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. FT8: Frequencies, Decibels, and Message Meanings. From DXNews.com, 59 plus 20 for a really strong USB signal, 47 for a somewhat weak but still readable USB signal. On Tuesday, January 4, 2022, 04:32:27 AM CST, John wrote: On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 10:15 PM, Arnold Lausevich wrote: Do you mean 50% power? main@WSJTX.groups.io | FT8 Low Signal Reports signal reports when using FT8 and JT65. You can make contacts a lot faster on CW or SSB. ft8 signal reports explained. I would think that is more than enough to get a decent signal report. From: FT8-Digital-Mode@groups.io [mailto:FT8-Digital-Mode@groups.io] On Behalf Of Chuck Hemstreet. Each message of up to 13 characters takes 13 seconds to send. Lots of variables here. FT8 signal report Sent/Rcv consistent difference Be sure your audio chain does not introduce any distortion. Many ops can compensate with more power, but the problem with that is you quickly exceed your receive capabilities - people can hear you but you cant hear them. The message length of 77 bits was chosen as a compromise between the transmission time (about 13 seconds, which is not so fast) and the information capacity the message could be made longer, but the transmit time should also be increased. ft8 signal reports explained If nothing else sticks from these Hinson tips, at least remember to shift-click. Donation will show as going to SFBA Tech, this is normal, under the same paypal account. Frequencies for JS8Call and FT8 are adjustable by the user. Essex Ham is dedicated to supporting Amateur Radio. According to WSJT-X instructions you should tune up for maximun output then back off till the power output drops on you monitor. ft8 signal reports explained - Queendommedia.com Transmissions occur in 12.6s intervals (within the 15s transmit cycle window) until an entire message has completed transmitting. 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. transmitters. 15' on the transformer side and around 35' at the far end up in a tree. I don't run any preamp for FT8. The actual minimum signal to noise ratio of FT8 is around 1 dB in 50 Hz (-156 dBm in a gaussian channel with a perfect 0 dB noise figure receiver), which is consistent with a 1/2 rate LDPC code like the one FT8 uses. Working in FT8 on QO100 - PA1EJO ft8 signal reports explained - esta-pasando.com Here you will see that on my FT8 Transmit some decoded me as +13 and others closer as -3, this can be due to skip zones as well as different antenna setups, etc. That being said, it just means you are coming in loud at the receiving location. 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. ie you transmit a 50Hz wide ft8 @ 500 and there will be a 100Hz wide image @ 1000 and a 150Hz wide image @ 1500 and a 200Hz wide image @ 2000 and so on. Does anyone use a retevis rt95 I tried to join the Monday night net with my Get your Foundation Licence from home (click here), GB1BEL: JOTA 2022, Belchamps Activity Centre, Results from Watson Magitenna installed in loft, G0QQQ confirms signal report & replies with his own report. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Even if you don't get a response to your CQ, there are plenty of stations monitoring and reporting to the site, and you can see exactly where you are being heard, and how well you are being heard. There is no more attentive listening to the radio noise and fadings, getting a weak signal from the other side of the ocean. ft8 signal reports explained Press J to jump to the feed. The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity, here the strength of a received signal. 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. I like to keep things as up-to-date and as accurate as possible. Don't you dare speak ill of my compromise antenna, at a compromise height, at a compromise location. See tip 5 and others. I received services from the Prefet of the TAAF the new convention me allowing me to start my HF activities under the conditions set by the IPEV. Without further information all it says is the other person has a good SNR with your signal. But yet, you can clearly hear the musical Frequency Shift Key (FSK) tones and watch the FSK tones rise . No, I have just as much noise here as most others living in suburbia. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. All topics relating to the hobby are welcome here, from purchasing and building equipment, to operating techniques and activities, and everything in between. Welcome to JS8Call JS8Call is software using the JS8 Digital Mode providing weak signal keyboard to keyboard messaging to Amateur Radio Operators. AE6Y will be active again as P49Y from Aruba Island, IOTA SA - 036, in ARRL DX CW Contest, 18 - 19 February 2023. I primarily run FT8 at 30W into either a 135ft long end fed at about 40ft, or a vertical delta loop with apex around 40ft but base at 6ft. ft8 signal reports explained Of course, before the mass appearance of personal computers in homes, probably no radio amateurs were thinking about transmitting and decoding digital data. As a result, our CQ DL1ABC JO62 message will be converted to data block 00 00 00 23 44 4A 11 91 3F 88. Watch the following two sites for your call as well. I never run more than 5 watts and usually 1 watt or less. By . What says you are have a problem are things like. Try lowering the AGC, if any, and/or the output audio level. At first, just a fun fact. In general, the authors did a perfect job of creating an almost completely automated communication tool that could, on the one hand, transmit information more efficiently, and on the other, kill the ham radio spirit in the bud. As you can see here, I decoded everything from -21 to +05 range on 80m using the WSJT-X Software. On our website, you'll find information on what ham radio has to offer, help and advice for radio amateurs and clubs across the UK, and for those in the Essex area, a list of activities and local clubs. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. 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. The two options require different actions. 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. Heres the actual math behind the signal report if you want to deep dive into the concept: The noise floor is relative to the receiving station, however. 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. Its significantly faster than the similar JT-65, It works very well even with a lot of noise, Its popular, so theres lots of activity, Its semi-automated, making for easy contacts, Its a great way of racking up the countries youve worked, without too much hassle, Getting the audio connected. What do all the characters mean? ie every 100 or 120Hz. Automatic miles km. 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. 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. It's not a measure of your output. Groups.io. I will be starting a donor thank you page soon so please indicate if you wish to be not listed. Here CQ is the calling code, DL1ABC is a callsign, and JO62 is the grid locator. AH2R Team will be active from Guam Island, IOTA OC - 026, in ARRL DX SSB Contest, 4 - 5 March 2023. Often this will be a separateCOM port that needs setting up in the software. Tail Ending QSO ft8 signal reports explained. I think this message isn't appropriate for our group. For more information regarding our Covid policies, please visit vintage faucet handles 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. Consider a practical example the transmission of the phrase CQ DL1ABC JO62. It's main advantage is that it allows low-power stations with marginal Let's say I call CQ and a few stations respond, the first being pretty weak (call 1st enabled). Hertz (Hz), unit of frequency, defined as one cycle per second (1 Hz). To enable reporting, you need to enter the following information into the settings or preferences . WSJT (amateur radio software) - Wikipedia I now have a new Windows 10 computer, loaded with the latest versions of WSJT-X (v2.2.2) and JTAlert (v2.16.17). It's only used to exchange signal reports, so there's no chatting. Examples: Does anyone else have this trend as well? Here you will see that on my FT8 Transmit some decoded me as +13 and others closer as -3, this can be due to skip zones as well as different antenna setups, etc. When the conventional FT8 sub-band on 6, 20, 30, or 40m seems too full, please try moving your dial frequency down 3 kHz! Online Investing Guide To buy more radios! It does not store any personal data. Many Thanks for the link James, explains it well, a useful chart that gives the scale. If you are wondering what Amateur Radio is about, it's basically a two way radio service where licensed operators throughout the world experiment and communicate with each other on frequencies reserved for license holders. On the other hand, the almost complete automation of the process definitely reduces the role of operator skills. I've seen the same, that outlier station with a good receive setup or just weird propagation magic that copies you +12 while everyone else in that grid is coping you -10. FT8 signal reports : r/amateurradio - Reddit If theres any interest, Im happy to expend this article, but hopefully this tells you what FT8 is all about, and gives you enough to get started. FT8 and GridTracker - Digital Amateur Radio for digital amateur - VK3FS And strangely enough, this had its advantages the operator himself had to find the right frequency, evaluate the signal quality by ear, see the decoded characters on the screen, type the answer, and so on. digital modes - Unidentified signals on FT8 frequencies - Amateur Radio Only thing I dont really understand is how the signal reporting works. FT4 and FT8 are digital protocols designed for rapid and accurate communication between amateur radio stations, particularly in weak-signal conditions. The name FT8 stands for Franke and Taylor, 8-FSK modulation. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites. This anonymous data helps us to better understand users' needs and customize the website accordingly. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Forgot your password? As we can see, FT8 is quite an interesting protocol. If the average recipient has a lot more noise than you, you will get a worse report on average. This cookie is placed by CleanTalk Spam Protect to prevent spam and to store the addresses (urls) visited on the website. This cookie is used for targeting and advertising purpose. Best advice I can offer, is check pskreporter. Is it because I'm only running around 1/2 power? I forgot how the software handles the ratio. DT: Calculated offset of the received signal from your local clock Values above .3 are not optimal. Special data for synchronization (7x7 Costas Array) is also added, it requires for proper signal decoding. However, in a VHF+ contest, WSJT-X Auto-Sequencing will fail to exchange the required information for a complete QSO if one station is configured to use Contest Mode and the other is not. From there you will be able to pick one style. Sometimes propagation is like a laser. PayPal or Coffee donations are always appreciated. Antenna for 70cms is a 7 ele ZLspecial, fixed towards SE up at about 15 feet. New chunks of messages arrive every 15 seconds, and are decoded by the WSJT-X software, which displays the messages like this: 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. Your antennas ability to direct that transmit power at the receiving station and. Typically means connecting leads to the soundcard, or using a soundcard built in to the interface then setting up software to use the right speaker and mic settings for sending and receiving on the WSJT-X app, Radio interface settings Most common models of radio already have their comms settings built-in to WSJT-X, so its a case of selecting from a list of radios, Connecting to the radios CAT/DATA port for controlling the radio. In 2017, FT8 started to become the most popular of the various data modes. Very helpful. ND4Q starts QSO with signal report ND4Q does not send grid location Causes problems when working complex call signs 75 Sec per QSO, 48 QSOs per hour. "By default the [WSJT-X Software's] Working Frequencies table contains a list of frequencies conventionally used for modes FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65, MSK144, WSPR, and Echo. You know, I can play with my volume on my computer and get that +12 down to a -18 or lower. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. If you are wondering what Amateur Radio is about, it's basically a two way radio service where licensed operators throughout the world experiment and communicate with each other on frequencies reserved for license holders.