When searching a call sign I would love having the option to add a contact to a “global address book”. There are times that I am listening to frequencies and I hear someone talking (generally on a repeater) that I would like to quickly jot down who they are so that I can get back with that person at a different time. I do not want to have to use a log book, I simply want a global log that starts out as a search function for callsigns with the option to immediately enter into the global address book. After it has been entered I can view by most recent additions and add tags to that contact.
@KR4AMM This is an interesting idea! Do you have any examples of software that supports this currently?
No, I do not have any examples of this functionality which is exactly why I am asking for it. It would probably be a first for any radio logging software. I have looked all over for a way to do this but nothing out there thinks the way a ham radio operator thinks. For instance, 1.) Click the magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen 2.) begin entering the callsign. 3.) As you type the list finds valid people (just like the search functionality work in the WRL app. 4.) Once you think you found the right person, click on their callsign from the list, it pulls up their information page, then you just click the “+” button to add them to your global address book. Now you have a searchable address book in order to “find that person” you were talking to so that you recognize them on the radio. Oh, and then whenever you run into that person again doing POTA events, anytime you log that person on a particular band, it adds up in the address book so that you can see all the times you have ever run across that contact in other logbooks. Kind of like a “contact counter”. It counts all the times you have ever logged them as a contact (no matter which log you have them in). Again, the Global address book is just a way to see all contacts globally. We would also have the ability to create “tags” to assign to contacts. You could create a tag for “local friends”, or “Youtubers” or “GMRS Contacts”. The choice is all yours, whatever you could imagine.
I like this idea, I’m envisioning it being something separate from a typical “logbook”. You have a page where like you said you can search for a callsign (or like callsigns) and be able to either add them as a contact to your logbook OR add them to a list (with notes/tags/etc) for future reference as well as the ability to keep track of how many times you’ve made contact with that callsign.
I’m happy to add this as a feature request in our system and talk to the team about it on our next meeting!
Thanks for this suggestion!
73
Brad
K4AZE
Actually, if it were my app, I would keep the layout of the app just like it is.
- Use the search at the top
- When you see the person you want to add, click on them to pull up their information, verify the information (you are looking right at it) then simply click the “+” button.
Also, when searching for a callsign from the search function, the results could somehow look different for those who have already been added (right from the search results).
Thank you though for considering this type of addition…
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Tyler Brim
KR4AMM
This makes sense. I’ve added it as a feature request and we’ll have a discussion about it during our next meeting. Thanks again for the suggestion!
Sounds like your asking for a lookup like qrz has. It keeps a running log of who you look up . By the way your call sign is very similar to mine
Well, yeah, with the exception that WRL actually has an app (for convenience sake). Not only do they have an app, but it is very, very, well polished and it is fundamentally designed around the idea of as few clicks as possible. WRL is a phenomenal startup with that idea, so this would be another tiny little feature addition that I believe would make a difference in the usefulness and convenience of the app form factor.
Oh, and yes, great handle you have there! Must have gotten your ticket on the same day (or nearly that).
This is a really cool idea.
We are currently building a Followers feature.
This is similar to followers, however I assume this would be a private list of call signs.
I also like the idea of having a record of your call sign lookups. Could be useful to go back and find someone.
Sounds great… By the way, I remember you at Hamcation this year. I was sitting on the front row during your presentation and I actually had mentioned this feature as a suggestion close to the end of it.
Oh yes @KR4AMM I remember you! I’ll be at Dayton this year too if you want to say hey!