# Introduction

## Overview

PyQSO is a logging tool for amateur radio operators. It provides a simple graphical interface through which users can manage information about the contacts/QSOs they make with other operators on the air. All information is stored in a light-weight SQL database. Other key features include:

- Customisable interface (e.g. only show callsign and frequency information).
- Import logs in ADIF format, and export logs in ADIF or Cabrillo format.
- Perform callsign lookups and auto-fill data fields using the qrz.com and hamqth.com online databases.
- Sort the logs by individual fields.
- Print a hard-copy of logs, or print to PDF.
- Connect to Telnet-based DX clusters.
- Progress tracker for the DXCC award.
- Grey line plotter.
- Filter QSOs based on callsign (e.g. only display contacts with callsigns beginning with “M6”).
- Remove duplicate QSOs.
- Basic support for the Hamlib library.

The source code for PyQSO, written in Python (version 3.x), is available for download from the GitHub repository.

## Data storage model

Many amateur radio operators choose to store all the contacts they ever make in a single logbook, whereas others keep a separate logbook for each year, for example. Each logbook may be divided up to form multiple distinct logs, perhaps one for casual repeater contacts, another for satellite contacts, and another for DX’ing. Finally, each log can contain multiple records. PyQSO is based around this three-tier model for data storage, going from logbooks at the top to individual records at the bottom.

Rather than storing each log in a separate file, a single database can hold several logs together; in PyQSO, a database is therefore analogous to a logbook. Within a database the user can create multiple tables which are analogous to the logs. Within each table the user can create/modify/delete records which are analogous to the records in each log.

## Licensing

PyQSO is free software, released under the GNU General Public License. Please see the file called `COPYING` for more information. A copyright year range of the form YYYY-ZZZZ specifies every single year from YYYY to ZZZZ inclusive (for example, 2012-2017 means 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017).

## Contact

If you have any comments or questions about PyQSO, please send them via email to Christian Jacobs, M0UOS, at christian@christianjacobs.uk. Bug reports and feature requests can be made via the issue tracker.

## Structure of this documentation

The structure of this documentation is as follows. The section on Getting Started provides information on the PyQSO installation process through to creating a new logbook (or opening an existing one). The Log Management section explains how to create a log in the logbook, as well as the basic operations that users can perform with existing logs, such as printing, importing/exporting logs, and sorting. The Record Management section deals with the bottom layer of the three-tier model - the creation, deletion, and modification of QSO records in a log. The Toolbox section introduces the PyQSO toolbox which contains three tools that are useful to amateur radio operators: a DX cluster, a grey line plotter, and an awards progress tracker. Finally, the Preferences section explains how users can set up Hamlib support and show/hide various fields in a log, along with several other user preferences that can be set via the Preferences dialog window. A keyboard shortcuts list is also available for reference.