RBN Value Multipliers

Since the RBN first debuted in 2008, some very skilled programmers have looked at ways of augmenting the services we provide centrally. We're sure we don't even know of all the worthy programs, but here are a couple that deserve your attention:

Viewprop, written by Rick Kiessig, ZL2HAM, visualizes and displays propagation to and from your location by plotting spots of dx stations by cluster nodes in your neighborhood, as well as worldwide cluster spots of stations near you. These are displayed on bar charts by time, band, and azimuth over the last 24 hours, and on maps generated by DXAtlas. We believe ViewProp is an ideal tool of implementing what W3LPL calls "nowcasting", predicting tomorrow's propagation today. Viewprop is free, but requires DXAtlas, which costs $24.95 from VE3NEA (at dxatlas.com).

The current center of gravity for ViewProp is a mailing list, ViewProp@groups.io. A website is being set up and a user manual written, but until that's ready you can download Viewprop for now from v0.99.05: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lf78qvl1th5bi1m/ViewProp%20v0.99.05.zip?dl=0. An introductory video is available on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McUB2eY5atk, and further detail is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMiqOXsNotY

An online, realtime display of cluster spots has been written by HA8TKS, at the suggestion of Jose, CT1BOH. It is titled simply the RBN Azimuthal Map, and will display, on various map formats, who is being spotted currently, and where they are being heard. You can see it at dxcluster.ha8tks.hu/azimuthal_map/