Version 0.6.0 · macOS · Windows · Linux

A ham radio log you keep yourself

qsonaut stores your contacts on your own computer. No account to create, nothing on someone else's server. With several computers, each has the same log, and changes move between them on your home network or over the Internet.

macOS, Windows and Linux. iOS and Android versions are planned.

The Operating screen: station setups, radio bar, entry line, the other station, award programs, recent contacts and bands

How it differs

Your log stays with you

No account, no cloud

The log is a database on your computer. No registration, no sign-in, and no qsonaut server holding your QSOs.

One log on several computers

The travel laptop and the shack computer both hold the whole log and work offline. When they connect, they swap changes. Each one is also a backup of the other.

Awards counted locally

How many DXCC entities, POTA parks or WWFF areas you have, the program works out from your log. No need to upload it anywhere.

Synchronisation

Several computers, one log

You pair computers once, with an eight-digit code. From then on they exchange changes by themselves: on the same network or over the Internet.

  • The connection between your devices is encrypted.
  • Over the Internet it works without port forwarding or router setup.
  • If the same contact is changed on two computers, nothing is overwritten silently — you pick which version stays.
  • Every correction has a history, and deleted QSOs go to the trash.
The log as a map: locator squares and a band filter with contact counts

Award programs

Award progress with every QSO

A program is a short file with an award's rules: what counts and how many you need. qsonaut works it out from your log and tells you at entry whether a contact is new.

  • Ready-made: DXCC, POTA, WWFF (SPFF), PGA and VUCC 6 m, with lists of what is missing.
  • Once a program is on, its fields appear in the entry line.
  • Write your own in a few lines of YAML and sign it in the app.
  • ADIF export to a program's rules, e.g. an activation log split by park and day.
format: hamrule/2
id: community.vucc.6m
name: VUCC · 6 m
role: participant
filter:
  bands: [6m]
  confirmed_only: true
scoring:
  points: 1
  unique_by: [gridsquare]
requirements:
  minimum_score: 100

This is a program counting confirmed 6 m squares.

In practice

Station setups

A setup is your station's saved details: callsign, locator, rig, power, activation reference. Switch with one click, and every QSO gets the details without retyping.

Activating

A POTA park, a WWFF area

The “SQ5SJW/P · PL-2902” setup carries callsign, locator and reference. You type the call and reports. A counter shows how many QSOs the activation still needs, and park-to-park is marked by itself. Back home, export ADIF by park and day.

Hunting

PGA, POTA, SPFF from home

Enter the other station's municipality or park and see at once whether it is a new reference and which contact with it this is. With the directory loaded you also see what is still missing.

Home station

QRP and QRO

“Home QRO” with an IC-7610 at 100 W, “Home QRP” with an IC-705 at 5 W. Change rig and antenna on the bar; power and equipment go into every QSO and into ADIF.

VHF and FT8

Squares, Es, digital modes

QSOs from WSJT-X, JTDX and MSHV land in the log by themselves. New squares are marked, including ones new on the band, with distance, bearing and propagation.

Several computers

Laptop in the field, computer at home

In the field you log offline. Back home the laptop connects to the home computer and swaps changes. Away from home, sync over the Internet.

Contests

Serial, exchange, rate

A contest setup numbers contacts, records the received exchange and tells you whether a station is already in the contest log. The 10- and 60-minute rate is on screen.

Also

What else is inside

ADIF import and export

Before importing you see what is new and what is already in the log. Export everything, search results or selected QSOs.

QRZ.com and HamQTH

Name, QTH and locator fill in by themselves, only into empty fields. Answers are cached.

QRZ Logbook

Send selected QSOs to your QRZ logbook and check confirmations.

QSL files

Confirm contacts with another qsonaut user by a signed file, no middleman.

WSJT-X, JTDX, MSHV

FT8, FT4, Q65, MSK144 log themselves. Works alongside GridTracker too.

Map

Squares or stations on a map, a band filter, distance and bearing at entry.

Entry history

Every correction is recorded; you can go back to an earlier version.

Recovery kit

The log's key in a passphrase-protected file. Lose a computer — add a new one, cut off the old.

English and Polish

Switch the language in the top bar.

About

A few words from me

qsonaut is made in Poland. I write it for my own station: I wanted a modern log that needs no account and does not keep my contacts on someone else's server. I share it because it may be useful to others too.

The program is free. I may open the code one day. Phone versions are planned.

I am not a contester or a keen activator. If you operate differently and miss something, tell me — I will gladly listen. — Marcin, SQ5SJW

Download

macOS, Windows, Linux

How to install and what to do on the first start is in the guide.

macOS — Apple Silicon (M1 and newer) qsonaut_0.6.0_aarch64.dmg · 13.7 MB SHA-256: 439941d7bfbb4cde9eb1e77c6f9641f708946c449e1f832de335d2c05eaca2df Download .dmg
macOS — Intel In preparation. Coming soon
Linux — AppImage, DEB, RPM In preparation. Needs WebKitGTK 4.1. Coming soon
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) In preparation. Coming soon

Once a day the program checks for a new version, sending only its version and system. The server counts these requests by version, system and country — Cloudflare works out the country from the IP address, and the address itself is not stored. You can turn this off in Settings.