FT8 is one of a group of Multiple Frequency-Shift Keying (MFSK) modes that include JT9, JT65 and MSK144 created by Joe Taylor, K1JT and co-developers. A +12 signal at times says more about the other persons low noise floor than whether you maybe a strong signal. There is just a PC screen, and the rest is done by algorithms and mathematics. This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. I wonder if raising the far end up any more would help? A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. Antenna for 70cms is a 7 ele ZLspecial, fixed towards SE up at about 15 feet. toggle quoted message. IMO, focus on doing everything you can to improve your receive capabilities first with a focus on lowering your noise floor, then improve antenna transmit gain before adding power. Examples of non-digital reports would be: - Lucas / W6AER. Special data for synchronization (7x7 Costas Array) is also added, it requires for proper signal decoding. Free Training. I would think that is more than enough to get a decent signal report. If I tighten the passband in HDSDR down to like 100hz around the signal of interest, there's virtually no other noise in the WSJT-X passband. Practical Wireless - March 2023 - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. That lets a massive amount of signal into the mixer. Pretty fast I got a response that they already have enough articles about FT8 and a screenshot of their archive with articles like Using FT8 in DXpedition in Borneo. Image provided by ANgazu. The message length is 15s, and messages are transmitted via fixed time slots, which makes decoding easier. Between the radio and SteppIR DB18, I have these devices inline: Welcome to the world of Antennas, Propagation and Black Box Technology!! CleanTalk sets this cookie to complete an anti-spam solution and firewall for the website, preventing spam from appearing in comments and forms. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. If band is open pulls in FT8 quite well, forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/the-skignal-reports.591508/. You can make contacts a lot faster on CW or SSB. The mode is a modification of the JT9 & JT65 weak-signal modes that have been around for nearly ten years, an eternity in the digital world. Finally, after the conversion, we get a sequence of the form 31406520 00000001 04531130 52105775 34623140 65267442 47514714 36372416 64750133 3140652 where each digit represents a tone number from 0 to 7. The fact that they align properly to the FT8 15-second period, and have 8 tones (the same as FT8) is a sign that these may be distorted FT8 signals, caused by AF harmonics in the transmitter or the receiver. It's not a measure of your output. For details of this cookie, go to, Set by Google to distinguish users. Frequency modulation 8-FSK, tone space is 6.25Hz. It does not store any personal data. I will be starting a donor thank you page soon so please indicate if you wish to be not listed. FT8 is four times faster (15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by a few dB. For more information regarding our Covid policies, please visit vintage faucet handles Welcome to Reddit's own amateur (ham) radio club. When I run FT-8 I set the filter wide open which bumps up to the 15Khz roofing filter instead of the ~3Khz SSB filter. toggle quoted message Show quoted text 3,298 Stations <0 698 Stations >0. . With the new sun cycle, it is busier than ever20 meters is packed around the clock, so its even difficult to find an open spot to transmit. 73 Cliff W3KKO. They are using a directional antenna, and you are using an omnidirectional antenna. The RST reporting system is represented in three numbers for CW and two numbers for Phone. SNR(dB) = 10*LOG[ Signal Power in watts / Noise Power in Watts] For loud signals you can roughly calculate SNR off the S-meter. +19 is about the best you should get, down to about -24dB. All this, combined together, made FT8 so popular. (references). All this is necessary because the maximum message length is 77 bits (not only predefined symbols but of course, arbitrary text and even telemetry can also be transmitted with similar limitations). By clicking Accept All, you consent to our use of cookies, however you can select "Cookie Settings" to control your consent. *** As an alternate, sometimes you will see: N8DXE KE8FMJ RRR KE8FMJ says Report Received, KE8FMJ N8DXE 73 N8DXE says Best Regards, N8DXE KE8FMJ 73 KE8FMJ says Best Regards. I am not sure how easy it is to measure the output power at the SteppIR, but I could measure power at the bottom of the antenna. It's a really smart combination of bit optimization, mathematics and usability. JT65, JT9, FT8 SNR Explained. Image source: www.qsl.net/w1dyj/FT8%20for%20web.pdf. ), yet the signals are very audible. Thats the basics. Darkness for night shadow (0-1) Show all Show LoTW/eQSL Show LoTW Show eSQL. Despite this, according to the statistics, people definitely enjoy FT8 usage. Here CQ is the calling code, DL1ABC is a callsign, and JO62 is the grid locator. This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management. How's the ALC meter looking, antenna gain or attenuation, RX bandwidth, etc. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. This includes: harm to minors, violence or threats, harassment or privacy invasion, impersonation or misrepresentation, fraud or phishing. Be aware that as currently implemented, WSJT-X will set your dial to the lowest frequency for the selected mode and band, when you switch bands. NP4Z Team will be active from Puerto Rico, IOTA NA - 099 in ARRL DX SSB Contest, 4 - 5 March 2023. Remember the reports you get in WSJT-X are not signal strength values. JS8Call is an experiment to test the feasibility of a digital mode with the robustness of FT8, combined with a messaging and network protocol layer for weak signal communication on HF, using a keyboard messaging style interface. Different colors are different bands and minutes indicate the last time they heard and reported back automatically. In this case, the PC is generating a signal (usually RTTY or PSK), and the operator communicates with the correspondent using a kind of text chat. No Membership Fees. Here is what FT8 signals looks like, displayed in the WSJT-X waterfall view: Youll see from the above waterfall screenshot that there are over a dozen QSOs visible these are all taking place on a single frequency of 14.074MHz. It's a popular mode, so popular in fact that one report citing Club Log data recently showed that 80% of HF contacts in their tracking nowadays are FT8. CleanTalk sets this cookie to store dynamic variables from the browser. For details of this cookie, go to, The __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. Since FT8 automatically transmits and receives only the bare minimum of information necessary to complete what officially counts as an amateur radio contact (QSO), FT8 has been criticized by some amateur radio enthusiasts as a means for radio amateurs to 'cheat' their way to victory in certain contests and award categories. It includes integration with PSK reporter. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. At this step, the message is converted to 00 00 00 23 44 4A 11 91 3F 8B 57 7E CF 78 77 39 55 DE 36 EF 01 48 data block. I've been licensed long enough to know this, but I've only recently in the past couple of months started on FT-8. Different colors are different bands and minutes indicate the last time they heard and reported back automatically. With FT8, youre restricted to very small messages, with a limit of 13 characters per message. More then 2 seconds difference, no decode! The domain of this cookie is owned by Ebay. Show quoted text. Image source: https://www.amateurradio.com/over-2000-miles-on-80m-with-the-warbler/ (2010). Please review the new, If you are having a problem, please refer to the. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. ft8 signal reports explained. how to simplify expressions with exponents fractions. A lot of people hate FT8. This will cause the software to compare the signal to the noise floor of the virtual audio signal which is way lower than my RF noise floor. It is one of the modes included in the open-source, weak signal, ham radio software package, WSJT-X. If you find something incorrect, have an update, or if there is something you would like to see added to the site, drop me a line here. Heres what Im using: As with all data modes software, setup requires some setting up, notably: Your computers clock does have to be spot on with FT8. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. No, I have just as much noise here as most others living in suburbia. Of course, before the mass appearance of personal computers in homes, probably no radio amateurs were thinking about transmitting and decoding digital data. It will gain acceptance in SOTA too. With the bonus of DAX not requiring A/D conversion and the attendant degradation of received signals, your great installation, radio, and location really do put you ahead of the average Joe. Best advice I can offer, is check pskreporter. Increasing FT8 usage on the popular bands 40, 30, and 20m means that the default 3 kHz sub-bands are often wall-to-wall with signals. These features can be selectively enabled to match band and signal conditions as well as the user's available CPU horsepower. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites. Then, youll need some software. (Sources: WSJT-X 2.1.0 Program default settings, DXZone, WSJT-X Documentation, JS8Call Documentation). On average I run about 30 watts only on this mode and have had some success on 70cms along with the other bands. Freq: Frequency (Hz) of the received signal, Message Meaning, CQ KE8FMJ EM89 CQ call from KE8FMJ, KE8FMJ N8DXE EN91 N8DXE replies with location, N8DXE KE8FMJ-10 KE8FMJ responds with a signal report, KE8FMJ N8DXE R-09 N8DXE replies with own report, N8DXE KE8FMJ RR73 KE8FMJ says Report Received and Best Regards***, KE8FMJ N8DXE 73 N8DXE says Best Regards. Starting with theWSJT-Xversion 2.2.0-rc2 (available for downloading from theWSJT-X website) theWSJT-Xdevelopment team has also published additional FT8 overflow frequencies: 7.071, 10.133, 14.071, and 50.310 MHz. On average I run about 30 watts only on this mode and have had some success on 70cms along with the other bands. What sort of AGC are you using? All topics relating to the hobby are welcome here, from purchasing and building equipment, to operating techniques and activities, and everything in between. FT8 uses 8- GFSK modulation, includes forward error correction ( FEC ), and has an effective data rate of 5 words per minute. FT8 is designed as an HFHigh Frequency (3-30 MHz) mode, but (as with any amateur radio mode) can also be used on VHFVery High Frequency (30-300 MHz)/UHFUltra High Frequency (300-3000 MHz) if desired. I've contacted 2 people in the same city before one after another. AE6Y will be active again as P49Y from Aruba Island, IOTA SA - 036, in ARRL DX CW Contest, 18 - 19 February 2023. The next step is to convert the 91-bit message to the so-called LDPC (Low-density parity-check) code with a 174 bits length this redundancy is used to correct errors during the transmission. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. This is most easlly done by the PWR Slider. By . The interface will need to connect into the PCs soundcard (for audio) and typically USB for controlling the radio. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Similarly, the JO62 grid-locator is written as a 2-byte number 44 FE 50% save of the data size, compared to the standard ASCII string. Conclusion. Frequencies for JS8Call and FT8 are adjustable by the user. FT4 and FT8 are digital protocols designed for rapid and accurate communication between amateur radio stations, particularly in weak-signal conditions. Scorecard Research sets this cookie for browser behaviour research. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. DT: Calculated offset of the received signal from your local clock Values above .3 are not optimal. Donation will show as going to SFBA Tech, this is normal, under the same paypal account. It's a shame that most people don't understand that FT8 is designed for weak signal communication. You know I hadn't even thought of that. When you get back a signal report from someone, it just tells you how loud you were on their setup at that particular time. This signal is transmitted almost "as is" into the air, and the backward process of decoding is activated on the receiver side. You can find multitudes of contacts on these frequencies. I know that others may run more than that, even for FT8, but probably not many. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. then work outwards. CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on comments and forms and act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site. Until you're into the -20dBs you're being heard. Band conditions across the terminator and across the equator also affect your signal and provide only a one way path. If you want to, fine, but absolutely not necessary to run 1 watt or less.lol.. IMHO your results are just fine. I consistently get low signal reports for FT8 contacts, typically 15db less than what I send as a received signal. Benjamin Kowalewicz Instagram; Amos And Andy Billiard Board For Sale; What Cat Should I Get Quiz Buzzfeed; Holographic Film Plates; Sports Flick Champions League team_fondue 5 yr. ago However, DX communications are actively performed using FT8. Your transmit and receive capabilities are not that much different. The radio also needs to be in DATA mode. Noticed that now when a QSO is logged, the upload to eQSL.cc no longer includes the signal reports added to the comment field of the eQSL record (like FT8 Sent: -19 Rcvd: -07). I now have a new Windows 10 computer, loaded with the latest versions of WSJT-X (v2.2.2) and JTAlert (v2.16.17). Rich Text Editor. Its hard to argue with that, but I hope that there are still not only radio operators but also engineers who are interested in how these things really work. FT8 handles very weak signals very well, meaning that a Foundation licence holder with just 10 watts should be able to make some impressive contacts with a modest antenna - something not possible with voice or some other data modes. https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx.html WSJT downloads for all platformshttps://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/devel.html WSJT-X source codehttps://github.com/kgoba/ft8_lib FT8 encoderhttp://laarc.weebly.com/uploads/7/3/2/9/73292865/ft8syncv8.pdf Synchronization in FT8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_parity-check_code LDPC code, Coding, Tutorials, News, UX, UI and much more related to development, Python/IoT developer and data engineer, data science and electronics enthusiast, https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx.html, https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/devel.html, http://laarc.weebly.com/uploads/7/3/2/9/73292865/ft8syncv8.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_parity-check_code. As with other data modes, youll need some kind of interface box to sit between the rig and your computer. PayPal or Coffee donations are always appreciated. I am using Windows 10 with WSJT-X v2.5.3 with a USB connection to an iCom 7610 transceiver running 100w. 2023 The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". FT8 is a weak signal - not a low power mode (power works the really weak ones) FT8 lets you work DX on 6m when there would be none FT8 is suddenly dominating VHF/UHF contesting FT8 lets you work weak signal DX without proficient CW skills FT8 is like having constant DX beacons on every band Lets see in more detail how this works. Other amateur radio operators herald the mode as a boon to the hobby of amateur radio during times when the solar cycle is at a minimum and when radio propagation conditions are poor. To my objection that my article is not about the use of FT8 but about its internal structure, the answer was the theory will not help readers to use FT8 more efficiently. FT8 is a very popular protocol and continually growing. As you can see here, I decoded everything from -21 to +05 range on 80m using the WSJT-X Software. wire What's worse in the minds of some . Designed by Shape5.com, forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/the-skignal-reports.591508/. On a trial basis, and in response to numerous suggestions from around the world, we have added a second set of suggested dial frequencies for FT8 on three HF bands and also on 6 meters. The majority of DX stations have voted in favor of it. Information exchanged in a minimal two-station contact typically consists of call signs, four-character Maidenhead locators, signal reports, and acknowledgments. Dumb question: if you get back a signal report of, say, +12, are you likely to be splattering or overdriving? The numbers tell you the strength of your FSK signal (6.25 Hz) as it compares to the signals in an entire 2.5 kHz SSB bandwidth. The new topic will begin with this message. Alternatively, you can add the new FT8 frequencies manually. My first action will be to check all coax connections. Both are compromises, but my FT8 contacts in Antarctica, Fiji, Australia, NZ, Japan, etc don't know that. WARC Bands: What are They and How Can I Take Advantage of Them. Lots of variables here. If I ran the preamp on it would make the situation even worse. It is popular among amateur radio operators for its ability to send and receive messages despite challenging propagation conditions, high noise environments, low power operations ( QRP ), or even compromised antennas. The one on the right, being about 100Hz wide, is a second harmonic, and the one on the left, being about 150Hz wide, may be a third harmonic. Its a really smart combination of bit optimization, mathematics and usability. There are several types of interface available, depending on your rig. Only thing I dont really understand is how the signal reporting works. There doesn't necessarily need to be a new operating class for Data modes, but that would be OK too. Hacking my Newair Humidor For Cigar Smokers, GOES Geosynchronous Weather Satellite Receiver, Building the SteppIR BigIR Mark IV Vertical Antenna, Configuring WSJT-X for W6TI (or other) Special Event Station Use, Automatic Transverter Selector for FlexRadio, Setting up GOES Weather Satellite Receiver on the Raspberry Pi, Setting up NOAA Weather Satellite Receiver on the Raspberry Pi, Getting Started with Ham Radio Award Hunting, 3B7M Saint Brandon Islands. That means that you need your clock to be accurate to the precise second. From there you will be able to pick one style. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. I am using Windows 10 with WSJT-X v2.5.3 with a USB connection to an iCom 7610 . Create an account. the QSO record in ACL log does contain the signal report . Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. From my playing I think this one is alc related. A WSJT-X application screenshot in FT8 mode looks like this: Source: 3fs.net.au/ft8-digital-amateur-radio. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Quantserve sets the mc cookie to anonymously track user behaviour on the website. FT8: Frequencies, Decibels, and Message Meanings. ft8 signal reports explained. This is measurable to some extent by the signal reports on FT8. Any suggestions on what the problem might be? Or you have a very quit location! I use theDimension 4for keeping my clock accurate. All this, combined together, made FT8 so popular. With all features enabled, JTDX seems to decode more signals on a crowded band than WSJT-X. Too off and it will not work at all. Watch the following two sites for your call as well. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Just to report that quarantine in between I was able to pump some hours into the long delayed FT8 transceiver based on a raspberry pi using the RPiTX package and now ft8_lib. It's only used to exchange signal reports, so there's no chatting.