May 14 FT4 Mock Contest Session Canceled, New WSJT-X Beta Version Pending
A second hour-long FT4 “practice contest” set for May 14 UTC has been cancelled, following the success of an initial mock contest held on May 9 UTC (the evening of Wednesday, May 8, in continental US time zones). The event followed ARRL RTTY Roundup rules, with everyone working everyone. WSJT-X program suite developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, was among those jumping into the fray. He called the exercise “very useful” and has drawn some preliminary conclusions as to how the FT4 protocol functions in a contest setting.
“FT4 works well, but — as implemented WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc5 — it has some rough spots and performance issues,” Taylor said in a post to the Yahoo WSJT Meteor Scatter and Weak Signal Group. “Many of these have been fixed already during this beta-testing period, and more improvements are still to come.”
Taylor said a second mock contest session using the current -rc5 “release candidate” (beta version) would not be helpful, and it’s not convenient for the developers to build and distribute -rc6 in time for a session early next week, a few days before the Dayton Hamvention. “Instead, we are aiming now to release WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc6 about 2 weeks later — probably in the last week of May or the first week of June,” Taylor said. “Another mock contest practice session will be scheduled soon after that release.” The current -rc5 beta version will expire automatically on June 7.
Taylor said he used a program build that was probably closer to the pending WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc6 beta version than to -rc5. “With my dial set at 7.090 and a 4 kHz displayed spectral window, my waterfall was mostly filled with FT4 signals from well before 0000 UTC to well after 0100,” he said. Taylor managed some 60 stations in 22 states, four Canadian provinces, and in two DXCC entities.
“Generally I found WSJT-X to work well in FT4 contesting mode, but I noted several behavioral oddities that still require attention,” Taylor continued. For example, he said the “TU” message need only be sent once, and if the new station needs to be called again, the leading “TU” should be stripped. He also noted that the “Call 1st” check box becomes unchecked in certain circumstances. “This was intentional, part of an attempt to defeat robo-QSOs; but there may be a better way to address this issue,” he remarked. He said the “Best S+P” button was effective, but feels its behavior can be improved. “Its selection of a ‘best’ caller should favor new multipliers, and perhaps also stronger signals,” he said. “Currently, the button only functions as desired during a reception interval.”
In a post to the Yahoo WSJT Group, Rich Ferch, VE3KI, described the mock contest in one word: “chaotic.” He requested eliminating the “feature” that lets the operator continue to call a CQ-ing station, even after the station has come back to someone else. “At the very least, make it wait until the other QSO is over before calling,” he said.
Before the practice event, Taylor said the developers were “looking for feedback on what works well, what does not, and what an FT4-enabled contest might be like.”
If you took part, post your observations and comments to the Yahoo WSJT Groupreflector, the WSJT Development Group Mailing List, or the RTTYDigital list.
The WSJT-X Development Group reports that it’s aware of several other anomalies in the -rc5 version of WSJT-X 2.1.0. In addition to unexpected program crashes, the program will reset itself to FT8 protocol after the operator accesses the Settings screen. The current build of WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc5 does not run correctly under macOS.
Installation packages for Windows and Linux are on the WSJT-X page. A full release of WSJT-X version 2.1 is targeted for release in July 2019.
SOURCE:ARRL
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
November 09, 2015 No comments
In order to support the proliferation of third party app stores worldwide, we have now released RFinder on Android as trialware! Just go download it f... Read more
September 11, 2015 No comments
The QTH Locator App was developed for HAM Radio use. This is the extended version of “Maidenhead Grid Locator” using Google Maps to show a... Read more
October 12, 2016 No comments
FlexRadio Systems announces the release of SmartSDR for iOS v1.0.4 is now available for download or update from the Apple App Store. This release con... Read more
December 12, 2014 No comments
MacLoggerDX HD is an Amateur Radio application that monitors the spots from your favourite DX Cluster for DXing, Contesting or casual rag-chewing. It... Read more
May 18, 2015 No comments
QYT KT8900 UHF VHF Mini Mobile Radio + Programming Cable Item number KT8900 General Frequency Range VHF:136-174MHz UHF:400-480MHz Number of... Read more
January 05, 2016 No comments
VHF Air Band Mobile Radio Icom’s A120 air band mobile introduces two new features: Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Bluetooth® capabilities. The newl... Read more
July 21, 2017 No comments
Yaesu DR-2XE Repeater – Modulation Modes: Conventional FM, C4FM Digital – Automatic Mode Select (FM/C4FM) – 3.5″ Full Color T... Read more
October 05, 2016 No comments
“Successful Bilateral Transatlantic 144 MHz QSO made ! Between 04 and 05 October 2016 a new record was set. PY1MHZ Marcos received in the city o... Read more
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
September 09, 2017 No comments
The power delivered is constant on all bands, including the new 60Meter Band, selectable in 4 steps by 250W, 500W, 1000W and 1250W. It has 3 antenna o... Read more
January 21, 2017 No comments
Output power of 1200 W CW / SSB in the field KF, 700W in the band of 50 MHz Power 50V 35A efficiency of 73-75% frequency range 1.8 to 50 MHz switching... Read more
April 18, 2015 No comments
General description of the OM Power OM2200HF amplifier The linear amplifier OM2200HF is designed for all short wave amateur bands from... Read more
September 27, 2016 No comments
The PiHPSDR Controller is a stand-alone interface for the ANAN/OpenHPSDR Hermes SDRs, it is ideal for mobile applications and for users who prefer phy... Read more
May 09, 2019 No comments
A second hour-long FT4 “practice contest” set for May 14 UTC has been cancelled, following the success of an initial mock contest held on May 9 UTC (t... Read more
May 09, 2019 No comments
“George Thomas’ guide to shopping for quality audio connectors. How to spot good audio connectors with George, Show Us Your Project... Read more
May 08, 2019 No comments
“A recent article in The New York Times reported that many garage door openers and keyless vehicle entry fobs in an Ohio town near Cleveland mys... Read more
May 06, 2019 No comments
ARRL Field Day is June 22 – 23. See the May issue of QST, page 85, for the Field Day announcement. The Field Day site locator is now up and running, a... Read more
The post May 14 FT4 Mock Contest Session Canceled, New WSJT-X Beta Version Pending appeared first on QRZ NOW - Amateur Radio News.
from DXER ham radio news http://bit.ly/2V7K4MI via IFTTT
