website: added direction opportunities to the features and added neccessary picture

This commit is contained in:
Marc Froehlich
2026-08-27 23:27:00 +02:00
parent 0e8cd06e43
commit 345c4adfc3
7 changed files with 87 additions and 2 deletions
+2 -1
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@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ tagsList:
- ON4KST
- contest workflow
related:
- directional-opportunities
- priority-score
- dual-chat
- log-sync
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ Recognition alone is not enough. KST4Contest compares the detected bands with:
Only a locally enabled, common and unworked band remains an open opportunity. A manual NOT-QRV mark takes precedence over a detected QRG, name field or callsign variant.
![Per-band NOT-QRV controls for the selected station](/manual/assets/not_qrv_controls.png)
![Worked and band status in the user list](/manual/assets/not_qrv_controls.png)
The comparison remains band-specific. Working a station on 144 MHz does not mark it as worked on 432 MHz, and a NOT-QRV mark for one band does not remove a different band opportunity.
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
---
title: Directional Opportunities
icon: 📐
category: Contest Workflow
since: "1.1"
summary: Recognise when a station in a directed ON4KST exchange may be pointing towards the local station and highlight the short-lived opportunity.
description: KST4Contest derives a possible antenna direction from directed ON4KST messages and marks matching senders without requiring the local DX Cluster server.
tagsList:
- ON4KST
- directional opportunity
- antenna direction
- beamwidth
- QRB
- contest workflow
related:
- band-recognition
- dx-cluster
- rotator-control
---
## Why watch messages between other stations?
A directed ON4KST message shows who is talking to whom. It does not include an antenna direction. During a contest, however, a station requesting, answering or preparing a sked will often point at least approximately towards the station being addressed.
That creates a brief opportunity for stations near the same direction. KST4Contest has recognised this situation since version 1.1. The detection and user-list highlight work independently of the local DX Cluster server.
## How is the opportunity derived?
Assume that station A sends a directed message to station B. KST4Contest:
1. calculates the direction from A to B and treats it as the likely antenna direction of A;
2. calculates the direction from A to the local station;
3. compares the angular difference with half of the configured antenna beamwidth; and
4. checks that A is inside the configured maximum QRB.
If the local station lies inside this assumed antenna corridor, A becomes a directional opportunity. A reply from B is a new case: the likely direction is then calculated from B back towards A.
The configured beamwidth is the complete angle. With `70°`, KST4Contest therefore assumes a corridor of `35°` on either side of the direction between the two stations.
## What does the operator see?
The sender's callsign appears green and bold in the user list for five minutes. A later matching message restarts this period. If the station sends another directed message which no longer matches the geometry, the mark is removed immediately.
![Detected directional opportunity in the user list](/manual/assets/direction_opportunity_highlight.png)
When simple sound notifications are enabled, the first detection also produces a short acoustic indication. Further matching messages do not repeat the sound while the station is already marked.
## What practical value does it have?
The indication draws attention to a station at the moment when its antenna may already cover the local direction. It can be enough to notice a callsign which would otherwise remain one line among many in the chat.
DM5M reports that around 3540% of the directional opportunities used at that station have resulted in a QSO. This is station-specific operating experience, not a general success rate. Location, antenna patterns, propagation, contest activity and operating practice can produce very different results elsewhere.
## Optional use in the logger bandmap
Since version 1.23, KST4Contest can forward a detected opportunity and a known QRG through its local DX Cluster server. This is an optional second step. The direction calculation, green user-list mark and sound do not depend on a DX-Cluster connection.
The local DX Cluster output reuses the result; it does not create the directional opportunity. If the server is disabled or no suitable QRG is known, the visual indication still works normally.
## What does the indication not prove?
ON4KST does not transmit the actual antenna direction or beamwidth of the remote station. KST4Contest therefore uses the locally configured antenna beamwidth as a practical approximation.
The calculation also does not know the real antenna pattern, rotator position, terrain or current propagation. A matching corridor is not a propagation forecast and does not guarantee a QSO.
In practical terms: the green callsign identifies a geometrically plausible moment to pay attention. Whether calling makes sense remains an operator decision.
[Read the complete derivation and numerical examples in the manual.](/manual/en/features/#directional-opportunities-from-directed-messages)
[Open the antenna beamwidth setting.](/manual/en/configuration/#antenna-beamwidth)
[Open the maximum QRB setting.](/manual/en/configuration/#default-maximum-qrb)
[Read how the optional local DX Cluster output works.](/features/dx-cluster/)
+1
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@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ tagsList:
- N1MM+
- contest logger
related:
- directional-opportunities
- log-sync
- priority-score
- dual-chat
+2 -1
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@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ tagsList:
- UDP
- SPID
related:
- directional-opportunities
- priority-score
- timeline
- airscout
@@ -74,4 +75,4 @@ In plain terms: KST4Contest removes the repeated transfer of a direction from on
[Read the complete setup and port assignment in the manual.](/manual/en/configuration/#pstrotator-settings-from-v131-fully-configurable-from-v140)
[Open the PSTRotator website.](https://www.pstrotator.com/)
[Open the PSTRotator website.](https://www.pstrotator.com/)