Introducing Hamstat.com
The new "Ham VoIP Band" Monitor
The HAMSTAT HamsOverIP Monitor served up at https://hamstat.com provides a real time view of “conditions” on the HamsOverIP system. HamStat shows who is on a HamsOverIP call, who has recently finished a call, and who may be available or open to a call from another ham. Any licensed amateur radio operator worldwide can join HamsOverIP with proof of license and a free Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) id.
The Active BLF tab on the HamsOverIP.com site is the indicator that a ham extension is busy. Hamstat reads that info and determines who just hung up and how long they have been offline. The system operates on the notion that for a short time (selectable up to 30 minutes), you are probably still in the shack and might be open to a call or QSO with another ham that you have not yet met. Their extension number is right beside their callsign, and a click on their callsign pulls up the QRZ.com page for that station.
Hamstat also lets you:
Enthusiastically advise people that you are “in the shack” for the next few minutes and that you are definitely open to a call or QSO.
Add up to five stations in a watchlist, and then notifies you through your browser when they become available.
See who has recently been on the system
Opt of of HamStat so you will never appear on the page at HamStat.com (unless you opt back in at a later date).
The idea is as old as ham radio.
Consider a session on 75meters: W4ABC and W9DEF are in QSO. They finish their 73’s. You hear W4ABC clearly, the W9 was fading, so you decide to call W4ABC and see if they are still in the shack and want to talk. You might just “tailend” with only your callsign, or you might call “W4ABC this is K4XYZ “. A good QSO could then evolve.
Perhaps something more than “Five-Nine —North Carolina —73’s —QRZed”, which seems to be in style most weekends.
HamStat is the same scenario: It identifies who may still be in the shack for a “tailend” QSO by VoIP phone using the HamsOverIP system instead of radio.
They may simply not answer, or let your call roll over to voicemail.
They may answer, say no thank you - and you can tell them how to opt out.
They may answer, and you will find out there is a lot to talk about.
HamStat is free to use.
A $35 Voip phone from eBay or hamfest, a DMR-id from radio-id.net, a pdf copy of your ham license, and opening a registration ticket into the HamsOverIP.com system is all that is required.
Here’s a list of VoIP phones that are supported by the system.
It’s not Ham Radio? or is it?
That’s a good way to open the conversation when you call.