WinWSPR, a brand-new WSPR Analysis software for Windows

[page under construction, screenshots and possibly a YouTube introduction video are to be added soon]

Soon a new dedicated software package will be available on this website allowing Ham Radio operators to analyze the WSPR spots they generate worldwide when they are transmitting a WSPR signal from their station. WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) is a perfect method to monitor propagation and in particular the propagation of RF signals from your QTH.

The WSPR reporter database can deliver long lists of data in CSV or Excel format, but looking at these lists with a screen full of numbers does not give you a clear picture of the status of the current propagation. The best way to look at the data showing the results of your station compared with a nearby ham radio operator is graphics.

The data is taken directly from the WSPR database by querying according to your own set of parameters,

At present, and these will be the initial available analysis modes, you can work with the software as follows:

OPERATIONAL SUMMARY

1. Config query window

    In this window you provide all the relevant data for the query send to the database to get information on spots generated by your station and/or the station you are comparing with. The parameters you can define:

- your call sign and your QRA. An immediate check is done on the WSPR database if call sign and QRA are matching. This applies also for the comparing station. Otherwise, if call sign and QRA do not match, the output from the query will be empty.

- your QRA locator is also used to transform a rectangular 

- the frequency band you are operating on with your WSPR signal and would like to see the results of. Band selection is 2200m to 23cm bands. You can select ONE band here.

- the start day/time and end day/time as a time span. Shortcuts like TODAY, YESTERDAY, LAST 7 DAYS, LAST 2 WEEKS and LAST MONTH are quick click buttons. However with the individual date/time controls for the start-and end date you are flexible in making any time frame within the current month.

2. Config system window

    In this window, you can configure ( switch on/of ) the following:

    a. Color marking of the cells in the table with the SNR ratio value ranging from Blue to Red. Blue corresponding with                -40dB SNR and RED with +20dB SNR. Visualization of these results is easier than looking at the actual numbers.

   b. A green back color in the Distance cell with the largest distance obtained for all spots resulting from the query.

   c. Select the type of voice for the speech announcements. 

   d. You can select the type of map for the graphical presentations

   e. Select the SNR values plotted on the maps:

       Minimum, Average, Maximum

3. Config alarm window

    In this window, you can define alarms and the method how the software interacts with you when an alarm condition is met. At present, the following alarms are possible.

     a.  A new WSPR reporter has detected your signal:

         Any new reporter appearing in the list of reporting stations that hear your signal is announced to you by making use of an e-mail message or a speech message. The last is very useful in case the operator has visual disabilities. The information given when a new reporter is announced are his call sign, QRA locator and the SNR values of the reported spot.

You can define your e-mail address once. After that the email address text box is disabled for changes, unless you reset the program's INI file.

     b. Other planned alarms are:

         Detection of a country / continent.

4. Main window

After clicking the large green button in the Config Query window, the data is requested from the database, the Config Query window closes automatically and the main window (that was already open in the background but not filled with data) is displayed with two data grids.

The data grid on the left shows all the WSPR spots received, with the last spots on top of the window. The data grid on the right show all the reporters that have received your transmissions and is sorted alphabetically upwards from 0 (zero) to Z.

After the main window has been filled with the data as requested, the button 'Show Graphs' is activated. Below the button you see an Up-Down control where you can define a minimum number of spots per reporter as a filter for each reporter shown in the graphical presentations.

5. Graphical data presentations

After the 'Show Graphs' button has been clicked, the graps window open with a number of tabs where different data presentations can be selected. The followings tabs are available:

- reveived spots as function of time on the X-axis. The Y-axis shows the the SNR value of each spot, above the minimum value set in the main window.

- received spots per reporter plotted on a rectangular equidistant map of the world. The color of the spots is representing the SNR value. The scale and colors are shown on the left from the map, ranging from -40dB to +20dB SNR. The spots are plotted as squares, with the size of the square set by an Up-Down control. Optionally, you can fill the squares,

In case a compare station has been defined in the Config Query window, the two call signs indicated as MAIN and COMPARE with the respective call signs, are seen next two round selectors. When the selection is changed with a click of the mouse, the map is redrawn and the data of the selected station presented. An auto toggle checkbox runs this toggle process automatically. The speed of the toggles can be varied with the associated Up-Down control.

- Nspots per reporter. On this map the number of spots received is indicated by the color of the spot. The color and the corresponding number of spots is shown left of the graph.

6. Azimuthal maps for the Main and Compare stations

This tab show you two azimuthal maps with the center of the map the QRA locator of the Main and Compare stations. The big advantage of an azimuthal map over any other rectangular map presentation is that the direction of the spots as seen from your QRA locator are exactly shown on the map.

In the two pictures below, the QRA is modified to EN82BI for K7UV. The lower picture is 50% zoomed.

The left map is for the Main station and the right map for the Compare station.  The maps are transformed from the selected rectangular equidistant map in the Config System window.

Both maps start with a radius of 20000 km, equaling the distance of half the globe. I.e. on the circle's outer border you are on the opposite side of the earth. With the three zoom shortcuts 0%, 50% and 100% you can make quick zoom selections, with the mouse wheel over the map you can zoom in and out by turning the mouse wheel.

The size of the spots and whether they are filled or not is determined by the settings you can set on the second tab showing the spots on the rectangular map.