FM – DAB+: my logblog!

World of DX-ing

February 11 2026 – Pre-release 4.0.0 beta1

Posted on by FMDABDXer

Yesterday evening Petr Kopecký released AbracaDABra v3.99.0 (4.0.0 beta 1).
It can be downloaded here.

v3.99.0 (4.0.0 beta 1)

I installed this version in a different folder than 3.3.2 and ensured that I created a backup of
C:\Users*\AppData\Local\AbracaDABra and certainly
C:\Users*\AppData\Roaming\AbracaDABra where all settings are stored.
Version 3.99.0 may modify the settings of 3.3.2, particularly disabling the Expert mode UI.
If you wish to revert to 3.3.2, it is crucial to save and restore the previous settings.
Nevertheless, my old settings were preserved in 3.99.0, which proved to be quite beneficial, and I do intend to retain the pre-release.

What’s new in this pre-release 3.99.0 or 4.0.0 beta 1?

° The new User Interface is the first aspect that will capture your attention. After utilizing version 3.99.0, I discovered that the updated UI is more intuitive and user-friendly, largely due to the newly implemented navigation bar on the left.

° The Expert mode UI setting is no longer available, as the new version is designed to be straightforward for both experts and non-experts.

° All elements are now displayed within the primary widget. However, by utilizing the arrow located at the top right of each widget, with the exception of ‘Service’, along with the three dots, you can adjust the size of the widget. Additionally, employing Ctrl+Click will launch the widget outside of the main 3.99.0 widget, just as it functioned in version 3.3.2.

Opening widgets

° Data storage (audio, TII, scans) is now consolidated into a single folder, which can be adjusted by the user in the Others tab of the Settings.
AbracaDABra 4.0.0 will generate the required sub-folders.
Users are advised NOT to make modifications to this in the ini file.

AbracaDABra 4.0.0 Settings

The pre-release version 4.0.0 beta 1 of AbracaDABra focuses primarily on the User Interface rather than introducing new features.
Nonetheless, after using it for several hours, I have found this version to be quite stable. In my view, the new UI is also significantly more user-friendly.
It is important to note that this is still a beta pre-release version.

February 3 2026 – Qt-DAB-6.10

Posted on by FMDABDXer

Qt-DAB-6.10 has been in the works for a few weeks, but a few days ago Jan Van Katwijk released a stable Qt-DAB-6.10 on his Github releases page. Do have a look at the manual on this page.
Comments and feedback are appreciated on Qt-DAB Github issues page.

New with 6.10 is the separate map-viewer. It installs in the same folder as Qt-DAB and the installer is on the same releases page.
What’s this map-viewer.exe all about?
When having the map (http on) ‘record’ (the dots) all received locations, it might be nice to view this map at a later moment in time.

Let’s have a look at the main widget.

Qt-DAB-6.10
Qt-DAB-6.10

To record what’s on the map (as an .xml file) make sure the mapview is on (1) and do start http (2) before running a scan.
The scanning switch time (3) van be set in the main widget but NEW the duration to scan a mux is set in the scan widget (4).

map-viewer
Map-viewer

The .xml generated by the map is usually found in C:\Users\***\Qt-DAB-files.
You can load the file using the ‘reload’ button (1).
Don’t forget to check your home location (2). It’s taken from the main widget.
With ‘showAll’ (3) all recorded location are shown on the map, but you can also prefer to show all locations from a certain country, channel or ensemble (4).

January 3 2025 – Qt-DAB-6.9.6 revised

Posted on by FMDABDXer

Today Jan Van Katwijk released a revised Qt-DAB-6.9.6.
You can download it from Jan’s Github releases page. Do have a look at the manual on this page.
Comments and feedback are appreciated on Qt-DAB Github issues page.
Nasty errors with the auto http setting and a buffer overflow have been fixed.
The configuration control widget has a few minor GUI changes.
There are two different installers. The version with suffix avx2 uses avx2 instructions to speed up certain computations, the version with suffix scalar does not.

Qt-DAB-6.9.6 revised
Qt-DAB-6.9.6 revised Configuration and Control Widget

January 3 2026 – Looking back on 2025

Posted on by FMDABDXer

A new year a new beginning: as 2026 has overtaken 2025 it’s a good time to crunch some numbers.
Caveat: all my logs were fed into the fmlist database and the analysis from my and Belgian logs are entirely based on the data provided to the fmlist.
This means Belgian logs not entered into the fmlist are unknown to me.
It’s highly recommended to get a free fmlist account!

TROPO

1153 Tropo logs were entered in my fmlist logbook, the furthest distance being 887 km (BBC Radio Scotland, Knockmore on May 14). 210 different stations from 7 countries were received in 2025: BEL, CZE, D, DNK, F, G, HOL.

TROPO LOGS
Click on the image to see my 2025 fmlist tropo logs.

With the free FMLIST DX Log Analyzer you can input your logs downloaded from the fmlist logbook in .csv format and study these logs in tremendous detail.

Top 10 tropo distances
Top 10 distances TROPO 2025

What about all Belgian FMDXers? What did they log? To find out I used DXLog 3.0.
Use your fmlist credentials to log in.
10 FMDXers entered 3.180 logs. They logged 702 stations from 10 countries: AUT, BEL, CZE, BEL, DNK, E, F, G, HOL, LUX. The furthest log was from Spain on August 18: 1014 km Europa FM from Galar/El Perdón-Bordatxar. As there was lots of Sporadic E towards BEL at the time, this might not have been a TROPO log.

SPORADIC E

My best es logs before 2025 were Lebanon on July 11 2022 and Israel on May 24 2019.
On a glorious and long lasting June 4 2025 however I was able to log Space Radio, Gülüsta on 87.5 MHz and on 92.0 MHz Baku Hit FM both from the Republic of Azerbaijan.
That wasn’t all as recordings revealed 91.90 MHZ Radio Varzesh from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Details on this blog page (Map).
What else was logged in 2025?
On the OIRT band 160 logs were registered, marking 96 stations from 3 countries (BLR, RUS and UKR).
CCIR produced 3320 log entries. 1525 stations from 42 countries were received: ALB, ALG, AUT, AZE, BIH, BUL, CZE, E, EST, F, FIN, FRO, G, GIB, GRC, HNG, HRV, I, IRL, IRN, ISL, LBY, LTU, LVA, MDA, MKD, MLT, MNE, MRC, NOR, POL, POR, RKS, ROU, RUS, S, SRB, SVK, TUN, TUR, UKR.

es logs
Click on the image to see my 2025 fmlist es logs.
Top 10 furthest and shortest distances es 2025
Top 10 furthest and shortest distances es 2025

What about all Belgian logs? On OIRT 6 DXers made 405 logs. 112 stations from 3 countries (BLR, RUS and UKR) were entered.
On CCIR 12 Belgian FMDXers entered 12.039 logs. 2.897 stations from 42 countries were logged: ALB, ALG, AUT, AZE, BIH, BUL, CZE, E, EST, F, FIN, FRO, G, GIB, GRC, HNG, HRV, I, IRL, IRN, ISL, LBY, LTU, LVA, MDA, MKD, MLT, MNE, MRC, NOR, POL, POR, RKS, ROU, RUS, S, SRB, SVK, TUN, TUR, UKR..

Besides logging Iran and Azerbaijan to me 2025 was not a tough DX year but rather a TEF year.
I bought my first portable TEF in November 2024 but I really got into it in 2025.
Owning three portable TEFs and one Headless TEF might be of a bit hobby overkill.
The Headless TEF is connected to my online Webserver.
More about the TEF Logger App on this page and this WIKI.

View all my 2025 FM logs HERE.

Just like last year DABDX hasn’t become easy to accomplish. On the contrary as more and more muxes are no longer empty but used by new locals.
Still with great tropo and a good location a lot can be heard.
In 2025 I made 457 unique location logs. On October 11 Northern Ireland was received!

DAB logs
Click on the image to see my 2025 fmlist DAB logs

View all my 2025 DAB logs HERE.

I was also proud to provide some very modest feedback to DAB software developers Clem Schmidt from QIRX, Jan Van Katwijk from Qt-DAB and Petr Kopecký from AbracaDABra.
These tools are really invaluable for serious DAB DX!

Although 2025 wasn’t too bad DXers always hope for more and better DX. Perhaps the gods of the airwaves will bless us with super DX in 2026.