I’ve been a licensed ham radio operator since 2012. Below are the HF contacts logged on frequencies used to communicate across the US and around the world. Local and regional contacts were not logged, as most ham radio operators focus logging on HF contacts.
Data was gathered from the logging program, MacLogger, used to keep track of contacts. Information about the contacted station came from QRZ.com, which has an API that transfers station data automatically. Date information came from the computer and band information came from radio integration. The ADIF file was exported from MacLogger, imported into ChatGPT, which was instructed on what columns to keep and how to format the dataset, and the resulting Excel file was downloaded for Tableau import. Claude was used for ideas and assistance with dashboard construction.
This dashboard was originally produced in 2019 and updated in 2025 with additional contacts and expanded visualizations.
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Analytical Insights
Analysis of 2,214 HF contacts logged by KG7MAJ across bands, US states, and DX countries
Band Activity
Most Active Bands, US Domestic
- 20M is the most active domestic band with 622 logged QSOs, the classic workhorse band for reliable year-round domestic propagation
- 40M is the second most active domestic band with 476 contacts, consistent with its strength for regional operating
- 10M is third for domestic contacts at 549, reflecting strong conditions when the band is open
- 17M rounds out the top four domestic bands
Least Active Bands, US Domestic
- 12M and 80M show the fewest domestic contacts, reflecting limited operating time on those bands
Most Active Bands, DX
- 10M dominates DX contacts by a wide margin, long-distance propagation on 10M makes it the premier DX band when conditions are favorable
- 20M is a solid second for DX, reliable skip to Europe, South America, and the Pacific
- 15M is third, productive for DX particularly to South America and the Pacific
Least Active Bands, DX
- 40M and 17M show the fewest DX contacts, 40M is primarily a domestic and regional band, while 17M sees limited operating time overall
Key Conclusion
- The data confirms a clear split: 20M and 40M are the backbone of domestic operating, while 10M carries the DX load. This is exactly what experienced HF operators would expect, and the log data bears it out clearly
DX Contacts
Most Worked DX Countries
- Canada: Most DX contacts overall, geographically close and highly active on HF across multiple bands
- Japan: Second most DX contacts, strong propagation across the Pacific from the Southwest US
- Chile & Argentina: Dominant South American contacts, South America is highly accessible from the Southwest US on 10M
- Australia: Strong Pacific presence, consistent openings to VK land from Arizona and California
- Italy & Mexico: Both well represented across multiple bands
Least Worked DX Countries
- Single-contact countries include Morocco, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Serbia, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and others, reflecting occasional band openings rather than regular activity
- Africa as a continent has the fewest contacts overall, with only Morocco and South Africa appearing more than once
DX by Continent
- North America (NA): Largest DX share including Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Alaska, and Hawaii
- South America (SA): Second largest, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay prominent
- Europe (EU): Third, Italy, Germany, England, Slovenia, Czech Republic and others
- Oceania (OC): Strong showing, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia
- Asia (AS): Led by Japan, with Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, East Malaysia
- Africa (AF): Smallest continent in the log, Morocco, South Africa, Mayotte
Key Conclusion, DX
- Canada and Japan dominate the DX log, consistent with their large amateur radio communities and favorable propagation paths from the Southwest US. South American contacts are concentrated heavily on 10M, suggesting those contacts were made during specific band openings
US Domestic Contacts
Most Worked States
- California leads all states by a significant margin, the majority of California contacts were made from the Phoenix, AZ QTH given geographic proximity, with additional contacts continuing from San Diego
- Texas, Florida, Ohio, Illinois: All strong showings, large states with large amateur radio populations
- Eastern Seaboard states well represented, consistent with 20M and 40M skip distances from Arizona
Least Worked States
- Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Rhode Island appear least frequently, consistent with their smaller licensed amateur populations
DXCC Note
- 56 DXCC entities have been worked, confirmation via QSL card or LoTW is required for actual DXCC award credit, and not all contacts have been confirmed
- Alaska and Hawaii count as separate DXCC entities per ARRL award rules
Project Details
| Tools Used | Tableau Public, Microsoft Excel, MacLogger, ChatGPT, Claude |
| Data Source | Personal HF contact log exported from MacLogger as ADIF, converted to Excel via ChatGPT |
| Skills Demonstrated | Data cleaning & organization, calculated fields, geographic visualization, treemap design, multi-dashboard architecture, band activity analysis |
| Project Type | Personal Research Project: Ham Radio Log Analysis |
| Analysis Focus | HF contact distribution by band, country, and US state, with emphasis on DX activity and domestic operating patterns |
| Dashboard Count | 3 dashboards: Overview, US Domestic Contacts, DX Contacts |
| Total Contacts | 2,214 logged QSOs |
| Data Period | 2014–2025 |
Project Motivation
Understanding My HF Operating Patterns
This project grew from a simple question: where have I actually been making contacts, and what does the data say about how I operate? As a licensed amateur since 2012, based primarily in Phoenix, AZ with weekend operating from my father's ham shack in Tucson, AZ, and now operating from San Diego, CA since 2025, the log tells a story across multiple QTHs and multiple rigs.
Why This Analysis:
- Ham radio operators talk constantly about propagation and band conditions but rarely examine their own log data analytically
- Wanted to see whether the bands believed to be productive actually were in practice
- Curious about geographic patterns, which states and countries appear most and least, and does that match expectations?
- Working toward DXCC, understanding which entities have been worked is a meaningful step toward the award
- Wanted a visual representation of operating history that goes beyond a simple logbook
Key Questions:
- Which bands produce the most contacts, domestic vs. DX?
- Which DX countries appear most and least frequently in the log?
- Which US states appear most and least frequently?
- What are the most and least active bands for both domestic and DX contacts?
- How does domestic band activity differ from DX band activity?
Data Preparation & Technical Approach
Data Source & Export
- MacLogger: All contacts logged in MacLogger on macOS throughout the operating period
- ADIF Export: Log exported from MacLogger in ADIF (Amateur Data Interchange Format), the standard format for ham radio log exchange
- ChatGPT for Data Preparation: The ADIF file was imported into ChatGPT with instructions specifying which columns to retain and how to format the dataset, ChatGPT produced a clean, structured Excel file ready for Tableau import
- Claude for Dashboard Construction: Claude (Anthropic) was used throughout the Tableau dashboard development process for ideas, chart recommendations, and troubleshooting
Data Cleaning & Organization
- Removed malformed band entries where mode (SSB, LSB) was incorrectly logged as band, a MacLogger export artifact
- Standardized country names for consistent geographic grouping
- Identified and removed dirty data entries where grid squares were incorrectly populated in the Country field
- Created a calculated field "Is DX" in Tableau:
[Country] != "United States", used as a global filter to separate domestic and DX views cleanly - Created a "Contact Type" calculated field for the US vs. DX stacked bar chart on the Overview dashboard
Single Data Source Architecture
- Consolidated dataset from a single MacLogger ADIF export
- Clean data structure enables straightforward geographic and band analysis
- Simple data model supports efficient multi-dashboard performance
Dashboard Features
Overview Dashboard
- Three KPI cards: Total Contacts (2,214), Total US Contacts (1,942), Total DX Contacts (272)
- Total Contacts By Band: US vs. DX, stacked bar chart showing US and DX contacts per band, immediately shows 10M leading in DX while 20M leads domestically
- Band, Country, and State filters applied globally across all charts
US Domestic Contacts Dashboard
- US States Map: Choropleth showing contact count per state, California, Texas, and Florida stand out immediately
- Total US Contacts By Band: Horizontal bar chart color-coded by band, 20M and 40M dominate
- State & Band Treemap: Each box represents a state/band combination sized by contact count and colored by band
- Band and State filters
DX Contacts Dashboard
- Total DX Contacts By Band: 10M leads all DX bands by a wide margin
- DX Contacts By Country: Horizontal bar chart sorted by total contacts, Canada, Japan, Chile, Argentina lead; band color breakdown shows which bands reached each country
- DX Country & Band Treemap: Country blocks sized by contact count and colored by band, Japan, Argentina, and Chile's 10M concentration is immediately visible while Canada shows multi-band diversity
- Band and Country filters
Interactive Capabilities
- Filter by Band to isolate any single band across all charts
- Filter by Country to focus on a specific DX entity
- Filter by State for US domestic drill-down
- Hover tooltips on all charts show detailed contact counts
Skills Enhanced
- ADIF log data export from MacLogger and AI-assisted conversion to Excel using ChatGPT
- Data cleaning and standardization of ham radio log data
- Leveraging AI tools (ChatGPT for data preparation, Claude for dashboard development) to accelerate the workflow
- Calculated field creation in Tableau for DX filtering and contact type classification
- Multi-dashboard architecture design with consistent visual language across three dashboards
- Treemap design for geographic and categorical data
- Stacked bar chart design for US vs. DX comparison
- Global filter application across multiple worksheets
- Band color standardization across chart types for visual consistency
- Geographic visualization, US state choropleth mapping
Station & Operating Details
QTH History
- Phoenix, AZ (primary QTH through 2024): Home base for the majority of the log period
- Tucson, AZ (weekend operating): Regular weekend operating from father's ham shack, 75-foot tower with a combination of dipoles and a rotating multi-band beam
- San Diego, CA (2025–present): Current QTH
Transceivers
- Flex 6600 with Flex Radio Maestro control panel, software-defined radio providing exceptional band visualization
- Icom IC-7300, direct-sampling SDR transceiver
- Kenwood TS-850S, classic HF transceiver
Antennas
- Homemade dipoles (Spring 2017–2024, Phoenix)
- Diamond Mobile Vertical Sticks (6–80M), used during mobile operations and apartment living from the start through Spring 2017
- Tucson: 75-foot tower with a combination of dipoles and a rotating multi-band beam (father's ham shack)
- Buckmaster OCF Dipole (6–40M), current San Diego antenna
- MFJ-2289 & MFJ-1979, supplemental antennas, San Diego
- Harvest Wireless X30, UHF/VHF vertical, San Diego
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a QSO?
A QSO is ham radio shorthand for a two-way radio contact. Each QSO in the log represents a confirmed two-way communication with another licensed amateur radio station. - What is DX?
DX refers to contacts with distant or foreign stations, typically any contact outside your own country. This dashboard defines DX as any contact outside the United States. - What is the DXCC award?
The DXCC (DX Century Club) award is issued by the ARRL to operators who confirm contacts with 100 or more of the 340 recognized DXCC entities worldwide. Confirmation via QSL card or Logbook of the World (LoTW) is required, simply making the contact is not sufficient for award credit. - Why does 10M dominate DX contacts?
The 10-meter band (28 MHz) supports long-distance propagation that makes it particularly effective for international contacts when conditions are favorable. When the band is open, 10M can support contacts across 10,000+ miles with modest power and simple antennas. - Why does 20M dominate US domestic contacts?
The 20-meter band provides reliable skip distances of 500–2,000 miles under most conditions, ideal for reaching across the continental US. It is productive year-round, making it the backbone of domestic HF operating. - Which state has the most contacts in the log?
California leads all states by a significant margin. The majority of California contacts were made from the Phoenix, AZ QTH given geographic proximity, with additional contacts from the current San Diego QTH. - Which countries have the most DX contacts?
Canada and Japan lead the DX log, followed by Chile, Argentina, and Australia. - What logging software was used?
All contacts were logged using MacLogger on macOS. The log was exported in ADIF format, processed using ChatGPT into a structured Excel file, and imported into Tableau. - Why do Alaska and Hawaii appear as DX countries?
For DXCC award purposes, Alaska and Hawaii are counted as separate entities from the contiguous 48 states, standard convention in amateur radio logging and awards programs.
Data Source
Primary Data: Personal HF contact log, KG7MAJ
Export Method: ADIF export from MacLogger (macOS)
Processing: ChatGPT-assisted conversion to Excel
Data Elements: Callsign, QSO date, band, country, continent, US state, lat/lon coordinates
Data Period: 2014–2025
Last Updated: 2025 | Project Status: Active, log continues to grow
Interactive Dashboard: View on Tableau Public
Built by Clair Wyant, a data architecture consultant & data visualization consultant specializing in dashboards and reporting systems built with Tableau and Looker Studio.
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