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HamQSL Frequently Asked Questions
- What is HamQSL?
- HamQSL is a brand new international web directory that contains Ham (Amateur) related websites with an active webpage that details your operations.
- It allows you to submit your website to be listed, rated, and viewed by geographical location.
- Unlike other Ham (Amateur) related sites, HamQSL does not care where you are located, or what type of station you operate. The only limitation is that you provide any Ham (Amateur) related data on your web page.
- How does it work?
- Once you put the Button Code (provided when you join, or can be viewed using the control panel) on your site, a counter at HamQSL is incremented when it's clicked.
- Everytime someone clicks the HamQSL Button on your website, they actually Vote for your site!
- Visitors to HamQSL can then view the listings and rate and review your website.
- The more people that "vote" for your site, the higher your daily ranking. Your average ranking is taken on the average number of votes per week.
- How long does it take for my website to show up in the list?
- Immediately! Website submissions are approved automatically, and I receive an email to verify the submitted site contains Ham (Amateur) related content.
- If it does not contain Ham (Amateur) related content, it will be removed.
- Do I need the Button Code?
- Yes! In order for HamQSL to be able to rank your site and track hits you must install the button code on your website. It looks like the button below:
- Where should I put the code?
- Your homepage is probably the best choice, however if your visitors arrive at another page via a bookmark or favorites link their visit won't register.
- The best solution is to put the Button Code on an element that appears on every page, such as a border or frame.
- As an alternative you can put it manually on every page in your site to maximize your hit count.
- When do the daily stats reset?
- HamQSL resets daily page views at midnight Pacific Time.
- What type and how big can my Banner URL image be?
- You can use any weather or Ham (Amateur) Radio related banner/sticker you want - provided it is not bigger than 500 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall.
- Where do I find my button code?
- Your unique Button Code is sent to you at the time of registration, and can be retrieved at any later date in the Control Panel
- Why is my ranking at Zero?
- If your ranking is a zero, the most common problem is because your code is not correctly inserted on your website pages.
- Check your unique code in the user control panel. Alternatively, it is because you have not yet received a unique vote for that week.
- What does it cost?
- The listing service is free.
- Why wont the registration process accept my banner URL?
- Usually because the banner size is bigger than 500X300 pixels.
- If you want to display your banner, please make sure its within these limits.
- Why can't I get to my Control Panel?
- If you have problems getting to the Control Panel, hold down the "shift" key when you click the link and this will open it in a new window.
Solar-Terrestrial Data Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I add Solar-Terrestrial Data to my Website?
- From the main HamQSL webpage, click the "Add Solor Data" link in the menu bar, or click on the Solar-Terrestrial banner below.
- Then just cut and paste the html that is provided in the text box next to the banner you want (color and style) into your webpage at the location you want the current Solar-Terrestrial Data to appear. There are no adds, so please DO NOT change the code (except position) or the free service WILL go away!.
 All Solar-Terrestrial Data stickers now have a transparent background feature that will make the background color become transparent on your web page. Simply add "?back=transparent" to the end of the img src php string on your page. For example, if you use "http://www.hamqsl.com/solar11.php", then change it to "http://www.hamqsl.com/solar11.php?back=transparent". Remember you still have to choose the right color scheme as the text will not show up (white text on a white background does not display). Let me know if you have any problems.
How are the Band Conditions Calculated?
- Because the various solar conditions affect HF frequencies in different ways, calculations are provided for low HF and high HF separately.
- Calculations take into account all of the indices, and also take into account both propagation and noise.
- While the band condition calculations are not 100% accurate all the time, they should provide a pretty good representation of the current state of the HF bands.
- Raw data is also provided for the more experienced HF operators that understand the affects of each element.
What are the band condition ratings?
- Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent.
Where does the Solar-Terrestrial Data come from?
How often is the solar data updated?
- Data at the NOAA website is updated every 3 hours.
How often is the solar data updated on my webpage?
- When you open your page, the php script is run and acquires the latest data from the NOAA website.
- Keep in mind that depending on your browser settings, the gif banner may be displayed from cache memory.
- To update the solar data in the banner on your webpage with the latest NOAA data, just perform a refresh on your browser.
- The Date and Time at the top of the banner is when the NOAA data was last updated.
Why is the banner a gif file?
- GIF files are supported on all browsers, and are very small, and load very quickly.
How big is the gif file?
- Very small. The 155 X 75 is 1kb. The 155 X 175 is 2kb. The 155 X 300 and 460 X 125 are 4kb.
What can I do if I need a different size or color?
- Contact me if you want additional colors or layouts.
Can I change the code that I copy into my website?
- Please do not change the code (except for positioning - center, left, right).
- There are no advertisements, just a link back to the HamQSL website page where others can add the banner to their website.
- This is a free service, and it will remain that way as long as the code remains unchanged.
What if I have trouble registering, have a question, need help, would like to get a custom solar banner, or have recommended changes to the site?
- You can contact the site administrator by email with any requests, questions or comments you may have.
 Return to Home Page  19 Apr 2008
This site is © Copyright Paul L Herrman 2004-2008, All Rights Reserved.
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