What are the frequencies? You can test it by clapping your hands or sneezing while the FT8 transmission is ongoing, if you see something appearing in the waterfall on your monitor (as I did) then turn the MIC off. Frequencies for JS8Call and FT8 are adjustable by the user. I got a + signal report back from one and a -18 or so back from the other. The message length of 77 bits was chosen as a compromise between the transmission time (about 13 seconds, which is not so fast) and the information capacity the message could be made longer, but the transmit time should also be increased. You can make contacts a lot faster on CW or SSB. I've seen the same, that outlier station with a good receive setup or just weird propagation magic that copies you +12 while everyone else in that grid is coping you -10. If you are wondering what Amateur Radio is about, it's basically a two way radio service where licensed operators throughout the world experiment and communicate with each other on frequencies reserved for license holders. At the time of writing (Feb 2018), it appears to be the most popular for a number of reasons: As with modes such as JT65 and PSK31, you interface your HF rig to a computer, and send out text encoded by your computer over the amateur bands. Special message Want to say thanks? The numbers tell you the strength of your FSK signal (6.25 Hz) as it compares to the signals in an entire 2.5 kHz SSB bandwidth. I think this violates the Terms of Service. Many Thanks for the link James, explains it well, a useful chart that gives the scale. The signal report in 2m. You are just very strong. However this is what makes Ham Radio so DAM interesting and fun!! Is there a setting that I am missing somewhere to fix this problem. Is there a solution? ND4Q starts QSO with signal report ND4Q does not send grid location Causes problems when working complex call signs 75 Sec per QSO, 48 QSOs per hour. CleanTalkUsed to prevent spam on our comments and forms and acts as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for this site. Typically S7 to S9+ on HF. I've contacted 2 people in the same city before one after another. MOD input should only listen to you PC of course. To maximize the chances of success, each FT8 packet holds 13. Create an account. Common to receive say a European station after their dusk but nothing you can do to make them hear you. This will cause the software to compare the signal to the noise floor of the virtual audio signal which is way lower than my RF noise floor. This includes: harm to minors, violence or threats, harassment or privacy invasion, impersonation or misrepresentation, fraud or phishing. Dumb question: if you get back a signal report of, say, +12, are you likely to be splattering or overdriving? The frequency shift between tones is 6.25Hz, the tone duration is 0.16s. We are trying to coordinate the suggested frequencies in WSJT-X with updated band plans being considered by IARU, ARRL, and other amateur radio societies. Hacking my Newair Humidor For Cigar Smokers, GOES Geosynchronous Weather Satellite Receiver, Building the SteppIR BigIR Mark IV Vertical Antenna, Configuring WSJT-X for W6TI (or other) Special Event Station Use, Automatic Transverter Selector for FlexRadio, Setting up GOES Weather Satellite Receiver on the Raspberry Pi, Setting up NOAA Weather Satellite Receiver on the Raspberry Pi, Getting Started with Ham Radio Award Hunting, 3B7M Saint Brandon Islands. Only thing I dont really understand is how the signal reporting works. Hello, after years of saying I would never work FT8 I have finally taken the plunge and having a play. On Tuesday, January 4, 2022, 04:32:27 AM CST, John wrote: On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 10:15 PM, Arnold Lausevich wrote: Do you mean 50% power? A +12 signal does not say how much power a person is using. I do and I encourage you to do so as well. Does anyone know what this connector is please? An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Something like an over driven audio stage generating harmonics of the audio. FT8 uses 8-GFSKGaussian Frequency-Shift Keying modulation, includes forward error correction (FECForward Error Correction), and has an effective data rate of 5 words per minute. The radio also needs to be in DATA mode. Very helpful. FT8 and its Decibels Editorial section of the Monthly FB NEWS magazine We have received reports that we are seeing signs of sun spot cycle 25, but it still has been difficult to hear overseas stations on SSB or CW. Typically means connecting leads to the soundcard, or using a soundcard built in to the interface then setting up software to use the right speaker and mic settings for sending and receiving on the WSJT-X app, Radio interface settings Most common models of radio already have their comms settings built-in to WSJT-X, so its a case of selecting from a list of radios, Connecting to the radios CAT/DATA port for controlling the radio. To enable reporting, you need to enter the following information into the settings or preferences . From: FT8-Digital-Mode@groups.io [mailto:FT8-Digital-Mode@groups.io] On Behalf Of Chuck Hemstreet. ft8 signal reports explained If nothing else sticks from these Hinson tips, at least remember to shift-click. Contrary to a lot of angry comments, the stations running high power and getting +10 reports are actually only an S6 above the noise floor. I received services from the Prefet of the TAAF the new convention me allowing me to start my HF activities under the conditions set by the IPEV. Now, with FT8, I have real comparisons and can surely see a 5 - 10 db difference for most contacts. On average I run about 30 watts only on this mode and have had some success on 70cms along with the other bands. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. The DT in the window of the software shows TIME DIFFERENCE. Consider a practical example the transmission of the phrase CQ DL1ABC JO62. Show quoted text. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. FT8 isn't a QRP mode. With all features enabled, JTDX seems to decode more signals on a crowded band than WSJT-X. With FT8, youre restricted to very small messages, with a limit of 13 characters per message. Conventions may change with time or by user preference; you can modify the frequency table as desired." But yet, you can clearly hear the musical Frequency Shift Key (FSK) tones and watch the FSK tones rise . Remember this is a S/N report,not a power level report. Minutes for Sparkly markers. The new topic will begin with this message. It is calculated as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. FT8 is intended to be quick (relatively) and easy and very sensitive. Could a strong signal lower the gain so much that the weaker signal no longer decodes? As we can see, FT8 is quite an interesting protocol. Remember the reports you get in WSJT-X are not signal strength values. Here is what FT8 signals looks like, displayed in the WSJT-X waterfall view: Youll see from the above waterfall screenshot that there are over a dozen QSOs visible these are all taking place on a single frequency of 14.074MHz. IMO, focus on doing everything you can to improve your receive capabilities first with a focus on lowering your noise floor, then improve antenna transmit gain before adding power. However, in a VHF+ contest, WSJT-X Auto-Sequencing will fail to exchange the required information for a complete QSO if one station is configured to use Contest Mode and the other is not. Heres what Im using: As with all data modes software, setup requires some setting up, notably: Your computers clock does have to be spot on with FT8. I know that others may run more than that, even for FT8, but probably not many. Overcrowding encourages some to turn on their amplifiers, which only makes things worse. Be sure your audio chain does not introduce any distortion. This runs in the background and keeps your clock in-sync by resetting the time to one of the online atomic clock servers every 20 minutes. You can also use the excellent online PSK Reporter website to see where your FT8 CQ calls are reaching, as seen in this screenshot: This isnt a full how to guide on setting up FT8, as there are plenty of those online already. hihi I jest. I am running . Typically the interface will appear as a COM port and WSJTX will need to be set to the correct COM, PTT So that the PC can put the rig into Transmit, the software needs to know how to trigger Transmit. Examples of non-digital reports would be: 2,652 Stations <0 1,232 Stations >0. Here you will see that on my FT8 Transmit some decoded me as +13 and others closer as -3, this can be due to skip zones as well as different antenna setups, etc. Noticed that now when a QSO is logged, the upload to eQSL.cc no longer includes the signal reports added to the comment field of the eQSL record (like FT8 Sent: -19 Rcvd: -07). Examples: Does anyone else have this trend as well? This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. With the new sun cycle, it is busier than ever20 meters is packed around the clock, so its even difficult to find an open spot to transmit. Create an account. Transmissions occur in 12.6s intervals (within the 15s transmit cycle window) until an entire message has completed transmitting. NP4Z Team will be active from Puerto Rico, IOTA NA - 099 in ARRL DX SSB Contest, 4 - 5 March 2023. Really wide spurs at each tone change during the transmission. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. During this step, we transform the message into a tones sequence of different frequencies. For FT8 and many other digital modes (But not RTTY), the values are measured by the software and are expressed in dB such as -10 or +02 for example. It is one of the modes included in the open-source, weak signal, ham radio software package, WSJT-X. If you are wondering what Amateur Radio is about, it's basically a two way radio service where licensed operators throughout the world experiment and communicate with each other on frequencies reserved for license holders. I use theDimension 4for keeping my clock accurate. FT8 is four times faster (15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by a few dB. JS8 was created to allow the basic principles of FT8 to be applied to sending actual messages (instead of just the bare minimum QSO information that FT8 limits operators with). Some modes, such as JT65, JT9, FT4 and FT8, for example, use a dB system but more about these later. Probably everyone who is at least a bit interested in amateur radio and telecommunications heard about the FT8 digital communication protocol. The data being gathered also includes more than just PSK spots, it include JT65 and FT8 -- with FT8 the overwhelming majority at the moment. These frequencies will appear in your drop-down band-selector list after you go to the Settings/Frequencies tab, right-click on the frequency table, and select Reset. But I do look at a lot of FT8 op QRZ profiles of people running an Icom 7300 to some freakishly compromise setup. 15' on the transformer side and around 35' at the far end up in a tree. I slide it down until my TS-590s ALC meter shows nothing. Free Help. To my objection that my article is not about the use of FT8 but about its internal structure, the answer was the theory will not help readers to use FT8 more efficiently. A popular mode is FT8. Donation will show as going to SFBA Tech, this is normal, under the same paypal account. I forgot how the software handles the ratio. It's not a measure of your output. https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx.html WSJT downloads for all platformshttps://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/devel.html WSJT-X source codehttps://github.com/kgoba/ft8_lib FT8 encoderhttp://laarc.weebly.com/uploads/7/3/2/9/73292865/ft8syncv8.pdf Synchronization in FT8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_parity-check_code LDPC code, Coding, Tutorials, News, UX, UI and much more related to development, Python/IoT developer and data engineer, data science and electronics enthusiast, https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx.html, https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/devel.html, http://laarc.weebly.com/uploads/7/3/2/9/73292865/ft8syncv8.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_parity-check_code. The actual minimum signal to noise ratio of FT8 is around 1 dB in 50 Hz (-156 dBm in a gaussian channel with a perfect 0 dB noise figure receiver), which is consistent with a 1/2 rate LDPC code like the one FT8 uses. As you can see here, I decoded everything from -21 to +05 range on 80m using the WSJT-X Software. This mode allows communicating with a lower s/n ratio compared to PSK31 or RTTY. JT65, JT9, FT8 SNR Explained. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In amateur radio, QRP operation refers to transmitting at reduced power while attempting to maximize one's effective range. So, the signal reports dont make any sense. But since you are new at it, I'd start with the radio settings. For example what is the equivalent in comparison to RST. Typically I run between 35w-65w for FT-8. I've contacted 2 people in the same city before one after another. This letter is often printed on QSL cards between quotation marks (like "O" ) in order to clearly indicate that it's a letter O and not a zero. This cookie is installed by Google Universal Analytics to restrain request rate and thus limit the collection of data on high traffic sites. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". On our website, you'll find information on what ham radio has to offer, help and advice for radio amateurs and clubs across the UK, and for those in the Essex area, a list of activities and local clubs. How's the ALC meter looking, antenna gain or attenuation, RX bandwidth, etc. I can see on an external SWR meter that I am sending 100w. I consistently get low signal reports for FT8 contacts, typically 15db less than what I send as a received signal. (Serial number sequencing for DX op's could be a challenge for those op's) The typical JT / FT8 signal report data would interchange nicely instead of RS (T) without any modifications. My receive is quiet enough I am giving +10 or higher reports by s2 on some bands. FT8 ("Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation") is an extremely-weak-signal, digital, narrow bandwidth (50 HzHertz (Hz), unit of frequency, defined as one cycle per second (1 Hz). I'm using a TS-590S for FT-8 on a MyAntennas 4010-1k EFHW that's around 35'. This signal is transmitted almost "as is" into the air, and the backward process of decoding is activated on the receiver side. ), QSO-only communication protocol used by amateur radio ("ham radio") operators. JS8Call turns FT8 into a "chat" mode, allowing stations . FT8 uses the clock to know when to decode and transmit, so for best results, time has to be EXACT. The simple fact is that they probably have a better antenna than you and yes, they may be running more power, but that won't make too much difference. Using this bandwidth, lots of stations can be decoded in parallel. Free Training. A +12 signal does not say you are over driving. The two options require different actions. A lot of people hate FT8. They are using a directional antenna, and you are using an omnidirectional antenna. Yep I've been lucky enough to get Fiji x2 and Kenya in the past week or 2 so it's definitely working! ), yet the signals are very audible. Subject of the new topic: Grayed-out cells are commonly-used frequencies which are not included in the default program settings of JS8Call or WSJT-X (FT8). Because only this information can be sent, FT8 is not a "conversation" mode. Image source: https://www.amateurradio.com/over-2000-miles-on-80m-with-the-warbler/ (2010). I never run more than 5 watts and usually 1 watt or less. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. FT8: Frequencies, Decibels, and Message Meanings. Nice job. Lets see in more detail how this works. The mode is a modification of the JT9 & JT65 weak-signal modes that have been around for nearly ten years, an eternity in the digital world. From there you will be able to pick one style. SNR(dB) = 10*LOG[ Signal Power in watts / Noise Power in Watts] For loud signals you can roughly calculate SNR off the S-meter. After a strong storm, the 80m vertical fallen. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. toggle quoted message. On average I run about 30 watts only on this mode and have had some success on 70cms along with the other bands. The RST reporting system is represented in three numbers for CW and two numbers for Phone. I noticed for a while that I can hear better than I am being heard. What do all the characters mean? It's a popular mode, so popular in fact that one report citing Club Log data recently showed that 80% of HF contacts in their tracking nowadays are FT8. On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 7:15 AM John wrote: Are you sure you wish to delete this message from the message archives of main@WSJTX.groups.io? To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. For details of this cookie, go to, Set by Google to distinguish users. Its a really smart combination of bit optimization, mathematics and usability. Share them in the comments below or email me at KE8FMJ@arrl.net. Nothing defaults to paragraph. I've been licensed long enough to know this, but I've only recently in the past couple of months started on FT-8. If a received CW signal is S9 and the meter reads S7 without a signal, the SNR is 12dB (normally each S-unit is 6dB). FT8 is a very popular protocol and continually growing. Digital modes have been gaining popularity since around the 90s. There doesn't necessarily need to be a new operating class for Data modes, but that would be OK too. Antenna for 70cms is a 7 ele ZLspecial, fixed towards SE up at about 15 feet. FT8 Spectrogram at 7076 kHzKiloHertz (kHz) 10^3 Hz for duration of 1 min 40 seconds, seeing how each cycle is sent. This is just a summary of thebasics, plus a few tips Ive picked up along the way. It's only used to exchange signal reports, so there's no chatting. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. It is very easy to beat an EFHW at 35'. On the other hand, the almost complete automation of the process definitely reduces the role of operator skills. Forgot your username? If this is the case, then you probably have signal distortion in audio output. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Each message of up to 13 characters takes 13 seconds to send. For a successful QSO, which takes about 90 seconds, decodes occur 4 times a minute, 2 second break between cycles. According to Taylor, the important characteristics of FT8 are T/R sequence length: 15 s Message length: 75 bits + 12-bit CRC FEC code: (174,87) LDPC Modulation: 8-FSK, keying rate = 6.25 baud; tone spacing = 6.25 Hz Waveform: Continuous phase, constant envelope Occupied bandwidth: 50 Hz FT8 signal report Sent/Rcv consistent difference. The chart above shows the agreed-on frequencies for FT8. It was specifically created to work well in really bad situations like meteor scatter or moonbounce. Freq: Frequency (Hz) of the received signal, Message Meaning, CQ KE8FMJ EM89 CQ call from KE8FMJ, KE8FMJ N8DXE EN91 N8DXE replies with location, N8DXE KE8FMJ-10 KE8FMJ responds with a signal report, KE8FMJ N8DXE R-09 N8DXE replies with own report, N8DXE KE8FMJ RR73 KE8FMJ says Report Received and Best Regards***, KE8FMJ N8DXE 73 N8DXE says Best Regards. Special data for synchronization (7x7 Costas Array) is also added, it requires for proper signal decoding. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report.