From 90164b0e33fd241c0f8c080de18feea740a6e850 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Joe Taylor Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:30:06 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Added wsjt_changelog.txt, it should probably be in the repository. git-svn-id: svn+ssh://svn.code.sf.net/p/wsjt/wsjt/branches/wsjtx@3220 ab8295b8-cf94-4d9e-aec4-7959e3be5d79 --- wsjtx_changelog.txt | 661 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 661 insertions(+) create mode 100644 wsjtx_changelog.txt diff --git a/wsjtx_changelog.txt b/wsjtx_changelog.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..a0e03cc65 --- /dev/null +++ b/wsjtx_changelog.txt @@ -0,0 +1,661 @@ + WSJT-X ChangeLog +------------------------------------------------------------------ + +WSJT-X is in an active stage of development. It's likely that in +coming weeks there will be frequent updates with new features as well +as bug fixes. User input is greatly appreciated. The best place for +suggestions, bug reports, and requests for help is +wsjtgroup@yahoogroups.com, which you are welcome to join. + +April 25, 2013: v0.9, r3219 +--------------------------- + +1. Bi-directionsl CAT control re-established using calls to hamlib +functions. Display dial frequency highlighted with red background if +frequency differs from nominal for the selected band by more than 10 +kHz. (Is there a more useful or logical condition to flag?) CAT +control diagnostics are presently rather rudimentary, we're still +working on this. + +2. Three new controls on Setup | Configuration screen: + - RTS/DTR OFF -- needed by K2 and maybe other radios + - Test CAT Control -- try settings before returning to main screen + - Test PTT -- try settings for toggling PTT On/Off + +3. Option "Setup | Advanced | Allow multiple instances" enables the + use of more than one instance of WSJT-X. (The program must be + copied and run from different directories.) + +4. Posts to PSK Reporter are suppressed if band was changed during the +reception period. + +5. Tune button On/Off action was improved. + +6. Improved inter-process communication between WSJT-X and JT-Alert-X. + +7. Better interaction between "Report" spinner control and Tx messages. + +8. Removed the NB checkbox and slider. (Has anyone found these useful?) + +9. New buttons on main window: "Tx=Rx" sets Tx frequency to current Rx +frequency; "Rx=Tx" does the opposite. + +10. Finally: a bug causing occasional, seemingly unpredictable program +crashes has been fixed. + +April 17, 2013: v0.9, r3195 +--------------------------- +1. Sorry, the CAT control changes in r3187/3188 were a dismal failure +in many stations, and they introduced other bugs as well. This revision +goes back to uni-directional CAT control: the program can set the +radio's dial frequency and do T/R switching, but that's all. The band +setting is not reset on program startup. + +2. Logic for the Tune button has been corrected. + +3. For Linux compile-it-yourself enthusiasts: the interface to +PSK Reporter is now working undel Linux. + +April 16, 2013: v0.9, r3188 +--------------------------- + +1. CAT control now reads and follows changes in radio's dial +frequency. Readout gets red highlighting if radio is on wrong band. +On program restart, band is reset to the last selected band. + +2. New "Tune" button generates an unmodulated carrier. Toggle button +a second time to turn Tx off. + +3. Added labels at top of "Tab 2" and enlarged the text entry fields. + +4. Fixed the broken logic for "Runaway Tx watchdog". + +5. Fixed "Prompt me to log QSO" so that it no longer requires also +setting "ID after 73". + +6. Additional changes of (eventual) interest to Linux users. Code for +sending spots to PSK Reporter now in place. + +April 13, 2013: v0.9, r3166 +--------------------------- +1. Option to send Tx messages (highlighted in yellow) to the QSO window. + +2. Prevent starting a transmission more than 24 sec into a Tx period. + +3. "Setup | Options" changed to "Setup | Configuration". + +4. Type Alt-V to save the most recently completed Rx file. + +5. Fixed bug that truncated Rx messages to 16 characters. + +6. Internal program changes that should provide better user diagnostics +when necessary at program startup. + +April 11, 2013: v0.9, r3157 +--------------------------- +1. Maximum size of several window areas increased to accommodate system +fonts set larger than default. + +2. New behavior of Erase button: click once to erase the left (QSO) window, +twice to erase both decoded text windows. + +3. Keyboard shortcuts: + Alt-D: decode again at QSO frequency (same as clicking the Decode() button) + Shift-D: do another full decode in both windows + Alt-E: Erase() + Ctrl-F: Edit the free text message box + Alt-H: Halt Tx() + Alt M: Monitor() + Alt-N: Enable Tx() + Alt-Q: Log QSO() + Alt-S: Stop() + +4. New Setup options: "Tx disabled after sending 73" and "Runaway Tx +watchdog". + +5. Fixed bug in saving the "report received" for logging purposes. + +6. Corrected the logic for "Runaway Tx watchdog". + +7. Fixed bug that truncated characters 17 and 18 of decoded messages. + +April 10, 2013: v0.9, r3151 +--------------------------- +1. Blank line between decoding periods is now in the right-hand +text window, where it should be. +2. Decoding range defined by fMin and fMax is now enforced. + +April 9, 2013: v0.9, r3143 +-------------------------- +This minor release restores the decoding speed of earlier revisions +and corrects a bug that prevented sending CW ID. + +April 9, 2013: v0.9, r3142 +-------------------------- + +This version of WSJT-X has a number of significant changes. Please +read the following notes carefully. Also -- even if you are already +familiar with WSJT-X -- be sure to read the updated WSJT-X User's +Guide at +http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT-X_Users_Guide.pdf , +especially pages 3 and 4. + +Changes since v0.8 r3118 include the following: + +1. There are now two scrolling windows for decoded text. The left +window contains decodes only from close to the designated QSO +frequency. The right window includes signals over the full decoding +range. + +2. An alternative set of controls is now available for generating and +selecting Tx messages. Some may find these more convenient to use +than the Tx1 through Tx6 message boxes. + +3. A number of new user options are available on the Setup menu: + - Blank line between decoding periods (right window only) + - Clear DX Call and DX Grid after logging QSO + - Display distances in miles + - Runaway Tx watchdog + - Background colors for left window + - Double-click on decoded message sets Tx Enable + +4. New or changed on-screen features + - "Tol" replaced by fMin and fMax on waterfall screen (see User's Guide) + - Spinner control for signal report + - On waterfall scale: green marker for Rx freq, red for Tx. blue + for decoding range + +5. New behavior + - "CQ DX" is now treated properly when decoded line is double-clicked + - Message formate for compound callsigns (e.g., PJ4/K1ABC, G4XYZ/P) + are now handled correctly. (Some restrictions apply, and will + be spelled out in the completed User's Guide.) + - Decode button now causes a decode only at the specified Rx frequency. + - Click on waterfall spectrum sets Rx freq; double-click also invokes + decoder (as though Decode button had been clicked). CTRL-click moves + both Rx and Tx freqs. + - Amplitude at end of transmission is ramped down to prevent a final + key click. + +6. The following bugs have been fixed: + - Logic error in decoder + - Certain non-standard Tx messages could cause a program crash. + - Certain (rarely used) messages did not pack/unpack correctly + +April 2, 2013: v0.8, r3118 +-------------------------- +1. Improved interface to program JT-Alert, by VK3AMA. + +2. The LogQSO confirmation dialog no longer blocks the GUI updating + process. + +3. A blank line with gray background separates the decoded text lines for + each new invocation of the decoder. + +4. New suggested default frequencies: 5.357, 18.104, and 24.918 MHz. + Be sure to edit these entries on the 'Default Frequencies' tab of the + Setup screen. (When you have done this once, the new values will be + remembered.) + +5. The LogQSO button now does nothing is the 'DX call' entry field is + blank. + +6. Several minor bugs were fixed. + + +March 27, 2013: v0.8, r3113 +--------------------------- +1. Bug fix: VOX control of T/R switching now works. + +2. Potentially useful error messages now appear when CAT control + has failed. + +3. Added an instruction on the Log QSO confirmation screen. + +4. Clear the DXcall and DXgrid entries after logging a QSO. + +March 26, 2013: v0.8, r3112 +--------------------------- + +Edson Pereira, PY2SDR, recently became an active contributor to this +open-source project. Edson and I have been very busy over the past +few days! WSJT-X revision 3112 has many changes and new features. + +1. The GUI layout has been adjusted and optimized. + +2. CAT control is now operational, offering optional control of your + radio's dial frequency and T/R status. Go to the Setup | Options + window to select the necessary parameters. + +3. CW ID has been implemented. You can have your ID sent after a fixed + time interval, or automatically when you transmit a "73" or free + text message. + +4. Default dial frequencies are available for each band on a new tab + on the Setup | Options window. Please note: some of these + frequencies are probably wrong! You can edit them as needed. + (Please let us know if the original values are inconsistent with + actual practice on any band.) + +5. Several new options appear on the Setup menu. Try them! + +6. Azimuth and Distance information is displayed whenever a valid grid + locator appears in the "Dx Grid" box. + +7. The decoder has again been adjusted for better compromise between + sensitivity and decoding time. + +8. The User's Guide is out of date, and needs work. We hope to get to + that task soon. + +9. Very important for some would-be users: WSJT-X now runs properly + under Linux. We haven't made a package yet, so for now you must + compile your own. If you don't know how, we hope to be set up + to make packages before too long. + +10. If you know someone who might be interested in contributing to the + development of WSJT-X and related projects, please send him/her + our way! We're especially looking for someone interested in + producing packaged Linux distributions -- for example, *.deb or + *.rpm packages, but other programming help is also wanted. + +As always: please report bugs, and don't be bashful about sending us +your feature requests! + +March 22, 2013: v0.7, r3071 +--------------------------- +1. Correct a bug that (still) allowed display of previous decodes +when nothing new was decoded. + +2. Add a user confirmation screen activated when you click Log QSO. +This lets you edit or add information before it is written to the +ADIF file. + +3. Tx message macros and now available. Configure them on the Setup +window. They are invoked as a pop-up menu by right-clicking on the +Tx5 message window; then select the desired message by left-clicking +on the desired message. + +March 20, 2013: v0.7, r3063 +--------------------------- +1. Add Frequency to the generated ADIF records. + +2. Correct a decoder bug that led to duplication of previous output +when nothing new was decoded. + +March 19, 2013: v0.7, r3061 +--------------------------- +1. Allow Windows COM port numbers up to 99. + +2. Replace status files wsjtx_qrg.txt and wsjtx_txcall.txt with +a single file, wsjtx_status.txt. + +3. Combine wsjtx_rx.log and wsjtx_tx.log into a single file ALL.TXT. + +4. "Log QSO" now writes a file in ADIF format. + +5. Starting to implement popup macros for Tx message #5. + +6. Big improvement in decoding speed. + +*** More changes to come! Please report any problems, especially +*** with the ADIF-format log. + +March 12, 2013: v0.6, r3046 +--------------------------- +1. Decoded calls can now be uploaded to the PSK Reporter web site. +Check the box "Enable PSK Reporter" on the Setup screen, and go to +http://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html to see the spots. Be sure to +enter your "Dial Frequency (MHz)" at lower right of the Wide Graph +window. (Rig control features are yet to come...) + +2. Added some interfaces to permit use with the program JT-Alert, +by VK3AMA. Look for this capability in the near future. + +March 6, 2013: v0.5, r3038 +-------------------------- +1. Selection of Current/Cumulative/JT9Sync for the 2d spectral display +changed to a combobox. + +2. Double-click on decoded text does not change frequency settings +if first decoded call is MyCall. + +March 1, 2013: v0.5, r3026 +-------------------------- +1. The horizontal scale of 2d spectra (e.g., the "red curve") is now +correct when the user has selected FFT Bins/Pixel > 1. + +2. Double-clicking on a decoded text line now selects the second +callsign independent of exactly where one has clicked on the line. +In addition, it sets the selected frequencies (both Tx and Rx) to +the frequency of the decoded transmission. + +December 11, 2012: v0.5, r2791 +------------------------------ +1. Messages of the form "CQ DX K1ABC" are now supported. + +November 30, 2012: v0.5, r2788 +------------------------------ +1. A bug was introduced when support for positive signal reports was +added. It could cause a program crash when certain free-text messages +were composed for transmission. The bug has been fixed. + +2. In the slower JT9 sub-modes, the UTC listed on decoded text lines +has been changed to the start time of the Rx sequence, rather than the +time of the final minute. + +3. The waterfall's "Auto Zero" button had no function, and has been +removed. + +4. In previous revisions the installer put a number of DLLs into +the Windows system directory, normally C:\Windows\System32. This +revision installs the DLLs to the WSJT-X installation directory. + + +November 29, 2012: v0.5, r2786 +------------------------------ +1. In r2783, the companion program jt9.exe (started automatically when +you start WSJT-X) was a CPU hog for no good reason. This was an +oversight on my part, and the bug has been corrected. + +2. The program should now run correctly if installed in a directory +whose name contains embedded spaces. (Under Vista and Win7, however, +it's still not a good idea to install WSJT-X into C:\Program Files, +because of restricted write permissions there.) + +3. In r2783 and earlier, stopping a transmission by toggling to "Auto +OFF" would terminate Tx audio and release PTT almost simultaneously, +possibly hot-switching your T/R relay(s). This has been corrected so +that proper sequencing takes place. + + +November 28, 2012: v0.5, r2783 +------------------------------ +This revision has an unusually large number of changes relative to the +previous release, v0.4 r2746. These changes include: + +1. PTT control via COM ports COM10 and higher is enabled. + +2. Improved decoder performance: higher speed as well as better +chances of success. Moderate amounts of frequency drift are detected +and compensated. Computed S/N values are more reliable. Time offsets +from -2.5 to +5 s are now supported, which makes JT9 usable for EME. +(EME tests on 144 MHz have been successful, and performance on that +propagation mode appears to be good.) + +3. Tx Frequency now tracks the selected QSO Frequency (unless you hold +down the CTRL key when setting QSO Frequency via mouse-clicks or the +F11/F12 keys). + +4. Decoded text containing "CQ " is highlighted with green background; +text including "MyCall" is highlighted in red. + +5. In previous versions, signal reports were required to be in the +range -30 to -01 dB. In v0.5 r2782 the range has been extended to -50 +to +49 dB. There is backward compatibility for the range -30 to -01, +but reports in the range -50 to -31 and 0 to +49 will NOT be decoded +correctly by previous program versions. It is important to upgrade! + +6. Items "Save Synced" and "Save Decoded" are now implemented. + +7. UTC Date, JT9 submode, and a parameter related to the decoding +procedure are now included in file wsjtx_rx.log. + +8. Editing of Tx messages (in any of the six Tx message boxes) is +complete when you hit "Tab" or "Return". The message is then parsed +and converted to the form in which it will be displayed if decoding is +successful. Free-text messages are trimmed to 13 characters and +highlighted with a pink background. + +9. The most recent transmitted message is displayed in the right-most +label on the status bar. This can be useful if you have lost track of +where you were in a QSO. + +10. By default, the program now starts with Monitor ON. An option on +the Setup menu allows you to select "Monitor OFF at startup". + +11. Better scaling is provided for the red "JT9 Sync" curve. Note +that JT9 signals in the active sub-mode should appear in this plot as +a bump of width equal to the total signal bandwidth, with a narrow and +slightly higher bump at the left edge. The narrow bump is the +frequency of the Sync tone, which is defined as the nominal frequency +of the JT9 signal. + +12. Basic QSO information is now written to file wsjt.log when you +click the "Log QSO" button. + +13. The WSJT-X User's Guide has been updated. + +14. Other known bugs have been fixed. There will probably be new +ones! When you find one, or if you know of any old ones that have NOT +been fixed, please send me email. + +Summary of Present Status +---------------------------------------------------------------------- +I believe that WSJT-X is now a stable and very usable program. Many +thousands of QSOs have been made with JT9-1, mostly at HF -- I have +made nearly 100, myself. Also a number of QSOs have also been +completed at MF, and successful tests have been made on 2m EME, etc. +A number of QSOs have also been made with JT9-2. + +As far as I know the slower modes (JT9-5, JT9-10, and JT9-30) also +work correctly. (Certainly they do in my laboratory test setup.) +Most people will find these modes too slow for "everyday" use, and +they require high frequency stability. It remains to be seen whether +they will be widely used. + +An alternative approach to obtaining improved sensitivity would be to +give the decoder an ability to average over several successive +transmissions. For example, the average of five JT9-1 transmissions +could reach a decoding threshold around -32 dB, only 2 dB worse than a +single JT9-5 transmission. Because of QSB, the shorter transmissions +may actually succeed in less total time. Stability requirements would +be those of JT9-1, much less stringent than those of JT9-5. + +Program development is not finished, by any means. I will be grateful +for your feedback on performance issues, as well as your "wish-list" +of features to be added. As always, example recordings of files that +you think should have decoded, but did not, will be much appreciated. + +November 16, 2012: v0.4, r2746 +------------------------------ + +Changes from v0.4 r2731 include the following: + +1. Valid signal reports are now generated by double-clicking on a +callsign in the decoded text window. + +2. Consecutive spaces in a Tx message are now collapsed into a single +space. + +3. Decoding speed is much improved, especially when strong (possibly +non-JT9) signals are present and "Tol" is set to a relatively large +value. + +4. Scaling of the "JT9 Sync" plot (red curve) is more reasonable. + +5. Layout of widgets on the main window has been improved. + +6. Several minor bug fixes. + +November 14, 2012: v0.4, r2731 +------------------------------ + +A number of known bugs have been fixed, and the JT9 decoder is +significantly improved. Among other improvements, the program is now +much less fussy about timing issues. + +November 6, 2012: v0.3, r2717 +------------------------------ + +Changes from r2713 include the following: + +1. A bug in the decoder that led to erratic behavior (failed decodes) +under certain conditions has been corrected. Decoding is now much +more reliable. + +2. A valid algorithm is now used to calculate S/N values for received +JT9 signals. + +3. The header format of recorded *.wav files has been corrected. +These files will now play correctly in Windows programs that expect +the standard header. + +November 6, 2012: v0.2, r2713 +------------------------------ + +Changes from r2711 include the following: + +1. Updates to the Quick-Start User's Guide, +http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT-X_Users_Guide.pdf + +2. Double-click on waterfall now sets Tol to a reduced +(mode-dependent) value. + +3. Tol is saved and restored on program restart. + +4. A "digital gain" slider was added next to the green-bar audio level +indicator. With the slider at mid-range, the scale reads correctly in +dB above the least significant bit of 16-bit audio data. + +5. There is now a test that rejects at least one type of data that is +sufficiently corrupt to cause Eddie's best friend, the message +"15P6715P67WCV". + +6. Several minor tweaks to improve decoder performance. + +7. The program now starts with Monitor OFF. You must click Monitor to +start accepting audio. For some types of testing, this may be an +advantage. This startup condition may be changed again, in the +future. + +October 31, 2012: v0.2, r2711 +----------------------------- + +Three significant changes since r2706: + +1. Three options are now provided on the "Decode" menu, controlling +the "depth" of the decoding process. For most purposes I suggest you +should use "Normal", but feel free to experiment with the others. + +2. Decoding of multiple signals in one Rx interval has been improved. + +3. Handling of strong signals has been improved. + +October 309, 2012: v0.2, r2706 +------------------------------ + +Changes since r2702 include the following: + +1. The problem with "ghost" signals is fixed. + +2. A problem causing very long decode times under certain +circumstances has been fixed. Please note: decode times on any recent +PC should no more than a few seconds! + +3. I have re-directed the program's fatal error messages so they will +be sent to the command-prompt window from which you started the +program. Please send me full reports on any such messages you observe, +preferably with details on how to reproduce the problem. + +######################################################################### + +Some additional information ... + +1. Yes, the JT9 modes require good stability in all system +oscillators. The present JT9 bdecoder does not attempt to track +frequency drifts. Such capability will be added, however. We have +been using digital modes for EME for nearly ten years now, at 144 MHz +and higher. There are more than 1000 WSJT users on EME, using all +kinds of rige. We have learned how to deal with reasonable rates of +drift. Surely if we can do these things at VHF, we can do them much +more easily at MF and LF. + +2. If you're sure that you have seen degraded JT9 performance because +of frequency stability issues, don't just complain on the LF +reflector. Document your case and send me an example file with a +drifting JT9 signal. Making WSJT-X and JT9 better is partly YOUR +responsibility! + +3. In other ways as well, test files are needed. I can make many +tests myself, but I can't foresee all the problems others will have. +That's what the "Save All" function is for! In these early tests, +always run with "Save All" checked, just in case you will want to +refer back to something that happened. You may want to send me the +file in question. You can always clean out your "Save" directory by +using "File | Delete all *.wav files in SaveDir". I need good +examples of signals that fail to decode for any unknown reason. Also +some good examples of atmospheric or other impulsive noise, for +testing the noise blanker. + +4. I have added a page of "Hints for New Users" to the online WSJT-X +User's Guide, +http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT-X_Users_Guide.pdf . +Please read it! ... and let me know if you find other operational +details of WSJT-X that need explanation. This will likely be +especially true for those not already familiar with older versions of +WSJT. + +5. An operational suggestion: In many ways the different JT9 submodes +are treated as distinct modes. If you receive a JT9-x signal in a +different submode than the one you have selected, you won't decode +it. For this reason, if JT9 is to become popular we'll probably need +to choose one or two of the submodes for general use, and perhaps +assign a narrow slice of the band to each one. Note that "message +averaging" in the Rx software can make two or three JT9-2 +transmissions as good as one JT9-5 transmission, with the advantage +that you will copy sooner if signals are better than required for +JT9-5. Message averaging is not yet present in the JT9 decoder... but +in future it can be. Again, we have dealt with such issues very +effectively on EME -- and can do so at MF/LF, for sure. + +6. On the topic of CW, Beacons, WSPR, JT9, etc. I really don't +understand what all the fuss is about. Surely there is room for +everybody? Maybe I'm just too new here to understand? (Mal, is this +mostly just a matter of "Mal being Mal"???) + +On the HF bands, the WSPR sub-band is just 200 Hz wide. If we did the +same on 630 m, the WSPR sub-band would take up less than 3% of the 7 +kHz band. If that's too much, we could cut it in half, or even less, +and still have enough WSPR space. Moreover, a "slow WSPR", if +warranted, would require even less bandwidth. Similar comments apply +to JT9. The bandwidth of JT9 signals is significantly less than that +of CW, for comparable information rates. There should be enough +spectrum for both, even in our narrow MF and LF bands. + +7. As for performance comparisons between JT9 and WSPR: WSPR is a +mature program, and its decoder has been optimized and tweaked over a +period approaching five years. You are playing with JT9 in infancy. +With help (as opposed to simple complaints) from users, it will +improve rapidly. + +October 29, 2012: v0.2, r2702 +----------------------------- +Changes since version 0.1, r2696 include the following: + +1. Sample rate for audio output has been changed from 12000 to 48000 +Hz. Tx audio may now be generated at any frequency from 500 to 20000 +Hz. + +2. The Decoder now tries to decode all synchronizable signals in the +"green zone", that is, within "Tol" Hz of the selected QSO +frequency. (Before, by default it decoded only the signal producing +the highest "sync" value. Other signals could be decoded by manually +setting the QSO frequency and reducing Tol as needed.) + +3. The user's selected QSO Frequency is now saved and restored on +program restart. + +4. The problem with re-initialization after changing sub-modes has +been fixed. + +5. The problem (for some users) of not releasing PTT after end of a +transmission has been fixed. + +6. The program now writes a log of all decodes to a file wsjtx_rx.log +in the wsjtx directory. + + +October 25, 2012: v0.1, r2695 +----------------------------- +Initial version of WSJT-X (experimental WSJT) released for testing.