Category: Digital Mode

Digital Landscape

Posted on by Andrew

 

• Do you have an interest in DMR radios?

 

• Perhaps you are hesitant to wade into digital radio communications because it seems as if there are so many different “standards”.

• D-STAR, WIRES, FUSION, C4FM — Where do I start?.

• Are you just itching to learn more about a new mode that has revolutionized the Plain-Jane HT?

 

• Have you been put off by new buzz words like CODE PLUGS and TALK GROUPS? 

 

Watch this space!

Do these questions sound familiar?

If so, we have some articles in place that take a 10,000 foot view of the digital landscape.

 

And, over the new few months, the digital world explorers at CARC expect to produce new material about digital amateur radio.

 

For more articles please follow the trail below:

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

FT8 Addiction?

Posted on by Andrew

FT8 addiction?

With some help from our friends at WSJTX@groups.io.com

FT8 is one of the many digital modes in the WSJT-X  software suite from Joe Taylor, K1JT and his team of collaborators.  The basic software covers everything from weak signal HF to earth-moon-earth and meteor scatter transmissions on 2 meters and 70 centimeters in the VHF and UHF bands.   WSJT–X really took off about 4 years ago with the introduction of JT65 and since the introduction of FT8 in spring of 2018, FT8 has become one of, if not the most popular HF digital mode.  Please see the Know How Resources Tab for additional articles about the WSTJ-X suite, other digital suites and various digital modes.

Are there any psychologists out there, professional, amateur or wannabe, who have some theories about why FT8, its sibling FT4, and even its older cousins, JT65 and JT9, are so addictive?
73,
Ken, AB1J

Some replies:

Yes…

FT8, it’s all the fun of Ham Radio – without the jibber-jabber!

For me, since I have hearing loss & tinnitus, I enjoy being able to turn the volume to zero & avoid the noise. And you can certainly multi task in that environment, have a meal, conduct a transaction, pay a bill, even watch a favorite TV show, etc. 

In other words, having a life AND playing radio using FT8 are totally compatible – enjoy!

73 – John – N7GHZ

 

It’s addictive because it works well in crappy conditions, you can quickly and easily see where prop is going, and you can surf the web while operating.

Scott N7JI

Or clean up the shack. I use WSJT-X software because they make QSOs that I can’t make on CW, the mode I enjoy most.
73, Jim K9YC

 

I could tell you, but right now I am in a 15 second continuous, never ending, loop … 🙂 
Marion  K4GOK

 

from another poster:

Hook up GridTracker and use a Mario Coin sound when it successfully uploads a grid to LOTW and it’s  like a video game!

 

That is a major advantage. One can work stations all over the world even in the horrible current band conditions. Since starting with JT65 and moving to FT8 (a little FT4), it got my digital DXCC and have credit for 100 countries confirmed digital on QRZ and eQSL. I just need a confirmation from an Alaskan station I worked a few days ago on 10M (that was a surprise) and a QSO and QSL from Maine (Hello, any amateurs there — almost never see a balloon.) to complete my 10M digital WAS. I have confirmed all states digitally on 15M, 17M, 20M, 30M and 40M. Due to high SWR on my DX-88 vertical, I don’t work 80M much at all.
John, WB9VGJ

 

It “does exactly what it says on the tin”

And, you don’t need a big all singing station to get heard, just a few watts will work the world!

Ken.. G0ORH

 

Whether you love it, or hate it, FT8 seems to be here to stay for a while.  Will it be around over 150 years from now like Morse Code (CW)-the original digital mode?  or fade away to become about as commonly used as the Telex-Over-Radio  (TOR) modes like TOR, PACTOR and other variants of those that were common in the 1980s and 1990s but are rarely heard today?   Either way, for now, it has given a lot of Technician class licensees the incentive to upgrade to General and sold a lot of radios.

See ‘ya down the log!

Frank KB3PQT

#####

WSJT-X and JTAlert — Guest Author: N6DBF

Posted on by Andrew

So, what’s this all about?  

Stock Photo of a tropical island sandy beach with blue ocean water in the distance.

  • A female voice is saying “Calling You”
  • and then a male voice says “Wanted DX”. 
  • While in the background, 
  • the Stereo is playing some of that good old time rock and roll.

Stock Photo of an attractive luau-style meal set out on a dining table.

  • Let’s Party…..
  • Fiesta…..
  • All Night Long…..
  • oh  yeah…oh yeah…..
  • all night long…..

Stock Photo of a glass of beer being poured from a bottle.

  • We zoom back, taking this all in,
  • we see the OM with an ice cold cerveza in one hand
  • and the mouse in the other. 
  • He clicks on Log QSO, 
  • then on Enable Tx.

WSJT-X and JTAlert

Today’s Guest Author:  John N6DBF

 

I use WSJT-X and JTAlert (AL) for running FT8.

 

My computer is a home made Windows 10 machine with plug-in sound card and it also has a headphone jack.  

My interface is a Yaesu SCU-17.  

WSJT-X is setup to use the audio input and output from the SCU-17.  

JTAlert has the sound card set to the computer headphone jack.  

JTAlert is also loaded with both male and female voices.

My computer is setup with two sets of speakers. One set is plugged into the headphone jack and the other (3.1 Stereo Main Speakers) plugs into the stereo output jack of my computer sound card.  

So, what’s this all about?  

Well, JTAlert now announces some Alerts with a female voice and the others with a male voice.  I have “Spotify.com” loaded and running on the 3.1 Stereo Speakers.  All this while running WSJT-X, JTAlert, HRD LogBook, Ham Radio Spots, and PSK Reporter.  I make use of Windows Task View. WSJT-X, JTAlert, and HRD LogBook go on the first Desktop, Ham Radio Spots, PSK Reporter go on the next Desktop, then “Spotify” and Volume Mixer go on the third Desktop. You may add more or less to your taste.  

As our cameras move in, we see N6DBF in the Ham Shack. The radio equipment is on.  The 24″ computer monitor is displaying WSJT-X, JTAlert and HRD Logbook, we’re on 40m in FT8 mode.  

A female voice is saying “Calling You” and then a male voice says “Wanted DX”. While in the background, the Stereo is playing some of that good old time rock and roll. 

We zoom back, taking this all in, we see the OM with an ice cold cerveza in one hand and the mouse in the other. He clicks on Log QSO, then on Enable Tx.  

CQ N6DBF DM13……….New Prefix……….New Grid……….
Let’s Party….. Fiesta….. All Night Long…..oh yeah…oh yeah…..all night long…

Who says the bands are closed???  

John Wisniowski n6dbf