Fast Modes in WSJT-X -------------------- ####################################################################### IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT Third-party individuals (i.e., others not part of the WSJT development team) have been compiling WSJT-X from the open source code and making unauthorized "releases" of their builds. I do NOT reccommend use of unauthorized builds on the air. If a program revision has been released in an official way, you will see it listed here. If you operate with an unauthorized "rXXXX" code revisions in our experimental code branch you have no idea what you've got. Quite possibly, the program was built from an intermediate temporary "save" of various files, and was not even supposed to produce a usable program. Your observetions about what works or does not work are then worse than useless -- they waste your time and ours. So please, PLEASE, *PLEASE*: use *authorized*, "released* revisions of this still-in-development software, like the revisions described here. *ALSO:* If you choose to try an experimental release of JTMSK, please accept the responsibility of reporting on your results. You can send reports to the "wsjtgroup" reflector, wsjtgroup@yahoogroups.com, or email them directly to me. All suggestions for improvements are welcome! Bug reports should include details on how to reproduce the undesirable program behavior. Reports on decoding performance are especially useful when accompanied by example *.wav files with signals that you think should have decoded, but did not. ####################################################################### September 18, 2015 ----------------- New alpha release of experimental WSJT-X v1.6.1, r5910 ------------------------------------------------------ Changes since revision 5889 include the following: 1. Improved behavior for auto-QSY with "CQ nnn ..." feature. (May not be exactly correct, yet, for all radios. Please report if you find problems with your rig.) 2. Allow optional use of Wide Graph in fast modes. 3. Add UTC labels to Fast Graph spectrograms. 4. Display correct DXCC entiry for "CQ nnn ..." messages. 5. Implement "Save Decoded" for fast modes. 6. Select Tx6 when "CQ Rx nnn" is enabled. 7. Fix bug in setting of TRperiod after switch to ISCAT mode. 8. Display proper symbol '&' in Tx messages in JTMSK mode. To download this alpha release for Windows, paste the following link into your browser: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-1.6.1-r5910-win32.exe -- 73, Joe, K1JT ####################################################################### September 12, 2015 ----------------- New alpha release of experimental WSJT-X v1.6.1, r5889 ------------------------------------------------------ A principal new feature in this release is designed to promote the use of an agreed "calling frequency" for transmissions of the form CQ 265 K1ABC FN42 signifying that K1ABC will listen for replies on 50.265 (or 144.265, or whatever) and will complete the QSO there. The feature uses the rig-control features of WSJT-X to handle the necessary frequency switching. ########################################################################## Changes since revision 5865 include the following: 1. New features that allow automatic rig control when you transmit or respond to messages of the form "CQ 265 K1ABC FN42" on an agreed calling frequency. This feature should be especially useful for meteor scatter. 2. Yellow-highlighted "Tx" messages in the right text window are now properly labeled with 6-digit UTC (hhmmss) in all fast modes. 3. Fixed a bug (introduced in r5865) that inhibited transmitting in JT4 mode. 4. Fixed a bug that caused Wide Graph to continue issuing green separator lines at short (e.g. 15 s) intervals after you have switched to a slow mode. 5. Fixed several more GUI appearance bugs associated with changing modes or submodes. 6. Fixed a bug in which double-clicking on the Fast Graph could cause program crashes. 7. Fixed a bug that sometimes caused "high tones" to be emitted in JTMSK mode. ####################################################################### Here's a brief description of how to use the "CQ nnn ..." features. 1. On program startup, go to the Settings | General tab and tick the box labeled 'Rx frequency offset with "CQ nnn ..."' 2. Select JTMSK mode and 50.280 (or your some other agreed calling frequency) from the drop-down band menu. Remember that this menu is not pre-populated with preferred frequencies for all modes on all bands. Use Settings | Frequencies to add your desired modes and frequencies to the list. 3. Tick the unlabeled checkbox just under the "Report: spinner to activate the "CQ Rx nnn" spinner. Set this control to your desired QSO frequency in kHz above the nominal band edge. On 6 meters, for example, "265" means "50.265". 4. Your transceiver dial frequency should now show 50.265. Changes to the "CQ Rx nnn" spinner value should be reflected immediately in the transceiver dial frequency, the displayed value on the WSJT-X main screen, and in Tx message #6, the "CQ nnn... " message. 5. When you transmit the Tx6 message, the Tx frequency will be set at the calling frequency. Otherwise (when receiving, or when transmitting any of the messages Tx1 through Tx5) the offset frequency (50.265 in my example) will be used. 6. If you double-click on a received "CQ nnn ..." message on the calling frequency, your rig will QSY to specified response frequency, e.g. 50.265, for both Rx and Tx. 7. To go back to listening on the calling frequency, uncheck the box that activated the "CQ Rx nnn" spinner. ####################################################################### Fair warning: I have not yet tested all possible combinations of "Split Operation" configuration (i.e., "None", "Rig", and "Fake it"). If you normally use Split operation, that should be OK for the "CQ nnn ..." feature. As always, please report any bugs that you find in r5889, including pertinent details on your settings and the exact series of steps required to reproduce the bug. To download this alpha release for Windows, paste the following link into your browser: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-1.6.1-r5889-win32.exe -- 73, Joe, K1JT ####################################################################### New alpha release of experimental WSJT-X v1.6.1, r5865 ------------------------------------------------------ This alpha release of WSJT-X includes major improvements to the JTMSK decoder. Changes since revision 5823 include the following: 1. On-screen controls labeled "Rx nnnn Hz" and "F Tol" (Rx frequency and tolerance) now function as expected in JTMSK mode. The frequency search range can be up to 500 Hz, but note that sensitivity is necessarily reduced for signals off frequency by more than about 250 Hz. Normally you should leave Rx Freq set at 1500 Hz; suitable values for F Tol are 100 to 500 Hz. 2. The JTMSK decoder now makes good use of strong, short pings (as short as 0.1 s) as well as weak pings several times longer. 3. Improved calculation of S/N and frequency of decoded signals. 4. Unified appearance of window titles on all non-modal windows. 5. CW ID is disabled (for now, at least) when operating in any of the WSJT fast modes. 6. In WSPR mode, display of "Receiving ... " messages is disabled when band-hopping is not in use. 7. Fixed several bugs affecting status and visibility of certain on-screen controls after changes in operating mode. 8. Fixed a bug allowing display of duplicate decodes for the same signal. 9. Fixed a bug preventing compilation on 64-bit systems, and cleaned up some harmless compiler warnings. ####################################################################### Summary Description of JTMSK Protocol JTMSK uses the same standard message structure as slow modes JT4, JT9, and JT65. User information is "source encoded" to 72 bits. A 15-bit CRC is appended and a convolutional code with constraint length K=13 and rate r=1/2 is applied, making a total of (72+15+12)*2 = 198 information bits. Three copies of the "Barker-11" code and three even-parity bits are added for synchronization, making a total of 198+33+3 = 234 channel symbols. Modulation uses a constant-envelope, continuous-phase "minimum-shift keying" (MSK) waveform, with tone frequencies of 1000 and 2000 Hz. ####################################################################### To download this alpha release for Windows, paste the following link into your browser: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-1.6.1-r5865-win32.exe -- 73, Joe, K1JT August 28, 2015 --------------- New release of experimental WSJT-X v1.6.1, r5823 ------------------------------------------------ To download for Windows, paste the following link into your browser: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-1.6.1-r5823-win32.exe This experimental version of WSJT-X introduces a new fast mode called JTMSK. The letters MS, of course, imply meteor scatter; the three letters MSK mean "Minimum Shift Keying", the modulation scheme used in this mode. Revision 5823 also includes a number of (mostly minor) bug fixes relative to r5789. IMPORTANT: If you choose to try JTMSK, please accept the responsibility of reporting on your results. You can send reports to the "wsjtgroup" reflector, wsjtgroup@yahoogroups.com or email them directly to me. All suggestions for improvements are welcome! Bug reports should include details on how to reproduce the undesirable program behavior. The present JTMSK decoder has been optimized for short pings. It does not yet do a wide search for proper frequency alignment; you and your QSO partner need to be "on frequency" to within +/- 100 Hz or better. The decoder does not (yet) attempt to make optimal use of weak, slowly varying signals. These and other characteristics may be improved in coming revisions. KNOWN BUG: At present you should use T/R sequence lengths 15 s in JTMSK mode. If you have a program crash, open Windows Task Manager, select the "Processes" tab, right-click on wsjtx.exe, and select "End Process Tree". Then restart the program. I view JTMSK as a candidate for replacing both FSK441 and JTMS for all meteor scatter work. JTMSK has the major advantage of including strong forward error correction (FEC), similar in usage to the schemes used for many years in JT4, JT9, and JT65. The structure of user messages and the format of minimal QSOs is also identical to those other modes. But JTMSK is very fast, transmitting its full encoded message content in 0.117 s, in a 2 kHz bandwidth. JTMSK therefore makes much better use of short pings than (for example) JT9H can do. The Tx waveform of JTMSK has been carefully designed to have a number of desirable features. All messages are exactly the same length: 72 bits of user information are followed by a 15-bit CRC and encoded into 198 channel bits with a convolutional code (constraint length K=13, rate r=1/2). Three sequences of the "Barker-11" code are added, along with three parity bits, making a total of 234 channel bits in each message. The MSK symbols for these bits are transmitted at 2000 baud, and the full encoded message is repeated every 117 ms. A summary description of modulation parameters for all WSJT(-X) modes is shown in a table posted here: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt_modes.txt and illustrated graphically here: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt_modes.pdf -- 73, Joe, K1jT August 15, 2015 --------------- New release of experimental WSJT-X v1.6.1, r5789 Changes since WSJT-X v1.6.1, revision 5779: 1. Major speedup (5x) of fast-JT9 decoder. 2. Corrected logic for Auto-Sequencing operation. 3. Stop after sending 73 five times in auto-sequence mode. 4. Add an "Auto-Level" control to Fast Graph window. 5. Send fast-mode decodes to PSKreporter web site. 6. Support automatic logging via JTAlert-X. 7. Send fast-mode output to file ALL.TXT. 8. Better definition of dB levels for fast-JT9 signals. 9. Rationalize the GUI behavior when changing mode, submode, fast/slow status, and T/R period. 10. Correct a flaw in the display of multiple decodes in a single fast-JT9 sequence. 11. Fix minor bugs reported by G3WDG, ND0B, OZ1PIF, and others. To download for Windows, paste the following link into your browser: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-1.6.1-r5789-win32.exe Please keep in mind that this is an experimental version of WSJT-X. Bug reports and other feedback will be much appreciated, and will help to make the program better! -- 73, Joe, K1JT August 11, 2015 --------------- Since its origin in the dark ages (ca. 2001) WSJT has supported "fast" modes (designed for meteor scatter, etc.) and "slow" modes (optimized for EME and other weak-signal propagation types). The most recent new mode, JT9, now has *both* fast and slow submodes. JT9A (the "original" JT9) is like JT65 and JT4: its T/R sequences are one minute long, and its primary goal is best possible sensitivity for very weak, approximately steady signals. The new experimental JT9 submodes use the same message structure, encoding, and modulation type (9-tone FSK) as JT9A, but wider tone spacing and (optionally) faster keying rates. You can download an experimental version of WSJT-X (v1.6.1, r5779) here: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-1.6.1-r5779-win32.exe The fast submodes currently being tested, JT9E - JT9H, have been found highly effective for meteors and ionoscatter propagation on 6 and 10 meters. Sensitivity is similar to ISCAT, or slightly better. Decoding is much more reliable, because the JT9 protocol includes strong forward error correction. Decoding results are like those for all the WSJT "slow" modes: you should see messages exactly as they were transmitted, or nothing at all. A potential side benefit is automatic reporting of decodes to PSKreporter. For details on the modulation parameters of the JT9 submodes, see the table posted at http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt_modes.txt. WSJT-X v1.6.1 r5779 has the following changes from r5769: 1. Numerous bug fixes 2. Double-click on decoded message now behaves properly 3. Faster decoding (further optimization still to come) 4. Decoded text is highlighted as in WSJT-X slow modes 5. Optional auto-sequencing Fair warning: auto-sequencing is basically functional, but scarcely tested. Please watch what it is doing, and tell us how you think it should be improved! If you use WSJT-X also for other modes and other purposes, you may want to save several different sets of configuration settings. In that case it's convenient to use the "-r xxx" option and start the program from a command-prompt window. For example: C:\Users\joe> cd \wsjt\wsjtx\bin C:\WSJT\wsjtx\bin> wsjtx -r xxx ... where "xxx" can be anything you like, for example "ISCAT", "FAST9", etc. Proper configuration for the JT9 fast modes includes the following settings: On the Settings | General tab: - check "Enable VHF/UHF/Microwave features" Main window settings: - Mode JT9 - Tx 700 Hz - Rx 700 Hz - Sync 0 - Submode G ... or E, F, and H (H not legal in US on 10m) - Tick "Fast" - T/R 30 s (also 5, 10, 15 s) - FTol 500 Please keep in mind that this is an experimental version of WSJT-X. It still has some rough edges, and no doubt some bugs. Your feedback will be much appreciated, and will help to make the program better! -- 73, Joe, K1JT