WHO'S ON THE AIR DATABASE

(WOTA)

FAQ

	1. What is WOTA? 2. How can WOTA enhance my Amateur Radio operating experience? 3. What do I need to participate? 4. I only have dial-up, can I still participate? 5. Can I send a message via WOTA to arrange a contact with another station? 6. How can I use WOTA to communicate with other members of my group? 7. How long does it take to set up a group 8. Are there any reserved or special message group names? 9. What triggers a data upload? 10. Can WOTA be used during contests? 11. Do you have a list of software that supports WOTA? 12. Why does it update when I enter the first digit of a frequency? 13. I'm a software developer and would like to incorporate WOTA into my logging program. Where can I find more information? 14. Where can I see it?


	What is WOTA? WOTA is an addition to logging programs that allows amateur radio operators world wide to "connect" to the server containing information about who is "on the air". Amateurs using this software can post their Call, Frequency, Time, and other information to other amateurs worldwide. Return to Top How can WOTA enhance my Amateur Radio operating experience? WOTA can assist you in making elusive contacts for those awards. Need a country? Use WOTA to determine if anyone in that country is operating, then go to that operators posted frequency and attempt a contact. Also is great for County Hunting, seeking a contact in a particular state, and just seeing who is on the air. Return to Top What do I need to participate? Logging Software Internet Connection Return to Top I only have dial-up, can I still participate? Yes! Return to Top Can I send a message via WOTA to arrange a contact with another station? Yes! WOTA has a feature to send a message to another operator that is on the air to arrange a contact. Return to Top How can I use WOTA to communicate with other members of my group? In addition to sending messages to a single person, you can use WOTA to keep in contact with all the members of your club or emergency communications group. Here's how: 1. Decide on a group name. Make sure that it is unique enough to minimize the chances of duplication. For example, the Harford County Maryland emergency communications group might choose HarMdEmcomm. 2. Make sure that each member of your group includes the group name in the WOTA message groups of his or her logging software. 3. When you send a message via WOTA addressed to the group name, everyone connected to WOTA who has included that name in his or her WOTA setup will receive the message. Return to Top How long does it take to set up a group? Groups can be created "on the fly" as needed. As soon as you have added a new or existing group in your logging software and uploaded data to WOTA, you are ready to send and receive messages to that group. Return to Top Are there any reserved or special message group names? Just a few: SOS - Universal distress (It is encouraged that this keyword be included as a default). Please only send messages to SOS if it is a genuine emergency. ALL - While this is the most appropriate "broadcast" group, keep in mind that only WOTA users who have ALL included as a message group will receive your message. WX - Real time, non-automated weather observations. EMCOMM - General emergency communication coordination (It is encouraged that this keyword be included as a default). Return to Top What triggers a data upload? When you enter your call, frequency and other data, you can click to upload the data immediately. Return to Top Can WOTA be used during contests? Since most contests preclude "self spotting", WOTA is not appropriate for contest operation. Return to Top Do you have a list of software that supports WOTA? The list of software applications that support WOTA can be found on the Software Supported page. If your software isn't on this list, please contact the author and encourage him to visit www.wotadb.org to learn how easy WOTA is to incorporate. Return to Top When I enter a frequency into the frequency box, I notice that once I type the first digit, it places another posted line. This happens even though I'm still trying to type in the frequency? When the frequency changes and your status was Listening, WOTA updates your status to Tuning. Many operators are using rig interface, so the entire frequency changes at once, but what you are doing is fine. Return to Top I'm a software developer and would like to incorporate WOTA into my logging program. Where can I find more information? Please click here for more details, and welcome aboard! Return to Top Where can I see it?** Visit our screen shot page to see WOTA in the software applications that currently support WOTA. Return to Top

©2006, wotadb.org