There are FT8 activity nights on the VHF & UHF bands every Wednesday evening in Europe for the 4th quarter of 2024.
The European activity evening which uses both FT8 and FT4 rotates through the 2m, 70cm, and 23cm bands each week. Activity is from 17:00 to 21:00 UTC.
This might be an opportunity not only to try FT8 on the higher bands but also just to have a listen and feed the reception reports up the the PSKReporter website.
Many thanks to Rod (VA3MZD) for sharing the following guest post: Operating POTA from the interior of Quetico Provincial Park CA-0359 with a (tr)uSDX By Rod Murray (VA3MZD) In a previous guest post here on QRPer I gave a brief history of my introduction to Ham radio and specifically POTA and my experiences activating local … Continue reading Navigating Quetico: Rod’s POTA Adventure with the (tr)uSDX→
Roman Stoic Philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca said: “Fortune is of sluggish growth, but ruin is rapid.” Like a house of cards, which takes time to carefully assemble yet can collapse in but a moment, are we building towards a Seneca Inflection Point DXing with FT8? As an FT8 QSO is by design reduced to the […]
Roman Stoic Philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca said: “Fortune is of sluggish growth, but ruin is rapid.” Like a house of cards, which takes time to carefully assemble yet can collapse in but a moment, are we building towards a Seneca Inflection Point DXing with FT8? As an FT8 QSO is by design reduced to the… Continue reading Are we approaching a “Seneca Point” with FT8 DXing?
— EDIT — Offers of links to working SuperFox key generators caused me to stop and think. At this time I am not approving comments with links or posting myself links to these generators. Readers should know these generators are out there, and plan accordingly. Trust can be elusive in solutions for identity verification. — […]
— EDIT — Offers of links to working SuperFox key generators caused me to stop and think. At this time I am not approving comments with links or posting myself links to these generators. Readers should know these generators are out there, and plan accordingly. Trust can be elusive in solutions for identity verification. —… Continue reading FT8 SuperFox – Fad , Fashion or Flub?
Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH) who shares the following field report: Activating Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 21, 2024 By: Conrad Trautmann, N2YCH I recently took an overnight trip from Connecticut to Philadelphia via Amtrak and before I left, I checked to see what parks in Philly I might be able to activate. Conveniently, Independence … Continue reading Philly: Conrad Activates Independence National Historical Park→
Last weekend when playing with the new antenna, I ended up using my G90 for running FT8. However, it had been a long time since I’d used it for this and I’d forgotten what to do, even of which cable to plug in where! I also ran into a few issues, so this post is a reminder for myself of what to do.
Hardware
Cabling required
I’m using the CAT cable that comes with the radio (with the blue USB), this plugs into the side of the head unit, with the person image (under the headphones). For audio I use a USB soundcard dongle (random off Amazon), and a headphones/mic splitter, and then a 8 pin mini DIN to TRRS audio cable. Think I bought this off ebay, like this one. The alternative is buying the CE-19 expansion port…but that’s more expensive. This cable plugs into the DIN port on the back and then the USB into the computer.
On the G90 (I have firmware 1.78 so no U-D data mode), put the audio to line in with Fn+Power button, turn off compressor, turn off Preamo, and push the volume knob so it switches to headphones (unless you like listening to data modes!). There are some other recommended settings from the internet in the menu. Not sure how important they really are but I set them anyway:
RF gain 50%
Mic Gain to 10
AUX In volume to 8
AUX out volume to 15
Software
WSJT-X has Xiegu G90 in the Radio menu but it’s very temperamental…at least for me. I found using FLRig as an intermediate for CAT control to be much better. You could just use VOX and skip CAT control. I also found newer version of FLRig had issues and went back to v1.4.8 for a more stable experience.
FLRig Setup
Once FLRig is running, you can then setup WSJT-X as follows:
Radio Settings
Audio Settings
I adjust the sound in Windows Sound Settings so that the receive on the left is about 70 dB, and then adjust the slider in WSJT-X for the transmit power such that ALC is 99-100 on the G90. This should correspond to the power output set.
Then enjoy your digital operations! Probably works for all digital modes with other software too.
"You have to grow with the times or the times will outgrow you."
That is how my Music Director would sign off from his afternoon radio show back in the early 70's when I was Program Director at an AM radio station.
I never would have imagined in 1956 when I was introduced to Amateur Radio that one day as I left a doctor's appointment in 2024, I could carry a Ham Radio station in a small backpack and ride my bicycle less than a mile to a Parks on the Air site and communicate to other operators around the world. The only way I would have believed that back in 1956; is if I were sitting with Marty McFly in a Delorean and a plutonium-powered nuclear fission reactor with a Flex Capacitor traveling ay 88 MPH and set the date for March 14, 2024.
March 14, 2024
You might wonder as why I mentioned my introduction to Ham Radio in 1956 and FT8 today. Well, in the early 1950's I remember Ice Boxes, not refrigerators. Ice Boxes. Several times a week The Ice Man riding in his mule drawn cart would stop by my neighbor and drop off a large cube of ice for their Ice Box to keep their perishables fresh. It wasn't too long in the mid 1950's my neighbor purchased a refrigerator made at GE's Louisville's Appliance Park.
In the 1950's this "OLD FART" remembers when telephones looked like this.
I even remember my phone number fro m the 50's, SPring7-8292. There was no such time as an AREA CODE. You had to dial "0" in order to make a Long Distance Call. There was such a time as a "Collect Call" and Person-to-Person Call". Also you could have a lowered monthly phone bill if you SHARED a phone line with another customer. These were know as PARTY LINES. Sometimes you might pick up the phone to place a cold and the other customer would be using it and you could listen to their conversation (NO PRIVACY). You had to wait until they finished to make you call. It wasn't until the early 60's, my parents changed over the more modern rotary phone, the mid 60's for the Princess and Trimline phones, mid 70's for the Push Button style phone and in the 1980's I found out my parents were sill leasing phones from AT&T. They were not pleased, I re-wired the three story home and installed cordless phone system throughout their house and cancelled their phone lease agreement with AT&T.
And finally I remember in early July of 1962 while spending my usual summer at my grandparents; my cousin and I sat in front of a Black and White TV and watched the launch of Telstar 1 Communications Satellite and a couple of weeks later watch the first international satellite TV "LIVE" broadcast between the U.S. and Europe with Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and Howard Smith U.S. newscasters.
I do understand how some have a LOVE / HATE relationship with NEW technology and how it might infringe on them personally and individually. I guess you could blame a lot of this NEW technology on the Industrial Revolution. Maybe that's something to look at in a future blog. However when it comes to Amateur Radio I think I read somewhere about CONTINUATION and EXTENSION of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the ADVENCEMENT of the radio art. Oh Yes, that's from FCC Rules and Regulations:
PART 97—AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE
Subpart A—General Provisions
§97.1 Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.
My fellow FT8, CW, SSB, POTA colleague Robbie W1RCP goes a little more in depth in his YouTube Video: "Why the HATE for FT8?"
I remember the years I would lug my Ten Tec Omni along with a manual tuner along with a heavy marine battery and throw a wire into a tree for some portable operating in a park. Today in 2024, I'm unwilling to go back in time on Marty McFLy's Delorean and operate in that manner
NOW, I can pack my entire digital station (QRP Labs QDX, Tufteln Linked EFHW antenna, battery, SotaBeams 10m Travel Mast, Bluetooth Keyboard, GPS Dongle USB cable and Panasonic FZ-G1 Toughpad into a standard school backpack and off I go to a POTA site which is less than a mile from my doctor's office.
For me the successful launch and operation of Telestar 1 in 1962 was an event more far reaching than Sputnik. As a pre-teen, I felt I understood the role satellites would have on communications in the future. I now can say my understanding was minuscule. I could never imagine in 1956 or 1962 the HUGE role technology plays in our everyday lives.
I can see how some may depict FT8 as pictured in the image below.
If you're one of those who operated WSJT-x in auto-sequence, then I will agree it is like "Watching Paint Dry". There are times when I feel like Luke Skywalker telling R2D2 I'm taking over control of my X-wing Starfighter. I'll move out of Auto-sequence often to complete a QSO especially since I operate a lot of QRP. I try to use the same sense of operating like I SSB and CW. I'll move slightly off frequency to bee better heard, I'll move away for a few minutes to let the pileup subside, definitely find a clear frequency to transmit and move if necessary, send an occasional personal 73, tune up on an open frequency and send QRT when finished.
Living in an apartment has its limitations as far as what type of antenna I can use along with high local noise levels.. Because of that, (and before I discovered POTA) FT8 was my primary mode of operation. In 2019 when band conditions were not all that GREAT as compared to now, I was able to enjoy our hobby immensely. Was it a mode I had been accustomed to? No! But it did allow me to operate.
For me, FT8 open the door to another avenue of Amateur Radio. As a result I've delved a little deeper in Weak Signal Propagation. I'm amazed how far a WSPR signal can reach with only 200 mW.
So HATE FT8 if you like. Like Telstar of 1962 , You never know what path FT8 (WSPR) may launch humans to in the next century. Here's an example of what might be in store for WSPR. Read on .....
In May 2021, aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey suggested examining historical WSPR data as a way to define the flight path of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on 8 March 2014.[7] In November 2021, Godfrey stated his belief that his analysis indicates the aircraft flew in circles for around 22 minutes in an area 150 nautical miles (280 km; 170 mi) from the coast of Sumatra before vanishing, later proposing a search area centered around 33.177°S 95.3°E.[8][9][10][11]
As of March 2024, the validity of Godfrey's claim is yet to be established.[12] On 6 March 2024 the BBC documentary Why Planes Vanish: The Hunt for MH370 examined Godfrey's claim and reported that scientists at the University of Liverpool were undertaking an analytical study of the possibility of using WSPR technology to locate the missing aircraft. The University stated they would release their results within 6 months
I’ve been casually looking for N5J on Jarvis Island for the past week or so. I heard them once on 12m CW early on, and have seen many spots. Since my operating time has mostly been between local noon and 6 PM, that simply wasn’t an optimal time.
This morning I happened to be awake right around sunrise (about 6 AM local time), and figured grey-line propagation might help. So I checked the spotting network, and sure enough saw a number of spots on 18.095 FT8. I didn’t want to wake the house stumbling downstairs to the basement, so I used my phone to connect to my FelxRadio 6600M. That tiny display certainly wasn’t optimal, but I did see that N5J was on the air and quite strong, so I gave them a call. A few minutes later, I had an answer
Data screen of SmartSDR on my iPhone showing NJ5 Contact
Waterfall display from SmartSDR showing strong N5J signal at RX frequency, and my TX offset
Solar position showing N5J location. The contact was made 26 minutes after local sunrise
About 10 hours later, N5J uploaded their log, and sure enough my contact was confirmed! Jarvis happens to be an ATNO (All Time New One) for me. and should bring my DXCC count to 280.
{ED} A couple of days later I worked N5J on 20 and 15m CW. Never heard them on SSB.
Thanks to the DXpedition for their hard work. I understand they finished with over 100,000 QSOs, which is outstanding.
One of my goals for 2024 was an electronics “Wildcard” where I would finish my QDX transceiver kit or some other ham related project. Today I will mark this one complete, as I finally got my QRPLabs QMX Multimode Transceiver on the air and completed a couple of FT8 contacts.
I did have a few glitches trying to get the rig on the air using WSJT-X (version 2.70 rc6). The first had to do with the short USB-C cable that came with the kit. When I tried using that, I received a pop-up message saying the USB device was unrecognized and had failed. Several folks said they had issues until they changed the USB cable, which I did, and that appeared to work just fine – COM 6 came alive.
The next issue had to do with setting the rig in WSJT-X. The manual suggested “TS-440”, which was a choice that appeared as “TS-440S”. However that did not work, and returned a pretty long failure message when I tried to the Test CAT function. The manual also suggested “TS-480”, which did appear as exactly that (no “S” at the end). That fixed the issues and WSJT-X was now in control of the QMX.
A few minutes later at 1842 UTC I responded to CQ POTA N0WHA EM91 who was -04, and received a -15 in return. At 18:48 UTC I responded to CQ POTA N4NR EM64, who was +04. I did receive a -14 report and a 73 in return. Both stations confirmed the contacts in their POTA Activator logs. So the QMX is working.
In the photo below, you can see the QMX attached to an Elecraft T1 QRP Antenna Tuner, and if you look closely you can see a 3dB attenuator installed in line with the QMX. The QMX lacks a tuner, and if it detects a high SWR, will immediately shut down the transmitter. This quick response prevents the T1 from being able to do its job. By inserting a 3dB attenuator, that guarantees no matter what the antenna load, the worst case SWR seen by the QMX is less than 3:1 – a value that no longer cuts out the transmitter. When the T1 is tuned correctly, the 3dB attenuator can be removed. If you leave it in, the 5 watt output of the QMX is reduced to 2.5 watts. 3dB of RX attenuation really doesn’t matter on the receive side.
In the photo below, you will see the exchanges with N4NR as well as the waterfall.
Anyone who chases DX can’t fail to have noticed that the Jarvis Island DXpedition is now on air and has been for less than 48 hours. I did have a listen yesterday but didn’t hear them anywhere. I set up HamAlert notifications specifically for N5J with the source set as G, GM and GW in […]
Several FT8 users on the WSJT group have reported difficulty in decoding K8R on American Samoa when the DXpedition was operating in the SuperFox mode, despite the fact that propagation favored that area for those stations.I was able to copy 5W1SA (Samoa) with -11 to -15 levels on regular FT8 multiple times on a number of bands during the last half of K8R's operation but never once decoded K8R on
Many thanks to Karl (K5KHK) for sharing this guest post, which originally appeared on his blog, Karl Heinz Kremer’s Ramblings: A Digital Station in Your Pocket by Karl Heinz (K5KHK) How small can a complete station to work FT4/8 be? With the QRP-Labs QMX, we have a transceiver that certainly fits the bill for a … Continue reading Karl Heinz’s Pocket-Sized Digital HF Station→
In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the intricacies of optimizing power settings for the Elecraft K3S and WSJT-X. From understanding the impact of power levels on signal quality to fine-tuning your setup for maximum efficiency, this guide provides invaluable insights and step-by-step instructions to enhance your digital communication experience.
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I arrived yesterday (5th September) and have erected the DXCommander. The BTV is waiting until... 
Read more at RSGB.co.uk 
Read more at RSGB.co.uk 
