Partial updates of User Guide for 2.4.0. Much more is still required!

This commit is contained in:
Joe Taylor 2021-03-04 09:26:37 -05:00
parent e9cf9f242d
commit 10c8fe5353
6 changed files with 56 additions and 77 deletions

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@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ summarized in the following Table:
|JT9 | @ | |
|JT65 | # | |
|JT65 VHF| # | *, # | f, fN, dCN
|QRA65 | : | | qP
|Q65 | : | | qP
|MSK144 | & | |
|===========================================
Sync character::

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@ -10,34 +10,34 @@ contributors to development of _WSJT-X_ since 2013 and 2015, respectively.
_WSJT-X_ Version {VERSION_MAJOR}.{VERSION_MINOR} offers eleven
different protocols or modes: *FST4*, *FT4*, *FT8*, *JT4*, *JT9*,
*JT65*, *QRA65*, *MSK144*, *WSPR*, *FST4W*, and *Echo*. The
*JT65*, *Q65*, *MSK144*, *WSPR*, *FST4W*, and *Echo*. The
first seven are designed for making reliable QSOs under weak-signal
conditions. They use nearly identical message structure and source
encoding. JT65 and QRA64 were designed for EME ("`moonbounce`") on
the VHF/UHF bands and have also proven very effective for worldwide
QRP communication on the HF bands. QRA64 has some advantages over
JT65, including better performance for EME on the higher microwave
bands. JT9 was originally designed for the HF and lower bands. Its
submode JT9A is 1 dB more sensitive than JT65 while using less than
10% of the bandwidth. JT4 offers a wide variety of tone spacings and
has proven highly effective for EME on microwave bands up to 24 GHz.
These four "`slow`" modes use one-minute timed sequences of
alternating transmission and reception, so a minimal QSO takes four to
six minutes — two or three transmissions by each station, one sending
in odd UTC minutes and the other even. FT8 is operationally similar
but four times faster (15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by
a few dB. FT4 is faster still (7.5 s T/R sequences) and especially
well-suited for radio contesting. FST4 was added to _WSJT-X_ in
version 2.3.0. It is intended especially for use on the LF and MF
bands, and already during its first few months of testing
intercontinental paths have been spanned many times on the 2200 and
630 m bands. Further details can be found in the following section,
<<NEW_FEATURES,New Features in Version 2.3.0>>. On the HF bands,
world-wide QSOs are possible with any of these modes using power
levels of a few watts (or even milliwatts) and compromise antennas.
On VHF bands and higher, QSOs are possible (by EME and other
propagation types) at signal levels 10 to 15 dB below those required
for CW.
encoding. JT65 was designed for EME ("`moonbounce`") on VHF and
higher bands and is mostly used for that purpose today. Q65 replaces
an earlier mode, QRA64; it is particularly effective for tropospheric
scatter, rain scatter, ionospheric scatter, TEP, and EME on VHF and
higher bands, as well as other types of fast-fading signals. JT9 was
originally designed for the HF and lower bands. Its submode JT9A is 1
dB more sensitive than JT65 while using less than 10% of the
bandwidth. JT4 offers a wide variety of tone spacings and has proven
highly effective for EME on microwave bands up to 24 GHz. These four
"`slow`" modes use one-minute timed sequences of alternating
transmission and reception, so a minimal QSO takes four to six minutes
— two or three transmissions by each station, one sending in odd UTC
minutes and the other even. FT8 is operationally similar but four
times faster (15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by a few dB.
FT4 is faster still (7.5 s T/R sequences) and especially well-suited
for radio contesting. FST4 was added to _WSJT-X_ in version 2.3.0.
It is intended especially for use on the LF and MF bands, and already
during its first few months of testing intercontinental paths have
been spanned many times on the 2200 and 630 m bands. Further details
can be found in the following section, <<NEW_FEATURES,New Features in
Version 2.4.0>>. On the HF bands, world-wide QSOs are possible with
any of these modes using power levels of a few watts (or even
milliwatts) and compromise antennas. On VHF bands and higher, QSOs
are possible (by EME, scatter, and other propagation types) at signal
levels 10 to 15 dB below those required for CW.
*MSK144*, and optionally submodes *JT9E-H* are "`fast`"
protocols designed to take advantage of brief signal enhancements from

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@ -60,12 +60,10 @@ or rag-chewing.
=== Auto-Sequencing
The 15-second T/R cycles of FT8 allow only about two seconds to inspect
decoded messages and decide how to reply, which is often not enough.
The slow modes JT4, JT9, JT65, and QRA64 allow nearly 10 seconds
for this task, but operators may find that this is still insufficient
when workload is high, especially on EME. For these reasons a basic
auto-sequencing feature is offered.
The T/R cycles of many _WSJT-X_ modes allow only a few seconds to
inspect decoded messages and decide how to reply. Often this is not
enough time, so for FST4, FT4, FT8, MSK144, and Q65 the program
offers a basic auto-sequencing feature.
Check *Auto Seq* on the main window to enable this feature:
@ -77,7 +75,8 @@ responder to your CQ.
NOTE: When *Auto-Seq* is enabled, the program de-activates *Enable Tx*
at the end of each QSO. It is not intended that _WSJT-X_ should make
fully automated QSOs.
fully automated QSOs. *Auto-sequencing is an operator aid, not an
operator replacement.*
[[CONTEST_MSGS]]
=== Contest Messages
@ -160,7 +159,7 @@ guidelines for contest logging with FT4, FT8, and MSK144:
[[COMP-CALL]]
=== Nonstandard Callsigns
*FT4, FT8, FST4, and MSK144*
*FST4, FT4, FT8, MSK144, and Q65*
Compound callsigns like xx/K1ABC or K1ABC/x and special event
callsigns like YW18FIFA are supported for normal QSOs but not for
@ -196,7 +195,7 @@ the types of information that can be included in a message. It
prevents including your locator in standard messages, which
necessarily impairs the usefulness of tools like PSK Reporter.
*JT4, JT9, JT65, and QRA64*
*JT4, JT9, and JT65*
In the 72-bit modes, compound callsigns are handled in one of two
possible ways:

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@ -1,39 +1,15 @@
[[NEW_FEATURES]]
=== New in Version {VERSION}
_WSJT-X 2.3.0_ introduces *FST4* and *FST4W*, new digital protocols
designed particularly for the LF and MF bands. Decoders for these
modes can take advantage of the very small Doppler spreads present at
these frequencies, even over intercontinental distances. As a
consequence, fundamental sensitivities of FST4 and FST4W are better
than other _WSJT-X_ modes with the same sequence lengths, approaching
the theoretical limits for their rates of information throughput. The
FST4 protocol is optimized for two-way QSOs, while FST4W is for
quasi-beacon transmissions of WSPR-style messages. FST4 and FST4W do
not require the strict, independent phase locking and time
synchronization of modes like EbNaut.
The new modes use 4-GFSK modulation and share common software for
encoding and decoding messages. FST4 offers T/R sequence lengths of
15, 30, 60, 120, 300, 900, and 1800 seconds, while FST4W omits the
lengths shorter than 120 s. Submodes are given names like FST4-60,
FST4W-300, etc., the appended numbers indicating sequence length in
seconds. Message payloads contain either 77 bits, as in FT4, FT8, and
MSK144, or 50 bits for the WSPR-like messages of FST4W. Message
formats displayed to the user are like those in the other 77-bit and
50-bit modes in _WSJT-X_. Forward error correction uses a low density
parity check (LDPC) code with 240 information and parity bits.
Transmissions consist of 160 symbols: 120 information-carrying symbols
of two bits each, interspersed with five groups of eight predefined
synchronization symbols.
*We recommend that on the 2200 and 630 m bands FST4 should replace JT9
for making 2-way QSOs, and FST4W should replace WSPR for propagation
tests*. Operating conventions on these LF and MF bands will
eventually determine the most useful T/R sequence lengths for each
type of operation. We also expect that the 60 second variant of FST4
(FST4-60) will outperform JT9 for DX QSOs on HF bands due, in part,
to the FST4 decoder's ability to use AP decoding for messages received
from a QSO partner. In addition, FST4 provides the added benefits
associated with 77-bit messages and auto-sequencing.
_WSJT-X 2.4.0_ introduces *Q65*, a new digital protocol designed for
minimal two-way QSOs over especially difficult propagation paths. On
paths with Doppler spread more than a few Hz, the weak-signal
performance of Q65 is the best among all WSJT-X modes.
Q65 uses message formats and sequencing identical to those used in
FST4, FT4, FT8, and MSK144. Submodes are provided with a wide variety
of tone spacings and T/R sequence lengths 15, 30, 60, 120, and 300 s.
A new, highly reliable list-decoding technique is used for messages
that contain previously copied message fragments. Message averaging
is provided for situations where single transmissions are too weak or
signal enhancements too sparse for a signal to be decoded.

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@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ TIP: The PC audio mixer normally has two sliders, one for each
conventional JT65 and JT9 sub-bands simultaneously on most HF bands.
Further details are provided in the <<TUTORIAL,Basic Operating
Tutorial>>. A wider displayed bandwidth may also be helpful at VHF
and above, where FT8, JT4, JT65, and QRA64 signals may be found over
and above, where FT8, JT4, JT65, and Q65 signals may be found over
much wider ranges of frequencies.
- If you have only a standard SSB filter you wont be able to display

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@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ higher bands. These features include:
- *JT65*, widely used for EME on VHF and higher bands
- *QRA65*, another mode for EME, also used for tropo-, and
iono-scatter propagation on VHF and higher bands
- *Q65*, for propagation modes including tropospheric scatter, rain
scatter, ionospheric scatter, TEP, and EME
- *MSK144*, for meteor scatter
@ -175,9 +175,13 @@ RO, RRR, and 73.
image::JT65B.png[align="center",alt="JT65B"]
=== QRA64
=== Q65
QRA64 is designed for EME on VHF and higher bands; its
Q65 is designed for propagation paths that produce signals exhibiting fast
fading, including tropospheric scatter, rain scatter, ionospheric scatter,
trans-equatorial propagation (TEP), and EME.
EME on VHF and higher bands; its
operation is generally similar to JT4 and JT65. The following screen
shot shows an example of a QRA64C transmission from DL7YC recorded at
G3WDG over the EME path at 24 GHz. Doppler spread on the path was 78
@ -186,7 +190,7 @@ broadened enough to make them hard to see on the waterfall. The
triangular red marker below the frequency scale shows that the decoder
has achieved synchronization with a signal at approximately 967 Hz.
image::QRA64.png[align="center",alt="QRA64"]
image::Q65_6m_ionoscatter.png[align="center",alt="QRA64"]
The QRA64 decoder makes no use of a callsign database. Instead, it
takes advantage of _a priori_ (AP) information such as one's own