[Dx4win] Is there a blacklist feature for Cluster spots?

[Pete Smith N4ZR]

I have been corresponding with Frank off and on for a couple of years 
about this.  Here's an explanation of how hisspots are generated, from 
December 2011.  The only change I know of since then is the addition of 
a "heard in [state]" comment earlier this year:

"Automated CW DX spots from W3LPL are produced by custom software that 
monitors the DX spots from the Reverse Beacon Network, a global network 
of CW Skimmers. There are no radios involved except at the approximately 
50 CW Skimmers that originate the DX spots sent to the RBN.

Core to the software is a list of one thousand rare and semi-rare DX 
callsigns. Each callsign has an appended DX spotting rule that specifies 
the bands that should be spotted for that callsign and the re-spotting 
interval (typically one to three hours).

When a DX spot is received from the RBN, it is compared to the list of 
1000 calls. If there is an exact match, the software then waits for a 
second RBN spot of the same exact callsign. If one or more of the spots 
originated from a CW Skimmer in the USA, the DX spot is sent to the DX 
Cluster network as specified by the DX spotting rule appended to that 
callsign. If neither RBN spot originated from a CW Skimmer in the USA, 
the software continues to search for an RBN spot for that exact callsign 
from a CW Skimmer in the USA. If within ten minutes it receives a DX 
spot for that exact callsign from a USA CW Skimmer a DX spot is sent to 
the DX cluster network, otherwise it times out and no spot is sent.

Most CW Skimmers use a Quicksilver QS1R SDR, covering seven ham bands 
simultaneously. My QS1R is fed by my transmit monoband phased arrays on 
40 thru 6 meters, and by my Beverage antennas on 160 and 80 meters. 
Please send me an email whenever you see a bad callsign spotted by 
W3LPL. That always means there is a bad callsign in the list of 1000 
calls! tks"

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
http://reversebeacon.net,
blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
For spots, please go to your favorite
ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.

On 7/24/2013 8:03 AM, Kurt Zimmerman wrote:
> Thanks all for the info. I use DX4WIN and I can see how that could be a problem.
>
> 73;
> Kurt -W2MW
>
> Sent from my iPhone4
>
> On Jul 23, 2013, at 7:33 PM, Barry <w2up at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Pete - I believe, until recently, they were from around the world, as the band and times made no sense for US stations - even for LPL antennas.
>>
>> Kurt -  You are missing something.  Many of us keep DX4Win on in the background with an audio alert set for new band-countries.  It's very annoying when these spots alert us to something that doesn't exist in our part of the world.
>>
>> Barry W2UP
>>
>> On 7/23/2013 15:55, Kurt Zimmerman wrote:
>>> What is a skimmer? I've seen W3LPL spots and if I'm on the band and hear the DX station I work him.
>>>
>>> Am I missing something?
>>> 73
>>> Kurt - W2MW
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone4
>>>
>>> On Jul 23, 2013, at 5:41 PM, Pete Smith N4ZR <n4zr at contesting.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Not quite right, Jim - they are from NA Skimmers only, and for several months now, the location where the station was heard has been appearing in the Comment field
>>>>
>>>> 73, Pete N4ZR
>>>> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
>>>> http://reversebeacon.net,
>>>> blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
>>>> For spots, please go to your favorite
>>>> ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.
>>>>
>>>> On 7/23/2013 4:51 PM, Jim Reisert AD1C wrote:
>>>>> On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Andreas Junge N6NU wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Use the VE7CC “CC user” cluster filtering tool. There is a switch to turn on/off Skimmer spots.
>>>>> Actually, they do not come in as skimmer spots.  CW Skimmer spots are
>>>>> identified by -# at the end of the spotter callsign.  I have CW
>>>>> Skimmer disabled, but still get the W3LPL spots.
>>>>>
>>>>>> W3LPL has such a great antenna farm, I can't hear his spots even when they
>>>>>> are from MD.
>>>>> Spots arriving from W3LPL originate from CW skimmers all over the
>>>>> world, not just in MD.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Jim Reisert AD1C, <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>, http://www.ad1c.us
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