Topband: Band opening?

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

On 1/3/2016 7:00 AM, K4OWR wrote:
> :::: Now that I have your attention....
> Is there any method anyone knows of to receive email or a text message
> when there is DX present on 160 meters?
> I subscribe to several, but none of them seems to include 160 in the
> "notification" check box.
>
> Perhaps we could create one? I know this group is supposed to be for
> contestors, but let's be honest, loads of other things are discussed.
> BILL K4OWR

It's news to me that this group is supposed to be for contestors.
Anyway, I have found DXwatch.com to be useful, if you know
about its limitations:

1.  Documentation isn't great.

2.  It works well in terms of sending an email, except

3.  There is a feature to send to an "alternate email" address
that simply doesn't work.

4.  The feature of sending a text message to a phone has been disabled.

5.  A workaround for this is to use a feature that cell phone carriers
provide:  you send an email to a special address for the carrier,
and the carrier converts this to a text message for the phone.
IE, from DXwatch's viewpoint, it is just sending an email; from
your phones' viewpoint, it is just receiving an SMS text message.
(See for example: 
http://20somethingfinance.com/how-to-send-text-messages-sms-via-email-for-free/).

Having said all that, it has been very useful for me. You can
certainly filter for 160 meters.  I can directly credit DXwatch
for bagging Chad for an ATNO, earlier this year.  I was out walking when
the alert came in and I was able to get home in time to make
the QSO.  Chad has been particularly troublesome because
previous QSO's never produced QSL's and/or were not approved
for DXCC.  (This was not on 160 meters, but is given as
an example of DXwatch).  It was also instrumental in working
Monaco (surprisingly difficult).

All of this presupposes the DX has been spotted.  On CW, it might
be more useful to be able to use the RBN to issue alerts.
Of course, that has the limitation that the station to be
spotted must call CQ (or "test") to show up.
Does anyone know how to get RBN alerts?

I have spot filtering in my logging program that is supposed
to be able to send email alerts, but I have never been able
to get it to work.  The logging program docs, of course, blame
my ISP, my mail program, Windoze, etc, anything but their program.

Rick N6RK