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Logbook — QSO Management and Export

In a Nutshell

SimpleFT8's built-in logbook stores every completed QSO in standard ADIF format. You can search, sort, view details, delete entries, and upload to QRZ.com — all from within the application. No external log software required.

Features at a Glance

Feature Description
Sortable table Click any column header to sort by date, call, band, mode, country, or distance
Search Filter by callsign, band, country name, or grid square
DXCC counter Shows how many unique DXCC entities you have worked
QSO detail overlay Click any QSO to see full details and QRZ.com station info
Delete QSOs Remove incorrect or test entries from the log
QRZ.com upload Bulk upload all QSOs to your QRZ.com logbook
Distance display Shows km from your QTH, exact from grid or approximate from callsign prefix

The QSO Table

The logbook table shows six columns:

Column Content Example
Datum Date of the QSO (DD.MM.YY) 09.04.26
Call Callsign of the other station EA3FHP
Band Operating band 20M
Mode Digital mode used FT8
Land Country (derived from callsign prefix) Spain
km Distance from your QTH 1247

Click any column header to sort. Click again to reverse the sort order.

Search

Type into the search field to filter the table in real time. The search checks:

  • Callsign — type part of a call (e.g., "EA3" to find all Spanish stations)
  • Band — type "20M" to show only 20-meter QSOs
  • Country — type "Japan" or "Germany" to filter by country name
  • Grid — type a grid square prefix (e.g., "JN" for southern Europe)

The search is case-insensitive. Clear the search field to show all QSOs again.

DXCC Counter

The counter at the top right shows two values:

  • DXCC: 42 — Number of unique countries/entities you have worked
  • 187 QSOs — Total number of logged contacts

The DXCC count is derived from callsign prefixes and covers all QSOs across all ADIF files in your SimpleFT8 directory.

QSO Detail Overlay

Click any row in the logbook to open the detail overlay on the right side. It shows:

Station Information (from QRZ.com)

  • Full name of the operator
  • QTH (city/town), country, grid square
  • DXCC entity number, CQ zone, ITU zone

The QRZ lookup happens in the background — the UI stays responsive while waiting for the result.

Editable QSO Fields

  • Date and time (UTC)
  • Band and frequency
  • Mode
  • RST sent and received (signal reports)
  • Grid square
  • TX power
  • Comment

Actions

  • Speichern — Save any edits to the ADIF file
  • QRZ Upload — Upload this single QSO to QRZ.com
  • Loeschen — Delete this QSO (with confirmation dialog)

Deleting a QSO

To delete a QSO:

  1. Click the QSO in the table to select it.
  2. Click the Loeschen button (either in the table toolbar or in the detail overlay).
  3. A confirmation dialog shows the call, date, time, band, and mode.
  4. Click Ja, loeschen to confirm.

The QSO is permanently removed from the ADIF file. This cannot be undone. The table refreshes automatically after deletion.

QRZ.com Upload

Setup

Add your QRZ.com credentials in the SimpleFT8 settings:

  • qrz_api_key — Your QRZ XML API key (from QRZ.com account settings)
  • qrz_username — Your QRZ.com username
  • qrz_password — Your QRZ.com password

Single QSO Upload

Click a QSO in the logbook, then click QRZ Upload in the detail overlay. The status bar shows the result.

Bulk Upload

Click the QRZ button in the logbook toolbar to upload all QSOs at once. The upload runs in the background and reports:

  • How many QSOs were uploaded successfully
  • How many were duplicates (already on QRZ.com)
  • How many failed

Distance Display

The km column shows the distance from your QTH (configured grid square) to the other station:

Display Source Accuracy
1247 Grid square from QSO exchange Exact (grid center to grid center, Haversine formula)
~8500 Callsign prefix lookup Approximate (country center point)
(empty) Neither grid nor known prefix No distance available

The tilde (~) prefix indicates an approximate distance calculated from the callsign prefix rather than an actual grid exchange.

ADIF File Format

QSOs are stored in ADIF 3.1.7 format, one file per day:

SimpleFT8_LOG_20260409.adi
SimpleFT8_LOG_20260410.adi
SimpleFT8_LOG_20260411.adi

Each file contains a header and one record per QSO. The format is compatible with all major logging software (Log4OM, DXKeeper, WSJT-X, etc.).

Fields Written per QSO

ADIF Field Content
CALL Other station's callsign
QSO_DATE Date (YYYYMMDD)
TIME_ON Time UTC (HHMMSS)
BAND Band (e.g., 20M)
FREQ Frequency in MHz
MODE FT8, FT4, or FT2
RST_SENT Your signal report to them
RST_RCVD Their signal report to you
GRIDSQUARE Their grid locator
MY_GRIDSQUARE Your grid locator
STATION_CALLSIGN Your callsign
TX_PWR Your transmit power in watts
COMMENT "SimpleFT8 v1.0"

Tips for Operators

  • The logbook loads all ADIF files in your SimpleFT8 directory, not just today's. Historical QSOs from previous sessions appear automatically.
  • QSOs are logged at RR73 time, not when 73 is received. If the other station never sends 73, the QSO is still logged — RR73 is the standard completion point in FT8.
  • Back up your ADIF files. They are plain text files in your SimpleFT8 directory. Copy them to a safe location regularly.
  • Delete with care. Deletion is permanent and removes the record from the ADIF file on disk. There is no undo or recycle bin.
  • QRZ upload handles duplicates gracefully. If a QSO already exists on QRZ.com, it is counted as a duplicate, not an error.
  • The detail overlay closes when you switch back to the QSO tab. Click a logbook entry again to reopen it.