MiniBook Handbook

• Callsign — your station callsign. Must match the callsign linked to your QRZ API key when using QRZ Upload.
• Operator — operator callsign (may differ from station callsign, e.g. for club stations).
• Locator — Maidenhead grid square of your location. Used for distance and bearing calculations. Click Find Your QRA Locator to look it up online.
• QSO Location — free text QTH description, attached to every QSO (e.g. "Avenhorn" or "Field Day site").

Personal and location details used in complete ADIF exports:

• Name — operator's full name.
• Street — street address.
• Postalcode — postal / ZIP code.
• City — city or town.
• County — province, county, or state.
• Country — country name.
• CQ Zone — your CQ zone number.
• ITU Zone — your ITU zone number.

Enter the name of the contest you are participating in (e.g. HF Field Day). This name is stored with the logbook and included in ADIF exports. Leave blank for regular (non-contest) operation.

Enable Upload to QRZ and enter your QRZ API key (format XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) to automatically upload each logged QSO to QRZ.com. You can also bulk-upload from the Logbook window.

LoTW Station Location

Enter the Station Location name exactly as configured in TQSL. This location is used when signing QSOs for LoTW upload and is stored per logbook — different logbooks (e.g. portable vs home) can have different LoTW station locations.

• Reload last logbook on startup — automatically reopens the last used logbook when MiniBook starts.
• UTC Time Offset — difference between local time and UTC (e.g. -1 or -2 for the Netherlands). Enable Automatic UTC correction to let MiniBook calculate this from your system settings.
• Backup folder — where MiniBook stores automatic logbook backups. A backup is made every time you open or save a logbook. Click Browse to select a folder.
• Exit without confirmation — when checked, MiniBook closes immediately without asking for confirmation.

MiniBook has built-in Hamlib rig control. No external tool is required — configure your radio directly here.

• Enable Rig Control — when checked, MiniBook connects to your radio on startup automatically.
• QSY Wipe — clears QSO entry fields when the frequency changes by the set threshold (default 1 kHz). Enable to start fresh automatically after a QSY.

Rig Connection

• Preset — save and load complete rig configurations with one click. Click New to save the current settings under a name, Save to update the selected preset, or Delete to remove it. Select a preset from the dropdown to instantly restore all rig settings — ideal if you switch between multiple radios.
• Rig Model — select your transceiver from the dropdown (e.g. Icom IC-7610). For network rigs (external rigctld), select Network rig (rigctld).
• Port — COM port your radio is connected to. The dropdown shows Device Manager friendly names (e.g. COM3 — Silicon Labs CP210x).
• Baud — CAT baud rate as specified in your radio's menu.
• Data Bits / Stop Bits / Handshake / DTR / RTS — serial parameters. Most modern radios work with 8N1, no handshake.
• Poll interval — how often MiniBook reads frequency and mode from the radio (50–1000 ms, default 100 ms). Lower = more responsive display.

rigctld Server (WSJT-X / external clients)

MiniBook includes a built-in rigctld-compatible TCP server on port 4532. Enable Server active on port to let WSJT-X, fldigi, and other Hamlib programs connect to MiniBook as if it were rigctld — no separate daemon needed.

MiniBook broadcasts live radio status as N1MM-style UDP RadioInfo packets. Band maps, logger displays and other compatible software can follow your frequency and mode. The packet also carries mode, my callsign, operator callsign and rig model, so it can drive the Web Dashboard Feeder that publishes your status to a website.

• Enable UDP Radio Status output — activates the broadcast.
• Destinations — a managed list of listeners. Click Add… to create an entry with a Name, IP address and Port; use Edit… and Remove to manage them, and the On tick to enable or disable an entry without deleting it. Use 127.0.0.1 when the listener runs on the same PC, or a broadcast/network address for remote listeners. You can broadcast to several destinations at once — for example a "General" entry on the default 12060 (N1MM standard) for band maps and other tools, plus a dedicated entry on a separate port (e.g. 12061) for the Web Dashboard Feeder.
• Interval — how often packets are sent (in seconds). This interval is respected exactly — MiniBook does not flood between updates.

Let MiniBook put newly logged QSOs into the QSL print queue automatically, so you never forget to queue a card.

• Add logged QSOs to the QSL print queue — the master switch. While it is off, the three source options below are greyed out and nothing is queued automatically.
• Manually logged QSOs — QSOs you log yourself in the main window (on by default).
• QSOs received over UDP (WSJT-X, …) — QSOs that arrive as an ADIF record over UDP.
• QSOs from ADIF import — QSOs added by an ADIF import. Off by default, because one import can be thousands of QSOs.

A QSO that already has QSL Sent = Yes is never queued. The queue itself lives inside the logbook file, so it travels with the logbook.

When enabled, pressing TAB in the callsign field automatically retrieves station data (name, QTH, country, locator) from QRZ.com.

• Use QRZ Lookup — enables the lookup.
• Username — your QRZ.com login name.
• Password — your QRZ XML subscription password. Click Show to reveal temporarily.

Configure LoTW (Logbook of the World) integration here. These settings are global and apply to all logbooks.

• TQSL path — path to tqsl.exe. Click Browse to locate it. Usually C:\Program Files (x86)\TrustedQSL\tqsl.exe.
• LoTW Username — your LoTW login (callsign).
• LoTW Password — your LoTW password. Click Show to reveal temporarily. Used to download QSL confirmations from LoTW.

The logbook displays all contacts in a sortable table. Click any column header to sort ascending or descending. The toolbar at the top gives access to search, duplicate finder, and statistics.

• Search — type a keyword in Search in log and press Search. Pick which fields are searched via Select Search Fields, and narrow the visible rows with the Display Filter (see Search & Display Filter). Reset View clears both.
• Find Duplicates — opens the Duplicate Finder (see below).
• Statistics — opens the DXCC statistics window (see below).
• File menu — Import ADIF and Export to ADIF.

Select Search Fields

Type a keyword in Search in log and press Search — MiniBook shows only the QSOs where a ticked field contains that text. Click Select Search Fields to choose which of the 34 fields are searched (callsign, name, country, band, mode, comment, the QSL/LoTW fields, and more). All / None toggle every box at once. By default only Callsign is ticked.

Display Filter

The Display Filter hides or shows rows by Mode, Band, QSL Sent and QSL Received — whatever is ticked stays visible. The Mode and Band lists are built from the values actually present in your logbook, so you only see the modes and bands you have worked. Use All / None per list, and Show all to clear the whole filter. Changes apply live while the window is open; Reset View in the logbook also clears the filter.

Right-click one or more selected QSOs to open the context menu:

Double-click a row or use Edit QSO from the right-click menu to open the full QSO editor. All fields are editable:

• Date, Time, Callsign, Name, Country, DXCC code
• Band, Mode, Submode, Frequency
• Sent / Received RST, Locator, CQ Zone, ITU Zone
• Propagation, Satellite, Sent # (STX), Rcvd # (SRX), Comment
• My Callsign, My Operator, My Locator, My Location
• QSL Sent / Sent Date / Sent Via
• QSL Received / Rcvd Date / Rcvd Via
• LoTW Sent / Sent Date, LoTW Received / Rcvd Date

Click Save to apply, Delete to remove the QSO, or Cancel to discard changes.

Select multiple QSOs, then choose Bulk Edit from the right-click menu. Tick the checkbox next to any field you want to change, fill in the new value, and click Apply. Only the ticked fields are updated — unticked fields are left unchanged.

Editable fields include Band, Mode, Submode, Sent/Received RST, Propagation, Satellite, My Callsign/Operator/Locator/Location, QSL Sent/Rcvd (with date and via), LoTW Sent/Rcvd (with dates), and Comment.

Click Find Duplicates in the toolbar to scan the entire logbook. Duplicate groups are shown in alternating colours — each group contains QSOs with the same callsign, band, mode, and matching time within the chosen precision.

Time comparison precision

• Hours — matches QSOs within the same hour.
• Minutes — matches QSOs at the same hour and minute (default).
• Seconds — exact time match required.

Click Find Duplicates to re-scan after changing the precision.

Cleaning up

• Delete Selected — removes the rows you have manually selected.
• Delete Dupes (Best Kept) — automatically keeps the most complete record in each group (most filled fields) and removes the rest. Asks for confirmation before deleting.

Open via Statistics in the Logbook toolbar. Four summary panels plus a full DXCC table:

• Summary — logbook name, total QSOs, unique DXCC entities, QSL sent/received, LoTW sent/received, and confirmed DXCC counts (LoTW confirmed, other QSL confirmed, total confirmed).
• QSOs per Band — contact count per band.
• QSOs per Mode — contact count per mode (FT8, SSB, CW, etc.).
• Confirmed QSOs — confirmed contacts per band (QSL or LoTW).

The DXCC table lists every worked entity with its flag, total QSOs, CW/Phone/Digital split, and per-band WKD / CFM indicators. Use the band checkboxes to show or hide bands.

When the imported file contains QSOs that already exist in the logbook, MiniBook asks what to do:

• Add — imports the duplicate QSOs as additional records (both old and new are kept).
• Overwrite — replaces the existing records with the imported versions.
• Ignore — skips all duplicate QSOs and only adds new ones.

Select one or more QSOs in the logbook, right-click, and choose from the QSL Printing section:

• Quick Print QSL Labels — roll labels, see QSL Label Printing
• Quick Print Pre-Printed QSL Cards — see QSL Pre-Print Card Printing
• Quick Print QSL Label Sheets — sheets of labels, see QSL Label Sheet Printing
• Add to QSL Print Queue — collect first, print later, see QSL Print Queue

Rather than printing immediately, select QSOs in the logbook and choose Add to QSL Print Queue. The queue is stored inside the logbook file as a mark on each QSO, so it survives restarts, travels with the logbook, and can never lose track of a QSO you edit afterwards. The button in the logbook shows the current count, e.g. QSL Print Queue (14). QSOs can also be queued automatically — see Settings → QSL Handling.

Each row shows the Printed marker plus the QSO's callsign, date, time, band, mode and QSL Sent / QSL Received status (the QSL columns turn green when set). The buttons at the bottom:

After a print run MiniBook asks what to do with the printed QSOs: remove them from the queue, or keep them marked ✓ Printed (their row turns grey). It can also mark them QSL Sent at the same time.

Sort for QSL bureau (top right) puts the whole queue — the list on screen and the print order — in the order the outgoing bureau wants: by the worked country’s main prefix, digits before letters. A QSL VIA manager leads, so a card that goes via a manager sorts under the manager’s callsign instead of the worked country. The setting is remembered.

When you print a batch that contains QSOs already marked QSL Sent = Yes (or already printed in the queue), MiniBook asks what to do with those:

• Skip — print only the new ones (the count is shown on the button).
• Print all — print everything anyway.
• Cancel — don't print.

This stops you accidentally re-printing labels or cards for contacts you already confirmed.

After printing, MiniBook offers to set QSL Sent = Yes on the QSOs that were actually printed. Pick the Date (today by default) and the route under Via — Bureau, Direct, Electronic or Manager — then click Yes, mark. Choose No to leave the QSL status untouched.

With pre-printed cards only the cards you really printed are marked, so stopping half-way through a batch never marks the rest.

Print address-style QSL labels on a label printer or any other printer. A whole label is designed from three tabs — Header, QSO Table and Footer — and several QSOs for the same station are combined onto one label. The live preview shows the label at true size.

The status line shows how many labels will be printed for how many QSOs. Click Print (green) to print, and MiniBook can then mark the QSOs as QSL Sent.

Print a grid of labels on one sheet — the sheets of labels you buy by the box — on any ordinary printer. The window shows one label at true size with a millimetre ruler, because that is what you actually design; the sheet grid itself is set up once per box in a separate window (see below). The label content is built exactly like the roll labels: a Header, a QSO Table and a Footer.

The red hatching in the preview marks the non-printable border of the selected printer — the strip no printer can reach. It only affects labels at the very edge of the sheet; the status line spells out how much is lost and on which side.

This window holds the measurements of the sheet: how many labels, how big, and where they sit. You fill it in once for a box of labels; the preview shows the whole sheet while you type.

The line under the grid is the sanity check: pitch (centre to centre) and what is left over. On a factory sheet the left-over should be close to the margin — a very different number usually means a measurement was typed in wrong.

When you press Print, MiniBook first shows the whole sheet with the labels already filled in and asks where to start. Click the label you want to begin at — everything before it is left untouched, so a sheet you already used half of gets filled up instead of wasted.

• Start at label — the same choice as a number, if you prefer typing it.
• Fresh sheet — jump back to label 1.
• The blue FEED arrow shows which way the sheet travels through the printer.

The line at the bottom tells you what is about to happen, e.g. 52 label(s) over 4 sheet(s). Only the first sheet may start part-way in; every following sheet starts at label 1 again.

This mode prints only the variable QSO data — callsign, date, band, RST, etc. — onto your own pre-printed QSL cards. The card artwork itself is never printed; you feed a blank pre-printed card and MiniBook drops the text in the right place. Accuracy comes from top-left registration plus a per-printer calibration offset, so it works on any printer with manual feed.

When you print, MiniBook prints one card at a time and prompts you to feed each card (“Card N of M — insert it, then click Print”). This keeps the printer from filling up on a big batch of manually-fed cards; you can stop part-way at any point.

Custom text lines are static and printed once per card (not per QSO) — a greeting, your website, an e-mail address, “Printed with MiniBook”, and so on. Each line has its own Text (tokens allowed via Insert field), X/Y mm position, Size pt (0 = the card's base size), B/I/U and alignment. Add, remove and reorder them with the buttons on the left. They are separate from the per-QSO Fields.

Mask & Mark prints solid blocks or bold crosses over the pre-printed card — for example to strike out a printed Please QSL / TNX QSL, cross out a box, or mask a line. Each item in the list has its own settings:

Add, remove and reorder items on the left. The built-in Please QSL and TNX QSL items already carry the right received / not-received condition.

Select one or more QSOs in the Logbook window, right-click, and choose Upload to LoTW.

All upload credentials are configured per logbook in File → Station Setup → Upload. The tab shows separate sections for Club Log, LoTW, and QRZ — each logbook can use different accounts.

Tabs

• Spots — real-time DX spots in a sortable table.
• Alerts — spots matching your callsign alert list.
• Clusters — manage and connect to DX cluster servers.
• Console — raw telnet output. Automatically shown when connecting so you can follow the login sequence.

The Band Map button (below the tabs) opens a separate visual frequency map — see Band Map below.

Click the Band Map button below the spot tabs to open the Band Map — a separate window showing the current band as a vertical frequency axis with all visible spots plotted at their exact frequency.

• VFO line — a red arrow tracks your radio's live frequency in real time (updated every 200 ms via Hamlib).
• Spot labels — callsign and frequency for each spot; overlapping labels are shifted apart without crossing lines or reversing order.
• Same color coding as the Spots grid (alert / today this band / today other band / worked / never).
• Scroll wheel — zooms in and out (0.1 – 20 kHz/pixel).
• Drag — pan the view up or down.
• Click a spot — same action as clicking in the Spots grid: tunes the radio and fills the logbook entry fields.
• Hover a spot — tooltip shows frequency, spotter callsign, and comment.

Toolbar

A snapshot reaches your website every few seconds. Visitors see ON AIR / OFF AIR and the live radio data, updated without any page reload. The card type is detected automatically from what the feeder sends — there is nothing to choose and nothing to force.

Open Settings → Station Web Dashboard in WordPress and copy the API key — you paste it into the feeder in step 4. It is the api_key field the feeder posts with, so without it your site refuses the updates.

• Regenerate API Key makes a new one — the old key stops working straight away, so update the feeder as well.
• Leaving the field empty and saving also generates a key.
• OFF AIR timeout (default 300 seconds) — how long the card waits without an update before it goes OFF AIR. Set it a good bit higher than the feeder's update interval, or the card will blink off between posts.

Open File → Settings → UDP Radio Status, tick Enable UDP Radio Status output, and add a destination with the feeder's IP and port — use 127.0.0.1 when the feeder runs on the same PC. Give the feeder a port of its own, for example 2242.

That is all MiniBook needs: it broadcasts frequency, band, mode, callsigns, rig model, locator and location. See Settings → UDP Radio Status for the full list of options, including sending to several destinations at once.