DX Arena is a simulator: the calls and exchanges you hear are practice contacts. No radio or live correspondent is needed. A PC and headphones are enough for keyboard operation; add an OpenShack Box for a paddle or straight key. Some station identities come from callsign lists or activation spots, but the QSOs are still simulated.

Choose Your Starting Point

If individual characters still take all your attention, spend time in the Morse Trainer first. DX Arena is where you practise putting those characters to work.

Your First Run

The first time you open DX Arena, a welcome screen sets it up for you. Enter your callsign and name; DX Arena fills in your CQ and ITU zones from the callsign. Then choose what to practise:

• QSO TRAINER: First QSO (RST only), Run, 20 WPM.
• PILE-UP 599: Pile-Up 5NN in Training mode, 30 WPM, BAND REAL.
• CONTEST: CQ WW in Training mode, 30 WPM, BAND REAL.

Press F1: the welcome closes, the run starts and your CQ goes out. The welcome appears only once; everything it set can be changed in the window afterwards. To set up DX Arena by hand instead, follow these steps:

1. Open DX Arena. In the SETTINGS drawer, set MY CALL, MY NAME and, for a normal QSO, MY QTH. The drawer is open the first time you open DX Arena and whenever MY CALL is empty; click SETTINGS to close or reopen it. It stays as you leave it.
2. Keep First QSO (RST only), Run and Beginner, which a new installation starts with. Set WPM to a speed you can copy comfortably. Use PgDn / PgUp for 2 WPM steps.
3. Start with BAND set to CLEAN.
4. Click START, then press F1 to call CQ. With ESM on and CALL empty, Enter also calls CQ. Starting the session and calling CQ are separate steps.
5. Copy the answering station into CALL. Press F5 for its call, then F2 for your report. Copy its report, press F3 for TU, then Enter to log. With ESM, which is on by default, Enter does each step for you.
6. Work a few clean QSOs, then click STOP. The run summary shows what to work on and suggests a next step, such as Standard QSO once the call-and-report exchange feels easy.

Before the first run, the transcript shows a short how-to for the selected style and mode. RX, in the SHOW strip above the transcript, shows the partner's text as a learning aid. It is off for new installations; switch it on to read along, and off again when you are ready to copy by ear. For paddle practice, follow Paddle and Straight Key.

Learn to QSO

STYLE chooses the exchange. Its list has two groups: QSO PRACTICE for one-to-one contacts, and CONTEST & PILE-UP for Pile-Up 5NN and the contests. MODE chooses who calls CQ. The four QSO styles offer LEVEL:

• Beginner: a patient partner at your exact speed, always 599, generous with paddle mistakes. If you key over the partner, it stops and lets you finish.
• Realistic: partners a few WPM faster or slower, rougher fists, real reports, and a partner who sometimes misses your exchange or gives up. If you key over the partner, it keeps sending and does not hear you.

The level does not change band conditions or whether received text is shown; use the band switches and RX for that.

First QSO (RST only) — Callsign and Report

For: first contacts and short DX QSOs. Copy the call and RST; no name, QTH or serial is required. Choose Run to call CQ, or Search & Pounce to answer a CQing DX station.

DX:   CQ CQ DE G4ABC G4ABC K
YOU:  DL2CC
DX:   DL2CC 5NN BK
YOU:  R TU 5NN BK
DX:   TU 73

This is an example sequence, not a fixed script. Wait until the station addresses you before sending the report. 5NN is the short CW form of 599.

Standard QSO — RST, Name and QTH

For: learning a normal CW contact. Enter your own name and QTH before starting, then copy the other operator's NAME and QTH as well as RST. Send a clear over and leave a gap for the reply.

Each station sends a first name and a QTH from its own country. In the USA, Canada, Australia and China the QTH also fits the call area: a W1 is in New England, a VE3 in Ontario, a VK2 in New South Wales, a BG1 in BEIJING. In Standard QSO and Ragchew, the stations come from the 59 countries that have their own names and towns.

With ESM on, once the reports are confirmed, Enter sends TU and logs even with NAME or QTH blank. With ESM off or TU already sent, Enter only logs. Details sent by the station but left blank are marked NAME missing or QTH missing.

YOU:  CQ CQ DE DL2CC DL2CC K
DX:   DL2CC DE G4ABC G4ABC K
YOU:  G4ABC DE DL2CC GE UR RST 599 599
      NAME FRANK FRANK QTH ULM ULM HW? BK
DX:   [report, name and QTH]
YOU:  R TNX FER QSO 73 G4ABC DE DL2CC SK
DX:   R TU 73 DL2CC DE G4ABC SK

Leave a gap for the return 73. If you key another 73 TU before the station starts replying, it waits for that over. Logging does not cancel its farewell.

In Standard QSO and Ragchew, TU EE gets a short final: usually TU EE, sometimes just EE. You can also send it just after the station's full goodbye; it answers once while the frequency is still clear.

Send PSE NAME ES QTH AGN if you missed both details. The reply gives name and QTH; a following AGN repeats that fill. A plain TU is a normal acknowledgement. Partners only occasionally add thanks for the report.

After your reply with report, name and QTH, the station confirms what it copied and hands back, for example R R DR FRANK ALL CPI OK HW? BK. It does not end the QSO by itself: send your 73, and it answers with its own. If you ask NAME?, QTH?, RST? or AGN? shortly after its 73, it still answers for a moment and signs off again. With ESM on, Enter follows the station: when it asks for a repeat, Enter sends your exchange again (F2); when it has handed back after the QSO is logged, Enter sends TU (F3). A note in the transcript names what the station asked for.

In Run, a bare callsign, such as F5 alone or G4ABC DE DL2CC keyed with a pause after it, is not a hand-over: the station waits for your report and repeats its call after a few seconds. End the over with K, KN, BK or HW? if you want it to go first. In Auto, a note tells you when a station starts calling CQ and you become the caller.

German QSOs. When your call and the station's call are both from Germany or Austria, the station uses German abbreviations: LBR OM, VLN DK FR DEN ANRUF, MEIN NAME IST HANS, QTH IST KOELN, BTE AGN, and it signs off with VY 73 55 ES AWDH or AWS. You may answer in German or English; DX Arena understands both. Contest styles stay international.

At Realistic, a few stations lose your over to interference at their end: they ask SRI QRM AGN? once and, if it does not improve, give up with SRI QRM NIL CPI 73. That QSO is not logged; call CQ again. Stations send their call at most twice, and a CQing station shortens its CQ from the second call on. With the paddle, the callsign you key fills an empty CALL box, exactly as you keyed it; a call you typed is left alone.

Standard QSO's default F2 sends RST, your name and your QTH. F6 sends NAME followed by your name once; F7 sends QTH followed by your QTH once. Use these for fills when the other station asks NAME? or QTH?. To request its missing information, send NAME? or QTH? yourself. Use the paddle or FREE TX for a longer over, and COMMENT for notes.

If you previously saved custom macros, they stay as saved. After updating the application, choose Standard QSO, open MACROS and use RESET, then SAVE, to load the new defaults for both Run and S&P. RESET replaces this style's custom messages; copy any you want to keep first.

Ragchew — Keep the Conversation Going

For: operators who can complete a basic QSO and want more listening and sending practice. Exchange RST, name and QTH, then ask about the rig, antenna, power, weather or age: RIG?, ANT?, PWR?, WX?, AGE?. Send your answer with the same clear topic word, for example RIG K3 PWR 100W ANT DIPOLE BK.

Keep requests short and listen to the reply. You can ask for two items together, such as PSE RIG ES ANT AGN. This style recognises common CW QSO topics; it is not an unrestricted conversation. Use COMMENT for notes, and finish with a clear 73/SK when you are done.

SOTA / POTA — Activator or Hunter

For: short portable contacts and copying summit or park references. Choose Hunter to answer activators, or Activator to run your own summit or park. This style has these two roles, without Auto.

• Hunter: copy the activator's call, report and REF. Send your call and report. Ask REF?, SUMMIT? or PARK? if you missed the reference.
• Activator: put your reference in MY REF, call CQ, then work the chasers. Your exchange includes your report and reference. START needs MY REF: without it the run does not start.

Recent SOTA/POTA spots may supply an activator's identity; generated stations are used when needed. You are practising with a simulated station, not contacting the spotted operator. You may hear 44 as a farewell.

Running, Hunting and Pile-Ups

The mode list changes with the style. QSO styles use Run / Search & Pounce / Auto, except SOTA/POTA's two roles. Contest styles and Pile-Up 5NN use Training / Competition. Stop before changing style, mode, level or duration.

Run — You Call CQ

You hold the frequency. Send CQ, pick out a caller, send its call and your exchange, copy its reply, then TU and log. Call CQ again when nobody answers. A short QRZ? invites callers to identify themselves; it does not replace copying and confirming a callsign.

In the QSO styles one station answers your CQ as long as STATIONS is 1 (with ACTIVITY 1 the default). Raise them and a small pile-up calls you: send the call of the station you want to work, and the others wait and call again after your 73. ?, QRZ? or AGN? has them call again; stations nobody picks move on after a few rounds.

Search & Pounce — Answer a CQ

Listen to the CQing station, copy its call and send your own call. When it comes back to you, copy its exchange and send yours. In this mode ESM starts with your call. F4 sends your call directly. The default F1 is QRL?, not a call to the DX station. There is no band dial to search: the simulator presents stations.

Auto — Practise Both Roles

For the ordinary QSO styles, Auto alternates running and answering CQs. Watch the F-key captions and the highlighted next ESM action as the role changes. Learn Run and Search & Pounce separately before using Auto.

Training — Your Own Pile-Up

You are the running station, and you decide how busy it gets. Increase ACTIVITY for more callers and STATIONS for a larger pile-up. With ACTIVITY 1 and STATIONS 1, one station calls at a time: a calm way to learn which fields belong in the log and to get comfortable with ESM. Start small, pick one call, finish that QSO, then take the next. A partial such as W4? asks matching callers to repeat. If nothing is clear, send AGN? or ? and listen again.

You can also send a partial call followed by your report and exchange. For example, CC 5NN A24 addresses IU1HCC if it is the only matching caller. A fragment of two or more letters belongs before the report; letters after the report remain exchange data. If several callers match, they repeat their calls so you can choose one. This works with ESM, F-keys, FREE TX and decoded paddle input. Copy and use the complete call for a correct log entry; the simulator does not complete your partial copy for you.

Contest Standards — What Every Contest Run Expects

In every contest style, in Training and Competition alike, the stations react to what you actually send, with the paddle and the keyboard. A redefined F-key does not change the rules. A CQ must contain your full call (CQ TEST DL2CC, TEST DL2CC); without it, or with a wrong call, nobody answers. A QRZ (QRZ?, TU QRZ) is answered without your call. The exchange must contain the report and the contest exchange (serial, zone or DOK); until it has both, the caller asks AGN or NR?. Contests without a report in the exchange (CWT, CW Open) need only name and number. A partial call makes the caller repeat it, and TU, R or EE close the QSO as usual. Send your call at least every third QSO, for example TU DL2CC: after three QSOs without it, no station calls any more until an over carries your call again.

Competition — Comparable Timed Runs

Competition is available for Pile-Up 5NN, CQ WW and CQ WPX; while it is selected, the other styles are greyed out. WAG and Pile-Up 5NN DX Side remain available in Training. It uses a fixed pile-up: ACTIVITY 3, STATIONS 4 and BAND locked to REAL (all conditions on). The RX/TX text aids and call-history PREFILL are off, the N1MM+ LINK is not available, and the log cannot be edited (its check and the score run live). DURATION offers 3, 5 or 10 minutes. Your normal practice settings, including the practice duration, return when you leave Competition.

Before START, choose INPUT. With PADDLE you key everything with the paddle or straight key on the OpenShack Box: PADDLE LOGGING is always on and logs the call you key, and the keyboard neither sends nor logs (no F-keys, ESM, Enter, FREE TX). With KEYBOARD you operate with F-keys, ESM and typing as in practice, and PADDLE LOGGING is off; the Box decoder window stays closed and STRAIGHT KEY is hidden. PADDLE needs the OpenShack Box: without one, clicking it only shows Requires OpenShack Box and KEYBOARD stays selected. Paddle and keyboard results are kept apart in Personal Best.

The contest standards apply exactly as in practice.

Only Competition records a DX Arena result in Personal Best. The score is the number of correctly logged QSOs: call and exchange right, dupes not counted. A logged QSO is final: logging the same station again, under any call, earns nothing and shows ALREADY LOGGED. The logged QSOs, the contest points and your average speed are shown next to it. Each contest, duration and input keeps its own list. A run you stop early is saved as well, with the QSOs it has, and the summary says RUN STOPPED. Ordinary contest-style practice is not automatically a Competition run. Speed, RIT and RX bandwidth remain operating controls.

Competition runs can also go to the world leaderboard on cw.openshack.com, with one class for each contest, duration and input. After every Competition run, DX Arena asks Publish this run?. Check or edit LEADERBOARD CALLSIGN, then choose PUBLISH or CANCEL. The saved leaderboard callsign is used first; otherwise MY CALL is the default. A valid edited callsign is remembered for future runs even if you cancel publication. There is no “never ask again” option. Runs stopped early can also be published if they have at least one correctly logged QSO; a zero-score run explains why PUBLISH is unavailable.

Publication works directly in this dialog, including without a CW Suite licence. If an upload fails, retry there. The Publish run link next to SESSION SUMMARY reopens the same dialog; it does not require access to DTM’s licensed leaderboard view. Publication settings for other games are unchanged.

View DX Arena leaderboard opens the public DX Arena leaderboard in your browser, whether or not you publish this run.

What to Send

CQ, QRZ? and QRL?

Reports, Cut Numbers and Fills

RST means readability, strength and tone. The entry line separates RST S (your sent report) from RST R (the report received). The usual 599 preset is a convenience: change it when the station sends something else.

On CW, 5NN means 599 and TT1 means 001. Copy the value, not just the familiar rhythm. Ask for the missing item: CL? for the call, NR? for a contest number, RST?, NAME? or QTH?. AGN? requests a repeat. In a contest the station answers NAME?, RST? and, in the VHF contest, LOC? or QTH? with just that part of its exchange; AGN, AGN? or ? gets the complete exchange again, and CL? or CALL? its call. If the other station sends NR?, repeat your exchange or just the requested number; do not call CQ and abandon the QSO. Where your exchange has a name (CWT, CW Open, FOC), a station sometimes asks NAME? instead; in the VHF contest it may ask LOC? or QTH? for your locator. Your name or locator alone answers it, and so does the full exchange.

Correct a busted call in CALL and send the correct call. With ESM on, the closing TU can include a corrected call. Characters already sent cannot be taken back: if a correction was too late, send the full correct call again.

QRM — Keep the Frequency Clear

With QRM on, another operator may ask QRL? or start CQing on your frequency. Reply in its listening gap with QRL or QSY QSY. A listening station may answer SRI QSY and leave. Some lids ignore you; calling over them continuously only makes copying harder.

A carrier, tuner or digital burst cannot be talked away. Wait it out, reduce the filter width or adjust RIT. QSY here is a simulated response to an interfering operator; it does not tune a connected radio.

Contest and DXpedition Styles

Choose a style for the exchange, then Training or Competition for the workload. The notes below describe DX Arena's training exchanges and scoring, not a complete set of rules for entering the real event. Fill in your own station data before pressing START.

Pile-Up 5NN

For: learning to run as the DX station without numbers. Exchange call and RST only; for example G4ABC 5NN, then TU. Score is QSO count. First QSO lets you practise a one-to-one QSO or chase DX; Pile-Up 5NN puts you on the receiving end of the callers. A station that is unsure of its call repeats it, for example G4ABC QSL?. Confirm it with its call, R or TU. That ends the QSO, so you need not send the report again.

CQ WPX — RST and Serial

For: learning serial-number running. Send RST and your next serial, such as 5NN TT1. Copy the caller's number into SERIAL, not your own number. SERIAL at the top shows the next number you send. DX Arena scores QSO points multiplied by worked prefixes.

CQ WW — RST and CQ Zone

For: fast, fixed exchanges. Set MY ZONE to your CQ zone. A station in zone 14 sends 5NN 14; log the zone you receive in ZONE. Your zone does not advance with each QSO. DX Arena uses worked CQ zones as multipliers.

IARU HF — RST and ITU Zone

For: copying ITU zones without confusing them with CQ zones. Set MY ITU and send, for example, 5NN 28. Copy the received ITU zone into ITU ZONE.

About every sixth caller is an IARU headquarters station or an IARU official. An HQ station sends its national society's abbreviation instead of a zone: DA0HQ sends 5NN DARC, W1AW sends 5NN ARRL. Officials send AC, R1, R2 or R3. Type the abbreviation into ITU ZONE. With PREFILL on, known HQ stations get their abbreviation filled in. DX Arena counts each worked ITU zone and each society or official code as a multiplier. The HQ station list is the IARU call-history file from the N1MM+ website; DX Arena includes a copy and checks for a newer one about once a week while you use this style.

ARRL DX CW — State/Province or Power

For: the ARRL International DX Contest from either side. Stations in the USA and Canada (W/VE) work only DX; DX stations work only W/VE. Your MY CALL decides your side. Alaska, Hawaii and the US territories count as DX.

As a W/VE station you enter MY STATE under SETTINGS (your state or province, for example MA or ON) and send 5NN MA. Every caller is a DX station sending its power, for example 5NN 1TT (100 W) or 5NN KW; copy it into POWER as sent. As a DX station you enter MY POWER (for example 100 or KW) and send 5NN 100. The W/VE stations log any power you key, even one that differs from MY POWER: a number such as 1000 or 1TT, KW, 1K, or a K right after the report (5NN K). When a station asks NR? or PWR?, answer with the power alone, for example KW or K. Every caller is a W/VE station sending its state or province; copy it into STATE/PROV.

If MY STATE or MY POWER is empty when you press START, DX Arena fills it in when your call is in the ARRL DX list, or opens SETTINGS and asks for it. The callers are real stations with the exchange they sent, taken from the ARRL DX CW call-history file on the N1MM+ website; DX Arena includes a copy and checks for a newer one about once a week. With PREFILL on, the listed state or power is filled in. Each QSO counts 3 points. A W/VE station multiplies by worked DXCC entities, a DX station by worked US states, DC and Canadian provinces. Personal Best keeps W/VE and DX runs apart.

Russian DX — Serial or Oblast

For: the Russian DX Contest. Russian stations send RST and their oblast, a two-letter region code such as MA (Moscow) or SP (Saint Petersburg). Everyone else sends RST and a serial. About every third caller is a Russian station and sends 5NN MA; the others send serials such as 5NN T42. Copy either into NR/OBL.

Your MY CALL decides what you send. Outside Russia you need no extra field: you send your serial. As a Russian station you enter MY OBLAST under SETTINGS; DX Arena fills it in from your call using the official region list from rdxc.org, and asks for it at START when your call does not show it. With PREFILL on, a Russian caller's oblast is filled in from its call. Points follow the contest rules: 10 for a QSO with a Russian station (non-Russian stations), 2 for your own country, 3 for another country on your continent and 5 for another continent. Worked countries and oblasts are multipliers. Personal Best keeps runs as a Russian and as a non-Russian station apart.

RSGB IOTA — Serial and IOTA Reference

For: the RSGB IOTA Contest from the mainland ("World") side. You send RST and your serial, for example 5NN TT7; the default CQ is CQ IOTA. About every fourth caller is a station on an island and sends its serial and its IOTA reference, for example 5NN 042 EU005. Copy the serial into SERIAL and the reference into IOTA; leave IOTA empty for mainland callers. EU-005 and EU005 count the same.

The island stations are real ones from the IOTA call-history file on the N1MM+ website, which DX Arena includes and checks for a newer version about once a week. With PREFILL on, a listed island station's reference is filled in. A QSO with an island station counts 15 points, a QSO with another mainland station 2. Each IOTA reference is a multiplier. As in the current rules, QSOs with Russia and Belarus do not count, so no such stations call.

Worked All Germany — Serial or DOK

For: the DARC Worked All Germany Contest. German stations send RST and their DOK, the code of their DARC or VFDB chapter such as P05; German stations that are not members send NM. Everyone else sends RST and a serial. Stations outside Germany may only work German stations, so with a non-German call every caller is German. With a German call about 30% of the callers are German and 70% come from elsewhere and send serials. About one German caller in ten is a non-member sending NM. Copy the DOK or the serial into NR/DOK.

Your MY CALL decides what you send. Outside Germany you need no extra field: you send your serial. As a German station you enter MY DOK under SETTINGS; DX Arena fills it in from the DOK list when your call is on it, and asks for it at START otherwise (enter NM if you are not a member). A DOK has at least three characters: a two-character entry gets a 0 in the middle (P7 becomes P07). The German callers are real stations with their DOK, from the DOK call-history file on the N1MM+ website, which DX Arena includes and checks for a newer version about once a week. With PREFILL on, a listed station's DOK is filled in. Points: a station outside Germany scores 3 per QSO; a German station scores 1 for a German, 3 for a European and 5 for a DX station. Multipliers: outside Germany, the German districts worked (the first letter of the DOK; NM counts none); in Germany, the countries worked. Personal Best keeps German and non-German runs apart.

DARC XMAS/Easter (no QSY) — Serial or DOK

For: the DARC XMAS Contest and the DARC Easter Contest, which use the same exchange and scoring. Everyone works everyone. As in Worked All Germany, German stations send RST and their DOK (NM for non-members) and everyone else sends RST and a serial; copy it into NR/DOK. Whatever your own call, about 80% of the callers are German; most of the others are European. Each QSO scores 1 point. Multipliers are the DOKs worked (NM counts none) plus the prefixes worked; the score is QSOs × multipliers. As a German station you enter MY DOK under SETTINGS, as in Worked All Germany.

In the real contests the station that called CQ has to leave the frequency to the caller after each QSO. DX Arena does not simulate this QSY rule: you keep running on your frequency. Hence "(no QSY)" in the name.

DARC 10m — Serial and DOK

For: the DARC 10m Contest. Everyone sends RST and a serial; German stations add their DOK (NM without one), for example 5NN 123 P05. Copy the serial into SERIAL and the DOK into DOK; leave DOK empty for stations outside Germany. About 80% of the callers are German; the rest come from Europe and further afield. Each QSO scores 1 point. Multipliers are the countries worked plus the DOKs worked (NM counts none); the score is QSOs × multipliers. As a German station you enter MY DOK and send it after your serial; outside Germany you send your serial only. With PREFILL on, a listed station's DOK is filled in.

OK1WC Memorial (MWC) — RST and Serial

For: the weekly OK1WC Memorial, every Monday from 16:30 to 17:29 UTC on 80 and 40 metres. You send RST and your serial; the default CQ is CQ MWC. Most callers are European. Each QSO scores 1 point. The multiplier is the last character of the other station's suffix: OK1NE gives E, DL2CC/P gives C. The score is QSOs × multipliers.

RSGB 80m Club Championship — RST and Serial

For: the CW sessions of the RSGB 80m Club Championship. You send RST and your serial. Each QSO scores 1 point and there are no multipliers, so the score is your QSO count. A UK station (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey) must be at one end of every QSO. With a call from outside the UK every caller is a UK station; with a UK call about 85% of the callers are UK stations and the rest come from elsewhere in Europe.

RSGB Commonwealth — RST and Serial

For: the RSGB Commonwealth Contest (formerly BERU). Only stations in a Commonwealth call area take part, so MY CALL must be one: a UK, Canadian, Australian or other Commonwealth call, or a call such as M/DL2CC when you operate from England. Otherwise DX Arena does not start the run. You send RST and your serial. Every caller is a Commonwealth station you can score with: none from your own call area, and as a UK station none from the UK, because QSOs between UK call areas score nothing.

Points: 5 for a station on your own continent, 10 for another continent. Bonus: 20 points for each of the first three QSOs with each call area. The score is points plus bonus; there are no multipliers. The call areas come from the official RSGB list, which splits Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa by call district and the UK into its seven parts. DX Arena includes the list and checks for a newer version about once a month. HQ stations are not simulated.

CWops CWT — Name and Number

For: copying names at contest speed. Set MY NAME and your CWops number in MY NR. A member sends FRANK 1234; there is no RST. Copy NAME and NR. Non-members in the caller pool send name plus state, province or DX prefix instead of a member number. If you are not a member, put your state, province or country prefix in MY NR (for example MA, ON or DL) and send FRANK DL. The stations log any state, province or country prefix you send there, and a station that asks NR? takes it alone (DL). When you leave MY CALL, DX Arena fills MY NR with your CWops number from the roster, or with that state, province or prefix if your call is not on it. Score uses unique calls as multipliers.

CWops CW Open — Serial and Name

For: keeping up with changing serials while copying names. Send 001 FRANK, then 002 on the next QSO. No RST or membership number is exchanged. Copy the received NR and NAME in that order. DX Arena uses unique calls as multipliers.

FOC Marathon — RST, Name and FOC Number

For: FOC exchange practice. Set MY NAME and MY FOC NR; send, for example, 5NN FRANK 1234. Most callers are members; about one in twenty is not, and sends only a report. Send him away with G4ABC SRI ONLY FOC 73, or work him with G4ABC 5NN: he answers with his report, and you log the QSO with NAME and NR empty. Such a QSO scores nothing. If you leave MY FOC NR blank, most members answer you the same way (DL2CC SRI ONLY FOC 73); a few work you with the report alone. The simulator awards member QSO points, extra credit for FOC club calls and bonuses for new DXCC entities and continents. This is separate from your CWops number. Stations call CQ FOC. Now and then a member adds 161, the FOC best regards, to its TU. After your TU, DX Arena reads your 161 as that greeting, not as a number.

FOC BW QSO Party — Members and Non-Members

For: handling both forms of the FOC exchange. Members send RST, name and FOC number. Non-members send RST and name only; leave MY FOC NR blank if you are not a member. For a received non-member exchange, an empty NR or 0000 is accepted. Use CQ BW; some stations call CQ FOC … BW. A member adds 161 to its TU only when working another member, so only when your MY FOC NR is filled in. The result reports QSO count and how many were members.

IARU R1 VHF/UHF — RST, Serial and Locator

For: the IARU Region 1 VHF/UHF contests and other European VHF contests. Enter a valid European Maidenhead locator in MY LOC, such as JO40AB. Send 5NN TT1 JO40AB. Copy the received SERIAL and LOC completely: a wrong locator changes both the log check and the distance score. Score is the sum of QSO distances in kilometres. PREFILL can suggest known locators; confirm them by ear.

Paddle and Straight Key

1. Configure your OpenShack Box connection in the application settings. Close any other trainer or decoder holding the Box connection, then open DX Arena.
2. For a paddle, leave STRAIGHT KEY off. Set the keyer speed and make sure the Box indicator shows a connection.
3. Choose the style, mode and your station data (SETTINGS) before keying. The first paddle activity can start a run automatically. You can also press START first.
4. Send the call or exchange, then leave an ordinary end-of-over pause. The simulator processes the over and answers. BK is good operating practice, but you do not need a special command to switch back to RX.

The PADDLE line above the bottom status indicators shows your decoded CW as you key, even with TX off. The last over stays until you key again. TX also copies completed overs into the scrolling session output. HEARD AS, at the right of that line, shows how your last over was understood, for example CALL KN6UDK · 599 · NR 1, TU · YF4LSP or NOT UNDERSTOOD; hover over it for the details. Both also work in Competition: they show only your own keying, never what the stations send.

Paddle, macros and FREE TX can be used in the same session. Paddle operation does not by itself fill the log: type what you copy, or use PADDLE LOGGING in contest practice when you want to concentrate on keying.

For a hand key, select STRAIGHT KEY before starting. The decoder row is labelled KEY and shows the whole over after you stop keying. Allow a clear pause before expecting the reply.

PC Audio and BOX AUDIO

With BOX AUDIO off, generated CW plays on the PC; your paddle sidetone comes from the Box. BOX AUDIO is available only in the QSO styles with every BAND switch off and STATIONS at 1. Both your sent CW and the partner's CW then use the Box sidetone. Contests and Pile-Up 5NN use PC audio in Training and Competition.

VOL controls received audio; SIDE controls your PC sidetone. Neither changes Windows' master volume or the Box's sidetone gain. AUDIO OUTPUT picks the sound card DX Arena plays on. It is the same setting as Settings → Advanced → PC audio output device, so other OpenShack apps follow it too. Change it between runs; the next START uses it.PITCH sets your CW pitch, 300 to 1200 Hz: your sidetone and the centre of the receive filter. New callers answer within about 150 Hz of it. You can change it at any time, also during a run; stations already calling keep their tone. N1MM+'s own pitch setting does not change it. Choose BOX AUDIO before starting; band effects stay locked off during the run. Stop and select PC audio to use them. Enabling an effect before a run clears and hides BOX AUDIO. It starts off when the window is reopened. If the Box is disconnected, the session uses PC audio and reports the fallback.

Keyboard Operation and ESM

FREE TX — Send Your Own Words

Press Ctrl+K, type your CW and press Enter or click SEND. The full line is sent and focus returns to your previous entry field. Typing alone does not send. If TX is busy, the line waits its turn. Ctrl+K leaves FREE TX while retaining the draft. Esc aborts active and queued sends, clears FREE TX and returns to the entry line.

ESM — Enter Sends Message

Pressed Enter before finishing the call? Keep typing in CALL while the call is being sent. Characters that have not yet been keyed can still be added or corrected. The cursor moves to the received exchange only after the His Call macro (F5) has finished, while your exchange is sent. Esc, Wipe or a manual field change cancels that automatic move.

ESM is on by default; with ESM off, Enter only logs. Toggle it with its button or Ctrl+M. Your choice is saved. With ESM on, the highlighted F-key shows the next send action. In Run, the sequence is:

1. CALL empty → Enter sends CQ.
2. CALL entered → Enter sends that call and your exchange, and the cursor moves to the received exchange (zone, number, name or REF; RST R in report-only styles). With PREFILL on, a known zone, name or number is already filled in. Both reports are prefilled with 599; if the station sends a different report, press Shift+Tab to reach RST R.
3. Exchange incomplete → Enter sends AGN? (F8).
4. Exchange complete → Enter sends TU and logs. If TU has already been sent, Enter only logs.

If you correct CALL after your exchange has gone out, Enter works as in N1MM+. Once you have typed something of the station's exchange, Enter sends the corrected call with your TU and logs, for example DL1ABC TU DL2CC. With nothing typed yet, Enter sends the corrected call and your exchange again. ESM only follows what you have sent: it never shows whether your copy of the call is right.

In Standard QSO, blank NAME/QTH fields do not block logging. Keep the received RST entered.

ESM remembers the report sent by paddle, FREE TX or macro. Correcting CALL in the same Standard QSO does not send the report again. Use F2 or your repeat key when asked for a fill.

In Pile-Up 5NN and the contest styles, Esc aborts the current message but keeps an earlier delivered exchange. Once you have copied the reply, Enter sends TU and logs. A required contest number must still have been sent.

The words that were already sent in full when you press Esc count, just as on the air: Esc after the TU of TU DL2CC is a TU, and the station finishes the QSO. A word you cut in the middle counts as not sent.

In Search & Pounce, Enter first sends your call and, once it is out, moves the cursor to the received exchange field; the next Enter sends your exchange and logs once that field is filled in. While the exchange field is still empty, Enter sends your call again, as in N1MM+. Esc stops your transmission but keeps the call as sent, so the next Enter still goes to the exchange. ESM looks at the entry fields; a prefilled 599 is not proof that you heard it. Listen before pressing Enter. With ESM off, Enter logs without choosing a message.

Useful Keys

The keys work like in N1MM+. F11, + and Alt+F9 / Alt+F10 also work as in DXLog and Morse Runner.

;, ', = and + follow the character you type, so they work on any keyboard layout. On a German keyboard the first three are Shift+comma, Shift+# and Shift+0. In FREE TX, COMMENT and your station fields they are ordinary characters.

CQ Repeat

Press Alt+R to switch CQ repeat on. After your next CQ (F1, or Enter with ESM while CALL is empty), DX Arena calls CQ again when the repeat time after the end of your CQ is up. It works like N1MM+: the CQ goes out even if a station is calling. As soon as you hear a caller, start typing the call.

Repeating stops when you press Esc, start typing a call, key your paddle or send any other message. Your next CQ starts it again. Press Alt+R again to switch it off.

Ctrl+R asks for the repeat time, as in N1MM+. Type seconds or milliseconds, for example 3 or 3000, and press Enter. Anything from 0.1 to 32.767 seconds works. The default is 3 seconds. N1MM+ uses 1.8 seconds, which leaves very little time to start typing a call. While CQ repeat is on, the status line shows CQ REPEAT and the repeat time. The repeat time is saved; CQ repeat itself starts off each time you open DX Arena. It works when you run the frequency. In Search & Pounce, F1 sends QRL? and nothing repeats.

Run DX Arena from N1MM+

Not yet released. N1MM+ LINK is still being tested and is not in the current OpenShack release. This section describes how it will work.

N1MM+ has a MorseRunner Mode for contest practice. With N1MM+ LINK, DX Arena takes Morse Runner's place: you operate in the N1MM+ Entry window with your own keys and messages, and the DX Arena callers answer. N1MM+ supports this for CQ WW CW and CQ WPX CW logs.

1. Pick a contest style in DX Arena (not Competition), open SETTINGS and tick N1MM+ LINK. Tick it each time you want to run from N1MM+; it starts unticked whenever you open DX Arena.
2. The first time, the N1MM+ link setup window opens. It finds your N1MM+ user folder (the one with N1MM Logger.ini) and has two steps. INSTALL DX ARENA AS MORSE RUNNER IN N1MM+ puts DX Arena in Morse Runner's place. SWITCH ON CONTACT BROADCAST IN N1MM+ lets N1MM+ send every QSO you log to DX Arena. Close N1MM+ before you click them: N1MM+ saves its settings when it closes and would undo the change. The window closes when both steps are done. To switch on the broadcast in N1MM+ yourself instead: Config > Configure Ports, Mode Control, Winkey, etc. > Broadcast Data, tick Contacts and make sure 127.0.0.1:12060 is in its address list.
3. In N1MM+, open a new contest: File > New Log in Database, log type CQWWCW or CQWPXCW. Then open Config > Configure Ports, Mode Control, Winkey, etc., go to the Other tab, tick MorseRunner Mode and click OK. In the MorseRunner dialog that follows, set the duration and click Start MorseRunner.
4. N1MM+ starts the run in DX Arena with your call, speed and band conditions. Call CQ with F1, type the calls you hear, and work and log them in N1MM+ as usual, with or without ESM.

You hear the callers through DX Arena on the PC sound card. N1MM+ passes only its message keys to DX Arena (CQ, exchange, TU, his call, my call, AGN, and Esc to stop), and DX Arena sends its own F-key messages for them. Typed CW from N1MM+'s CW keyboard (Ctrl+K) cannot reach DX Arena in MorseRunner Mode. DX Arena's log follows your N1MM+ log: every QSO you log in N1MM+, whether with Enter, ESM or the TU key, appears in DX Arena with N1MM+'s call, report and zone or serial and is checked against the station you worked. Corrections and deletions in the N1MM+ log follow too. Without the contact broadcast, DX Arena logs from what it saw when you sent TU, and the zone is not checked. A run lasts as long as the duration you set in N1MM+'s MorseRunner dialog; when N1MM+ asks whether to restart Morse Runner, Yes starts a new run in DX Arena. While the link is on, DX Arena's START button only stops a run, because N1MM+ starts it. DX Arena remembers your N1MM+ folder; the link itself you tick for each session, and untick it to stop. OpenShack updates bring a newer bridge along automatically.

Your original Morse Runner is kept as morserunner4.exe.real in the N1MM+ SupportFiles folder. To go back to it, close N1MM+, delete morserunner4.exe there and rename morserunner4.exe.real to morserunner4.exe.

Function Keys and Macros

Hover over an F-key to see its message. Right-click any F-key, or click MACROS, to edit. Macros are saved per style, with separate Run message and S&P message columns. Standard QSO edits do not change Ragchew or contest macros. SAVE stores your edits; RESET loads the selected style's defaults into the editor.

Defaults: F1 CQ (QRL? in S&P), F2 exchange, F3 TU (in contest styles TU {MYCALL}, so you sign with your call), F4 your call, F5 his call, F8 AGN?, F9 NR?, F10 CL?, F11 and F12 wipe. In Standard QSO, F1 sends CQ CQ DE {MYCALL} {MYCALL} K: your call twice, one repeat. F6 sends NAME {NAME} and F7 sends QTH {QTH}, for example NAME FRANK or QTH ULM, once each. Other styles use F6 Repeat and F7 ?. Repeat sends the exchange once in ordinary QSO styles, twice in contest styles; it does not replay the last arbitrary message.

Standard QSO's default EXCH template is RST {SENTRST} NAME {NAME} QTH {QTH}. For example: RST 599 NAME FRANK QTH ULM. Add UR or BK in the editor if wanted. For WPX, keep the changing # token rather than typing a fixed serial. MACRO SPACING sets the gap between stacked messages, for example between his call and your report when you press Insert. FULL is a normal word space. HALF and QUARTER shorten it but stay clearly longer than the gap between letters. Start with FULL. Spaces within a message are unchanged. As in N1MM+, ~ inserts a half space, | adds half a dot, and < / > send the following text 2 WPM faster / slower: <<<5NN>>> sends the report 6 WPM faster. Prosigns such as <AR>, <SK> and <KN> send joined.

CUT NUMBERS sets how your serial (#) and {SENTRSTCUT} go out. LEADING ZEROS pads the serial to three digits: two zeros before 1–9, one before 10–99. 0=T, 9=N and 1=A replace those digits with letters. The default is LEADING ZEROS, 0=T and 9=N, so serial 7 goes out as TT7 and the report as 5NN. Without LEADING ZEROS, serials 1–9 always go out as plain digits. Zones, member numbers and power go out exactly as you typed them in SETTINGS.

Controls and Checkboxes

Hover over a control for a short hint. Some fields appear only for the selected style. The MY fields in the SETTINGS drawer describe your station; the entry line below is for the station you are working. When you leave MY CALL, DX Arena fills in what follows from your call: MY ZONE and MY ITU from the country file, MY NR from the CWops or FOC roster in those contests, and MY STATE or MY POWER from the ARRL DX list. A value you typed yourself is never overwritten. Tab moves between the MY fields; it does not jump to the entry line.

Band Conditions

BAND sets the conditions in one step: CLEAN (none), CALM (noise, QRN and QSB), REAL (everything on), WILD (everything at HEAVY) or CUSTOM, which shows the individual switches below. Each switch has three levels: click once for ON, again for HEAVY (the box lights up) and again for OFF. HEAVY makes just that effect harder, so CUSTOM can combine, for example, heavy fading with normal QRM.

The QSO styles (First QSO, Standard, Ragchew, SOTA/POTA) remember their own profile, with every switch off at first; contests and Pile-Up 5NN share an advanced profile that starts at REAL. You can change conditions during practice; some effects appear with the next caller. Competition fixes them at REAL: everything on, nothing HEAVY. Add one difficulty at a time: CUSTOM lets you switch effects on one by one, and HEAVY raises them one at a time.

Input, Logging and Display Aids

STRAIGHT KEY, PREFILL, TX DELAY, VOL, SIDE and PITCH are in the SETTINGS drawer with your MY fields; its second row holds ACTIVITY, STATIONS, BAND, INPUT, AUDIO OUTPUT, BOX AUDIO and PADDLE LOGGING (under PREFILL). The drawer closes when a run starts; click SETTINGS to open it again. RIT and BW sit at the right end of the entry line. RX and TX are in the SHOW strip above the transcript.

Duration and TX Delay

DURATION offers 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes, or OFF for open-ended contest practice; Competition offers 3, 5 or 10 minutes. The clock shows time left in a timed run and elapsed time otherwise. At zero the run stops, including any QSO or transmission in progress. There is no grace period, and contacts cannot be logged after the deadline.

When a run ends, the QSO entry fields and FREE TX are cleared. Keyboard input is ignored for two seconds so trailing keystrokes cannot start another run. After that, Enter and the F-keys work normally again, including starting the next run. In Competition, the publication dialog appears after this pause; finish or cancel it before starting again.

TX DELAY sets TX-to-RX turnaround in contest styles: AUTO follows your WPM; fixed choices run from 50 to 500 ms. Paddle operation must also distinguish a word gap from the end of an over, so its effective delay can be longer than the chosen value. Start with AUTO and use the session notes to check the effective delay.

Logbook, Rates and Results

The logbook sits above the session output and shows about seven QSOs. Drag the divider below the logbook to adjust their sizes; your setting is saved. When you change the window height, both areas scale in proportion. In contests where your exchange has a serial number, Snt Nr next to the report you sent shows the serial you sent in each QSO.

To fix a logged QSO, double-click the cell (call, RST or exchange), type the correction and press Enter; Esc cancels. The QSO is checked again against what the station sent, and the score and clean count follow. UTC, Snt Nr and the log-check result cannot be edited. In Competition the log cannot be edited, because the log check and the score are shown live. The F-keys keep sending their messages while you edit a cell. The log always stays in QSO order; clicking a column header does not sort it.

Log only after copying the required exchange. Red fields or an error result show where your copy differs; dupes do not improve the rate. In QSO styles, concentrate on clean calls, reports, names and QTHs. In contests, compare the raw SCORE with the verified score after log checking.

The rate strip shows the last five minutes, last minute and run averages in QSOs/hour, excluding dupes. Early rates use the time actually elapsed. The chart shows real QSOs per minute; green is verified clean, and a partial minute is marked with an asterisk. Hover over a bar for counts.

After a contest run, SESSION SUMMARY shows scores, rates, accuracy and errors. LOGBOOK returns to the entries; drag the divider to give either area more space. Starting another contest clears the previous on-screen summary. Session transcripts remain under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenShack\QSO.

Every run ends with a debrief: after a contest in SESSION SUMMARY, after a QSO session in the transcript. It covers copy accuracy over all logged fields, busted calls and wrong exchange values with what they really were, how readable your paddle keying was, calls you keyed with a wrong character and the characters to watch. A NEXT STEP line suggests where to go next, for example Standard QSO after clean First QSO runs, level Realistic, +2 WPM or a Competition run, or a TIP to slow down when many QSOs went wrong. It is only a suggestion.

For progress, compare runs with the same style, duration and conditions. A higher clean rate is a better target than more QSOs with busted calls. Competition results go to Personal Best; practice sessions do not.

When a QSO Gets Stuck