JS8 Recorder

A desktop application for recording and logging JS8Call RX.DIRECTED messages.

Features

• Connects to JS8Call's TCP API to capture directed messages
• Filters messages to only those directed at your callsign
• Stores all data in a local SQLite database
• Displays messages and callsign-grid mappings in a tabbed interface
• Double-click to open QRZ.com page for any callsign
• Export to Excel (.xlsx) format
• Settings persist between sessions
• Interactive map showing contact locations (color-coded by SNR quality)
• Lookup contacts by grid square with adjacent grid support

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• JS8Call with TCP API enabled
• tkinter (included with Python on Windows, sudo apt install python3-tk on Linux)
• openpyxl (for Excel export)
• tkintermapview (optional, for interactive map display)

Installation

# Required
sudo apt install python3-tk

# For Excel export
pip install openpyxl

# For interactive map display (optional)
pip install tkintermapview

Usage

python js8_recorder.py

1. Enter your callsign
2. Enter the JS8Call API host (default: 127.0.0.1) and port (default: 2442)
3. Click "Start Listening"
4. Messages directed at you will appear in the table
5. Click "Export to Excel" to save a spreadsheet

JS8Call API Setup

In JS8Call:

1. Go to File > Settings > Reporting > API
2. Enable "TCP Server API"
3. Note the port (default 2442)
4. If connecting from another machine, ensure the API is bound to 0.0.0.0

Files

• js8_recorder.py - Main GUI application
• js8_client.py - JS8Call TCP API client
• database.py - SQLite database layer
• js8_log.db - Database file (created on first run)

License

MIT