JS8Call Messaging on 80M NVIS

Hello Operators
In this video we discuss #JS8Call Messaging for reliable NVIS Communications. JS8Call has a variety of messaging functionalities built in. Message store and forward, message relays, ... all disgned to work stand-alone, or through the JS8Call network. JS8 is a narrow bandwidth weak signal mode, working extremely well for NVIS ( Near Vertical Incidence Skywave ), and an asset to emergency communications and preparedness.

In this video, three stations all within #NVIS range of one another, demonstrate the Messaging capabilities of JS8Call, on 80 meters amateur radio band, using NVIS.
73
Julian oh8stn

 

Excellent video, showing how JS8CALL provides a great platform for infrastructureless Emcomm HF mesh text messaging and other features.
Thanks, Julian OH8STN, for making this, it is impressive!

 

Very much appreciated.
I think the mode has a lot of potential. It just needs a few videos outlining the abstract but very useful features included in it, and how to put them to use.
Do you remember our conversation a few years ago about the "random contact". That's part of the video was all thanks to you.
You're an awesome Elmer Bonnie
73
Julian oh8stn

 

As usual, Julian, good video/demo.

73, Larry WB8LBZ
El Paso, TX

 

Just testing it right now...looks good. For me not for daily use, but..yes it works and it is always good to have any kind of communication for emergency!

 

Hi Julian,

Yes, it's wonderful to see you talking about this subject, which I noticed right away, at about 11:48 in your video presentation:

"Most of the communications taking place in Amateur Radio do so in a couple of different ways;

1. First we have the Sked or schedule;
2. Then we have the Net;
3. And finally, and probably the most common, is the Random Contact (random chance). That's where we're making a random CQ, not knowing who, if anyone, will answer."

"When our focus is emergency communications or communications for preparedness, we won't always have the luxury of establishing communications during a sked, during a net, or leaving it to the random contact. In fact, the idea of leaving emergency communications for preparedness to chance is pretty ridiculous."
​

Kudos to you also, Julian, for your excellent elmering videos.
JS8CALL is one of the few apps that fulfills the HF and NVIS "selective calling" objective, along with weak signal infrastructureless mesh messaging.

 

I have a question about the message forwarding. Maybe I don’t understand correctly, but doesn’t the idea of the operator no longer being tethered to the radio, indicating that this function is automatic and that unattended transmissions would happen because of a message sent by another station?


Doesn’t such actions violate several FCC regulations pertaining to control operator requirements to be present at the station control point and that operator must be a person, and the retransmitting of amateur radio signals of another amateur stations transmission, automatically ? I know we have a few exceptions listed in our regulations but this doesn’t seem to fall under the descriptions of any of them.


It’s the same reason we can’t setup automatic controlled WSPR beacon stations or even CW beacons below 28 MHz. Yes I know we have the NCDXF/IARU beacon network and some are FCC regulated, however they have special written permissions from the FCC to conduct the automatic operations below 28 MHz and to exceed the 20 WPM limit because of time limitations to cycle threw all the stations participating.


I’m only asking, and I realize regulations for such activity may be different around the world. However in the US I don’t think this is allowed without a control operator at the radio control point.

 

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." (10th Amendment)

It's time we "grew up" and applied some sane logic and reasoning to all this.

How wide is the WSPR band? 200 Hz wide? Good grief.

 

Listen man, I totally agree. But leading people on to do something just because they can, doesn't make it right. Who ever said logic and reasoning had anything to do with reality of laws and regulations. And what does the width have to do with anything here? I was talking about automatically controlled, unattended stations, mentioned in the video presentation.

 

Petitions for Rulemaking. Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), federal agencies must give interested persons the right to petition for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule.

The "old" rules assumed, I think, massive amounts of BW were required for any mode, including CW (don't explain that to me, explain it to the commission). This is 2019 and changes need to be made in light of progress made in narrow BW digital modes.

 

Yes, they do. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean that they *will* be made. And until they are, charging forth and doing it on someone's own is almost certainly (eventually, anyway) sure to generate a Notice of Apparent Violation letter from the FCC. Have lots of time and deep pockets for attorney fees when you tilt at that windmill. Personally, I think it's 'winnable' from a standpoint of eventually getting that sort of thing permitted - if it is indeed NOT permitted here in the States, but remember that just because something is inherently 'wrong' doesn't mean that you can skate for violating it ... at least in the short term.

Very cool technology, though - and I appreciate the ability to see it demonstrated so clearly.

- Matt, AA4MB

 

Respectfully, please read the actual FCC rules before posting such nonsense.
Automatically Controlled Digital data Stations (ACDS) on HF have observed specific FCC rules for a quarter century.

The JS8CALL complies with all the rules, and may operate automatically on any frequency that is authorized for data modes.
JS8CALL, as utilized in the relay configuration shown in the video is responding to interrogation by a station under local or remote control and it occupies a micro-bandwidth of less than 500 Hz.
ACDS stations refer to this type of operation as semi-auto.

The full-auto or >500Hz semi-auto ACDS stations in USA have to observe the ACDS sub-band segments.

As for other countries, none are bound by FCC rules.

FCC Rule § 97.221 Automatically controlled digital station.
(a) This rule section does not apply to an auxiliary station, a beacon station, a repeater station, an earth station, a space station, or a space telecommand station.

(b) A station may be automatically controlled while transmitting a RTTY or data emission on the 6 m or shorter wavelength bands, and on the 28.120-28.189 MHz, 24.925-24.930 MHz, 21.090-21.100 MHz, 18.105-18.110 MHz, 14.0950-14.0995 MHz, 14.1005-14.112 MHz, 10.140-10.150 MHz, 7.100-7.105 MHz, or 3.585-3.600 MHz segments.

(c) Except for channels specified in § 97.303(h), a station may be automatically controlled while transmitting a RTTY or data emission on any other frequency authorized for such emission types provided that:

(1) The station is responding to interrogation by a station under local or remote control; and

(2) No transmission from the automatically controlled station occupies a bandwidth of more than 500 Hz.

[60 FR 26001, May 16, 1995, as amended at 72 FR 3082, Jan. 24, 2007; 77 FR 5412, Feb. 3, 2012]​

 

All the trolling aside, Just wanted to say this program is brilliant. Easy to use and setup and I hope it catches on. I tend to think when there is a real emergency and we need to communicate odds are 90% of the software out there will be abandoned quickly. Bad enough in field use you won't have the internet to guide you when issues arise. Keeping it simple and based on qrp power levels will be what works.

 

You're quoting the quoting the Tenth Amendment? Seriously? That's as comical as it is disturbing.