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235 lines
9.5 KiB
Plaintext
235 lines
9.5 KiB
Plaintext
---
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layout: base.njk
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title: KST4Contest – ON4KST Contest Client for VHF, UHF and SHF
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description: KST4Contest combines ON4KST chat, candidate prioritisation, sked planning, AirScout data and logger integration in one desktop client.
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heroFx: true
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visitorCount: true
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---
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<section class="hero hero-split">
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<canvas class="hero-radio-fx" data-hero-radio-fx aria-hidden="true"></canvas>
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<div class="hero-fx-vignette" aria-hidden="true"></div>
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<div class="hero-copy">
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<p class="badge">ON4KST contest workflow for 144 MHz and above</p>
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<h1>KST4Contest</h1>
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<p class="lead">
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KST4Contest is an ON4KST client for VHF, UHF and SHF contest operation
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on 144 MHz and above. It keeps active stations, frequencies, skeds and
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aircraft-scatter opportunities in view while connecting chat information
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with logger and station interfaces.
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</p>
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<p>
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The client helps the operator choose the next useful station and prepare
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the next operating step. It does not automate the radio contact itself.
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</p>
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<div class="actions">
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<a class="button" href="/download/">Download KST4Contest</a>
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<a class="button secondary" href="/manual/">Read the manual</a>
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<a class="button ghost" href="https://github.com/praktimarc/kst4contest">View source code</a>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="hero-panel">
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<div class="terminal-bar">
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<span></span><span></span><span></span>
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<strong>Contest information ready for the next decision</strong>
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</div>
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<div class="mock-grid">
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<div class="mini-card">
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<strong>Active stations and QRGs</strong>
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<small>Chat messages, recognised frequencies and known bands stay connected to the station.</small>
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</div>
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<div class="mini-card">
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<strong>Skeds and AP windows</strong>
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<small>Scheduled contacts and AirScout timing remain visible while the contest continues.</small>
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</div>
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<div class="mini-card">
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<strong>Logger and station status</strong>
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<small>Worked information, the current TRX QRG and rotor direction inform the same workflow.</small>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</section>
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{% if collections.latestNews.length %}
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{% set latestPost = collections.latestNews[0] %}
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<section class="section narrow" aria-labelledby="latest-news-heading">
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<article class="card">
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<p class="eyebrow">Latest news · {{ latestPost.date | readableDate }}</p>
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<h2 id="latest-news-heading"><a href="{{ latestPost.url }}">{{ latestPost.data.title }}</a></h2>
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<p>{{ latestPost.data.summary }}</p>
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<a href="{{ latestPost.url }}">Open this update →</a>
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</article>
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</section>
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{% endif %}
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<section class="section">
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<div class="section-heading">
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<p class="eyebrow">Practical tasks</p>
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<h2>From chat traffic to the next operating step</h2>
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<p>
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Messages, station activity and station interfaces provide different
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pieces of the same operating situation. KST4Contest brings them together
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where they are needed.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="grid">
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<article class="card">
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<h3>Keep track of chat and active stations</h3>
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<p>
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Follow messages across two ON4KST categories, see active bands and keep
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recognised frequencies attached to the callsign that sent them.
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</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card">
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<h3>Select and plan contacts</h3>
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<p>
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Use filters and priorities to find candidates, schedule skeds and keep
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their timing visible in the timeline together with AirScout data.
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</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card">
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<h3>Connect logger and station components</h3>
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<p>
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Synchronise Worked status with supported loggers and pass useful context
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to the TRX, rotator and local DX Cluster interfaces.
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</p>
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</article>
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</div>
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</section>
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<section class="section">
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<div class="section-heading">
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<p class="eyebrow">What the chat data showed</p>
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<h2>Useful detail makes a reply easier</h2>
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<p>
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Archived ON4KST chat logs from several IARU contests in the preceding two
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years were analysed. The concrete example comes from the July 2025 contest
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and combines the 144/432 MHz and Microwave categories. It compares sked
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requests with the replies and sked windows they produced.
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</p>
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<p>
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The text analysis considered action and sked words, frequency, timing,
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beam direction, aircraft-scatter information, locator, mode and courtesy
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or anchor words. Within this sample, requests containing AP and beam
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information were associated with an almost 30% higher chat reply rate
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than short, unspecific requests such as “Hi noname, try 2m?”.
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</p>
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<p>
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This measures chat replies, not completed QSOs. It is a correlation within
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the investigated sample, not general proof of causation and not a promise
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that an individual sked will succeed. The practical point is modest:
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information that can be used immediately saves the other operator from
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having to ask for it first. KST4Contest supplies part of that context when
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preparing messages and skeds.
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</p>
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<p>
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Source: Marc Fröhlich, “Chat-Mining: Jagdinstinkte wecken mit KST4Contest”,
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conference paper for GHz-Tagung Dorsten 2026, section “Erfolgsrezept”.
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<a href="/background/#paper-2026">Read the background and download the paper</a>.
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</p>
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</div>
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</section>
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<section class="section">
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<div class="section-heading">
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<p class="eyebrow">Selected functions</p>
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<h2>The parts most often used during a contest</h2>
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<p>
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These examples show how station, band, message and timing information is
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used in practice. The complete function overview remains available for
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configuration details and less frequently used tools.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="grid">
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<article class="card feature-card">
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<h3><a href="/features/global-message-views/">Chat overview and station filters</a></h3>
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<p>Separate global and private views keep the traffic readable, while station filters narrow the candidate list without hiding the underlying chat context.</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card feature-card">
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<h3><a href="/features/priority-score/">Priority and band opportunities</a></h3>
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<p>Candidate scores combine available station information with Worked and band state so that a useful next call is easier to find.</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card feature-card">
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<h3><a href="/features/timeline/">Skeds and AP timeline</a></h3>
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<p>Manual skeds, reminders and aircraft-scatter windows remain visible instead of disappearing in the continuing chat stream.</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card feature-card">
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<h3><a href="/features/airscout/">AirScout and path information</a></h3>
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<p>AirScout data adds timing and path context to a selected station without turning that assessment into a propagation promise.</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card feature-card">
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<h3><a href="/features/log-sync/">Logger and Worked synchronisation</a></h3>
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<p>Supported logger data updates global and per-band Worked information across the active callsign variants.</p>
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</article>
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<article class="card feature-card">
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<h3><a href="/features/trx-qrg-synchronisation/">TRX, rotator and DX Cluster integration</a></h3>
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<p>The current QRG, rotor direction and local spots carry selected station information into the next manual operating step.</p>
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</article>
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</div>
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<div class="actions">
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<a class="button secondary" href="/features/">Open the complete function overview</a>
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</div>
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</section>
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<section class="section">
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<div class="cta-panel">
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<p class="eyebrow">Limits</p>
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<h2>A priority score is not a propagation forecast</h2>
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<p>
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Priorities are not a propagation forecast. Scores, filters and AP windows
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depend on the data available to the client. They help with sorting and
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timing, but they do not guarantee a QSO.
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</p>
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<div class="actions">
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<a class="button" href="/features/">Explore the functions</a>
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<a class="button secondary" href="/manual/">Read the technical details</a>
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</div>
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</div>
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</section>
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<section class="section">
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<div class="cta-panel">
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<p class="eyebrow">Project status</p>
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<h2>Stable for operation, Nightly for testing</h2>
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<p>
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Stable is the normal choice for contest operation. Nightly contains the
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latest development state and is intended for testing. Changing versions
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immediately before a contest is still not recommended.
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</p>
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<div class="actions">
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<a class="button" href="/download/">Download the stable release</a>
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<a class="button secondary" href="/roadmap/">Development status</a>
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<a class="button ghost" href="/support/">Support development</a>
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</div>
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<p class="visitor-count" data-visitor-count hidden aria-live="polite"></p>
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</div>
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</section>
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<script type="application/ld+json">
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{
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"@context": "https://schema.org",
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"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
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"name": "KST4Contest",
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"applicationCategory": "CommunicationApplication",
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"operatingSystem": "Windows, Linux, macOS",
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"url": "https://kst4contest.hamradioonline.de/",
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"downloadUrl": "https://github.com/praktimarc/kst4contest/releases/latest",
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"description": "KST4Contest combines ON4KST chat, candidate prioritisation, sked planning, AirScout data and logger integration for VHF, UHF and SHF contest operation.",
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"license": "https://github.com/praktimarc/kst4contest/blob/main/LICENSE"
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}
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</script>
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