FAQ — FT8DB & Discord alerts
Joining our Discord
The SO8OO Discord server hosts the live channel where the bot posts alerts. You don't need an amateur radio licence to join — it's open to anyone listening on the WebSDR.
- If you don't have a Discord account yet, grab one free at discord.com (desktop, browser or mobile).
- Open the invite link below. Discord will prompt you to accept the invitation.
- Once inside the server, switch to the
#ft8-alertschannel. - Run
/alerts showin any channel — the bot will set up default thresholds for you on first use.
Join SO8OO Discord (or ask Piotr SO8OO for a direct invite)
How the alerts work
Every 15 seconds the bot checks the FT8 database for new CQ spots decoded around SO8OO and compares each one against your per-band distance thresholds and exclusion lists. Matching spots are delivered to the #ft8-alerts channel with a @mention so only subscribers get pinged.
Defaults
On first /alerts show the bot seeds these thresholds (km from SO8OO):
160m: 2000 80m: 4000 60m: 4000 40m: 5000 20m: 10000 10m: 8000
Bot commands
Basic
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/alerts show | Display your current prefs (thresholds, exclusions, status) |
/alerts set band:X km:N | Set a band's minimum-distance threshold (example: band:20m km:12000) |
/alerts clear band:X | Disable alerts on a band (no lower limit of distance anymore — just off) |
/alerts reset | Restore defaults |
/alerts pause | Mute all alerts (prefs retained) |
/alerts resume | Re-enable after pause |
Blacklists (muting)
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/alerts exclude continent continent:EU | Skip entire continent (EU, NA, SA, AS, AF, OC, AN) |
/alerts exclude country country:… | Skip a DXCC entity. Discord shows autocomplete as you type. |
/alerts exclude call callsign:… | Mute one specific callsign (e.g. a DXpedition you've already worked) |
/alerts exclude remove value:… | Undo one item. Autocomplete offers your existing entries. |
/alerts exclude clear | Wipe all continent / country / callsign exclusions |
Alert types — what each icon means
Single DX spot above your threshold. Click the embed title to open the callsign profile with full QSO history.
Follow-up after 5 minutes of quiet on the same band. Rapid bursts are aggregated into one message instead of spamming a dozen individual pings.
KH LU PY CE ZL JA BV (10,100 - 15,460 km)
Triggered when ≥5 spots from ≥2 distinct stations arrive on a single band within a 10-minute window. Individual alerts on that band are silenced for 1 h afterwards — you already know it's open, visit the live DX list for detail.
Anti-spam rules
- Each callsign is alerted at most once every 6 h per band. A single station calling CQ for hours won't flood you.
- Rapid bursts on the same band are merged into one follow-up message (5-min session window).
- DX Opening meta-alerts replace individual pings for the duration of an active opening.
- Exclusions (continent / country / callsign) apply across all alert types — continents and countries are global, callsigns are per-user.
Tips
- Not sure what threshold to pick? Start with defaults and nudge from there —
/alerts set band:20m km:12000if the 10 000 km alerts feel too chatty. - Got spammed by a DXpedition?
/alerts exclude call callsign:XY0FOO— next time it appears, it's muted. - Going QRT for the evening?
/alerts pause. Resume any time with/alerts resume. - Every alert has a link straight to
sdr.so8oo.net/ft8db/dx/?win=1hor the individual callsign profile — use them to see full SNR / distance / heatmap context.
Pages to bookmark
- FT8DB map — live map with all CQ spots + 24 h activity chart
- Top DX — stations by distance, last 1 h / 24 h, with heatmap
- Most Active — callers with the most QSOs observed, with activity heatmap
- Live CQ Feed — real-time stream with band filter, max 1 h window
Something broken?
If something's not working, let me know on Discord.