Technical Specifications

This section provides detailed technical specifications for the DX Spotter 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), STA+AP

Security:

WPA, WPA2, WPA2-Enterprise

Antenna:

On-board PCB antenna or external (model dependent)

Range:

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

Note

The ESP32 does not support 5 GHz WiFi networks. Ensure your router has 2.4 GHz enabled.

Display

Type:

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)

Resolution:

256 x 64 pixels

Color Depth:

16-level (4-bit per pixel)

Viewing Angle:

160 degrees (typical for OLED)

Contrast Ratio:

>2000:1

Display Technology:

Passive Matrix OLED

Refresh Rate:

Configurable (typically 60 Hz)

Backlight:

Self-emitting (no backlight required)

Lifespan:

10,000+ hours typical

Power Requirements

Input Voltage:

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

Input Current:

500mA typical, 800mA peak

Power Consumption:

1-2W typical

Connector:

USB Micro

Battery Support:

Via USB power bank (not included)

Warning

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

Physical Specifications

Dimensions:

Approximately 113mm x 46mm x 22mm

Weight:

~50-80g

Mounting:

Desktop/portable

Environmental Rating:

Indoor use only

Operating Environment

Operating Temperature:

0C to 40C (32F to 104F)

Storage Temperature:

-20C to 60C (-4F to 140F)

Humidity:

20% to 80% RH non-condensing

Altitude:

Up to 2000m

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)

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 Interval:

30 seconds on failure

Supported Clusters:

Any standard DX cluster (CC Cluster, DXSpider, 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)

Authentication:

None (local network only)

Captive Portal:

Yes (AP mode)

Warning

The web interface has no password protection. Do not expose to the internet! Use only on trusted local networks.

Time Synchronization

Protocol:

NTP (Network Time Protocol)

Server:

pool.ntp.org (default)

Timezone:

GMT/BST with automatic DST

Sync Interval:

Automatic periodic updates

Time Format:

24-hour (HH:MM:SS)

Configuration Limits

Max WiFi SSIDs:

1 (primary network only)

Max WiFi Password Length:

63 characters (WPA/WPA2 standard)

Max Callsign Length:

32 characters (practical limit)

Max Display Title:

255 characters (display width limits practical length)

Max Spot History:

15 spots

Scroll Interval Range:

5000-60000 milliseconds

Display Specifications

Screen Layout

Total Area:

256x64 pixels

Status Bar:

~18 pixels height

Separator Line:

1 pixel

Content Area:

~45 pixels height

Performance Specifications

Boot Time

Cold Boot:

~2-5 seconds to WiFi attempt

WiFi Connection:

5-30 seconds (network dependent)

Cluster Connection:

2-5 seconds (after WiFi connected)

Total to First Spot:

10-40 seconds typical

Spot Processing

Parse Speed:

<1ms per spot line

Display Update Rate:

100ms loop cycle

Maximum Spot Rate:

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

Buffer Size:

Up to 15 spots in history

Network Performance

WiFi Connection Time:

5-30 seconds (typical)

Reconnect Attempts:

Continuous every 5 seconds

Telnet Reconnect Delay:

30 seconds on failure

Web Server Response:

<100ms for static pages

Configuration Save Time:

<500ms

Reliability

MTBF:

>10,000 hours (estimated)

Automatic Recovery:

WiFi and cluster disconnections

Watchdog Timer:

Yes

Boot Stability:

>99.9% successful boot rate

Compatibility

WiFi Router Compatibility

Compatible With:

  • All 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n routers

  • WPA/WPA2 secured networks

  • Open networks (not recommended)

  • Most home and portable routers

Not Compatible With:

  • 5 GHz only networks

  • WPA3-only networks (WPA2 compatibility mode required)

  • Enterprise WiFi with 802.1X (not supported)

  • Captive portals requiring web authentication

DX Cluster Compatibility

Compatible With:

  • CC Cluster (most common)

  • DXSpider

  • AR-Cluster

  • Any telnet-based DX cluster

  • Standard DX spot format

Tested Clusters:

  • G3LRS (dxc.g3lrs.org.uk:7300)

  • WA9PIE (wa9pie.net:7300)

  • K3LR (dxc.k3lr.com:7373)

Power Source Compatibility

Compatible With:

  • USB wall adapters (5V, >500mA)

  • Computer USB ports (USB 2.0/3.0)

  • USB power banks

  • USB car chargers

Not Recommended:

  • USB 1.0 ports (insufficient power)

  • Weak/old USB chargers (<500mA)

  • Long/thin USB cables causing voltage drop

Support and Documentation

Resources