Opening Settings
Press S to open the Settings dialog. Settings are saved to config.yaml when you click Save. The app looks for this file in the same folder as the executable when you run the packaged app, or in the project directory or your user folder (~/.dxchrono/config.yaml) when run from source; the first location where a config is found is used, and Save writes to that file. You can override the config file with -c path/to/config.yaml (see Command line options).
Config file locations (quick reference)
| Run mode | Config lookup / save behavior |
|---|---|
| Packaged executable | Looks for config.yaml next to the executable; Save writes there. |
| Run from source | Looks in project config.yaml, then ~/.dxchrono/config.yaml; Save writes to the file that was found. |
| Command line override | -c / --config PATH forces that file to be used and updated. |
Settings tabs
If your screen is narrow (or lots of features are enabled), tab names may not all fit at once. Use the tab-strip arrows, or spin the mouse wheel over the tab row, to slide left/right and reach hidden tabs.
Station
Your station identity and location:
- Callsign – Your amateur radio callsign (used for PSK Reporter and display).
- Grid square – Maidenhead locator (e.g. IO91wm). The app converts this to latitude/longitude.
- Latitude / Longitude – Your QTH in degrees. Used for the map marker, gray line, and distance calculations.
License
If you bought a copy of DXChrono, store your License key from your order email. The app talks to the license service for you—you do not enter a server address. Use Activate to register this PC (your license usually allows up to five computers per key; the service keeps count). Use Validate to check the key again without using an extra slot. Validate license when app starts runs a quick background check when a key is saved. The first time you run the app without a key, a separate license window appears before the map; more detail is in Integrations → License.
Display
Screen and map options:
- Fullscreen – Start in fullscreen or windowed mode.
- FPS – Frame rate (default 30).
- Map east/west center – Set the longitude at the center of the map (for example, around -90 to center North America).
- Map overlays – Grid, gridsquares, CQ/ITU zones, cities, QTH marker, aurora, and sun/moon.
- MUF overlay – Controlled from the keyboard (M) rather than a Settings checkbox.
Widgets
Show or hide on-screen panels: Clock, Solar data, Band conditions, Sun/Moon Az-El, Station info, Help (legend), Cloudlog, ADIF Logbook, PSK Reporter status, Satellite pass list, Contest calendar, and Watch List. DX Cluster and N1MM widgets are controlled from their own tabs when enabled. You can drag widgets to reposition them; positions are saved.
Sun/Moon Az-El panel: Shows azimuth and elevation for both the Sun and Moon at your station location. It uses Station latitude/longitude, and if those are not set it falls back to the grid square center.
Data
How often data is updated (in seconds): solar data, band conditions, aurora data, gray line, Cloudlog, ADIF Logbook, QRZ Logbook, and Contest Calendar RSS. Increase intervals to reduce network and CPU use.
Note: panels refresh independently, so values can update at different times.
Software updates
DXChrono can quietly check whether a newer build is available. It does not install updates for you; it only reads a small text file on the internet and compares the version number to the one you are running. Your callsign, logbook, or license details are not sent as part of this check.
- Check for app updates – Turn this off if you prefer the app never to look for newer versions (for example on a PC with no internet, or a strict club network).
- Update check frequency – Daily means at most one check per calendar day (UTC). Every startup checks each time you launch DXChrono.
- Check for Updates (button at the bottom of this tab) – Runs a check straight away. A short message appears at the bottom of the Settings window when the check finishes: if you are already on the latest version, you will see a green confirmation; if the check could not complete (no internet, blocked site, etc.), you will see a short warning. If a newer version is available, an Update Available window opens on top of Settings with two links: Download (installer page) and View Changelog (what changed). Use Later to close the window and carry on.
If an update is found while Settings is closed, the same Update Available window appears when the main map is showing, as soon as the app is not busy with another dialog.
For download files and release notes, see desktop.dxchrono.com/download and desktop.dxchrono.com/changelog. More help if checks fail: Troubleshooting → Update checks.
Contest Calendar: polling runs when the Contest calendar widget is enabled (Widgets tab). Here you set the RSS refresh interval, lookahead days, optional custom feed URL (default https://www.contestcalendar.com/calendar.rss), and widget font sizes.
Contest widget fonts: use Contest widget font (px) for main row text and Contest widget meta font (px) for secondary time/status lines.
Watch
Use the dedicated Watch tab to track specific callsigns from incoming DX Cluster and PSK Reporter data.
- Enable watch list matching – Master on/off switch. When off, no watch matches are collected.
- Show Watch List panel – Enables the Watch List widget area. The panel auto-hides when there are no current matches, and reappears when a match arrives.
- Match timeout (sec) – How long a match stays in the watch list before it is considered old and dropped.
- Match history size – Maximum number of stored matches kept in memory/widget list.
- Widget list font (px) – Text size for watch rows in the Watch List widget (larger text = fewer visible rows).
Callsign editor: type a callsign in the input box and click Add. Click an existing row to load it for editing, then click Update. Use Delete to remove the selected row or Clear to remove all watched callsigns.
What is matched: DX Cluster matches the DX callsign field; PSK Reporter matches the other station callsign field.
Cloudlog
Connect to your Cloudlog instance for QSO stats and recent contacts. Enter base URL, API key, and optional public slug. Use Test to verify. Enable the Cloudlog widget in the Widgets tab.
ADIF Logbook (file)
Use a local ADIF file as a live QSO source when you do not use Cloudlog or QRZ. Enable the ADIF tab, set your .adi path (or click Browse), and DXChrono will monitor the file for recent QSOs to drive map markers and the dedicated ADIF Logbook panel. You can choose map labels/lines and how many recent QSOs to keep. Set refresh under Data → ADIF Logbook (sec).
QRZ Logbook
Optional QRZ Logbook API integration: enter your logbook access key (you can right-click the field to paste from the clipboard), enable the feature, and recent QSOs appear on the map as square markers (Cloudlog uses diamonds). There is no separate stats widget for QRZ—only map markers, optional labels and great-circle lines, and tooltips. For a pin on the map, each QSO needs a gridsquare or latitude/longitude in the ADIF QRZ returns; widen FETCH date span or FETCH max records if you expect more contacts in the window.
Fetches use FETCH with BETWEEN:start+end and MAX: in one OPTION string (comma-separated, no spaces, per QRZ). Default FETCH date span is 7 inclusive calendar days through today (adjustable on this tab). Use Test (STATUS) to confirm your key; live FETCH needs a QRZ subscription that includes Logbook API access. Set refresh under Data → QRZ Logbook (sec). The HTTP User-Agent is DXChrono.
Print FETCH response preview (terminal) — When this checkbox is on (or when environment variable DXCHRONO_QRZ_DEBUG_ADIF is 1), each FETCH logs non-secret response fields and the first part of the ADIF to the terminal you launched the app from. The API key is never printed. Use for short troubleshooting sessions if markers or parsing look wrong.
DX Cluster
Telnet DX cluster connection: host, port, login callsign, and cluster type (DX Spider, AR Cluster, or CC Cluster). Options for spot labels, great-circle propagation lines, map spots, spot trail, timeout, max spots, and DX Cluster widget font size. Test checks the connection. See Integrations → DX Cluster.
PSK Reporter
MQTT connection to PSK Reporter: host, port, TLS. Choose “who's hearing me” and/or “who I'm receiving”. Configure labels, great-circle propagation lines, spot trail, timeout, and max spots. Your station callsign is used to filter spots. The tab also includes a Test button.
The on-screen PSK Reporter widget (enable it under Widgets) lists recent spots in a table with call, frequency, mode, an SNR bar (visual only), and age. List mode and band filters follow the options on this tab. See Map & Widgets → PSK Reporter for how to read the SNR column (including what the bar colours mean), wheel scrolling, and narrow layouts.
Satellites (Sats)
Enable satellite tracking and toggle labels/footprints on the map. Select which satellites to track from the list and set the minimum footprint elevation. Upcoming Passes options are also here: UTC/local pass times, lookahead hours, and pass-list font size. Press T to show/hide the overlay.
N1MM
Listen for N1MM Logger+ UDP broadcasts: enable, set UDP port (default 12060), listen address, and map line color mode. Enable N1MM status/recent-QSO widgets in the N1MM tab. Ensure N1MM is configured to send Application Info, Radio, and Contacts to the same port.
Special Event
For event stations and open days: enable mode, choose data source (Cloudlog or N1MM+), event name, dates, tagline. Options for last-worked banner, contacts today, distance to last QSO, map legend, and banner scroll speed. See the dedicated Special Event Station Mode page.