[Ham-Mac] New native macOS DX Cluster client - QCluster

[Keith, G6NHU]

I’ve been busy.

Updates since my original open beta release.

0.60b (070) - 2026-08-03 - After using the 'set automatically' option within custom spotter setup, the memory taken to load the two large CSV files wasn't being released. Now it is. It means that the first time you click 'Select entities within radius', the cache is loaded and it's kept in memory until that window is closed rather than being held in memory for the entire session.

0.60b (071) - 2026-08-03 - Updated bundled CTY and LoTW files.

0.61b (073) - 2026-08-03 - Custom Info Filter
Added a new Custom Info Filter that lets you hide unwanted spots based on text contained in the cluster information/comment field.

• Build your own list of words or phrases to block.
• Matching is case-insensitive and uses simple text matching rather than whole words.
• If any blocked entry is found anywhere within the information field, the spot is automatically hidden.
• Entries are saved between sessions and can be enabled or disabled without deleting the list.
• The filter is fully integrated into the existing filtering process, so it has no measurable impact on performance or memory usage.

Things to be aware of
The filter uses straightforward substring matching. This makes it flexible, but also means it does not distinguish between whole words and parts of words. For example:

• Blocking tour will also block Tour, TOUR, touring and detour.
• Blocking POTA will match POTA, POTA! and POTA?.
• Multi-word phrases such as please ignore are matched exactly as entered (ignoring case), so they are useful for filtering recurring spot comments.


0.61b (074) - 2026-08-04 - Clicking on the LoTW header toggles between showing all stations and only showing those who have uploaded to LoTW within the last year.

0.62b (075) - 2026-08-06 - Added intelligent automatic reconnect. QCluster can now automatically reconnect after unexpected disconnections. It detects duplicate logins using the same callsign, helps resolve the problem by offering to use an alternative SSID, and prevents endless reconnect loops by automatically stopping after repeated failures.

0.62b (080) - 2026-08-06 Fixed a bug where opening the custom allow list under Filters could hang or crash the app.

0.65b (082) - 2026-08-06

• Configuration settings are now stored in a dedicated JSON file within the application container instead of macOS User Defaults. This provides a single, self-contained settings store and allows a complete reset by simply deleting the QCluster container.
• Note: This update introduces a new settings format and will reset your existing configuration. After updating, you’ll need to re-enter your settings before connecting.
• Further tidying of button handling to prevent potential crashes.


On 3 Aug 2026 at 15:28 +0100, Keith, G6NHU via Ham-Mac <ham-mac at mailman.qth.net>, wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I’ve just released a new native macOS DX Cluster client called QCluster, and thought it might be of interest here.
> It’s written specifically for macOS using swift, and is aimed at being quick, lightweight and easy to use without being cluttered with features you’ll never touch.
>
> I’m calling it an open beta at the moment but I think that it’s largely finished.
>
> Some of the features include:
>
> • Native Apple Silicon and Intel support.
> • Connects to DXSpider cluster nodes.
> • Fast filtering by band, mode, continent, DXCC etc
> • Highly configurable alerts with sound and highlighting.
> • Club Log integration to alert on entities you still need.
> • LoTW activity display.
> • Local telnet server so other software can receive the filtered spot stream.
> • Automatic hiding of FT8/FT4, CW, beacons and other spot types if you don’t want to see them.
> • Built-in country file and LoTW database management.
>
> It’s free, and I’d be interested in any feedback or suggestions.
>
> More information and downloads are available here:
>
> https://qso365.co.uk/qcluster
>
> There’s also a support group here:
>
> https://groups.io/g/qcluster
>
> 73 Keith G6NHU
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