Wednesday, February 13, 2013

My first JT9-1 QSO

PC4T Paul's blog post about working Tasmania with 5 watts gave me the spur to try the new JT9-1 mode, so I installed the WSJT-X software. The user interface is quite a bit different to the older WSJT programs but most of the same controls are there. I never really figured out how to use WSJT, much preferring the simpler interface of Joe W6CQZ's JT65-HF application.

Working SM5CS using JT9-1 mode
My experience with JT65-HF stood me in good stead as I was familiar with the sequence of exchanges, but I missed the JT65-HF user interface, its ability to decode all the signals in a swath of spectrum, and the alerts and built-in logging of it's companion JT-Alert application.

My first QSO, also using 5 watts, was with SM5CS - not as impressive as Tasmania but sufficient to satisfy myself that I knew how to drive the program. I'm puzzled by the panoramic display though: the two peaks of the spectrum analyzer display don't match up with the two traces shown on the waterfall.

I made the changes to KComm to allow me to log this new mode. I seem to have an increasing number of modes that I can log but not upload to eQSL.cc because the ADIF specification doesn't yet include them, though JT9 is already there.
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7 comments:

  1. Paul Stam PAØKWednesday, February 13, 2013 10:43:00 am

    Good job Julian. Yes, the JT65-HF application made JT65 very popular. I hope someone can do the same job with JT9-1

    I use qrz.com logbook and it's possible to log JT9 qso's as well.

    73 Paul

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  2. PE4BAS, BasWednesday, February 13, 2013 11:44:00 am

    Congrats with your first JT9 QSO Julian. I think we should promote JT9. Probabely then it would be integrated in the JT65-HF application. JT65-HF should be renamed to JT-HF or so. Or would this be a step to far into the future?
    I certainly think it would make JT9 even more populair as JT65. 73, Bas

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  3. UnknownWednesday, February 13, 2013 12:05:00 pm

    I agree, Bas. I understand the encoding used in JT9 is similar to JT65A. So adding JT9 capability to JT65-HF would not be impossible. JT9-1 is much narrower than JT65A and its adoption could solve the problem of crowding on the JT65A frequencies.

    Unfortunately I believe that the author of JT65-HF Joe W6CQZ is ill and not able to work on the program, so this is unlikely to happen any time soon.

    Perhaps Laurie, VK3AMA, the author of JT-Alert, could produce a version that works with WSJT-X? I think that would go a long way towards making JT9 more popular.

    Julian, G4ILO

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  4. UnknownWednesday, February 13, 2013 1:06:00 pm

    Hi Julian
    To decode all the signals over a "swath of spectrum" set the 'TOL' spinner (near the bottom of the screen) higher than 20. The green marker above the waterfall will get wider.
    Catch you soon on JT-9!
    73 Phil M6FUN

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  5. SV1GRNWednesday, February 13, 2013 6:02:00 pm

    Tnx for the information, I'll try wsjt-x. I am also a satisfied JT65-HF user and Iam using also JT65logview by OX3IO:
    http://www.oz1bv.dk/util/jt65hf-log-view/
    have a look.
    73

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  6. G4NKXThursday, April 11, 2013 6:50:00 pm

    Hi Julian - I too have just started using it and yes it would be a good idea having it alongside jt65 I am only monitoring at the moment until I am more familiar with it - I tried two earlier versions and neither would decode at all - thankfully the latest version 0.9 Is working but no Cat control.

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  7. UnknownFriday, April 12, 2013 8:39:00 am

    You do know I suppose that the CAT control is only supposed to work from the program to the radio?

    Julian, G4ILO

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