Propagation Panel (right side)

  • SFI, SN, A-index, K-index gauges with coloured bars

  • Per-band rows (160M through 6M) with day and night condition indicators (GOOD / FAIR / POOR)

  • Tap a band row to apply that band as a filter

  • MODE button: opens the mode/preset filter modal

  • ALERTS button: opens the alert management modal

Filter Footer (bottom of the propagation panel)

  • Shows the currently active filter (e.g. FILTER: 20M) or "no filter"

  • A small CLEAR button removes both the band and mode filters in one tap

Verifying Successful Setup

You'll know the setup was successful when:

  • The status bar shows your callsign in the accent colour (not "SET CALL")

  • The clock displays the current local time with timezone abbreviation

  • The LINK indicator on the right shows ONLINE (in green)

  • The cluster name appears next to the LINK indicator

  • Within 10–40 seconds, DX spots start populating the spot list

If the LINK indicator is showing OFFLINE (red) or AP MODE (amber), see Troubleshooting.

Skipping the Wizard (Web Setup)

You don't have to use the on-screen wizard. If you'd rather do everything from a web browser:

  1. Wait for the device to fall into AP mode (about 30–60 seconds after first boot if you haven't touched the wizard)

  2. Or trigger AP mode manually via the serial CLI: wifi clear followed by save and reboot

  3. Connect to the DXSpotter Pro Setup open WiFi network

  4. Open http://192.168.4.1/ in your browser

  5. Fill in the configuration form (WiFi, callsign, cluster, filters, alerts)

  6. Click Save

The web form covers everything the wizard does plus extra options that aren't on the touch UI (multiple WiFi credentials, custom clusters, custom filters, alert callsign list, scroll history limit, timezone selector, custom device name).

Serial Monitor Messages

If you have DXSpotter Pro connected to a computer via USB-C, you can monitor the boot process at 115200 baud:

[ota] running version 0.1.0
[net] scanning...
[net] connecting to 'MyHomeWiFi'
[net] online: ip=192.168.1.42 rssi=-55
[time] NTP synced: 16:25:33 BST
[cluster] connecting to dxc.hamserve.uk:7300
[cluster] login complete, streaming

The serial CLI is fully covered in Advanced Features.

What's Next?

Now your DXSpotter Pro is set up and running, you can: