FT 8 -- let's make a contact
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- TelescopeMan experiments with WSJT-X software using the new digital radio mode FT8. He makes 2 contacts and discovers some important CHECK BOXES within the software. Let's experiment together.
Real time video warts and all! Includes a technique for logging FT8 contacts on QRZ and Eqsl.
You didn't have the transmit button enabled on your first QSO.
Thanks, Joe… I started making my first contacts with FT 8 yesterday and really love the mode. I learned some things watching your video and appreciate you doing it. 73 de Robert K3RRR
Thank you for the nice comment. 73
My beam antenna was pointed toward New York during the video. Which explains why some of the signals were weak. However the contacts were MADE even with the weaker signals.
I discovered the 2 check boxes in the software that auto enable transmit; and auto enable disconnect. These settings are important since the exchanges happen very rapidly in AUTO mode.
Pretty good explanation and demo of an ft8 contact. Video of ft8 is a bit lacking among the Ham radio UA-cam channels.
It surprises me how much ft8 activity is on 20 and 40 meters. You can almost always hear a few ft8 stations droning away on 14.074. Much more than psk-31 despite ft8 being so much newer a mode.
Thanks for the video, I learned a lot so I can improve my abilities on this interesting new mode.
Benjamin Otto FT8 is even more exciting on 6 meters during a sporadic E opening. Great fun!
Love the old Hallicrafters S-38 on the shelf ... it my first radio as a WN5 novice in 1953 .... worked WAS on CW with that radio using a WRL Globe Scout transmitter with 50 watts.
Thanks for the nice comment.
@@JoeLalumia I may just buy an old S-38C and put it on a shelf ... to remind me that once I was young and new like that radio.
That first qso didn't work, I think, because you did not enable transmit. The button was not red.
If you look at your input meter you are clipping the signal coming into your radio your signal is coming in distorted I was at the video I don’t know if you if you have done anything about it. The input signal meter should be reading anywhere from 40 dB to 60 dB and you can adjust that with your RF gain control in your radio.
I notice that your clock is at least a second off everyone else's. You might want to download one of those programs that automatically set your clock according to one of the standard time sources. Also, he tried to call you back three times and you ignored him, thinking again that you were calling him. This is somewhat of a "frenetic" mode, and you really have to pay attention to the screen. We've all made these same mistakes. Thanks for your helpful videos. Ken W8ASA
Ken I use Dimension4 software to sync. Also the video was done shortly after FT8 was released. The latest version is almost automatic with the exchanges. Check out my log on qrz.com. 73
Joe Lalumia i found this operating guide last night. Its pretty good. www.g4ifb.com/html/ft8_tips.html
@@user-ss6zt2mo1l This link was changed by G4IFB. It's now at www.g4ifb.com/FT8_Hinson_tips_for_HF_DXers.pdf 73 DE K6JB
Thanks Joe. Very helpful ahead of getting my rig and shack setup! 73 KC1PAN.
Also remember that JT65 and FT8 and JT9 (plus other digital modes) give REAL signal reports in DB.
Thanks for sharing the knowledge and experience with FT8.
73 Mark N4MKA
Mark Allman you are most welcome. 73
Noticed in the video that my 'gain" was too high in receive-- showing a RED bar on the left hand side of the software. I lowered that to about 80% and that fixed the RED high gain.
KC3DGM is my Buddy John In Meadville, PA Nice to see him on the video Thanks Jeff WA3JAW Titusville, PA were 27 miles apart,
You are most welcome. 73
Very helpful! Thanks, Joe. What does the button "Generate Std Msgs" do? The standard messages seem to get generated, whether I click it or not.
As Lee Mallin reported below QRZ now accepts FT8 contacts. July 24, 2017
I am coming back into digital and was hoping to learn how to set up the driver for my SignalLink USB Sound Card connected to my FT-450. Your video does not address this. I was also hoping to learn which software program is better for starting out with FT8; you example WSJT-X but you don't show how to download this and configure it for the SignaLink USB/FT-450. NOTE: I was doing digital several years ago and suffered a major concussion when I got hit by a car and this damaged my short-term memory. I am beginning to get memory for the digital comms but technology has changed so much I must start out from where I cited above. Will look to my associates close-by for help to make sure I get this part correct, then I can begin looking at the other modes.
Thank you.....W0GDS
What does the RRR signify in the qso dialog script signify? Thank you . Mike K8MB.
It means Reception Report Received. 73 - Ted KK6RSL
Hi Joe, A great video to analyze and (please don't take offense) demonstrates very well some of the "beginners" problems.
You have correctly diagnosed that you have the audio levels much too high. You will most certainly have clipped audio with the level pounding away in the red thus giving the decoder a hard time trying to give you a nice decoded signal. You said in one of your comments that you have backed this off to about 80%(?), please consider backing it off still further i am sure you will be surprised at the results.
The BIG hint is that just about everything on the waterfall is either orange or red, back the audio off a little.
All of your received sigs are way strong enough to get 100% decodes for sure. My experience from day 1 of FT8 is that anything from -15 dB on up is easily decoded. Just about everything in your video is +dB !!
Very strong adjacent signals such as in your video will also have the effect of "desensing" signals around them. You can see this effect to a certain degree in your video in that the "blue" areas are quite a dark blue with little or no band noise showing. This may also be the way you have set up your display gain of course.
If you do struggle with blocking from adjacent signals then consider turning the AGC of your receiver completely OFF and then use the RF gain to pull the high signals back a little. This technique tends to help with the "desesensing" problem.
Sorry, another rant.............
73
Thank you for your comment. 73
Joe I contacted QRZ today they said FT8 will be showing in the log today :)
Lee Mallin thanks very much.
Interesting, although I'm not sure why we need yet another digital mode, and I honestly am not a fan of of the software doing everything automatically, I really don't see the point other than seeing how far you can transmit. It just moves us further away from actually communicating with each other by radios and letting the computer do it all.
I also use JT65-- at low power to work DX stations even during a solar minimum. Remember Joe Taylor designed these for moon bounce communications! 73
Sorry man, but you really need to do something about your audio in these videos. It sounds like you're talking in a cave, and it's REALLY hard to listen to. Maybe switch to a headset mic for your PC or something.
he said it was me. lmao!
Hi Joe, very informative but you have not detailed how to hook up to the rig. 73 de Geoff
I just posted a new video about this on my channel. Should be ready to go within the hour. Hope it helps you. 73
willing to try it, but its no QSO is it really , no how are you ? how are the kids ? what you working on, etc etc . dont think i will ever be pulled away from SSB
outlawhead just another digital mode that many hams enjoy. It's not for everyone. Everyone in the family is doing fine.
Have you tried the Log QSO button? I did and it saved it to a log file. I'm not in front of my computer at home. Saves having to go log it everywhere. I can upload it later.
Michael yes I have seen it, but I have my own method for logging to 6 different logging sites including LoTW and 5 others. There are 2 videos about this in my playlist. 73 and appreciate your comment.
Great. Just what I was looking for. Yeah I know some are using JTAlert etc. Thanks again.
You are welxome.
great video.. really helped this ft8 novice! 73 N8CEP Keith
Thank you.
So is RRR mean Roger, Roger, Roger or Reception Report Received??
M Blair Roger Roger roger
do you have any audie setting so we can hear ya better
Yes it's called watching the video on a computer with speakers instead of a smartphone.
@@JoeLalumia no my friend i am on a very nice computer and dont have problems with other videos sound but i do see a few comments other then mine here about your cave sound low audi. keep making the videos just fix your sound
Hello Joe, maybe you need a good time synchronization app. when I start to use I couldn't decode. Try Dimension 4 or NetTime.
www.thinkman.com/dimension4/default.htm
www.timesynctool.com/
I am using Dimension 4-- the time sync was less than 1 second. I just think everyone is playing with a new mode and not quite sure how to work it yet PLUS my beam was not pointed at the contacts. But that is what makes it fun. 73
Its interesting but is it fun? Mind you this is the first time I ever saw it used so I don't know anything about it. Thanks Joe.
Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club NSS-ARC yes it's fun . Lots of traffic and contacts many dx contacts. Try it out. 73
CHECK YOUR CLOCK !! On average you are one 1 second fast. FT8 requires VERY tight timing.
RolyRJ I will do that but I am already using Nistime.73
Hi Joe, the trick is to watch the reported DT's from your decodes. In your video's case the DT's were between +1.0 and +1.8 seconds. On the assumption that not everyone else is fast (there will be exceptions) then the only conclusion is that you must be slow. Nistime is fine and will do a good job for you provide you have a good fast internet connection. Your can check your delay or lag by pinging Nistime and seeing what your lag is. If the lag/delay is significant this will have the effect of setting your clock slow.
I have this problem when on one of my many dx-peditions around the Pacific (E51RR, 5W0RR, H44RR, P29RR, Etc) The problem in this case is very slow internet (dialup speed) or no internet at all.
To overcome the problem I have a USB mounted GPS unit which is running 100% of the time and it adjusts the time continuously keeping me with in +/- 0.5 secs.
Bit of a rant, sorry, but hope this helps :)
73
Thanks again.
Mr. Lalumia.
Hello, and good afternoon.
Sir, I know of your views for the "hand-held, portable walkie-talkies" at being not as good as possibly a mobile rig. I already have a mobile rig (YAESU 857-D) setup. I am now looking for a handheld, to use as a handheld when I am off my vehicle, possibly using my mobile rig as a repeater if the need would arise. I am currently planning the purchase of a TERA hand held (TR-590,) dual band radio, or, if I am advised that digital communications are here to stay, and/or a better way to communicate, I will consider the purchase of a TERA TR-7400 UHF Radio.
Sir, have you ever had an opportunity to have "played" with any of these types (TERA) of handheld radios? What are your thoughts, in general, on the digital mode of communications, for amateur radio, do-do survival and just about any type of emergency communications?
Sir, I have seen and listened to your videos on youTube. I thank you very much for your hard work in producing these same. I do place value on your opinion(s), and remain hopeful for your valued guidance to me on my questions posed. Best of the day to you, ... 73.
Oscar, KG5ULB
I have no experience with a TERA radio. That being said I would not spend (as you know already) $300-$400 on an HT. It does need to be a dual band HT as a minimum, have a charger, and a few possible accessories like a hand mic available; or battery or power options like a backplate that can be plugged into a cigarette lighter in a car for power. At the present time I own a Wouxun, a Baofeng (8 watt model), and a TYT 380 DMR HT. They all work just fine.
To use the HT and transmit through the car radio you will need a mobile radio with cross band repeat built-in. Kenwood and Yaesu make very nice cross band repeat radios. I have also used the TYT9800 successfully as a cross band repeat (temp repeater).
I have several videos about DMR and Dstar --- here is a link to the DMR video and the Baofeng video:
ua-cam.com/video/yQId7QEqlv0/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/JTf_HX59Ll4/v-deo.html
Good luck and all the best.
Here in the Dallas metroplex, DMR is still not very active-- even though there are dozens of DMR repeaters in the Dallas area. Not a lot of activity. I have mentioned this in several previous videos. Currently activity is picking up a little but does not compare to several of the more popular analog repeaters in the metroplex.
Joe Lalumia
Mr. Lalumia. Thank you for your quick response. And, I will further research your options presented to me.
Again, thank you for taking your valuable time to respond to my concerns.
Oscar
You are most welcome
Is this still hamradio? Or PCradio? soon operator will be not needed...
Still radio FT8 is radio not the internet. Similar to PSK31 and RTTY just a lot more capable of decoding very weak signals.
WOW, PC QSO, bravissimo! thats the way to go in HAM, lazy HAM
Music Matt 76 it is actually more involved than just watching. www.g4ifb.com/html/ft8_tips.html
Help support this channel. Visit my product recommendation web site and use the links there to buy. I am an Ebay Partner and Amazon Associate, If you buy using my link you will help me.
www.joelalumia.wixsite.com/telescopeman
SUPPORT this channel. Use my Amazon Associate and Ebay Partner
links to buy. TelescopeMan will receive a small commission. It does
NOT affect the price you pay. Thank you!
Amateur Radio connectors:
amzn.to/2Avd7ke
Amateur Radios:
amzn.to/2hpctjJ
amzn.to/2hiagTv
Coax and Jumpers:
amzn.to/2ymjZPg
amzn.to/2hYI6h0
Books & Testing Materials:
amzn.to/2hh1jJY
WE make a contact ??? FT-8 requires no real skill sets and limited in real communications with a human operator. Anyone can amass a pile up without lifting a finger.
I see nothing exciting about a bunch of computers making contacts.Makes no sense other than so many ham operators are just to lazy to work anyone & they don't want any human interaction.Anybody with a half ass station & a computer can make a digital contact but it takes far more effort when making a phone contact but it feels far more rewarding.I see FT-8 as the lay operators mode & no matter where the other stations may be located it's not worthy of bragging rights on any band.So many lazy people making amateur radio perfect for the lazy give me something for free culture we live in.It's a disgrace to the hobby.
1OFGODSOWN just another mode .... if you don't like it don't run it.
If nothing else it shows where your signals are propagating. The contacts are auto-logged and every station that hears you is displayed in real-time on pskreporter.info. Not everyone wants to rag chew about weather, gear and their latest medical procedure.
It;s a low power mode that uses a fraction of the bandwidth of ssb...are you jealous that you aren't clever enough to come up with one??
Then you just don`t get it, do you.