Ever wondered how someone you have never contacted before already knows your name and where you live? They are probably using an online callsign database such as QRZ.com. Most hams have an entry on QRZ.com.

While you are logging a QSO in Logger32, the system can automatically look up the callsign of the station you are logging on QRZ.com, and display the key information on the screen - things such as the person's name, address, state, country, email address, IOTA reference and grid square.

QRZ.com is not the only online callsign lookup service, but it remains the most popular. When its popularity led to the site gradually becoming overloaded with callsign lookups, QRZ.com introduced a limit on the number of free lookups at 150 per day. At the same time, a commercial service was introduced, allowing an unlimited number of callsign lookups for paying subscribers to QRZ.com. The paid service uses XML rather than HTTP. XML lookups are quicker than HTTP lookups, and don't need to be revised if QRZ.com's screen layout changes.

Frequent changes to QRZ.com's screen layout created problems for the logging programs that were using HTTP lookups. Bob K4CY, author of Logger32, took the decision to drop support for QRZ lookups within Logger32 instead providing an interface that could be used by separate utility programs to perform callsign lookups. Rick N2AMG stepped up to the challenge and wrote QRZ Lookup, a utility that works with Logger32 to do free HTTP and paid XML lookups on QRZ.com. Rick now has the unenviable task of updating the utility whenever the QRZ.com screen layout changes.

Read on for instructions on how to install/update and configure QRZ Lookup.

1. Click here to download the QRZ Lookup utility installer.
2. Double-click to run the installer.
3. Select a directory OUTSIDE of the Program files directory. ¹⁾ By default the utility installs in C:\QRZLookup. It does not need to be installed in the Logger32 directory.
4. On Logger32's toolbar, click the Internet callsign lookup button (7th button from the right, a tiny globe icon) to open the QRZlookup window.
5. In the QRZlookup window, click Toolbox to open the Setup Internet callsign lookup window.
6. Click Setup external module to use. Logger32 will show you the configuration window for the add-on facilities it knows about.
7. Enter a caption (title text) such as “QRZ Lookup” in the left hand cell of a convenient row in the table.
8. Click the browse button on the right of the same row. Find the directory where you installed QRZ Lookup (C:\QRZLookup by default) and highlight the QRZlookup.exe file.
9. Click to select the Use button at the start of the row.
10. Click Start to go ahead and start using QRZ Lookups.
11. The first time you use it, the QRZ Lookup utility will open a lookup window, ask you to set the lookup type, and ask for your QRZ username and password. (Even if you do not subscribe to QRZ.com's XML lookups, the QRZ Lookup utility will still need to login to QRZ.com using your normal user account.). Enter the information requested.

1. If you used QRZHTTPLookup or QRZXMLLookup previously, uninstall them and delete any left-over files first. The current QRZ Lookup utility works for both XML and HTTP lookups.
2. Click here to download the QRZ Lookup utility installer.
3. Double-click to run the installer.
4. Install the updated utility in the same directory as you were using before - usually C:\QRZlookup ²⁾

1. Enter any valid callsign in Logger32's log entry window and press TAB.
2. The QRZ Lookup window should show the information for that callsign from QRZ.com, in which case congratulations your setup is done! Stop here! If not …
3. Check that Logger32 is configured to use the external lookup utility:
   1. Click Setup in the top row of Logger32 and select Auto lookup
   2. Select Auto Internet Callsign Lookup (external) - it should be ticked
4. Check that the utility program actually works:
   1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the directory where QRZ Lookup is installed (normally C:\QRZLookup) and double-click the QRZ Lookup utility program (QRZLookup.exe) to run it.
   2. If the Lookup window does not appear on the screen, click the QRZlookup icon on the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen (usually) to make the Lookup window visible.
   3. In the QRZ Lookup window, click Setup on the menu and choose Look up Type to use. Choose XML if you subscribe to the QRZ.com XML service, otherwise choose HTTP. Click OK
   4. Click Setup again, choose Set Username and Password and enter your QRZ username and password.
   5. Close the Lookup window.
5. Run Logger32, enter a callsign into the logbook entry window and hit TAB. This should trigger the QRZ Lookup utility to get the information from QRZ.com for the callsign you entered … if not, email me and I'll see what I can do to help!