📻 ECTLogger

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ECTLogger User Guide

Welcome to ECTLogger! This guide will help you get started with using the application.

Getting Started

Creating an Account

  1. Visit app.ectlogger.us
  2. Enter your email address
  3. Click “Send Magic Link”
  4. Check your email and click the link to sign in

That’s it! No password to remember.

Setting Up Your Profile

After signing in, complete your profile by clicking your name in the top-right corner and selecting Profile. The profile page has two tabs: Settings and Activity.

Settings Tab

Basic Information

Additional Callsigns

Add other callsigns you use (tactical callsigns, club calls, etc.). Type a callsign and press Enter or click Add. These appear as chips you can remove by clicking the X.

Display Preferences

Email Notifications

Control which emails you receive for nets you’re subscribed to:

Activity Tab

View your participation statistics:

Joining a Net

Finding Active Nets

  1. From the Dashboard, you’ll see active nets
  2. Click on a net to view details
  3. If the net is open for check-ins, you’ll see the check-in form

Checking In

  1. Open an active net
  2. Fill in the check-in form:
    • Your callsign (auto-filled if logged in)
    • Your name (auto-filled from profile)
    • Your location (auto-filled if location awareness is enabled)
    • Any additional fields the NCS has configured
  3. Click Check In

Status Updates

After checking in, you can update your status:

Running a Net (NCS)

Creating a Net

The Create Net form has five tabs to configure your net:

Tab 1: Basic Info

Community Net Features (optional):

Tab 2: Net Staff

Pre-assign staff roles before the net starts:

Search for users by callsign or name and assign roles.

Tab 3: Communication Plan

Add the frequencies and modes for your net:

Nets can have multiple frequencies for split operations or cross-band coordination.

Tab 4: Net Script

Enter a formatted script for NCS operators to follow. Supports Markdown formatting:

Tab 5: Check-In Fields

Configure which fields appear on the check-in form:

Standard fields include: Name, Location, Status, Remarks, etc. If Topic or Poll are enabled on Tab 1, those fields automatically appear here.

After configuring all tabs, click Create Net to save as a draft, or start immediately.

Recurring Schedules

For nets that run regularly (weekly club nets, SKYWARN practice nets, etc.), create a schedule:

  1. Click Create Schedule from the dashboard or Scheduler page
  2. Configure the net details (same as creating a one-time net)
  3. Set the Recurrence Pattern:
    • Day of the week (e.g., every Tuesday)
    • Start time
    • Timezone
  4. (Optional) Set up NCS Rotation — assign multiple operators to take turns running the net
  5. The system automatically creates draft nets according to your schedule

NCS Rotation features:

Net Script

Create a standardized script for NCS operators to follow:

  1. In the Create Net or Create Schedule form, go to the Net Script tab
  2. Enter your script using the formatting toolbar (headings, bold, lists, etc.)
  3. During the net, click the 📜 Script button to open the script viewer

The script viewer is a floating window that can be:

Example uses:

Net Timers

The net header displays helpful timing information:

Starting a Net

Click the green ▶ Play button on the Dashboard or NetView page to start a net.

Lobby Mode — If you start a net before its scheduled start time, the net enters “Lobby” mode:

This is useful for opening check-ins early while operators are gathering, before the net officially starts on the air.

Canceling a Scheduled Net

To cancel a specific net instance (e.g., Christmas Day):

  1. Find the draft or scheduled net on the Dashboard
  2. Click the red 🗑️ Delete icon
  3. Confirm the deletion

This deletes only that net instance — the recurring schedule continues for future dates.

Email Subscribers — Before canceling, you can notify subscribers by clicking the ✉️ Email icon and sending a custom message.

Managing Check-ins

As NCS, you can:

Speed Entry (Bulk Check-In)

For fast-moving nets, use the ⏩ Speed Entry button to check in multiple stations at once:

  1. Click the ⏩ button next to the check-in form
  2. Enter multiple check-ins separated by semicolons
  3. Format: CALLSIGN, Name, Location, Notes; CALLSIGN2, Name2, Location2
  4. Press Ctrl+Enter or click the Add button to process all at once

Status shortcuts — Append a colon and shortcut to set status:

Examples:

KC1ABC, John, Portland ME; N1XYZ, Jane, Boston MA:jl; W1DEF, Bob, Bangor ME:m

This checks in KC1ABC (normal), N1XYZ (listening status), and W1DEF (mobile status) in one operation.

Note: The field order matches your net’s enabled fields (shown in the format hint). If “Power Source” is enabled, the format becomes: CALLSIGN, Name, Location, Power, Notes.

Inline Editing

NCS and Loggers can edit check-in details directly in the table:

  1. Click anywhere on a check-in row to enter edit mode
  2. The row highlights and fields become editable text boxes
  3. Click on the specific field you want to edit — it will auto-focus
  4. Press Tab to move between fields within the same row
  5. Press Enter to save changes, or Escape to cancel
  6. Click outside the row to save and exit edit mode

This eliminates the need for a separate edit dialog for quick corrections.

Detachable Windows

For multi-monitor setups or larger screens, you can pop out components into separate floating windows:

Detached windows can be:

Your detach preferences are saved and restored when you return to the net.

Multi-NCS Operations

For nets with multiple frequencies, you can have multiple NCS operators:

  1. Assign NCS Role — Promote other users to NCS via the status dropdown
  2. Claim a Frequency — Click a frequency chip to claim it as your monitored frequency
  3. Color Coding — Each NCS is assigned a unique color:
    • 👑 Crown — Primary NCS (net owner)
    • 🤴 Prince Crown — Secondary NCS operators
    • Frequency chips and check-in rows are colored to match the monitoring NCS
  4. Check-ins — When you check in a station, they’re automatically assigned to your claimed frequency

Assigning Roles

Delegate responsibilities:

Real-time Chat

Each net has a built-in chat for coordination between participants:

Chat is useful for:

Filtering by Frequency

Community Net Features

For casual nets and roundtables, ECTLogger offers engagement tools:

Topic of the Week

Ask participants a discussion question:

  1. In the net settings (Topic & Poll button), enter a Topic Question
  2. When checking in, participants see the question and can type their response
  3. Responses appear in the check-in list’s “Topic” column
  4. All responses are included in the emailed net log

Participant Poll

Run a quick poll with predefined options:

  1. In the net settings (Topic & Poll button), enter a Poll Question
  2. Add up to 5 Poll Options (e.g., “Yes”, “No”, “Maybe”)
  3. Participants select their answer via dropdown when checking in
  4. Poll results are shown in the “Poll” column
  5. The emailed net log includes a bar chart of poll results with percentages

Both Topic and Poll columns are only visible when configured for the net. System messages in chat announce when participants submit answers.

Closing the Net

  1. Click Close Net
  2. A complete log is generated and emailed to you
  3. The net can be archived or remain in closed status

Archiving and Unarchiving

Exporting Logs

Net Report (PDF)

Generate a comprehensive multi-page PDF report for closed or archived nets:

  1. Access — Click the 📄 PDF icon in the net toolbar (for closed/archived nets), or on the Dashboard next to the download button
  2. View Report — Review the report page with all sections displayed
  3. Export — Click Export PDF to download the report

Report Sections (each on its own page):

The PDF is ideal for after-action reports, club records, or emergency management documentation.

Statistics

View participation statistics:

Top Operators Ranking — In statistics, the top operators are ranked by check-in count. When operators are tied with the same count, the one who checked in earliest gets the higher medal (🥇🥈🥉) ranking.

Tips & Tricks

Keyboard Shortcuts

Check-in Form:

Inline Editing:

Dark Mode

ECTLogger automatically follows your system’s light/dark mode preference. If your device is set to dark mode, ECTLogger will display in dark mode — easier on the eyes during those late-night nets!

Mobile Use

ECTLogger is fully responsive and works great on mobile devices. Use your phone or tablet in the field! The interface adapts to smaller screens while keeping all functionality accessible.

Location Awareness

Enable location awareness in your profile to automatically fill in your Maidenhead grid square when checking in. This is especially useful for:

Your browser will ask for permission before sharing location data.

Searching and Filtering

Search Bar: Type in the search field to filter check-ins by callsign, name, or location.

Frequency Filtering: If a net has multiple frequencies:

This is handy for NCS operating split frequencies — focus on stations monitoring your frequency!

Subscribing to Nets

Subscribe to nets you regularly participate in to receive email notifications when they start, close, or are about to begin. Click the bell icon on any net to toggle subscription.

Administration (Admin Role Only)

Users with the Admin role have access to additional management features via the Admin page.

User Management

The Users tab shows all registered users with online presence indicators:

Presence Indicators (colored dots):

Default Sort: Users are sorted by online status (online first), then alphabetically by name.

Available Actions:

Column Order: Name, Callsign, Email, Role, Status, Last Active, Created, Actions

Additional Admin Features

Getting Help

73 and stay safe! 📻