2019-07-18 13:45:14 -04:00
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FT4 is designed for contesting, particularly on the HF bands.
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Compared with FT8 it is 3.5 dB less sensitive and requires 1.6 times
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the bandwidth, but it offers the potential for twice the QSO rate.
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2019-06-06 14:15:12 -04:00
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.Main Window:
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- Select *FT4* on the *Mode* menu.
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- Double-click on *Erase* to clear both text windows.
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.Wide Graph Settings:
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- *Bins/Pixel* = 7, *Start* = 100 Hz, *N Avg* = 1
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- Adjust the width of the Wide Graph window so that the upper
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frequency limit is approximately 4000 Hz.
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.Open a Wave File:
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- Select *File | Open* and navigate to
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+...\save\samples\FT4\000000_000002.wav+. The waterfall and Band
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Activity window should look something like the following screen shots.
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2019-06-17 15:47:47 -04:00
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This sample file was recorded during a practice contest test session, so
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most of the decoded messages use the *RTTY Roundup* message formats.
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2019-06-06 14:15:12 -04:00
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2019-07-13 19:37:00 -04:00
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[[X16]]
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2019-06-06 14:15:12 -04:00
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image::ft4_waterfall.png[align="left",alt="Wide Graph Decode FT4"]
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image::ft4_decodes.png[align="left"]
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- Click with the mouse anywhere on the waterfall display. The green Rx
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frequency marker will jump to your selected frequency, and the Rx
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frequency control on the main window will be updated accordingly.
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- Do the same thing with the *Shift* key held down. Now the red Tx
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frequency marker and its associated control on the main window will
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follow your frequency selections.
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- Do the same thing with the *Ctrl* key held down. Now the both colored
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markers and both spinner controls will follow your selections.
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2019-08-02 10:57:41 -04:00
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- Now double-click on any of the lines of decoded text in the Band
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2019-06-06 14:15:12 -04:00
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Activity window. Any line will show similar behavior, setting
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Rx frequency to that of the selected message and leaving Tx frequency
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unchanged. To change both Rx and Tx frequencies, hold *Ctrl* down
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when double-clicking.
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2019-07-18 13:45:14 -04:00
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.Best S+P Button
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2020-05-04 13:32:15 -04:00
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The FT4 user interface includes a button labeled *Best S+P*.
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2019-07-18 13:45:14 -04:00
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image::Best_S+P.png[align="center"]
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Clicking *Best S+P* during an Rx cycle arms the program to examine all
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CQ messages decoded at the end of the Rx sequence. The program will
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select the best potential QSO partner (from a contesting perspective),
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and treat it as if you had double-clicked on that line of decoded
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text. Here "best potential QSO partner" means "New Multiplier" (1st
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priority) or "New Call on Band" (2nd priority). "New Multiplier" is
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currently interpreted to mean "New DXCC"; a more broadly defined
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multiplier category (for the ARRL RTTY Roundup rules) will be
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implemented in due course. We may provide additional priority
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rankings, for example “New Grid on Band” (useful for North American
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VHF contests), sorting by signal strength, etc.
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*Best S+P* is a useful feature only if you have defined what "best" is
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supposed to mean. This is done by configuring suitable options on the
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*Settings | Colors* tab. Selection and ordering of color-highlighting
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options determines what potential QSO partners will be chosen by the
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"Best S+P" feature. Optimum choices will be different for different
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contests. In a contest using RTTY Roundup rules we recommend
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activating *My Call in message*, *New DXCC*, *New Call on Band*, *CQ
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in message* and *Transmitted message*, reading from top to bottom.
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2019-06-06 14:15:12 -04:00
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TIP: Keyboard shortcuts *Shift+F11* and *Shift+F12* provide an easy
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way to move your FT4 Tx frequency down or up in 90 Hz steps.
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2020-02-28 11:24:24 -05:00
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TIP: For easy keyboard control of transmitted messages, check
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*Alternate F1–F6 bindings* on the Settings | General tab. In
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contest-style operation you can then hit *F1* to solicit a QSO by
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sending CQ. Similarly, keys *F2* to *F5* will send the messages in
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entry fields *Tx2* to *Tx5*. More details on contest-style operation
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can be found in {ft4_protocol}.
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2019-06-06 14:15:12 -04:00
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IMPORTANT: When finished with this Tutorial, don't forget to re-enter
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your own callsign as *My Call* on the *Settings | General* tab.
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