121 Chat tuning (filtering messages & channels)
D-Rats can be tuned to avoid getting "garbage" lines in the chat window, like these related to stations going online/offline or malformed gps fixes.
Go to setting under Preferences -> Chat
you can "uncheck" the box that says "Show Status Updates In Chat".
This will turn off the status updates in chat. However, it may be desirable to
see some status updates. If this is the case, then use instructions in the following
section to create custom bins or "filters" to sort and contain status messages.
Under Preferences -> Appearance, then under Ignore RegEx, include this string:
[QST] [CQCQCQ] which causes the text for these status messages to be colored with the color selected for ignore RegEx.
Please be sure that you have a single blank space after [QST] and before [CQCQCQ] -- otherwise, D-Rats will CRASH. Then, on the filters, for the QST's, enter [QST] and press .
Having removed the QST and CQCQCQ from the main chat window, it is possible to add them into a separate tab in the Chat creating a "Filter":
Under Chat, click on Add Filter
For QST, enter [QST] and press . For CQ, enter CQCQCQ: and press .
In this way when a QST or CQCQCQ comes in, it will go into these “filter” tabs and the tab text will turn red until it is clicked.
Click on the QST button to view the QST’s or CQCQCQ’s from other stations.
To remove the filter, click on Remove Filter... the Ignore RegEx text appearance color will be activated for QSTs aand CQs.
As recent d-rats development reactivates functions within d-rats, more status messages are possible to fill the "Main" Chat window. The status messages may include [QST], CQCQCQ, and weather reports. In addition, as more d-rats functions are reactivated, more d-rats users are rediscovering d-rats. This creates even more status messages such as "Now Online", "Now Offline", and "Now Unattended". There is nothing wrong with status messages. They can provide useful information. However, on popular internet ratflectors, the large amount of status messages can make it difficult to have a conversation in the "Main" Chat window. There is the Private Chat filter, but this filter is not widely used. Another way to de-clutter the "Main" Chat window and only see conversations between stations is by using filters.
The following filters can be created and will filter most of the status traffic from the "Main" Chat:
[QST]
CQCQCQ
Current weather at
Now Online
Now Offline
Now Unattended
As status messages are diverted to filters, the filter button text will turn red indicating a status message has been filtered and can be viewed. The text will turn black after the filter content is viewed. If a filter needs to be temporarily disabled, just click on the filter, then click "Remove Filter" at the top of the Chat window. So, give these filters a try and see if they make using d-rats a more pleasurable experience. You can always delete them if you decide not to use them.
In addition to creating a [QST] filter, go to Preferences>Appearance and enter [QST] on the ignore line. This will do two things. First, [QST]s will change to the Ignore color. Secondly, the Chat sound will be suppressed. While you are on that page, enter your callsign on the Notice line, followed by (?i). Any text containing your callsign (upper case or lower case) will change to the Notice color. Another way to clean up your screen is to disable "Show status updates in chat" on the Chat page.
This is also in a file called "Mode Overview.PDF" that you can get at www.theweatherwonder.com/elk.htm -- and that's also where you can get a list of selected D-Star, D-Rats, and Echolink Nets, with links to DMR, CQ100, D-Star HF, and HamSphere Nets...along with some other files.