Observe
Messages, locators, detected frequencies and known band activity are assigned to stations across as many as two ON4KST chat categories.
ON4KST contest workflow for 144 MHz and above
KST4Contest
ON4KST shows you the traffic. KST4Contest helps turn it into an operating decision by combining chat, candidate prioritisation, sked planning, AirScout data and logger integration in one desktop client.
The available information is filtered, related to active stations and presented in a contest-oriented workflow. The final decision still belongs to the operator.
KST4Contest Functions
↩️ Automatic Private Replies
Answer repeated private messages or QRG requests without losing the complete callsign, chat category or protection against automatic reply loops.
🧭 PSTRotator Control
Point the antenna at a selected chat station and use the azimuth reported by PSTRotator throughout the KST4Contest operating context.
👁️ QSO Monitoring
Follow messages sent or received by one station across its KST suffixes without changing the actual message destination or chat category.
⚡ Macros and Variables
Insert recurring text through shortcut buttons or snippets and add current QRG, locator, heading, station-name and AirScout information when the message is used.
✈️ AirScout Integration
Request station-specific aircraft-scatter information from AirScout and include the returned AP timing in the user list, timeline and candidate priority.
The operating problem
The useful station is rarely the only station in the chat
During an active contest, messages, sked requests, frequency information and band changes arrive continuously. The task is to identify which part of that traffic matters now, which candidate should be monitored and which contact is better scheduled for later.
Evaluate
Direction, distance, worked status, NOT-QRV information, chat activity, sked context and aircraft scatter data feed filters and candidate scores.
Act
Candidates can be contacted, scheduled or monitored. Skeds remain visible, while supported loggers and station interfaces receive the information required for the next operating step.
Functions
One workflow, shared context
The individual functions are not isolated tools. They use the same station, message, band and timing information, so that a change in one part of the workflow can also affect filters, priorities and reminders.
KST4Contest Functions
Read how it works →ON4KST Chat
Automatic Private Replies
Answer repeated private messages or QRG requests without losing the complete callsign, chat category or protection against automatic reply loops.
Read how it works →Station Control
PSTRotator Control
Point the antenna at a selected chat station and use the azimuth reported by PSTRotator throughout the KST4Contest operating context.
Read how it works →ON4KST Chat
QSO Monitoring
Follow messages sent or received by one station across its KST suffixes without changing the actual message destination or chat category.
Read how it works →Operator Speed
Macros and Variables
Insert recurring text through shortcut buttons or snippets and add current QRG, locator, heading, station-name and AirScout information when the message is used.
Read how it works →Aircraft Scatter
AirScout Integration
Request station-specific aircraft-scatter information from AirScout and include the returned AP timing in the user list, timeline and candidate priority.
Read how it works →ON4KST Chat
Dual Chat Categories
Monitor two ON4KST categories in one interface while preserving the complete callsign and category required for correct message routing.
Read how it works →Logger Integration
Local DX Cluster Server
Forward detected directional opportunities and their known frequencies as local DX Cluster spots to compatible contest loggers.
Read how it works →Logger Integration
Log Synchronisation
Import callsign, band, locator and QRG information from supported contest loggers at the level provided by each interface.
Read how it works →Contest Workflow
Priority Score System
Calculate one priority per base callsign, exclude known unusable band combinations and order the remaining active stations by band, distance, direction, activity, AirScout, reply and sked context.
Read how it works →Sked Management
Sked Reminder
Create a timed contact, raise its priority, show it on the timeline and optionally send reminder PMs before the agreed time.
Read how it works →Contest Awareness
AP and Sked Timeline
Show upcoming aircraft-scatter candidates and scheduled contacts together on a 30-minute timeline.
Read how it works →Limits
A priority score is not a propagation forecast
KST4Contest can only evaluate the information it knows. Scores, AP windows, filters and path profiles support the operator's decision; they do not guarantee a contact. If the input data is incomplete or outdated, the result can be incomplete or outdated as well.
Project status
Stable for operation, Nightly for testing
KST4Contest is open-source software. The current stable release is the normal choice for contest operation. Nightly builds follow ongoing development and are useful when a particular fix or feature needs testing. A few minutes before a contest is not the ideal time to discover what changed.