Cloudlog 2.8.13 Release Notes

This update brings significant improvements to SimpleFLE, specifically for Satellite operators and those chasing the VUCC award. We have also overhauled several statistics pages (Continents, Timeplot, EME, and Timeline) to make them faster and more responsive.

📡 SimpleFLE Enhancements (Satellite and VUCC)

SimpleFLE has received a major logic update to make fast logging even easier:

• Multiple Grids (VUCC): You can now enter multiple comma-separated grids (e.g. IO91,IO92) in SimpleFLE. Cloudlog will now correctly detect and save these for VUCC credit.
• Satellite Improvements: Added support for the X-Band and improved how the logger handles band changes. When you switch from Satellite mode to a regular HF or VHF band, Cloudlog now automatically clears the satellite state to prevent logging errors.
• Better Time Handling: The log entry time detection is now more robust, ensuring your QSOs are recorded accurately.
• New Documentation: A brand new wiki page is available to explain these features in detail: SimpleFLE Guide

🖥️ DXChrono Desktop Released

Coinciding with this release, DXChrono Desktop is now available.

• It offers tight integration with Cloudlog, providing a dedicated operational dashboard for your shack.
• Includes a Special Event Station mode that can display real-time banners of your latest QSOs.
• Get it here: https://desktop.dxchrono.com (£15)

📈 Modernised Statistics

We have updated several pages to be faster and more responsive. When you apply filters (like changing a band or mode), the data now updates instantly without the whole page reloading.

• Continents and Timeplots: Refreshed interface with smoother filtering.
• EME Initials: A cleaner UI for Earth-Moon-Earth operators to track initials by band and mode.
• Activators: Improved the Activators list with better filtering for LEO and GEO satellites and clearer grid square counts.

⏳ Timeline Improvements

• Active DXCC Badges: The timeline now displays a green "Active" badge for entities that are still valid, making it easier to distinguish from deleted DXCC entities.
• Chronological Sorting: Timeline entries are now sorted by the earliest contact you had with that entity.
• New Detail Modals: Clicking on a timeline entry now opens a modern pop-up window showing your QSO details.

🛠️ Bug Fixes and Minor Changes

• Station Diary: You can now search public diary entries by callsign. This is useful for finding notes from other stations.
• Email Settings: Fixed a bug where saving email configuration options would sometimes fail silently.
• QSL View: Fixed a minor layout glitch on the QSL tab.
• Grid Tracking: Improved the way grids are merged and counted in the Activators view for those chasing VUCC.

📡 Cloudlog 2.8.12 – What’s New

This release brings a smoother logging experience, faster performance, and more control over your interface.

✍️ Improved QSO Entry

Logging QSOs is now faster, easier, and more consistent — especially during busy operating.

⚡ Faster & Smoother Logging

• Save QSOs instantly without page reloads
• See your recent QSOs update automatically after saving
• Overall faster performance when viewing and filtering logbooks

🧠 Remembers Your Workflow

• Your band, mode, satellite, and propagation settings are kept after each QSO
• No need to keep reselecting the same options
• Signal reports (RST) reset correctly based on mode

🔍 Smarter Callsign Lookup

• Faster callsign and country lookups
• Previous QSOs are shown without interrupting your workflow
• Clearer results when no previous contacts exist

📡 Better Radio Integration (CAT)

• More reliable syncing with your radio
• Prevents outdated radio data from overwriting your current settings

🧹 Cleaner Form Behaviour

• Fields like satellite, SOTA/POTA, and others are cleared when not needed
• Reduces the chance of incorrect or leftover data
• More predictable behaviour when resetting the form

🧩 Improved Interface Behaviour

• Previous contacts panel only appears when relevant
• No more empty or flickering panels
• Better tab handling after saving a QSO

🔌 New API Features

For those using external tools or integrations:

• Check if a callsign, country, or gridsquare has been worked or confirmed
• Access your public logbooks and those shared with you

📝 Improved Release Notes Display

• Release notes now support rich formatting (headings, lists, links, images, and more)
• Cleaner and easier to read

⚙️ User Settings & Interface

• New options to show or hide:
  • SSTV Images menu
  • QSL Cards menu
• Redesigned settings page:
  • Easier to navigate
  • Cleaner layout with grouped options

🛠️ Fixes & Improvements

• Improved security when displaying messages
• More reliable background updates
• Better handling of edge cases when logging QSOs
• General performance and stability improvements

📦 Version

• Updated to Cloudlog 2.8.12
• Version information dialog will appear after updating

This release focuses on real-time operating features, improved DX handling, and a smoother logging experience.

✨ New Features

🟢 On-Air Widgets & Status Badges

You can now display your live operating status on external websites — with support for custom callsigns.

📡 Embeddable On-Air Widget

Show your current activity in a simple, auto-updating widget:

• Displays ON AIR / QRT status
• Shows frequency, mode, or satellite info
• Auto-refreshes to stay up to date
• Designed for iframe embedding

Basic usage:

/widgets/on_air/YOURCALL

With custom display callsign (e.g. special event station):

/widgets/on_air/YOURCALL/GB2XXX

🏷️ SVG On-Air Badge

A lightweight badge version of your status — ideal where iframes aren’t supported:

• Clean SVG image (works on GitHub, forums, etc.)
• Colour-coded status (ON AIR, SAT, QRT)
• Automatically updates

Basic usage:

/widgets/on_air_image/YOURCALL

With custom display callsign:

/widgets/on_air_image/YOURCALL/GB2XXX

💡 Use Cases

• Add to your personal website
• Embed in your QRZ page
• Show status on GitHub or forums
• Operate special event callsigns while logging under your main account

🔒 Notes

• Your account callsign is still used for lookup
• Display callsign is optional and safely sanitised
• Fully backwards compatible with existing widget URLs

📊 Improvements

📡 Smarter DX Highlighting

• Uses gridsquares and VUCC grids when distance isn’t stored
• Automatically calculates distance when needed
• Ensures valid DX contacts aren’t missed

🌍 Better Grid Handling

• Falls back to VUCC grids when gridsquare is missing
• Improves mapping and award tracking

📻 Enhanced DX Cluster Experience

• New status badge with icons and tooltips
• Improved connection state handling
• New filters:
  • Filter by mode
  • Highlight new DXCCs
• “Track Band” option to follow your radio

⚡ Faster QSO Entry

• Distance, bearing, and locator calculations now run in the browser
• Reduces server requests and improves responsiveness

🎯 QSO & DX Cluster Integration

• Clicking a spot can now automatically tune your radio (QSY)
• Works directly from the QSO interface

🧠 Improved Mode Detection

• Updated FT8/FT4 frequencies across multiple bands
• More accurate automatic mode detection

🧰 User Interface Enhancements

📋 QSO Form Customisation

• Show/hide fields and tabs per user
• Tailor the interface to your workflow

📡 DX Cluster in QSO Screen

• New DX Cluster tab inside the QSO page
• Click spots to auto-fill QSO fields
• Real-time updates via WebSocket

🏆 Contesting Improvements

• New contest stats panel:
  • QSO count
  • Rate
  • Per-band breakdown
• Duplicate detection while typing
• Improved layout and usability

🔄 General UI Improvements

• Pagination preserved during table refresh
• Reduced unnecessary redraws
• Better handling of optional/hidden fields
• Improved JavaScript stability

🛠️ Technical Changes

🗄️ Database Update

• Notes table upgraded to utf8mb4
• Supports emoji and full Unicode characters

🔒 Code Quality & Stability

• Cleaner input handling (reduced reliance on $_GET)
• Centralised DXCC checks
• Improved RBN detection accuracy

🐞 Fixes

• Fixed RBN spot detection edge cases
• Resolved QSO form UI inconsistencies
• Prevented unnecessary table redraws
• Various minor stability and performance fixes

💡 Summary

This release brings:

• Real-time visibility with on-air widgets and badges
• Better DX accuracy using smarter calculations
• Improved performance with client-side processing
• More control over the user interface

This Cloudlog release has more fixes than we can list however, you can read the full list at https://github.com/magicbug/Cloudlog/compare/2.8.9...2.8.10

Whats New

• Dashboard now as terminator day/Night overlay its on by default, but you can turn it off in the user account
• Dashboard DXpedition card has now been rewritten with an improved interface
• POTA now supports multiple references, both when logging QSOs and in station locations
• ADIF Exports now include multiple POTA references and also MY_NAME, which is based on the user account's name logged against the QSO.
• The US Counties Awards system has been upgraded

Call History

You can now import Call History files used by N1MM+ and similar applications and use them in Cloudlog. See the wiki page for details at https://github.com/magicbug/Cloudlog/wiki/Call-History-Guide

QSO Entry

• Previous Contacts & DXCC Summary are now grouped in a tabbed card
• Call History Support

Contesting

• Improved tabbing between the logging fields.
• Bearing & Distance functions added to the interface
• Call History Support

Cabrillo Export

Cabrillo export has now been fully rewritten and, based on tests, now produces compliant output.

✨ New Features

Public Station Diary

• Share diary entries publicly.
• Entries can include images, captions, and formatted text.
• Optional RSS feed so followers can subscribe to updates.
• Public entry view with shareable links.
• Public QSO Map
• Display QSOs from diary entries on a map for visitors.
• Visitors can react to station diary entries.

Find out more about notes at https://github.com/magicbug/Cloudlog/wiki/Notes

🛰 Satellite Improvements

• The Amsat Status page recently had some changes to its variables and naming so the automatic status submission from Cloudlog needed a rework, if you havent turned this on its under Account Settings.

🔧 Maintenance

• Updated JavaScript dependencies (qs, lodash).
• Added FT2 as a submode of MFSK
• General code cleanup and internal improvements.

🐛 Fixes

• Corrected the eQSL received flag field handling.
• Fixed various diary display issues and HTML rendering problems.