A NEW FT8 with QSO and Rag Chew capabilities called FT8CALL

KA1BSZ VT USA?

 

Thanks. Funny you should mention that. 14.068 was my first choice until a bunch of CW ops found me

 

KA1BSZ M?

 

Yes, you could send all of these.

 

OR UP FURTHER...14.105.00?

 

Got to get mu laptop lenovo 110s with windows 10 serviced and have your new program installed. Just will wait for the release date.

 

I've tried other 'ragchew digital modes' in the past and have always had difficulty finding any activity on the bands. The fact that an hour after getting setup I had already made contact with others is a testament that FT8Call has use.

I still like to experiment with the modes FLDigi offers but tuning around, trying to 'get lucky' and find someone that I can hear who can also hear me is a pain.

FT8, while I love it, get's a little too mundane and automated. For the anti-social crowd like myself, who doesn't like to use voice modes very often, it's a fun way to rack up rows in the logbook and collect awards.

FT8Call is nice for a short, casual chat/contact. Example below:

13:08:41 - (1211) - N1AAE: CQCQCQ EM78

13:09:29 - (1212) - WA2DE: N1AAE SNR -15 ⌁

13:09:37 - (1212) - N1AAE: WA2DE SNR -01

13:11:27 - (1212) - N1AAE: WA2DE SNR -01

13:13:04 - (1397) - N1AAE: WA2DE QSL?

13:14:59 - (1397) - WA2DE: N1AAE GM NAME WAYDE IN BROOKLYN NY BTU ⌁

13:16:05 - (1390) - GM WAYDE NAME IS CURTIS IN MADISON IN. GOOD SIG 2 EM78 BTU

13:18:29 - (1397) - WA2DE: N1AAE CURTIS USING IC-7300 INTO HOME MADE DIPOLE ABT 6FT ABOVE 2 STORY ROOF BTU ⌁

13:21:18 - (1390) - FT-450 W/ G5RV HUNG LOW HERE W/ 20W OUT. BTU

13:23:44 - (1398) - WA2DE: N1AAE FB NICE TO MEET YOU HOPE U ENJOY THE NEW MODE WILL LOG QRZ & LOTW ⌁

13:25:29 - (1390) - N2IPH: BEACON FM29 N2IPH: BEACON FM29 ⌁

13:25:40 - (1336) - N1AAE: WA2DE TNX AND HAVE A GOOD DAY. WILL LOG ALSO. 73

13:27:29 - (1398) - WA2DE: N1AAE TAKE CARE CURTIS 73 ⌁

​

Could this exchange have happened quicker with other modes? Probably. Would I have ever found someone a minute after tuning to the desired frequency to log a contact with? Probably not.

 

Jordan...read through the thread quickly did not see any reference to having accurate time on the computer is it correct that timing is not an issue as in FT8 since the operator and not the software controls the transmit/receive interval ?

 

Looking forward to trying it this weekend. Thank you for putting in all the hard work! Another tool in the toolbox, is a great thing to have, for those of us that love digital conversational modes.

 

Accurate, yes. Precise, no.

Specifically, you still need an accurate timing source to be +/- 2 seconds on a 15 second interval. But, the actual precise specific minute or which 15 second interval you sync to is not required. Does that make sense?

An example. If the current time is 15:00:15 UTC and your clock is set to 15:01:30 UTC, the program will still decode because you're within 2 seconds of ANY 15 second interval. If your clock was set to 15:00:17.5, or something however, you wouldn't be able to decode.

I'm working on removing this timing accuracy as a requirement, since we likely can detect the rising edge of a transmission and synchronize to that. Transmissions happen back-to-back, so there's no EVEN/ODD offset to worry about.

 

Thanks Jordan.....appreciate all your efforts.

 

Thanks for posting this example.

FT8CALL both requires and immerses the operators into the exchange. That differs from FT8 , which with extremely limited operator input, is essentially a machine to machine mode (M2M). No doubt on the FT8 utility: just look at its usage. But its information conveyal is extremely limited.

FT8CALL, like FT8, is a near optimum, high probability of intercept mode, that has substantial detectability at low signal to noise level, compared to 'legacy' modes. That means it ENABLES hams with low EIRP, and/or marginal propagation conditions. It is hard to overstate the importance of this.

If you are willing to have QSO's greater than a few minutes, then FT8CALL, IMO, is a preferred mode and a great addition to the tool box of ham radio.

73
Chip W1YW

 

That's the last 15 minutes of FT8Call activity as reported by PSKReporter on 08/16/2018 at about 11AM EST (1400UTC)

 

When I use FT-8, I have the VFO set to one frequency but the actually frequency I transmit on is essentially determined by WHERE in the waterfall I click. My rig shows about 4-5 Khz of spectrum. I can "see" anyone calling within that spectrum, even though the VFO is set on 1 frequency (14.080 say). If I want to call CQ, I look around within that spectrum for a clear frequency. So NO, not everyone is calling on the same frequency and saying they are is simply wrong. So EVEN IF everyone has their VFO set to 14.080, they may be calling anywhere from that frequency up 4 Khz or so. That's how FT-8 works.

Even during contests, RTTY folks spread out as well. Folks ALL don't call on 14.080. THAT's what the VFO is for!

...............Bob

 

RTTY is not dead in Asia and Europe... this is just from tonight: