Logging Your First Contact

Step-by-step guide to recording a QSO

You’ve set up the app. Now let’s log a contact.

Start a Session

Tap the Logger tab, then Start Session. A wizard lets you configure:

  1. Mode — SSB, FM, CW, FT8, or others
  2. Frequency — Optional at first; you can set it later if you’re scanning around
  3. Activation Type — Casual, POTA (pick a park from a searchable list or find nearby parks via GPS), or SOTA
  4. Equipment — Radio, antenna, key, and microphone
  5. Power — Transmit power in watts

Tap Save as Defaults so you don’t reconfigure every time.

Live Activity
When a session starts, Carrier Wave can show a Live Activity on your lock screen and Dynamic Island — see your session status without opening the app.

Enter the Contact

1. Callsign

Type the other station’s call. As you type, Carrier Wave looks them up — their name, location, and grid appear in an info card. A badge shows if you’ve worked them before.

2. Signal Reports

Enter RST Sent (what you told them) and RST Received (what they told you). Fields show placeholder hints (599 for CW, 59 for voice).

3. Optional Fields

Tap the chevron to expand: state/province, park reference, summit, grid square, and notes.

4. Log It

Tap LOG. Your contact is saved locally and queued for cloud sync. The callsign field auto-focuses for your next contact.

Quick Entry

For rapid logging, type everything in one line:

K6TEST 599 CA US-0189

Color-coded tokens show how each piece will be parsed — callsign, RST, state, park reference. Anything unrecognized becomes a note.

Watch It Sync

On the Dashboard, colored dots show service status: green (synced), yellow (syncing), red (error). Your QSOA contact or conversation between two amateur radio stations. reaches the cloud within seconds.

Duplicate Detection

Same station, same band, same date? Carrier Wave blocks the duplicate. Different band or different date? No warning — those are valid separate contacts.

Photos, Video, and Sharing

Attach photos to your session — your setup, the park sign, the view. After the session, create a video export showing your contacts on a map timeline, or generate a brag sheet stat card. Both are great for sharing on social media.

You can also export your session as a Cabrillo file for contest submissions.

What’s Next?

Congratulations on your first logged QSOA contact or conversation between two amateur radio stations. ! Next, let’s explore your Dashboard to understand your statistics.