linkfanel

I have just switched the markers on the map to use the new self-reported internal SNR scores. The logic is as follows: the HF-only self-reported score is used if available, if not the full-spectrum self-reported score is used instead, and if no self-reported score is available, the classic external score is used as fallback; this last case is mostly about receivers running an older version of the software.

Users choosing a receiver will benefit from up-to-date and instantly relevant scores, as by default self-reported scores are calculated every hour. As such you may notice how marker coloration now brightens up when nighttime comes and covers their area. HF-only scores are favored as it was pointed out that very strong MW bands tend to skew the scores. I don't especially like excluding signals below 1800 kHz, but a choice has to be made since it makes a significant difference in usefulness; and this is a shortwave receiver map, not just a map of remotes for commercial MW band broadcasts, so this is our editorial line.

Thanks to everyone involved for their contributions to the discussion, scoring code or monitoring framework. In the future I'm fine accepting as input whatever KiwiSDR receivers calculate and report as SNR score, so don't let the fact that the map uses those scores hinder further change or refinement about them :)

> I find the S/N map and rating list extremely useful, especially when trying to optimise my own KiWi's and also when trying to find KiWi's that are suitable for TDoA purposes. In fact it would be really useful if the TDoA Kiwi selection map could somehow indicate the S/N ratings of each in order to make the selection process quicker by ruling out KiWi's with really bad (unusable) S/N values.

There are many approaches to the topic of S/N ratings. You've mentioned splitting the spectrum into several bands, there is also the question of how frequently and what time measurements should be made. In the case of TDoA, you actually know the exact frequency you need information about, and over what time span (right now); so an approach I've heard being suggested would be to probe all KiwiSDRs on that frequency, sort the best ones for that particular signal right now, and then work only on those best receivers.

> Its main competitors (by manual examination of the spectrum display of each) are http://nsk.proxy.kiwisdr.com:8073/ with a listed value of 40.35 dB (currently auto scaled as -17 to -115dB) and http://kphsdr.com:8073/ with a listed value of 32.79 dB (currently auto scaled as -35 to -118dB). All the rest I have currently tried in the top 20 on the list are worse performers, but it does depend to a certain extent on local time at the KiWi and propagation conditions.

Indeed, the ratings as they are now would depend a lot on whether it's measured at day or night, and they're most useful for discriminating between receivers in the same area (which get measured at the same local time).

> I'm not sure how frequently the S/N values on http://rx.linkfanel.net/snr.html are updated, but maybe an 'average' and 'recent' display would be worthwhile additions ?

Data visualization is a trade in itself, as well as an art. In the case of this map in its current form, without adding any interactive filtering feature, it's a game of reducing or projecting complex objective or subjective quality metrics down to a one-dimensional score. The alternative would be to make the color gradient bi-dimensional, or somehow cram more information into the marker while keeping it uncluttered and visually straightforward...

I agree that "average" and "recent" are both valid approaches though. At this point I favor the one that puts less constraints on me and the infrastructure. As I mentioned above with TDoA, different approaches are best suited with different use cases in mind, so improving quality metrics goes hand in hand with developing new ways to use them.

Relative to that topic, is there any how-to, guide or documentation anywhere to improving and tuning reception quality on your KiwiSDR?

> Please add terminator line and cookie support for map settings...

There is already a terminator, but maybe it got lost in cache issues. I've remedied to that anyway, you can also try refreshing the page.

> For example if I use map layout I need choose it after any refresh.

Yes, good point.

> Note that map tiles for Leaflet are now served by the same provider used by the TDoA extension and admin page GPS tab maps. This means KiwiSDR is paying for those tile serves out of the profits from selling KiwiSDRs

Indeed, many thanks to John for offering to cover the fees!

> Please add terminator line and cookie support for map settings...

There is already a terminator, but maybe it got lost in cache issues. I've remedied to that anyway, you can also try refreshing the page.

> For example if I use map layout I need choose it after any refresh.

Yes, good point.

> Note that map tiles for Leaflet are now served by the same provider used by the TDoA extension and admin page GPS tab maps. This means KiwiSDR is paying for those tile serves out of the profits from selling KiwiSDRs

Indeed, many thanks to John for offering to cover the fees!

Due to increased traffic, the new pricing practices of Google Maps had finally caught up with us with the new year, hence the pesky "For development purposes only" dark overlay you may have noticed on the map for more than a month now. We've taken this opportunity to make several updates and improvements, including alternative support for the Leaflet API.

We hope to bring you a better experience, especially on mobile. If you encounter any new issue with the transition to the new map, or have any other feedback, please let me know and I will try to look into it.

Thanks to jks for his help and support in setting this up!

http://rx.linkfanel.net/

Which improvements would you like to see added to the map?

> Please add terminator line and cookie support for map settings...

There is already a terminator, but maybe it got lost in cache issues. I've remedied to that anyway, you can also try refreshing the page.

> For example if I use map layout I need choose it after any refresh.

Yes, good point.

> Note that map tiles for Leaflet are now served by the same provider used by the TDoA extension and admin page GPS tab maps. This means KiwiSDR is paying for those tile serves out of the profits from selling KiwiSDRs

Indeed, many thanks to John for offering to cover the fees!

Due to increased traffic, the new pricing practices of Google Maps had finally caught up with us with the new year, hence the pesky "For development purposes only" dark overlay you may have noticed on the map for more than a month now. We've taken this opportunity to make several updates and improvements, including alternative support for the Leaflet API.

We hope to bring you a better experience, especially on mobile. If you encounter any new issue with the transition to the new map, or have any other feedback, please let me know and I will try to look into it.

Thanks to jks for his help and support in setting this up!

http://rx.linkfanel.net/

Which improvements would you like to see added to the map?

Due to increased traffic, the new pricing practices of Google Maps had finally caught up with us with the new year, hence the pesky "For development purposes only" dark overlay you may have noticed on the map for more than a month now. We've taken this opportunity to make several updates and improvements, including alternative support for the Leaflet API.

We hope to bring you a better experience, especially on mobile. If you encounter any new issue with the transition to the new map, or have any other feedback, please let me know and I will try to look into it.

Thanks to jks for his help and support in setting this up!

http://rx.linkfanel.net/

Which improvements would you like to see added to the map?

Due to increased traffic, the new pricing practices of Google Maps had finally caught up with us with the new year, hence the pesky "For development purposes only" dark overlay you may have noticed on the map for more than a month now. We've taken this opportunity to make several updates and improvements, including alternative support for the Leaflet API.

We hope to bring you a better experience, especially on mobile. If you encounter any new issue with the transition to the new map, or have any other feedback, please let me know and I will try to look into it.

Thanks to jks for his help and support in setting this up!

http://rx.linkfanel.net/

Which improvements would you like to see added to the map?

I don't own a KiwiSDR but I really feel the same frustration as you guys. I know how sometimes I struggle to get a slot on the one KiwiSDR that gets a good reception of the signal I'm trying to catch, so when I see in the user list slots taken for hours for stuff that I personally find pointless, I get a bit upset too. Sometimes I check and it's just static on that frequency in the middle of nowhere, sometimes I'm pretty sure that they're not even listening, that they're away from the computer but left the KiwiSDR open!

It's sure that some uses are a waste, like it was mentioned, commercial broadcasts also available on the web; unless you're checking radio propagation or something, but then you wouldn't keep it open continuously for extended amounts of time. But I don't think we should see restricting this as the only solution, that's pretty negative. Education works too. I know that maybe you don't want to go through such extremes, but maybe adding the web radio URL on the station tag would help steer people that way, who knows?

And again, as for the USAF HFGCS, or other channels, military or other, that operate on a fixed frequency round the clock, my approach for that is that if it's popular, someone should make an audio stream of it relayed on the web. That way, providing for bandwidth, any number of user can connect and listen to it at the same time, and only one receiver slot for everyone is ever tied down for it. So it's true that listening to HFGCS that way is not the best. However, that military network is indeed popular to some, because it carries strategic command messages (for example see http://eam.watch/). And people listen to it for hours because it's active all day and they're interested in monitoring all these messages.

And the fact that it would be automated, 24/7 and a machine, not even a human, doesn't mean it's a waste. It's actually smart, if they're recording. That way they can go back on the recording and spot on a spectrum view if and when there were any message, and recover them. Sometimes, for stations that are unpredictable and could transmit at any time within a span of hours, or maybe not at all, setting up these automated recordings is unfortunately the only practical way to monitor them, because there's no way to know. It might seem pointless but you'd be surprised at what random people try to achieve and how it actually does make sense.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the impression that you guys get angered by particular individuals. That strikes me, because the internet is big, and I don't think it's very healthy to focus on policing individual users. The internet is full of trolls and idiots and you just got to let it slide and ignore them, otherwise I don't think it's healthy; not because of the impact of starting a "war" with them, but because of the impact on yourself trying to control that.

And at the same time, I know you paid for it and it's yours, but I don't see the point of encouraging KiwiSDR owners to feel like God (or a judge, or Santa if you want) and give good points and bad points to users based on what use they make of the receiving slots offered to them. I know that policing to ensure fairness between users is necessary, but in what I see here there is also some policing of what users choose to listen to. Nobody forces you to share your KiwiSDR with the public, and thank you all for doing so, but if you share it it's for a reason; so that users can enjoy the service, and they're still the best judges of how they would enjoy it best. So I think it's healthy to let them appreciate that; and I know it does try my patience too sometimes, but it's a good thing. And frankly when I see KiwiSDRs with several slots taken by WSPR autorun sessions, I don't understand that either

I appreciate how using frequency filters could be a solution, however I feel that jamming crosses a line that shocks me. I can't condone that, come on, jamming is bad?? From a technical and administration point of view, blocking is what is done against disruptive and malevolent users. Fortunately that doesn't seem to be much of a problem on the KiwiSDR network. And blocking is rarely used as a fairness tool, because there are proper and better tools to manage resource fairness. The listening time accounting and daily quota by user look like good features to me. What is your experience with that?