WSJT-X/Darwin

                          Notes on WSJT-X Installation for Mac OS X

                          -----------------------------------------



If you have already downloaded a previous version of WSJT-X then I suggest 

you change the name in the Applications folder from WSJT-X to WSJT-X_previous 

before proceeding.  



If you have installed a previous version of WSJT-X before then there is no 

need to change anything on your system so proceed to NEXT.  



BEGIN:



There are some system matters you must deal with first.  Open a Terminal window

by going to Applications->Utilities and clicking on Terminal.



Along with this ReadMe file there is a file:   sysctl.conf.   Drag this file to your Desktop.



WSJT-X makes use of a block of memory which is shared between different parts of

the code.  The normal allocation of shared memory on a Mac is insufficient and this 

has to be increased.   You can check the current allocation on your Mac by typing:



  sysctl -a | grep sysv.shm



If your shmmax is already at least 33554432 (32 MB) then you can close the Terminal window

and skip the next steps and go to (NEXT).



You now have to increase the shared memory allocation.  To view this file use TextEdit

to open sysctl.conf.  



This will show: 



kern.hostname=yourcomputername.local

kern.sysv.shmmax=33554432

kern.sysv.shmmin=1

kern.sysv.shmmni=128

kern.sysv.shmseg=32

kern.sysv.shmall=8192



You must now replace    yourcomputername.local  with the exact name of your computer.   To find

this use the Terminal window and type:



   sysctl -a | grep hostname



and will find your computer name.  Now use TextEdit to replace   yourcomputername.local  in this

file with the output from this command, including the .local at the end.   Save the file.

  

Now move this file into place for the system to use by typing: (Note this assumes that

you really did drag this file to your Desktop as required earlier.)



  cd $HOME/Desktop

  sudo cp sysctl.conf /etc/
  sudo chmod 664 /etc/sysctl.conf
  sudo chown  root:wheel  /etc/sysctl.conf



and then reboot your Mac.  This is necessary to install the changes.  After the

reboot you should re-open the Terminal window as before and you can check that the

change has been made by typing:



  sysctl -a | grep sysv.shm



If shmmax is not shown as 33554432 then contact me since WSJT-X will fail to load with

an error message: "Unable to create shared memory segment".



You are now finished with system changes.  You should make certain that NO error messages

have been produced during these steps.   You can now close the Terminal window.  It will

not be necessary to repeat this procedure again, even when you download an updated

version of WSJT-X.



NEXT:



Drag the WSJT-X app to your preferred location, such as Applications.



You need to configure your sound card.   Visit Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup  and

select your sound card and then set Format to be "48000Hz 2ch-16bit" for input and output.



Now double-click on the WSJT-X app and two windows will appear.  Select Preferences under the 

WSJT-X Menu and fill in various station details on the General panel.   I recommend checking the

4 boxes under the Display heading and the first 4 boxes under the Behaviour heading.



Next visit the Audio panel and select the Audio Codec you use to communicate between WSJT-X

and your rig.   There are so many audio interfaces available that it is not 

possible to give detailed advice on selection.  If you have difficulties contact me.   Note 

the location of the Save Directory.  Decoded wave forms are located here.



Look at the Reporting panel.  If you check the "Prompt me" box, a logging panel will appear

at the end of the QSO.  Two log files are provided in  Library/Application Support/WSJT-X.

These are a simple wsjtx.log file and wsjtx_log.adi which is formatted for use with logging

databases.  If you are using Yosemite, the Library folder is hidden.  Use Go on the Finder 

menu but hold down the alt key.   Library will then appear in the list of folders.



Finally, visit the Radio panel.  WSJT-X is most effective when operated with CAT control.  You 

will need to install the relevant Mac driver for your rig.   This must be located in the system

driver directory  /dev.  I use a Prolific USB-Serial Adapter to a Kenwood TS870s and the relevant

driver is  /dev/tty.PL2303-00002226.   You should install your driver and then re-launch WSJT-X.

Return to the the Radio panel in Preferences and insert the full name of your driver in the

Serial Port panel.   Such as:  /dev/tty.PL2303-00002226 or whatever driver you have.  The /dev/

prefix is mandatory.  Set the relevant communication parameters as required by your transceiver.
and click   Test CAT.  



WSJT-X needs the Mac clock to be accurate.  Visit System Preferences > Date & Time and make sure that

date and time are set automatically.   The drop-down menu will normally offer you several time

servers to choose from.



On the Help menu, have a look at the new Online User's Guide for operational hints and tips.



Please email me if you have problems.



--- John G4KLA     (g4kla@rmnjmn.demon.co.uk)