Technical Specifications

This section provides detailed technical specifications for the DXSpotter Pro device.

Hardware Specifications

Wireless Connectivity

WiFi Standard:

IEEE 802.11 b/g/n

Frequency Band:

2.4 GHz only (5 GHz not supported)

WiFi Modes:

Station (STA), Access Point (AP)

Security:

WPA, WPA2, WPA2/WPA3 mixed

Antenna:

On-board PCB antenna

Range:

Typical 50-100 m indoors, 300 m+ line-of-sight

Note

DXSpotter Pro does not support 5 GHz WiFi networks. Ensure your router has 2.4 GHz enabled.

Display

Type:

TFT colour LCD

Resolution:

800 x 480 pixels

Backlight:

White LED

Touch Panel:

Capacitive multi-touch (up to 5 points)

Surface:

Glass

Power Requirements

Input Voltage:

5 V DC +/-5% (via USB-C)

Input Current:

500 mA typical, 1 A peak

Power Consumption:

2-4 W typical

Connector:

USB-C

Battery Support:

Via USB-C power bank (not included)

Warning

Use only quality 5 V USB-C power supplies rated for at least 1 A. Insufficient power may cause boot loops, display flicker, or instability.

Physical Specifications

Form factor:

7-inch landscape tablet-style enclosure

Dimensions:

194 mm x 113 mm x 20 mm (W x H x D)

Display area:

~155 mm x 87 mm visible

Mounting:

Desktop, wall, or 1/4"-20 tripod thread on the bottom edge

Environmental Rating:

Indoor use only

Operating Environment

Operating Temperature:

0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F)

Storage Temperature:

-20 °C to 60 °C (-4 °F to 140 °F)

Humidity:

20% to 80% RH non-condensing

Altitude:

Up to 2000 m

Caution

Do not operate in direct sunlight, high humidity, or extreme temperatures. Avoid exposing to moisture.

Network Specifications

Supported Protocols

DX Cluster:

Telnet (TCP) — primary protocol

Web Interface:

HTTP (TCP port 80)

Time Sync:

NTP (UDP port 123)

Firmware Updates:

HTTPS (TCP port 443)

Propagation Data:

HTTPS (TCP port 443)

DNS:

UDP port 53

DX Cluster Connection

Protocol:

Telnet (raw TCP)

Default Port:

7300 (configurable)

Connection Type:

Long-lived persistent connection

Authentication:

Callsign-based

Reconnect Strategy:

Cooldown then retry

Supported Clusters:

Any standard DX cluster (DX-Spider, CC Cluster, AR-Cluster)

Web Configuration Server

Protocol:

HTTP/1.1

Port:

80 (not configurable)

Interface:

192.168.4.1 (AP mode) or assigned IP (STA mode), discoverable via mDNS as <deviceName>.local

Authentication:

None — local network only

Captive Portal:

Yes (AP mode)

Warning

The web interface has no password protection. Do not expose it to the internet — use only on trusted local networks.

Time Synchronisation

Protocol:

NTP (Network Time Protocol)

Server:

pool.ntp.org (default)

Timezone:

Configurable (POSIX TZ string with automatic DST)

Time Format:

24-hour HH:MM:SS

Configuration Limits

Max WiFi SSIDs:

5 (priority-ordered)

Max WiFi Password Length:

63 characters (WPA/WPA2 standard)

Max Callsign Length:

11 characters

Max Custom Cluster Entries:

5

Max Custom Filter Presets:

5

Max Alert Callsigns/Prefixes:

10

Max Spot History:

Configurable (8-128 spots)

Performance Specifications

Boot Time

Cold Boot:

~2-4 seconds to UI ready

WiFi Connection:

5-30 seconds (network dependent)

NTP Sync:

1-3 seconds after WiFi

Cluster Connection:

2-5 seconds after WiFi

Total to First Spot:

10-40 seconds typical

Spot Processing

Parse Speed:

<1 ms per spot line

Maximum Spot Rate:

Limited only by the cluster (typically 1-10 per second during busy periods)

Buffer Size:

Configurable 8-128 spots

Network Performance

WiFi Connection Time:

5-30 seconds (typical)

WiFi Reconnect:

Continuous retry with priority order; AP fallback after repeated failure

Cluster Reconnect:

Cooldown timer per attempt

Propagation Source:

Cached TopBytes feed, refreshed in the background

Web Server Response:

<100 ms for static pages

Configuration Save Time:

<500 ms

Reliability

Watchdog Timer:

Yes

Automatic Recovery:

WiFi and cluster disconnections

OTA Failure Handling:

Failed updates do not affect the running firmware

Compatibility

WiFi Router Compatibility

Compatible With:

  • All 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n routers

  • WPA / WPA2 / WPA2-WPA3 mixed

  • Open networks (not recommended)

  • Most home and portable routers

Not Compatible With:

  • 5 GHz only networks

  • WPA3-only networks (use WPA2/WPA3 mixed-mode)

  • Enterprise WiFi with 802.1X

  • Captive portals requiring web-form authentication after association

DX Cluster Compatibility

Compatible With:

  • DX-Spider (most common)

  • CC Cluster

  • AR-Cluster

  • Any standard Telnet-based DX cluster

  • Standard DX spot text format

Built-in Cluster Presets:

  • HamServe G1FEF (dxc.hamserve.uk:7300)

  • G3LRS UK (dxc.g3lrs.org.uk:7300)

  • M0KGX (dx.m0kgx.com:7300)

  • NC7J (dxc.nc7j.com:7373)

  • xOTA (xota.iz2lsc.eu:7373)

Power Source Compatibility

Compatible With:

  • USB-C wall adapters (5 V, >=1 A)

  • USB-C ports on computers

  • USB-C power banks

  • USB-C car chargers

Not Recommended:

  • Charge-only USB-C cables (won't expose serial / OTA over USB)

  • Cables or supplies under 1 A — display flicker likely

Support and Documentation

Resources