Spot Monitoring | Carrier Wave Manual

The Spot Monitoring system helps you find stations to work, assess propagation, and monitor current band conditions through integration with the RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. , POTAParks on the Air - a program encouraging portable operation from parks and public lands. spotting network, SOTA spots, WWFF spots, and solar/weather data sources.

Accessing Spots

Logger Tab Commands

From the Logger tab, enter these commands in the callsign field to open dedicated spot panels:

RBN - Show your own RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. spots
RBN <callsign> - Show spots for any callsign
POTA - Open POTA spots panel
P2P - Show Park-to-Park opportunities (during POTA activations only)
SOLAR - Display solar conditions panel
WEATHER - Show weather conditions

On iPad, a persistent spots sidebar appears alongside the Logger, with tabs for:

POTA - Active park activators
RBN/My Spots - RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. detections
P2P - Park-to-park opportunities (when activating)

Activity Log Hunter View

The Activity Log includes a dedicated hunter spot list with filtering specific to reviewing worked stations.

Spot Types

RBN (Reverse Beacon Network)

The RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. is a worldwide network of automated receiving stations that decode CWContinuous Wave - another term for Morse code communication. and digital mode transmissions. Each spot includes:

Callsign - Station heard
Frequency - In kHz
Mode - CW, FT8, FT4, etc.
SNR - Signal-to-noise ratio in dB
Spotter location - RBN receiver grid or location

Data source: Vail ReRBN API Time window: Limited to spots from the last 10 minutes

Use RBN to monitor your own signal propagation, or RBN <callsign> to check if another station is being heard.

POTA Spots

Active POTAParks on the Air - a program encouraging portable operation from parks and public lands. park activators reported by hunters. Each spot includes:

Callsign - Activator’s call
Park reference - e.g., K-4566
Park name - Full park name
Frequency - Operating frequency
Mode - SSB, CW, FT8, etc.
Time spotted - When the spot was posted
Comments - Optional hunter feedback (e.g., “QRT”, “Loud signal”)

Data source: POTA API

Use the POTA command to open the dedicated POTA spots panel with band and mode filtering.

SOTA Spots

SOTA (Summits on the Air) spots show activators operating from mountain summits:

Callsign - Summit activator’s call
Summit reference - e.g., W7W/KG-001
Summit name - Full summit name
Frequency and mode
Points - Summit point value (1-10 based on altitude)
Altitude - Summit elevation

Data source: SOTAwatch API

SOTA spots integrate into the merged spot list alongside POTA and RBN data. The summit reference appears as a badge on the spot row.

Tap a SOTA spot to auto-fill the Logger with the activator’s callsign, frequency, and notes (<summit-ref> - <summit-name> - <N>pts). In an active FT8 session, the tap routes to the FT8 call-station flow if a recent decode of that callsign exists.

WWFF Spots

WWFF (World Wide Flora & Fauna) spots show activators operating from nature reserves:

Callsign - Activator’s call
WWFF reference - e.g., KFF-1234
Reserve name - Full reserve name
Frequency and mode
Progress - QSO count toward the 44-QSO activation requirement (if reported)

Data source: WWFF spotting network

Merged Spots

The main spot list merges POTAParks on the Air - a program encouraging portable operation from parks and public lands. , SOTA , WWFF , and RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. data into a unified view sorted by band:

Human spots first - POTA/SOTA/WWFF spots (manually posted by hunters) appear before RBN spots
Deduplication - When the same callsign appears on the same band in multiple sources, spots are combined with the human-posted source as preferred
Band grouping - Spots organized by band for easy scanning

This merged view gives you human-confirmed activity alongside automated detection (RBN) in one place.

Park-to-Park (P2P)

When you’re conducting a POTAParks on the Air - a program encouraging portable operation from parks and public lands. activation, the P2P command shows potential park-to-park opportunities by cross-referencing:

POTA spots - Other active park activators
RBN data - Signal detections from skimmers within 500km of your grid squareA location identifier using the Maidenhead Locator System (e.g., FN31 for the Boston area).

Each P2P entry displays:

SNR - Signal strength from nearby RBN receivers
Frequency - Operating frequency
Park information - Park reference and name
Age - Time since spot posted

Tap a P2P spot to auto-fill the Logger with callsign, frequency, and park-to-park notes.

Spot Contact Validator

The spot contact validator provides near-miss alerts when you log a QSO that closely matches (but doesn’t exactly match) an active spot:

Frequency mismatch - You logged a QSO near a spotted frequency but not exactly on it
Callsign similarity - You logged a callsign similar to a spotted station (possible typo)
Time proximity - A spot appeared shortly after you logged a QSO on the same band

When a near-miss is detected, a subtle alert appears suggesting you verify the contact details. This helps catch logging errors before they’re uploaded to services.

Spot Comments Display

Spot comments from hunters are displayed inline on spot rows:

Latest comment visible directly on the spot row
Comment count badge showing total comments
Tap to expand to see all comments in chronological order
RBN comments (automated) are collapsed separately from human comments

Spot Visual Indicators

Age Color Coding

Spots are color-coded by age to help you prioritize fresh activity:

Green - Less than 2 minutes old (very fresh)
Blue - 2-10 minutes old
Orange - 10-30 minutes old
Gray - Older than 30 minutes

Badges

Spots may display badges indicating special conditions:

SELF - The spotted activator matches your own callsign
DUPE - You’ve already worked this station on the same band and date
TODAY - Worked today on a different band
PREV - Worked in a previous session
FRIEND - Station is in your friends list
SKCC - Station is an SKCC member (shows member number and award level)

SKCC Enrichment

Spots from SKCC (Straight Key Century Club) members display an orange pill showing their member number and award level:

Centurion (C) — Worked 100 members
Tribune (T) — Worked all US states + provinces with SKCC members
Tribune ×N (TxN) — Multiple Tribune endorsements
Senator (S) — Highest SKCC award

The SKCC roster is downloaded once per day and cached locally. Both Carrier Wave (iOS) and CW Sweep (macOS) share this data.

These indicators help you avoid duplicate contacts and identify new multiplier opportunities.

Worked-Before Cache

Carrier Wave maintains an in-memory cache of recently worked callsigns to provide instant DUPE/TODAY/PREV badge rendering without database queries. The cache is rebuilt when the app launches and updated as you log QSOs.

Filtering

The spot filtering system lets you narrow results by multiple criteria. Filters for HUNT (POTA/SOTA spots) and P2P (park-to-park) are persistent — your selections are saved in Settings and applied automatically each time you open the spot panel.

Active Filter Indicators

When filters are active, the HUNT and P2P command icons appear filled instead of outlined, and a descriptive summary (e.g., “20m, CW, POTA only”) appears below the command bar. This gives you instant visual confirmation that filtering is in effect.

Source Filter

POTA - Show only POTA spots
SOTA - Show only SOTA spots
WWFF - Show only WWFF spots
RBN - Show only RBN spots
All - Merged view (default)

Activity Filter (HUNT)

Filter hunt spots by activity program:

POTA - Show only POTA activators
SOTA - Show only SOTA activators
All - Show all activity types (default)

Band Filter

Multi-select band filter supporting:

All HF bands (160m through 10m)
VHF/UHF bands (6m, 2m, 70cm)
Select multiple bands to monitor several at once

Mode Filter

Multi-select mode filter including:

CWContinuous Wave - another term for Morse code communication.
SSBSingle Sideband - a voice mode commonly used on HF bands. (Phone)
FT8A digital mode designed for weak-signal communication, popular for making contacts with minimal power.
FT4
Other digital modes

Club Filter (HUNT)

Filter hunt spots by club membership. Select one or more clubs to show only spots from members of those clubs. Requires club roster data to be loaded.

Friends Filter (HUNT)

Toggle to show only spots from stations in your friends list.

Age Filter

Set maximum spot age from 5 to 30 minutes. Default is 12 minutes or less. Older spots are hidden to focus on current activity.

Proximity Filter

“Heard Nearby” toggle with configurable radius (100-2000 miles):

Shows only stations detected by RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. receivers within your specified distance
Helps assess short-skip propagation and regional activity
Distance calculated from your grid squareA location identifier using the Maidenhead Locator System (e.g., FN31 for the Boston area). (set in Settings)

Region-Based Aggregation

Spots can be aggregated by geographic region to reduce clutter on busy bands:

Region grouping collapses multiple RBN spots from the same geographic area into a single row
Expand to see individual spots within a region
Region labels (NE, SE, MW, SW, NW for US; EU, AS, OC, AF, SA for international)

Sort Order

Recent - Newest spots first (default)
Frequency - Low to high frequency

Hide Already Worked

Toggle to suppress spots with DUPE, TODAY, or PREV badges.

Active Filter Badges

The spot panel header displays active filter badges (e.g., “20m, CW, <12 min”) for quick reference to your current filters.

Spot Map

A mini-map at the top of the spot panel shows:

Spotter locations - RBN receiver positions
Signal paths - Arcs from spotter to target station
Signal strength indicators - RBN spotter circles sized by SNR (larger = stronger signal)
Geographic context - Your location and spotted station location

Spotter positions are resolved via HamDB grid squareA location identifier using the Maidenhead Locator System (e.g., FN31 for the Boston area). lookups.

P2P Discovery via RBN

Beyond the P2P command, Carrier Wave passively discovers park-to-park opportunities using RBN data:

Background scanning of RBN spots for callsigns matching active POTA activators
Cross-reference with POTA spot data to confirm park-to-park eligibility
Toast notification when a P2P opportunity is detected on your current band
Tap the toast to auto-fill the Logger with the P2P contact details

This passive discovery ensures you don’t miss P2P opportunities even when you’re not actively checking the spot panel.

Background Spot Monitoring

During active logging sessions, Carrier Wave automatically monitors spots in the background:

Automatic Polling

Interval: Every 45 seconds
Active during: Any open logging session
POTA filtering: POTA spots included only during POTA activations

Compact Summary Banner

When spots are detected in the background, a compact banner appears showing:

Spot count - Total new spots
Region breakdown - Spot counts by region (NE, EU, NA, etc.)
Distance range - Minimum to maximum distance in miles/km

Tap the banner to expand and see individual spots.

Persisted Spots

RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. and POTAParks on the Air - a program encouraging portable operation from parks and public lands. spots detected during your session are saved and displayed in an expandable Recorded Spots section in the session detail view.

The recorded spots use the same aggregation as the live Logger spot view:

Human spots first – POTA spots appear before RBN spots
Deduplication – Same callsign + band merged, with POTA as the preferred source
Band grouping – Spots organized by band
RBN region collapsing – Consecutive RBN spots grouped by region
Age color coding and badges – SELF, DUPE, TODAY, PREV indicators preserved from capture time

Tap the section header to expand or collapse the list. This provides a historical record of propagation during your activation – review which receivers heard you, on which bands, and at what signal strength.

See POTA Activation Detail – Recorded Spots for full details.

Solar & Weather Conditions

Solar Conditions (SOLAR Command)

The solar panel displays:

K-index - Geomagnetic activity (0-9, lower is better)
SFI (Solar Flux Index) - 10.7cm solar flux (higher is better for HF)
A-index - Daily geomagnetic activity (lower is better)
Band conditions - Per-band propagation forecast (day/night) showing Good/Fair/Poor ratings

Data source: HamQSL.com and NOAA

Weather Conditions (WEATHER Command)

Weather panel with NOAA data including:

Temperature, humidity, wind
Outdoor advisory - Weather suitability for outdoor operations
Antenna advisory - Wind/ice warnings for antenna safety
Equipment advisory - Temperature/humidity warnings for gear

Conditions Recording

Solar and weather conditions are automatically recorded at session start
Optional hourly background polling fills conditions history (enable in Settings)
Historical conditions help correlate QSO success with propagation

Frequency Activity

The spot system monitors nearby frequency activity from RBNReverse Beacon Network - a network of receiving stations that automatically spot CW and digital signals. data:

QRM Assessment

Detects activity within +/-2kHz of your frequency
Shows how busy the frequency is
Helps decide if it’s worth calling on a crowded frequency

A unified warning banner appears when:

License class prohibits operation on your current frequency
Significant QRMMan-made interference on a frequency. detected nearby

Data Sources

Data	Source
RBN spots	Vail ReRBN API
POTA spots	POTA API
SOTA spots	SOTAwatch API
WWFF spots	WWFF spotting network
Solar data	NOAA / HamQSL
Spotter locations	HamDB.org