G6NHU-2 DX cluster

If you are using HamClock, please ensure you have updated to V4.07 (minimum) due to bug in the DXCluster connection routine that could end up in a continual connect/disconnect loop.

G6NHU-2 is my professionally hosted DX cluster node, running DX Spider software and has been online since early 2016. If you use my node, you are getting good quality, quick data because it’s always running the latest version with multiple levels of protection to block cluster spam and abuse.

DX Spider is by far the best DX cluster type software available and is written by Dirk, G1TLH. For more information about DX Spider, please see the official web site here: http://dxspider.org

For security and to help protect the network, in order to be able to send spots, you will need to register. You can do that by by sending me an email, my email address is shown when you connect and is available via my qrz page. Please note, you do not need to be registered to connect your HamClock to G6NHU-2.

Telnet: dxspider.co.uk:7300

You can see the current status of G6NHU-2 (whether it’s up or down) here.

G6NHU-2 is quick, with connections into other nodes from all continents. The backbone is very fast and efficient anyway but these multiple connections ensure that when a spot appears on the network, you will see it instantly, no matter where it was submitted.

The multiple links mean that it does not depend on just one source for its data. If any link drops out for any reason, there are others to provide redundancy and ensure that no data is lost and no spots are dropped.

Following three unexpected power cuts in six months, a UPS was installed on the 12th March 2024. The internet router was connected to it on the same day and the computer running the cluster was moved to the UPS at 14:45z on the 15th March. The UPS is good for two hours runtime.

On the 14th April 2025, G6NHU-2 was moved to dedicated hosting in a data centre.

G6NHU-2 always has the most recent version of the current (mojo) branch of the DX Spider software. Every weekday evening, around 22:40, it checks for an update and if found, it will apply that update and restart the software. If you are connected at this time and you find your link has dropped, it’s because an update has just been installed. You can reconnect straight away. The node will not update at weekends so as not to cause any disruption to anyone who is connected during a contest.

The Country file and satellite Keplerian Elements are checked daily and if updates are available, they will be transparently applied in the background. The former means that if you use the G6NHU-2 DX cluster to filter by country or zone, you are always getting the most accurate information available. The FCC master database is updated weekly and G6NHU-2 takes that update a few hours later.

How to connect

Telnet: dxspider.co.uk:7300

Some logging software already has G6NHU-2 built in as one of the available DX cluster nodes to connect to but if yours doesn’t, you should be able to manually enter the details. Instructions for a few popular loggers are shown below.

These details are dxspider.co.uk, port 7300.

In N1MM+, go to the Telnet window, select the Clusters tab and select dxspider.co.uk from the dropdown:

In HamRadioDeluxe, from the main log screen click View / DX Cluster / Options and then click the Add button. Fill in the details like this and click OK:

Then you need to select G6NHU-2 from the list in the DX Cluster window. Use the dropdown arrow and scroll right to the top where you will see it. If you already have Connect on startup enabled, you may need to disconnect from the default cluster, change it to G6NHU-2 and reconnect.

In MacLoggerDX, select DXClusters and then chose G6NHU-2 dxspider.co.uk:7300 from the list:

In LOG4OM2, from the main display select Connect / Telnet cluster and then select the Connection tab. You will see a list of Known servers. In that list, search or scroll until you see G6NHU-2 7300, select it and click the + symbol to the right. This will move G6NHU-2 to the Active servers box below. Note, if you have other clusters in that box, you should highlight G6NHU-2 and click the crown symbol to make it primary. There is no need to have multiple servers listed in that box but if you decide to, you should never have more than three because that is the maximum number of connections the dxcluster network will allow from one callsign. Ideally, it’ll look like this:

In Logger32, click View / Show Cluster window, select the Telnet tab and right click somewhere on the background. Select Setup and then Setup remote hosts. In the box that appears, click Modify current entry, then fill the box in as follows and then click Add current entry.
Once you’ve done that, the boxes will all clear.
Using the drop down arrow in the Cluster field, select G6NHU-2 and click on the Set as default shortcut box.
Then click the red cross in the top right corner to close that window.

Now right click in the telnet window again and select Connect to G6NHU-2. The logger will connect and you’ll see a prompt on the screen that says ‘login:’. You have to manually type your callsign in at the bottom of that window within 30 seconds and press enter.

In N3FJP’s Amateur Contact Log (and all variants), click Settings / DX Spotting… Configure…, then overtype the existing Telnet Host and Telnet port with dxspider.co.uk and 7300 respectively. Click Enable DX Spotting in the top right of that box and then click Done in the bottom right:

A data filter which actually works and blocks ALL data

If you set a reject filter for data (rej/spot 0 on all/data) it will work and will block all data modes, including FT8 and FT4. For belt and braces you could add rej/spot 1 info FT8 or info FT4 or info RTTY or info PSK as well to help reject DXPeditions who are operating outside of the usual FTx frequencies.

Self-spotting

I may not necessarily agree with the concept of self-spotting but quite a few contests now allow it and the RSGB are running a 12 month trial in 2025 to allow self-spotting in their HF contests. As a result, I have configured my cluster to fully allow self-spotting and spots won’t be flagged as duplicates providing there’s at least about a minute between them. Not all dxclusters support this so your self spots may not traverse the entire network but at least you know you’re starting with a cluster that fully allows them and will push them out to many other cluster nodes over the entire planet for further distribution.

HamClock

G6NHU-2 is the best DX Cluster to use for your HamClock due to custom optimisations and I welcome HamClock users to connect to G6NHU-2. Please ensure your HamClock version is greater than 3.03 (as otherwise it can cause excessive traffic). If your HamClock version is shown in red, tap on the version number and follow the prompts to restart, then accept the update when it is offered.

You should configure your HamClock as below. If your callsign doesn’t have an SSID and you update from HamClock 4.16 to 4.17, one will be added automatically. Otherwise, you will be forced to use one, as per the instructions below.

RBN / skimmer

G6NHU-2 takes a direct feed from the Reverse Beacon Network. This is a lot of data and so it’s disabled by default. You can enable it by using set/skimmer and disable it using unset/skimmer. Various options are available depending on the mode you want to see traffic for. For example, you could use set/skimmer rtty to see just RTTY spots, set/skimmer cw for CW spots, etc. For a full guide, use the commands help rbn and help set/skimmer once connected.

Because it’s hosted on a static IP address, there is no chance that you won’t be able to connect to it due to the DNS record being out of date.

You can see the statistics from G6NHU-2 here.

One year spot history

The majority of DX Clusters only store a relatively short history of spots, generally up to a month or so. You may find one that sometimes keeps up to 100 days but that’s not common. G6NHU-2 stores a whole year of spots so if you’re looking for historical data, it’s the only node worth using.