A +12 signal at times says more about the other persons low noise floor than whether you maybe a strong signal. Please review the new, If you are having a problem, please refer to the. 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. Any suggestions on what the problem might be? FT8 is four times faster (15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by a few dB. As with other data modes, youll need some kind of interface box to sit between the rig and your computer. As you can see here, I decoded everything from -21 to +05 range on 80m using the WSJT-X Software. The frequency shift between tones is 6.25Hz, the tone duration is 0.16s. Many ops can compensate with more power, but the problem with that is you quickly exceed your receive capabilities - people can hear you but you cant hear them. Its significantly faster than the similar JT-65, It works very well even with a lot of noise, Its popular, so theres lots of activity, Its semi-automated, making for easy contacts, Its a great way of racking up the countries youve worked, without too much hassle, Getting the audio connected. Designed by Shape5.com, forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/the-skignal-reports.591508/. (Sources: WSJT-X 2.1.0 Program default settings, DXZone, WSJT-X Documentation, JS8Call Documentation). Watch the following two sites for your call as well. 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. GL, K7TRK. 3,298 Stations <0 698 Stations >0. . It's a good way to check the quality of your radio setup, and the radio propagation properties that depend on how grumpy the ionosphere is at the moment. 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. This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalised ads or content, and analyze our traffic. If band is open pulls in FT8 quite well, forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/the-skignal-reports.591508/. 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). 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. 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). By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. ft8 signal reports explained. Because only this information can be sent, FT8 is not a "conversation" mode. At this step, the message is converted to 00 00 00 23 44 4A 11 91 3F 8B 57 7E CF 78 77 39 55 DE 36 EF 01 48 data block. Please leave your Call Sign if applicable. Be sure to configure your software properly as described below. 4. The other thing to keep in mind is that signal level is relative to the noise level around the signal. According to WSJT-X instructions you should tune up for maximun output then back off till the power output drops on you monitor. If theres any interest, Im happy to expend this article, but hopefully this tells you what FT8 is all about, and gives you enough to get started. Wondering if I can get some clarification. I've contacted 2 people in the same city before one after another. *** As an alternate, sometimes you will see: N8DXE KE8FMJ RRR KE8FMJ says Report Received, KE8FMJ N8DXE 73 N8DXE says Best Regards, N8DXE KE8FMJ 73 KE8FMJ says Best Regards. It's only used to exchange signal reports, so there's no chatting. ), or even compromised antennas. Automatic miles km. Different colors are different bands and minutes indicate the last time they heard and reported back automatically. Examples of non-digital reports would be: The polite thing to do otherwise is to give an accurate report to the other party so they get a feel for how well their signal is getting through. It is an ICOM feature, not a bug. How's the ALC meter looking, antenna gain or attenuation, RX bandwidth, etc. Really wide spurs at each tone change during the transmission. Antenna for 70cms is a 7 ele ZLspecial, fixed towards SE up at about 15 feet. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. FT8 is a very popular protocol and continually growing. 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. Increasing FT8 usage on the popular bands 40, 30, and 20m means that the default 3 kHz sub-bands are often wall-to-wall with signals. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Maybe invest in antenna & pre-amp. Why would I want to operate FT8? Does anyone know what this connector is please? by | Jun 10, 2022 | forsyth county newspaper | the center does not hold meaning | Jun 10, 2022 | forsyth county newspaper | the center does not hold meaning As a result, the signal report I end up giving is like 30dB higher than it would be if I left the entire passband open. Quantserve sets the mc cookie to anonymously track user behaviour on the website. My antenna is a horrible piece of wire, their antenna is a multi-element yagi on a tower as high as the Babel one, but sometimes this work, take this one with Croatia, 1300km distance on 6m: What you have are good signal reports, I wouldn't change much. The name FT8 stands for Franke and Taylor, 8-FSK modulation. I primarily run FT8 at 30W into either a 135ft long end fed at about 40ft, or a vertical delta loop with apex around 40ft but base at 6ft. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The chart above shows the agreed-on frequencies for FT8. 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. The next step is to convert the 91-bit message to the so-called LDPC (Low-density parity-check) code with a 174 bits length this redundancy is used to correct errors during the transmission. https://www.sigidwiki.com/index.php?title=FT8&oldid=20766, 3.573 MHz,7.074 MHz,10.136 MHz,14.074 MHz,24.915 MHz,50.323 MHz,70.1 MHz,144.174 MHz,1.84 MHz,18.1 MHz,21.074 MHz,28.074 MHz,50.313 MHz, FT8 is an extremely-weak-signal amateur radio mode that transmits very limited communications. Groups.io. It will gain acceptance in SOTA too. Image provided by ANgazu. FT8 was developed by Joe Taylor (K1JT) and Steve Franke (K9AN). All topics relating to the hobby are welcome here, from purchasing and building equipment, to operating techniques and activities, and everything in between. I will be on 40 and 80 meter CW, both days. 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. For details of this cookie, go to, Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. MOD input should only listen to you PC of course. Operators may or may not be aware of the noise they're creating on the band's, but the result of that noise is is qrm for the others trying to operate on the same band . My receive is quiet enough I am giving +10 or higher reports by s2 on some bands. ft8 signal reports explained. I got a + signal report back from one and a -18 or so back from the other. In general, the authors did a perfect job of creating an almost completely automated communication tool that could, on the one hand, transmit information more efficiently, and on the other, kill the ham radio spirit in the bud. Create an account. I've contacted 2 people in the same city before one after another. It does not store any personal data. The DT in the window of the software shows TIME DIFFERENCE. They are using a directional antenna, and you are using an omnidirectional antenna. 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. The Group moderators are responsible for maintaining their community and can address these issues. Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . If nothing else, remember to shift-click . Now, with FT8, I have real comparisons and can surely see a 5 - 10 db difference for most contacts. Signal reports in FT8 are signal to noise ratio, NOT strength. I will be starting a donor thank you page soon so please indicate if you wish to be not listed. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. (references). FT8 transmissions can be decoded at S/N down to -21dB (very weak signal). FT8 is a weak signal - not a low power mode (power works the really weak ones) FT8 lets you work DX on 6m when there would be none FT8 is suddenly dominating VHF/UHF contesting FT8 lets you work weak signal DX without proficient CW skills FT8 is like having constant DX beacons on every band What do all the characters mean? To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. ft8 signal reports explained If nothing else sticks from these Hinson tips, at least remember to shift-click. UTC: When the signal was received, dB: Signal strength of the received signal in dB. Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. wire 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. FT8 uses 8- GFSK modulation, includes forward error correction ( FEC ), and has an effective data rate of 5 words per minute. Post author By ; Post date brandi redmond instagram; frida kahlo husband quote on ft8 signal reports explained on ft8 signal reports explained Image source: https://www.amateurradio.com/over-2000-miles-on-80m-with-the-warbler/ (2010). This ham radio digital mode appeared in 2017, and since then its popularity has only been growing. Is it because I'm only running around 1/2 power? YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. That is no effort to learn a code but able to work stuff you can't hear. By far the most useful weirdness is to shift-click on the waterfall to put your TX signal there (think of it as shift my TX). Signal reports for FT-8 can vary by 10dB or more between cycles due to fading and changing polarization. There are several types of interface available, depending on your rig. A good test bed is WSPR. Hello, after years of saying I would never work FT8 I have finally taken the plunge and having a play. 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 It's not an absolute scale. New chunks of messages arrive every 15 seconds, and are decoded by the WSJT-X software, which displays the messages like this: FT8 handles very weak signals very well, meaning that a Foundation licence holder with just 10 watts should be able to make some impressive contacts with a modest antenna something not possible with voice or some other data modes. 2023 During contest and for DX Expeditions everyone is 59 for Phone (USB/LSB) ad 5NN for CW in order to expedite exchange. Cleantalk set this cookie to detect spam and improve the website's security. Overcrowding encourages some to turn on their amplifiers, which only makes things worse. FT8: Frequencies, Decibels, and Message Meanings. Special data for synchronization (7x7 Costas Array) is also added, it requires for proper signal decoding. Donation will show as going to SFBA Tech, this is normal, under the same paypal account. There doesn't necessarily need to be a new operating class for Data modes, but that would be OK too. Some of these I see the images spaced at twice their mains power frequency. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. nanninga campground alberta. team_fondue 5 yr. ago CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments/forms, and to act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site. Without further information all it says is the other person has a good SNR with your signal. JS8Call turns FT8 into a "chat" mode, allowing stations . 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. Then, youll need some software. 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. Welcome to Reddit's own amateur (ham) radio club. I like to keep things as up-to-date and as accurate as possible. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Now, with FT8, I have real comparisons and can surely see a 5 - 10 db difference for most contacts. ie you transmit a 50Hz wide ft8 @ 500 and there will be a 100Hz wide image @ 1000 and a 150Hz wide image @ 1500 and a 200Hz wide image @ 2000 and so on. Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2020 10:20 AM. (in the form of a WSJT-X dBThe decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity, here the strength of a received signal. Functional cookie placed by CleanTalk Spam Protect to store referring IDs and prevent unauthorized spam from being sent from the website. In 2017, FT8 started to become the most popular of the various data modes. It's in fact often practically unattended. As a result, the callsign DL1ABC will be written as 06 29 17 3B we use 4 bytes instead of 6. A popular mode is FT8. I now have a new Windows 10 computer, loaded with the latest versions of WSJT-X (v2.2.2) and JTAlert (v2.16.17). 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 Thats the basics. A +12 signal does not say how much power a person is using. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You know I hadn't even thought of that. You all have seen it in social media and on the air. Any other suggestions how to troubleshoot this? No, I can't confirm that, I only use FT8. As we know, we have a maximum of 8 tones (modulation type is FSK-8). As we can see, FT8 is quite an interesting protocol. So, the signal reports dont make any sense. Practical Wireless - March 2023 - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. FT8 transmits and receives only the bare essentials needed to make an amateur radio contact (QSO): Exhange of callsigns, readability report, signal strength report, and "best regards" ("73"). When the conventional FT8 sub-band on 6, 20, 30, or 40m seems too full, please try moving your dial frequency down 3 kHz! 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. This is most easlly done by the PWR Slider. Could a strong signal lower the gain so much that the weaker signal no longer decodes? FT8 is a digital mode, too. Probably everyone who is at least a bit interested in amateur radio and telecommunications heard about the FT8 digital communication protocol. Despite this, according to the statistics, people definitely enjoy FT8 usage. FT8 transmissions can be decoded at S/N down to -21dB (very weak signal). On the other hand, the almost complete automation of the process definitely reduces the role of operator skills. I don't run any preamp for FT8. Many Thanks for the link James, explains it well, a useful chart that gives the scale. All topics relating to the hobby are welcome here, from purchasing and building equipment, to operating techniques and activities, and everything in between. I HIGHLY recommend doing this. A 14-bit CRC will also be added. Examples: Does anyone else have this trend as well? CleanTalk set this cookie to provide spam protection. Even if you don't get a response to your CQ, there are plenty of stations monitoring and reporting to the site, and you can see exactly where you are being heard, and how well you are being heard. As others have said, the signal reports are based on the signal-to-noise. During this step, we transform the message into a tones sequence of different frequencies. AE6Y will be active again as P49Y from Aruba Island, IOTA SA - 036, in ARRL DX CW Contest, 18 - 19 February 2023. By . Don't you dare speak ill of my compromise antenna, at a compromise height, at a compromise location. All this, combined together, made FT8 so popular. 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 is just a summary of thebasics, plus a few tips Ive picked up along the way. 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. When you get back a signal report from someone, it just tells you how loud you were on their setup at that particular time. JT65, JT9, FT8 SNR Explained. 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. Examples of non-digital reports would be: It includes integration with PSK reporter. If band is open pulls in FT8 quite well The following user(s) said Thank You: M0ZAH This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. It's not a measure of your output. The higher the better when it comes to decoding, but generally you do not want to come back as positive unless it is a nearby station as this indicates you are running way too much power. You can find multitudes of contacts on these frequencies. I do and I encourage you to do so as well. I am using Windows 10 with WSJT-X v2.5.3 with a USB connection to an iCom 7610 . Remember this is a S/N report,not a power level report. On a trial basis, and in response to numerous suggestions from around the world, we have added a second set of suggested dial frequencies for FT8 on three HF bands and also on 6 meters. Since FT8 automatically transmits and receives only the bare minimum of information necessary to complete what officially counts as an amateur radio contact (QSO), FT8 has been criticized by some amateur radio enthusiasts as a means for radio amateurs to 'cheat' their way to victory in certain contests and award categories. Minutes for Sparkly markers. toggle quoted message. We must say that technically these digital modes are simple, and the characters, entered by the user, were broadcasted almost without any complicated processing. Forgot your password? Typically S7 to S9+ on HF. Yes it can be frustrating some times, but the challenge is half the fun. If I tighten the passband in HDSDR down to like 100hz around the signal of interest, there's virtually no other noise in the WSJT-X passband. Remember this is a S/N report,not a power level report. FT8 isn't a QRP mode. Darkness for night shadow (0-1) Show all Show LoTW/eQSL Show LoTW Show eSQL. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Pending some tweaking and other optimizations I've a version running using the library right out of the air, receiver SDR is a rtl-sdr dongle. Create an account. A +12 signal does not say you are splattering. Its a really smart combination of bit optimization, mathematics and usability. As we can see, FT8 is quite an interesting protocol. 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. Often this will be a separateCOM port that needs setting up in the software. Lets see in more detail how this works. I forgot how the software handles the ratio. I think this violates the Terms of Service. On Tuesday, January 4, 2022, 07:13:50 AM CST, John wrote: On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 09:15 PM, Michael Black wrote: Suggest running at 50% duty cycle on the IC7610 for data. Tail Ending QSO This cookie is used for targeting and advertising purpose. A C++ version of the encoder can be viewed at http://github.com/kgoba/ft8_lib page, the above code snippets were taken from it. Professor Steven Franke and astrophysicist and Nobel laureate Joseph Taylor, have created a fascinating and efficient protocol for data transfer. what is the federal supplemental tax rate for 2022. motorcraft battery cross reference chart; pda soccer team location; Menu WARC Bands: What are They and How Can I Take Advantage of Them. First off, you need to connect your PC to your HF rig. Both are compromises, but my FT8 contacts in Antarctica, Fiji, Australia, NZ, Japan, etc don't know that. A WSJT-X application screenshot in FT8 mode looks like this: Source: 3fs.net.au/ft8-digital-amateur-radio. Basically anything can be proven and figured out,, but the variables are enormous.. Want to say thanks? A computers onboard clock can be notorious for drifting off, and FT8 needs to transmit at very specific times to work. For example what is the equivalent in comparison to RST. Is there a solution? This cookie is set by DoubleClick to note the user's specific user identity. People decoding you multiple times. timeout for worked markers. Subject of the new topic: Sometimes propagation is like a laser. The reason of using this letter as a signal report comes from the early CW times and it's meaning is simply "I . Essex Ham is dedicated to supporting Amateur Radio. Therefore, the complete exchange (QSO) above would take about 105 seconds. The radio also needs to be in DATA mode. This increase has come at the expense of other mode activity, especially CW. canadian space agency; outlander claire tells jamie the truth; kendra place apartments gallatin, tn What sort of AGC are you using? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". joel meyers magician net worth. The fact that they align properly to the FT8 15-second period, and have 8 tones (the same as FT8) is a sign that these may be distorted FT8 signals, caused by AF harmonics in the transmitter or the receiver. I would think that is more than enough to get a decent signal report. Hit tab to get into that menu. 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. Very helpful. For details of this cookie, go to, Set by Google to distinguish users. As a result, our CQ DL1ABC JO62 message will be converted to data block 00 00 00 23 44 4A 11 91 3F 88. Press J to jump to the feed. It's a shame that most people don't understand that FT8 is designed for weak signal communication. hihi I jest. (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. - Lucas / W6AER. 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? You can also setup your WSJT-X and other digital software to send reports back so you can analyze your own receives over a period of time or assist others in analyzing propagation. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Thats what I do. FT8 Spectrogram at 7076 kHzKiloHertz (kHz) 10^3 Hz for duration of 1 min 40 seconds, seeing how each cycle is sent. I always thought, its likely because of a quiet location, a good radio (6600M) and maybe others running more power. 1995-2021 Lucas Ford / W6AER / SFBA Tech (Formerly Dream Flix Productions) - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - Hosted by QTH.com. In this case, the PC is generating a signal (usually RTTY or PSK), and the operator communicates with the correspondent using a kind of text chat. When I run FT-8 I set the filter wide open which bumps up to the 15Khz roofing filter instead of the ~3Khz SSB filter. The interface will need to connect into the PCs soundcard (for audio) and typically USB for controlling the radio. If you're new to the hobby, we can help you get started - we've helped over 9,200 . I even run the attenuator on 40M. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. FT4 and FT8 are digital protocols designed for rapid and accurate communication between amateur radio stations, particularly in weak-signal conditions.