diff --git a/doc/user_guide/en/make-qso.adoc b/doc/user_guide/en/make-qso.adoc index 4e6b65db3..fb3ed4110 100644 --- a/doc/user_guide/en/make-qso.adoc +++ b/doc/user_guide/en/make-qso.adoc @@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ 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. +[[CONTEST_MSGS]] === Contest Messages The new FT4, FT8, and MSK144 protocols support special messages optimized @@ -105,12 +106,17 @@ place of RRR, and the final 73 is optional. CQ TEST G4ABC IO91 G4ABC PA9XYZ JO22 - PA9XYZ 570123 IO91NP - G4ABC R 580071 JO22DB + 570123 IO91NP + R 580071 JO22DB PA9XYZ G4ABC RR73 Either callsign (or both) may have /P appended. +IMPORTANT: Messages conveying signal reports, QSO serial numbers, and +6-character locators have been changed in _WSJT-X v2.2_ and are *NOT* +compatible with the formats used in earlier program versions. Be sure +to upgrade _WSJT-X_ if you will use *EU VHF Contest* messages. + *ARRL Field Day* CQ FD K1ABC FN42 diff --git a/doc/user_guide/en/new_features.adoc b/doc/user_guide/en/new_features.adoc index 2b8efe4c4..fc44dccab 100644 --- a/doc/user_guide/en/new_features.adoc +++ b/doc/user_guide/en/new_features.adoc @@ -1,15 +1,81 @@ === New in Version {VERSION} -The most important feature added to _WSJT-X_ since Version 2.0.1 is -the new *FT4 protocol*, designed especially for radio contesting. It -has T/R sequence length 7.5 s, bandwidth 80 Hz, and threshold -sensitivity -17.5 dB. Version 2.1.0 also has improvements to FT8 -waveform generation, waterfall and spectrum display, contest logging, -rig control, the user interface, keyboard shortcuts, UDP messaging for -inter-program communication, and accessibility, as well as a number of -more minor enhancements and bug fixes. We now provide a separate -installation package for 64-bit Windows Vista and later, offering -significant improvements in decoding speed. +*Improvements to decoders* + +*FT4:* Corrected bugs that prevented AP (_a priori_) decoding and/or +multi-pass decoding in some circumstances. Improved the algorithm for +AP decoding. + +*FT8:* Decoding is now spread over three intervals. The first starts +11.8 s into an Rx sequence and typically yields around 85% of the +possible decodes, so you see all of these decodes much earlier than +before. A second processing step starts at 13.5 s, and the final one +at 14.7 s. Overall decoding yield on the most crowded bands is +improved by 10% or more. Systems with receive latency greater than +0.2 s will see smaller improvements, but will still see many decodes +earlier than before. In FT8 DXpedition Mode, AP decoding is now +implemented for Hounds when the Fox has a compound callsign. + +SNR estimates no longer saturate at +20 dB, and large signals in the +passband no longer cause the SNR of weaker signals to be biased low. +Times written to cumulative journal file ALL.TXT are now correct even +when the decode occurs after the T/R sequence boundary. + +*JT4:* Formatting and display of averaged and Deep Search decodes has +been cleaned up and made consistent with other modes used for EME and +extreme weak-signal work at VHF and above. + +*JT65:* Many improvements have been made for averaged and Deep Search +decodes and their display to the user. For details see <> +in the <> section. + +*WSPR:* Significant improvements have been made to the WSPR decoder's +sensitivity, its ability to cope with many signals in a crowded +sub-band, and its rate of undetected false decodes. We now use up to +three decoding passes. Passes 1 and 2 use noncoherent demodulation of +single symbols and allow for frequency drifts up to ±4 Hz in a +transmission. Pass 3 assumes no drift and does coherent block +detection of up to three symbols. It also applies bit-by-bit +normalization of the single-symbol bit metrics, which has proven +helpful for signals corrupted by artifacts of the subtraction of +stronger signals and also for LF/MF signals heavily contaminated by +lightning transients. With these improvements the number of decodes in a +crowded WSPR sub-band typically increases by 10 to 15%. + +*New message format:* When *EU VHF Contest* is selected, the Tx2 and +Tx3 messages -- those conveying signal report, serial number, and +6-character locator -- now use hashcodes for both callsigns . This +change is not backward compatible with earlier versions of _WSJT-X_. +See <> for details. + +*New modes FT4W and FT4S* are now available for use with extremely +weak signals on the LF and MF bands. + +*FT4W* behaves like WSPR but uses different schemes for coding and +modulation. On the AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise) channel and +with 2-minute T/R sequences, FT4W is about 1.5 dB more sensitive than +WSPR, even with the enhanced decoder outlined above. With 5-minute +T/R sequences FT4W reaches a threshold sensitivity close to -37 dB. + +*FT4S* is desighned for 2-way QSOs on the 620 amd 2200 m bands. It +uses the same message formats as FT4, FT8, and MSK144, but different +coding and modulation and much slower T/R sequences lasting 2 minutes. +We intend FT4S to be a replacement for JT9 on the LF and MF bands. + +*Minor enhancements and bug fixes* + +- *Save None* now writes no .wav files to disk, even temporarily. + +- An explicit entry *WW Digi Contest* has been added to *Special + operating activities* on the *Settings | Advanced* tab. + +- The contest mode FT4 now always uses RR73 for the Tx4 message. + +- *Keyboard shortcuts* have been added as an aid to accessibility: +*Alt+R* sets Tx4 message to RR73, *Ctrl+R* sets it to RRR. + +- The *Status bar* now displays the number of decodes found in the +most recent Rx sequence. === Documentation Conventions @@ -34,6 +100,5 @@ your interests known to the development team. The project's source-code repository can be found at {devrepo}, and communication among the developers takes place on the email reflector {devmail}. Bug reports and suggestions for new features, improvements to the -_WSJT-X_ User Guide, etc., may also be sent to the {wsjt_yahoo_group} -email reflector. You must join the relevant group before posting to -either email list. +_WSJT-X_ User Guide, etc., may be sent there as well. You must join +the group before posting to the email list. diff --git a/doc/user_guide/en/vhf-features.adoc b/doc/user_guide/en/vhf-features.adoc index b16842112..88ec55db8 100644 --- a/doc/user_guide/en/vhf-features.adoc +++ b/doc/user_guide/en/vhf-features.adoc @@ -1,6 +1,5 @@ -_WSJT-X_ v{VERSION_MAJOR}.{VERSION_MINOR} supports a number of -features designed for use on the VHF and higher bands. These features -include: +_WSJT-X_ supports a number of features designed for use on the VHF and +higher bands. These features include: - *FT8*, a mode designed for making fast QSOs with weak, fading signals @@ -155,6 +154,7 @@ QSO using submode JT4F. image::JT4F.png[align="center",alt="JT4F"] +[[VHF_JT65]] === JT65 In many ways JT65 operation on VHF and higher bands is similar to HF