Help guide

Applying for youth access

XMIT youth access is for holders of a valid UK amateur radio licence aged 21 or younger. Access normally ends after the month in which the user turns 22. Every application needs manual approval. For applicants under 16, a parent or person with parental responsibility leads the application and gives permission. Educators and volunteers should contact XMIT about the separate educator route.

1. Apply. Choose Apply for youth access on the sign-in page. Enter the applicant’s name, date of birth, account email, password, callsign, UK licence level and first licensed year. Under-16 applications also need the parent’s name and email. Use a password of at least 12 characters.
2. Supply the licence. Upload the Ofcom amateur radio licence as a PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 5 MB. Keep the name, callsign and licence level visible; unrelated details may be covered. This upload is for the radio licence only, not age or identity documents.
3. Read the rules and verify the email. Read the operating and recording information, submit the application, then open the applicant verification email and click Verify my email. Merely opening an email link does not confirm it.
4. Parent permission, if under 16. After applicant email verification, XMIT emails the parent a private permission link. The adult reads the information, enters their name and relationship, and confirms parental responsibility and permission. A confirmation email provides a Manage permission link. A teacher or club leader cannot give parental permission unless they also hold parental responsibility.
5. Welcome call and age check. XMIT arranges a short video welcome call. Under-16 applicants attend with the adult giving permission; applicants aged 16–21 may bring a trusted adult. Be ready to show suitable evidence of name and date of birth briefly, covering unrelated details. If video or suitable evidence is unavailable, contact XMIT to arrange an alternative welcome conversation and confirmation through an independently verified school or youth organisation.
6. Wait for approval. An administrator checks the UK licence, age, welcome call and any required parent permission before approving the application. You receive the decision by email. Submitting an application, verifying an email or giving parent permission does not grant access by itself.

After approval

The account is created when the application is submitted, but remains blocked while checks are pending. After approval, sign in with the email and password chosen on the form. You can use the normal account, logbook, chat and console features subject to your permissions. Station auto-approval settings determine station access and TX permission; individual restrictions, licence and station limits still apply. Approval does not bypass those limits. See Start listening for your first session.

Parent permission and withdrawal

The parent’s confirmation email contains a private Manage permission link. Withdrawing permission suspends access for review. If permission is given again using a fresh invitation, the application returns to pending and still needs manual approval. Contact XMIT if a link has expired or you need help. Keep permission links private.

Radio conversations are public, and others outside XMIT may listen or record them. XMIT records station audio and relevant activity for supervision and complaint review, normally for 30 days unless preserved. Administrators may monitor sessions without a separate notification each time, but continuous live supervision is not guaranteed. Young operators should stop and tell a trusted adult if anything feels uncomfortable. Participation permission does not grant permission for publicity.

Missing emails or an application still pending?

Check spam/junk and confirm that you used the intended email address. If verification cannot be completed, contact admin@xmit.org.uk; an administrator can resend applicant verification or parent invitations. Do not repeatedly submit applications or send age documents. Pending means checks or a decision are still outstanding. If an application is declined, reply to the decision email to discuss it.

Service-end emails

Approved youth operators receive an email 30 days before their service cutoff, another seven days before it, and confirmation when it ends. Emails go to the user only, using the current recorded service-end month. Warning emails are checked every 15 minutes; account closure and its confirmation are checked hourly. Emails are sent from 9am UK time. Access still ends at midnight after the recorded month; email delivery does not control access.

Administrators can change the end month in the application record. Future notices follow the new month; messages already sent cannot be recalled. If a reminder is missed, only the current relevant notice is sent. Failed sends retry after an hour. Delivery outcomes appear in the audit/review history. If a restart interrupts a send, its outcome is marked uncertain for administrator review rather than automatically resending a possible duplicate.

Reviewing applications (administrators)

Booking welcome calls

In Admin → Applications, expand Welcome-call meeting slots. Add a UK date/time, duration and HTTPS video-meeting link. Then use Send welcome-call booking invitation on a pending application with a verified email. The private invitation goes to the parent where parental permission is required, otherwise to the applicant. They choose a slot, receive confirmation and can change or cancel through the same page. Each slot holds one booking. The joining link is shown only to the booked family and admins. Admins can cancel a slot and notify the family or resend booking details. Links expire after 90 days; resend an invitation if needed. Booking does not grant permission, complete review checks or approve access. Calls must not be recorded, transcribed or screenshotted.

To remove an unsuccessful application, open Applications → Archive and choose Remove denied application. Confirm only after checking the name and email. This permanently removes the denied application, associated account, private links and uploaded licence from the live service. Existing audit records and backups retain their normal retention. Previously approved operators, accounts with operating history, administrators and station owners cannot be removed using this button.

Open Admin → Applications and select Refresh applications. Use Needs review for pending or suspended applications and Archive for approved or declined applications. Each application shows its review status, email verification, parent permission, outstanding checks and review history. Approved operators appear in Users with the same account and licence; unapproved applicants are managed in Applications. The Application button on a youth user opens their review record. The service end month appears on Account, in admin Users and in the application record after the age check. Access ends at 00:00 UK time on the first day of the following month. Administrators can adjust it through Application → Adjust service end month; the old/new months and reviewer are audited and current sign-ins end. Full DOB is erased from the live application record after verification. Birth year and the parental-permission requirement are retained separately; changing the end month never bypasses other approval checks. Existing staff and educator accounts without youth applications have no youth cutoff. Archived records are retained, not deleted. Returning an archived application to review suspends access and requires a fresh manual decision. Parent permission withdrawal also returns it to review; renewed permission alone never restores access.

1. Check applicant email verification and, for under-16s, parent permission. Use Resend applicant verification email or Send / resend parent link where needed.
2. Expand Arrange welcome call, enter the agreed time and joining instructions, and choose Email welcome-call instructions. Under-16 invitations go to the parent; older applicants receive their own invitation. Sending instructions does not mark the call complete.
3. Use View uploaded Ofcom licence to check the applicant’s name, callsign and UK licence level. Choose the verified level and Record licence verification only after checking the evidence.
4. Complete the welcome conversation and age check. For under-16s, speak with the adult and child together and check the declaration of parental responsibility. Record the actual age-check method and completed checks, confirm no age-document copies or call recordings were retained, then choose Save review checks. Leave uncertain checks incomplete and resolve them before approval.
5. Choose Approve youth access only when all requirements are satisfied. Approval is refused while any required check is missing. Decline application and Suspend access are also available; decision emails are sent to the applicant. Existing staff and educator accounts remain separately managed.

The recorded rules version identifies the text accepted at that time; it may differ from the latest wording. Never mark a call or identity check complete solely to move an application through the process.

Sharing a radio session

In the Full Console, open the Share session tab after connecting to a station. Select Turn on sharing and send your guest both the temporary link and password. The viewer can follow your frequency, mode and spectrum and hear received and outgoing voice/digital audio after pressing Listen to RX and TX. They cannot tune or transmit. Radio-generated CW transmitter audio is currently not available reliably to viewers; text/state evidence does not prove audible CW coverage.

Sharing is off by default. Stop sharing disconnects invited viewers immediately. Invitations expire when you disconnect from the radio, the session is replaced, or the server restarts; they also have a twelve-hour maximum. After refreshing your console, create a new invitation by stopping sharing and turning it on again. Share only with people you intend to invite.

Administrators can select Watch beside an active session in Who’s on. Supervisor access is privately audited and does not appear in the operator’s guest count or display a notification.

Privacy, safeguarding and retention

Radio is public: people outside XMIT can listen to and record transmissions. Stop and tell a trusted adult if anything feels uncomfortable. Contact admin@xmit.org.uk about concerns or privacy requests. Recording and administrator monitoring support review; they do not guarantee continuous supervision or complete evidence.

• Age checks: full DOB is erased from the live application after verification. Birth year remains for reports and optional speaking prompts. No age-document copies, welcome-call recordings, transcription or screenshots are permitted.
• Licences: uploaded documents are deleted after verification; callsign, licence level and the verification result remain.
• Account and application evidence: kept while the account is open, then for 90 days after closure unless specifically preserved. This includes parent-permission evidence. Suspension, including permission withdrawal, is not closure. Denied applications expire 90 days after denial; never-approved pending applications expire after 90 days without application activity. A future booked welcome call postpones inactivity expiry.
• Closing access: youth access ends after the recorded service-end month. Closure starts the 90-day account-retention period. A private email link allows logbook export during that period without restoring radio access. Export before access ends where possible. Contact XMIT if an email is missing. At deletion, profile, application and personal logbook data are removed; separate preserved evidence follows its own rules. Shared-callsign logbooks require administrator review.
• Bookings: booking details expire 30 days after the meeting; the welcome-check result remains with the application. Cancelled booking details expire after 30 days. The video provider has its own terms; keep joining links private and turn off recording, transcription and AI meeting notes.
• Operating history: recordings expire 30 days after session end; shared chat messages and audit history normally expire after 30 days. Moderated messages expire 30 days after removal/archive unless preserved. Completed connection details expire after 30 days, leaving numeric monthly totals for reports. Small report groups can still make someone recognisable.
• Preservation: administrators must give a reason and review retained evidence every 90 days. Preservation prevents automatic deletion until released; overdue reviews appear in Retention and Alerts.
• Backups: Managed local recovery and deployment backups are scheduled to expire after 30 days. Linode automatic backups rotate over roughly two weeks; the manual snapshot is checked hourly and scheduled for replacement at 28 days, before the 30-day limit. A provider snapshot can contain an older local backup, so deleted information may normally remain in backup copies for roughly 60 days. Failed jobs or exceptional older copies require administrator review; this is not a promise of immediate or guaranteed erasure. Backups are restricted to recovery. Before a restored system is made available, erased information must be removed again and current retention rules applied.

Admin → Retention shows closed accounts, deletion dates, preserved evidence and review deadlines. The hourly sweep reports failures through Alerts; failed deletion is retried. This operational information does not replace a full organisational privacy policy.

Start listening

You can explore the radio by listening. Start here, then use the detailed sections below when you need them.

1. Choose a station. Sign in, select an available station and choose Basic Console or Full Console.
2. Connect. Click Connect. Connect is green. When connected, the button reads Disconnect in red and the radio name appears.
3. Listen. Raise Master Volume and the receiver's AF volume. Check your computer's volume too. If sound is missing, see No Audio.
4. Find a signal. The waterfall shows signals over time. Click a signal to tune the receiver; the frequency display shows where you are listening.
5. Choose how to listen. Select the appropriate mode below. Adjust Filter Width to include the wanted signal and reduce nearby noise.

New radio sessions start on 7.100 MHz, LSB. Reconnecting an existing session can preserve its tuning; always check the displayed frequency and mode.

If you would like help with a first voice contact, open Prompts in the console and follow Speaking Prompts.

Which mode should I choose?

Read signals as text

Choose a button in Decoders. HFDL reads aircraft messages, CW reads Morse code, and WSPR receives propagation beacons. Keep the console open while using a decoder window or tab.

Other decoder buttons are greyed out while a decoder is active or its window is open. Stop that decoder and close its window before choosing another. For HFDL, use Window to return to its controls and Map to see received aircraft positions.

For listening, leave TX, TUNE, ATU and transmit playback alone: these controls can transmit. Transmitting also requires the station and your account to permit it.

Basic or Full Console

After choosing a station, choose Basic Console for listening and first voice or CW contacts, or Full Console for the complete set of controls and digital decoders. Both use the same permissions, station limits and session recording. Basic reserves the station only when you click Connect, so you can read its help or prepare a script first.

Basic shows connection status, the spectrum/waterfall, frequency and band/mode controls, volume, Speaking Prompts and transmit controls when permitted. Only voice modes (LSB, USB, AM and FM) and CW are offered. WSPR, FT8, HFDL, WWV and RTTY are in Full Console.

Click an i button in the corner of an area for What this does, How to use it and What to expect. The help opens only when clicked; close it with Escape, an outside click or Close. It also links to the relevant section of this guide.

For a voice contact, click Transmit when permitted and ready. A prominent transmit banner includes an elapsed timer and Stop transmitting. Microphone settings, RF power and TUNE sit under Voice settings. TUNE sends a 10 W carrier; it is not needed for ordinary listening. The global Spacebar TX shortcut is disabled in Basic.

For CW, select CW and use Open CW decoder and keyer. The same receive-only restrictions apply to its transmit controls. Clear CW keyer clears queued keying when authorised.

Use Full Console in the Basic header to switch views. Switching closes the current radio connection; reconnect in the new view. Copy any speaking script before switching. The detailed sections below describe Full Console controls unless otherwise stated.

Console Overview

The console controls the selected remote station. Its buttons and status labels use a consistent flat style: green indicates an active connection, red an inactive connection or a disconnect action, and highlighted drawer tabs show an open panel. Status labels such as Radio, Audio and WebRTC are indicators, not connect buttons.

Login & Sessions

Sign in at remote.xmit.org.uk with your approved account, choose an available station and click Connect in its console. Only one operator controls a station at a time. Use Disconnect when finished, and Logout when leaving a shared computer.

Applications and email confirmation

New youth operators should follow Applying for youth access. Email verification is followed by the welcome call, age and licence checks, any required parent permission and manual approval in Admin → Applications. Opening an email link alone does not approve access.

Session recording

Station sessions are recorded for operator supervision, usage auditing and complaint review. Available audio and radio activity are normally retained for 30 days after the session ends unless an administrator preserves a session. Radio-generated CW is retained as text/state, not captured transmitter audio; coverage gaps can occur. This is separate from the local audio recordings you make with the REC drawer.

A recording notice appears at the start of a session and disappears after 30 seconds. If recording is unavailable, ordinary operators cannot use the station; administrators and the station owner may proceed with a warning.

Automatic station approvals

Station owners can control Automatically approve access and Automatically approve TX independently in station settings. Automatic access applies only after XMIT account approval. Automatic TX also requires station access and a verified licence. Removing an individual's access or TX permission overrides the automatic settings; licence verification does not restore a removed right. Amplifier permission remains manual, and global TX, station availability, band and power limits still apply.

How long you stay signed in

Your sign-in expires after four hours without activity. Using the site renews it; staying connected to a radio counts as use, including listening. Background updates on other pages do not renew it. After 24 hours, sign in again even if you are still using the service. Expiry disconnects the radio and ends any shared viewing link. Always Disconnect and Logout when leaving a shared computer.

Forgotten password

Choose Forgot your password? on the sign-in page, enter your XMIT email address and check your inbox or spam folder. Open the reset email and choose a new password twice. The link expires after 30 minutes and works once; simply opening it does not change the password. After a successful reset, older sign-ins and connected sessions end. Licence verification and station permissions are unchanged. Sign in again normally. If you cannot access the mailbox, contact an administrator.

Account & Profile

Open Account from the stations page or console header, or open your account here. Your profile is private, not a public member directory. Its optional first name and interests can personalise the Speaking Prompts you choose to read.

Changing your email address

In Account, enter your new address and current password, then choose Send verification email. Your current email address remains active until you open the email sent to the new address and press Confirm email change. The link expires after 30 minutes. Opening the link alone does not change your account. A new request replaces any earlier link.

You can see or cancel a pending change in Account. To resend, enter the address and password again; wait at least a minute between requests. Confirmation signs out existing sessions, including radio sessions. Sign in again using the new address and the same password. Your licence, callsign, logbook and station permissions stay the same. Both addresses receive a confirmation notification. If the initial verification email cannot be sent, your current address remains unchanged.

About you

1. Enter a first name and a few interests if you want to use them in an introduction. Leave out anything you do not want to say on air.
2. Review birth year, gender and first licensed year under Optional reporting details. These support participation statistics. Youth applications collect date of birth for eligibility and derive the reporting birth year from it; after the age check the full DOB is erased from the live application record and only birth year, service end month and check results are retained. Editing a profile does not change the service end month. Contact XMIT to correct eligibility details. First licensed year is supplied with the application.
3. Click Save profile. In an already-open prompts tab, use Refresh details to load your changes. They are included in scripts only when you select them.

For a profile picture, choose a still JPG, PNG or WebP under 10 MB and click Save picture. The picture is resized before upload. Remove picture removes it. Pictures are not inserted into speaking scripts.

Password and access

To change your password, enter your current password, a new password of at least 12 characters, and its confirmation, then click Change password. Older sign-ins, including radio sessions, are signed out.

Account and radio access shows your email, callsign, licence status and station permissions. Password changes are available on Account, and forgotten-password recovery is available from sign in. Use Change email address above for self-service email changes. Contact an administrator for mailbox access problems or callsign/licence corrections.

Existing listener accounts: upload a licence

Open Account → Upload your licence. Enter the callsign and licence class shown on your document, provide your first licensed year, then choose a PDF, JPG or PNG up to 5 MB and press Submit licence for review.

The document is stored privately for authorised administrators, and XMIT sends a review notification. Your account remains receive-only until an administrator checks the evidence and verifies the licence. Station transmit permission is granted separately. If you uploaded the wrong document, replace it using the same form while it is awaiting review. Already verified users should contact an administrator for licence updates.

Administrator audit log

Administrators can open Admin → Audit log to search account, access/licence, station, radio, recording, chat, news and report activity. Filter by user, station, category and UK date/time. If a time occurs twice when the clocks go back, select BST for the first occurrence or GMT for the second.

Radio entries link to the matching recording at that moment without starting playback automatically. Preserve history retains related events with a reason; Preserve session evidence also preserves the available linked recording. Normal audit retention is 30 days. Releasing preservation can allow already-expired data to be cleaned up. Imported history is labelled and may lack details that were not previously recorded. Credentials, reset links and licence documents are excluded from the event capture.

Chat with other XMIT users

Choose Chat in the signed-in header or either console to open the shared community chat. You do not need to connect to a station, and opening chat will not disconnect your radio.

Write up to 500 characters and select Send message. Use it to arrange station time or ask another operator for help. The sidebar shows who's around and which station they are operating. Check the Stations page before connecting; a chat message does not reserve a station.

Chat is supervised and saved. Messages are visible to other approved users and administrators. Avoid posting personal contact details. Administrators can remove unsuitable messages; regular users see neither the removed text nor a removal notice. In the administrator view of Chat, removed messages remain in their original position, marked in red with who removed them and when. Administrators can Restore them or choose Archive for 30 days. Archiving removes the entry from the admin conversation too, retaining its text privately under Admin → Audit log for 30 days before automatic expiry unless preserved. Preserve history requires a reason and keeps the message’s audit history until an admin releases it. Older messages opens earlier admin chat history. Existing backups and session recordings follow their own retention rules. Messages whose text was deleted under the earlier policy can only show their remaining audit metadata.

Speaking Prompts

Speaking Prompts is a reading aid for operators who want a starting point for their first contacts or feel unsure what to say. Open Prompts in the console header. It does not speak aloud, control the radio or transmit.

1. Choose Make an introduction, Call CQ or Answer a call.
2. Check that Station you are using matches your console. Selecting it here changes the wording only; it does not change the console's station.
3. For an introduction or reply, enter the other station's callsign if known. Select only the personal details you want to say: first name, age, interests or the phrase about getting used to talking on air. Station equipment uses that station's saved description.
4. Click Build script, then edit the text to sound like you. Replace every item in [square brackets] before using it. A callsign is filled in automatically only when your account has a verified amateur callsign.
5. Use Reading view for a larger, simpler reading layout, or Copy script to copy the text.

Call CQ stays short and spells your callsign phonetically. Personal details, station equipment and weather are used in introductions and replies, not the CQ script.

Age and weather

My age is off by default. Birth year gives an estimated age for the current year; check it against your birthday. Enter Exact age to override it if necessary. This override stays in the tab and is not saved to your account.

Current weather near the station adds an Open-Meteo model estimate using the station's configured location. The source and UK validity time are shown. It is not an on-site measurement. Use Refresh weather to update it; a refresh preserves text you have edited. If weather is unavailable, newly built text leaves it out.

Expand My own location and weather (optional) to describe where you are speaking from, separately from the remote station. To look up weather, enable your location field, enter a UK town or area, and click Find UK weather. Choose the Matching UK place, click Fetch weather for this place, then Use this summary. You can edit the resulting My own weather text before building the script.

Only a location you choose to look up is shared with the weather provider; account details and script text are not. Your own location and weather are not saved to your profile.

Send the edited script to your console

1. Keep the main console open for the same station, in the same browser and browser profile as the prompts tab.
2. Click Send to console. This transfers the current text, including your edits, and confirms when a matching console receives it.
3. Scroll to the Speaking script box at the bottom of the console. Use Collapse / Expand or Clear script as needed.

Creating a Slice (Click-to-Tune)

A slice is a receiver channel on the radio. To create or move the active slice:

1. Hover your mouse over the panadapter or waterfall display. A frequency tooltip appears showing the frequency under your cursor.
2. Click on the desired signal. If you click without dragging (less than 5 pixels of movement), the slice tunes to that frequency.
3. The frequency display updates and audio switches to the new frequency immediately.

Sliding the Panadapter

To scroll the panadapter across the frequency spectrum:

1. Click and hold anywhere on the panadapter or waterfall canvas.
2. Drag left or right to slide the displayed frequency range. Dragging right shows lower frequencies; dragging left shows higher frequencies.
3. Release to stop. The panadapter center frequency updates to your new position.

The waterfall clears during a drag because the old rows are at different frequencies than the new display position.

Scroll-Wheel Frequency Tuning

Place your mouse cursor over the panadapter canvas and use your scroll wheel (or trackpad two-finger scroll) to tune the frequency:

The tuning has a built-in accumulator with a threshold — small trackpad jitter is filtered out, so only deliberate scroll movements change the frequency.

Frequency Digit Arrows

The frequency display shows 8 digits in the format XX.XXX.XXX MHz. Each digit has ▲ and ▼ arrow buttons above and below it.

Click an arrow to increment or decrement that specific digit. This allows precise frequency entry — for example, clicking the ▲ on the 4th digit changes frequency by 100 kHz.

Bandwidth Zoom (Shift + Scroll)

To zoom the panadapter display in or out:

1. Hold Shift on your keyboard.
2. Scroll up to zoom in (narrower bandwidth = more detail).
3. Scroll down to zoom out (wider bandwidth = more spectrum visible).

This changes the displayed frequency span. You can also use the − / + zoom buttons near the panadapter; a narrower span shows more detail.

Bands, Modes & Filters

Band Selector

The Band dropdown switches between amateur HF bands:

Mode Selector

Sets the demodulation mode for the active slice:

Filter Width

Use the Filter Width − / + controls beside the frequency or in the VFO drawer to adjust the receiver passband. Common choices:

Panadapter Controls

The small arrows along the right edge of the spectrum and waterfall adjust the spectrum reference level and waterfall brightness. You can also use the scroll wheel over these scales. Adjust them until wanted signals stand out from the background.

Use the − / + zoom controls near the panadapter, or Shift + Scroll over the main display, to change its frequency span. This changes the view; tuning the receiver is a separate action.

S-Meter & Signal Display

The S-Meter bar shows received signal strength on a scale from S1 to S9, then S9+20, +40, +60 dB.

Open the MTR drawer on the left and click Open to open a floating circular S-meter popup with additional readouts including frequency, mode, filter width, antenna, and mini SWR/RF power gauges. The popup is draggable — grab its title bar to reposition. Click the x to close.

During transmit, the meter switches to show SWR and RF power output.

Propagation Map

The map in the lower-left area shows received WSPR spots and their paths. Use its zoom controls and band filters to explore the contacts shown. The HFDL decoder has a separate aircraft map; open that with Map in HFDL.

Volume & Audio

Open the VFO drawer on the left. Master Volume controls overall output and defaults to 90%. Each slice also has an AF volume and mute control. Check both levels and your computer's volume if reception is quiet.

AGC Settings

The AGC (Automatic Gain Control) prevents loud signals from overwhelming and quiet signals from being inaudible.

Open the AGC drawer on the left and adjust the Automatic Gain Control Threshold slider (0–100). This sets the level below which AGC does not apply gain. Higher values = less amplification of noise.

Noise Reduction (NR / NB / NRL / RNN)

Open the NR drawer on the left. Each available tool has an On/Off toggle and, where applicable, a strength slider. These include:

Where provided, a slider (0–100) controls intensity. Start low and increase until noise is reduced without distorting desired signals.

Transmitting (TX)

To transmit voice:

1. Click the TX button. Your browser will request microphone access — allow it.
2. The button turns red and the meter displays switch to show ALC and RF power.
3. Speak into your microphone. Audio is encoded as Opus and streamed to the radio.
4. Click TX again to stop transmitting and return to receive.

TUNE Mode

Click TUNE to transmit a steady carrier at reduced power. This is used for antenna tuning and ATU operation. Click again to stop.

Mic Gain, ALC & RF Power

Open the TX drawer on the left to find these settings. The station and your account still determine whether transmission is permitted.

Microphone Gain and TX Drive

Microphone Gain adjusts the radio's microphone gain. TX Drive controls the audio drive level sent to the radio. Use the displayed values and ALC meter when checking your transmitted audio.

RF Power

RF Power requests the transmit power setting. Actual permitted power is also limited by the station and account controls. A setting is not a measurement of actual transmitted power.

PROC (Speech Processor)

Open the TX drawer and find Speech Processor. Use its On/Off toggle and strength slider. Start with a low setting when checking voice audio and avoid excessive processing that makes speech distorted.

ATU & Antennas

ATU (Antenna Tuning Unit)

The ATU button controls the radio's built-in antenna tuner:

Click ATU when bypassed to start a tune cycle. Click again when tuned to bypass. The MEM button enables ATU memory — the tuner remembers settings per frequency and automatically recalls them.

Antenna Selection

Click ANT 1 or ANT 2 to switch between antenna ports on the radio.

Voice Keyer (DVK)

Open REC on the right for received-audio recording, or VK for the voice keyer. These local tools are separate from the automatic supervision recordings.

RX Recording

Record what you're hearing from the radio:

1. Click ● Rec RX to start recording received audio.
2. Click ■ Stop to stop recording.
3. Click ▶ Play to listen to your recording locally.
4. Click 💾 WAV to download the recording as a WAV file.

TX Voice Keyer

Record and play back a message over the air (CQ call, contest exchange, etc.):

1. Click ● Rec TX and speak your message into your microphone.
2. Click ■ Stop when done.
3. Click ▶ TX Play to transmit the recorded message. The radio will key up, play your audio, then return to receive.
4. Click ■ TX Stop to abort a TX playback in progress.
5. Use ► Mon to monitor (listen to) your TX recording locally without transmitting.
6. Use 📂 Load to load a WAV or WebM audio file from your computer as the TX message.

Decoder Panel Overview

Choose a decoder from the buttons in the decoder panel:

Choose a decoder and follow its controls. Some open a separate window or tab with their own Start and Stop buttons. The indicator and status text show its state. Other decoder buttons are unavailable until the active decoder is stopped and its window closed.

HFDL Decoder

HFDL (High Frequency Data Link) decodes aircraft position reports and messages transmitted on HF frequencies worldwide.

1. Click the HFDL decoder button to open its tab.
2. Select a Band from the band dropdown. Each band shows the number of active channels (e.g., "8 MHz (4ch)").
3. In the HFDL tab, click Start and watch for receive stream activity, then decoded messages. The IQ centre shown here can differ from the main receiver frequency.

HFDL Decoder Tab

The HFDL tab displays messages in a table with sortable columns (click any column header to sort):

Click any message row to expand it and see the full decoded packet details.

The ✈ Map button opens a live flight map plotting all decoded aircraft positions.

CW Decoder

The CW decoder translates Morse code from the received audio into text.

1. Tune to a CW signal (set mode to CW and narrow your filter to 100–500 Hz).
2. Click CW in the decoder panel to open its window.
3. Click Start.

Decoded text appears in the CW window. Use the decoder section's Start and Stop controls to receive. Its transmit/keyer controls remain unavailable in receive-only mode.

WSPR Decode & Encode

WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) is a protocol for transmitting and receiving low-power beacon signals to map HF propagation paths.

WSPR Decode (RX)

1. Click WSPR in the decoder panel.
2. Select a band from the Band dropdown.
3. Click Start. A callsign dialog appears — enter your callsign for WSPRnet spot reporting.
4. Click Start Decode. The radio tunes to the WSPR sub-band and begins 5-minute decode cycles.

Decoded spots appear in a popup window with these columns:

Each 5-minute cycle is separated by a header showing the cycle number and UTC time. TX cycles are marked in red.

To return to normal radio use, stop WSPR. If its popup has already been closed, click the active WSPR button in the main console to stop it. The band selector resets to its choice prompt so you can choose the same band next time.

WSPR Transmit (TX)

While the WSPR decoder is running, a TX WSPR button appears:

1. Click TX WSPR to enable beacon transmission.
2. The system alternates between RX decode cycles and TX beacon cycles. Your encoded WSPR message (callsign, configured grid, power level) is transmitted as a 5-minute tone sequence.
3. Click TX WSPR again to stop transmitting and return to decode-only.

WWV Time Sync Decoder

The WWV decoder listens to NIST time station broadcasts (WWV on 5/10/15/20 MHz or WWVH on 2.5/5/10/15 MHz) and decodes the second-by-second tick pulses.

1. Tune to a WWV frequency (e.g., 10.000 MHz AM).
2. Click WWV in the decoder panel.
3. Click Start.

The decoder panel displays:

RTTY

Click RTTY in the main console. In its window, check Mark, Shift and Baud for the signal you want to decode, then use the top Start control. Receive text and lock indicators help you adjust tuning. Stop reception with that decoder control before leaving.

The transmit text area is separate: SEND needs text to send, and XMIT is a transmit control, not the receive decoder's Start button. Keep transmit controls alone when listening.

FT8

Click FT8 to open its window, select a band and click Start Decoder. Received messages appear under Band Activity. Use Stop when finished.

Receiving does not grant transmit permission. In receive-only mode, CQ and Enable TX stay disabled. Authorised transmit operation uses those separate controls; Halt TX stops FT8 transmission.

Logbook & Maps

Click the right-side LOG tab to open the logbook in a separate browser tab. Keep the console open. Enter the contact callsign and details in New QSO, check frequency and mode, then click Log QSO. The ◀ radio control copies current radio details into the entry.

The Logbook tab lets you search/filter contacts and import or export ADIF. Maps shows the contact map inside the logbook. Clicking a spot under Spots or POTA can retune the console; it is not just a map selection.

Chat

Open the right-side CHAT drawer for real-time messaging between connected users and station admin. Type a message in the input field and click Send or press Enter.

System Log

Click System Log in the header bar to open a popup window showing real-time console events — connections, frequency changes, decoder activity, errors, and radio status updates. Useful for troubleshooting.

Session Recordings — Administrators

In Admin, open Session recordings to review who used a station, the saved audio and the activity timeline. This page replays evidence; it never controls the live radio.

1. Search by operator/callsign or station. Optionally enter At this UK date and time and click Find sessions. Leave time blank for recent sessions.
2. Use Automatic (UK date) for normal dates. For a repeated autumn time, choose BST for its first occurrence or GMT for its second. A skipped spring time is rejected. Searches include sessions spanning midnight.
3. Click Replay. Use the position slider, Play/Pause and the received/transmitted audio selections. The timeline shows tuning and other activity around playback time; Show all events displays the full timeline.
4. Add an administrator note if needed. To keep a session beyond normal expiry, tick Preserve session, enter a reason and click Save retention. Clear that selection and save to release preservation.
5. For an evidence archive, select a range in seconds into the session and use Download archive. Review its contents before sharing; it contains internal evidence and operator details.

Preservation and access history are shown in the review. Gaps are highlighted. Frequency changes follow the playback cursor; Reported RF power is a setting, not proof of radiated power. Boundary audio chunks can extend slightly beyond an export range.

Usage Reports — Administrators

Open Reports in Admin. Choose a report, date range and station, then click Generate report. Available views include usage and monthly trends, participation, popular days/hours, bands and modes, RX/TX audio time, demographics, digital activity and the youth-access funding summary.

Report date filters are labelled UTC; the popular days/hours charts use UK local time. Staff usage can be included with the relevant option. Use Remove personal details for external sharing before creating an external report. It removes names, callsigns, email addresses, account IDs, exact session times and message content; grouped statistics still include small groups, so removing direct identifiers does not guarantee that nobody can be recognised.

Download CSV or data, or use the printable report / Save as PDF option. Review the generated report before sending it outside the service. The funding summary covers recreational access for newly licensed young operators; educator feedback for classroom outcomes is collected separately.

Troubleshooting

No Audio

1. Check the volume slider is above 0%.
2. Check your browser isn't muting the tab (speaker icon in tab).
3. Click anywhere on the page — browsers require user interaction before audio can play.
4. Check the Audio status indicator in the status bar — it should be green.
5. If a reconnect is needed, first save any decoder messages you want to keep. Reloading the console can interrupt its decoder windows and clear their history.

Waterfall Frozen

1. Check the Radio status indicator — if red, the radio connection was lost.
2. Wait a few seconds — the system auto-reconnects.
3. If it persists, reconnect. Save any decoder history before reloading the console.

Decoder Won't Start

1. Ensure you've selected a Band (for HFDL and WSPR).
2. Check that no other decoder is already running — only one decoder runs at a time.
3. Check the System Log for error messages.

Script Does Not Reach the Console

Check that both tabs use the same account, station, browser and browser profile. A different browser or private window will not receive it. Older console pages may need one reload to load the transfer feature; copy unsaved text and decoder history first. Then try Send to console again.

Weather Is Unavailable

Check the source and time beside the station weather, or try Refresh weather. For your own weather, choose a matching UK place before fetching it. If lookup is unavailable, enter your own weather manually or leave it out. A weather refresh keeps an edited script, so review any weather sentence still in that draft.

TX Button Not Visible

Both your account and the selected station must permit transmission. Review Account and radio access, or contact the station administrator. Starting a decoder does not change these permissions.

Browser Requirements

Use an up-to-date browser and a stable internet connection. Keep the console open while using decoder or logbook tabs. Allow the site's popup windows when opening these tools, and check that the console tab is not muted.

Voice transmission requires microphone permission. Speaking scripts do not need microphone access. To use Send to console, both tabs must be in the same browser and browser profile; use Copy script if they are in different browsers.