Educational topic: FT8 digital mode What is FT8 Digital operating - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Educational topic: FT8 digital mode What is FT8 Digital operating - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Educational topic: FT8 digital mode What is FT8 Digital operating mode that started gaining momentum in 2017 Named after Its developers Steven Franke (K9AN) Joe Taylor (K1JT) Mode uses an 8-frequency shift keying format Signals occupy 50 Hz
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Digital operating mode that started gaining momentum in 2017 Named after
Its developers
Steven Franke (K9AN) Joe Taylor (K1JT)
Mode uses an 8-frequency shift keying format
Signals occupy 50 Hz
What is FT8
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15 seconds of concerted screaming
13 seconds of noise 2 seconds of silence
FT8 sound
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WSJT-X digital software program
Website: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/
Interface from your computer to the radio
SignaLink USB is a popular option
What you need
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My setup
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TAK-tenna 80m 100-feet of LMR 400 Coax Comet Flat Feed-Thru Cable
My setup
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How do you know you’re getting out there
https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html
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Waterfall from WSJT-X
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WSJT-X main screen
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Band activity
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RX frequency (this is what you’re ‘listening to’)
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QSO area
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CQ with my grid I hear you, here’s my grid and a signal report Roger, here’s your signal report Roger Roger, 73 73 CQ with my location
What a QSO looks like
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What a QSO looks like
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You can call generally
CQ K8AMH EM12
You can specify a state you’re trying to work
CQ HI K8AMH EM12
You can specify you’re trying to work DX
CQ DX K8AMH EM12
When calling CQ
www.coppellhams.org Aruba 1 Brazil 1 Canada 8 Dominican Rep. 1 Guatemala 1 Haiti 1 Japan 1 Mexico 3 United States 109
FT8 during RTTY Roundup
Band QSOs 80m (3.5 MHz) 7 40m (7 MHz) 34 20m (14 MHz) 83
Countries worked QSO count (can contact same station on other bands)
Total Time On: 11:57 (717 minutes)
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FT8 during RTTY Roundup
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Tune your antenna! Transmitting on 80 meters causes
Lights to turn on and off Alarm panel to beep randomly
Always Upper Side Band
FT8 lessons learned
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Get to know your Automatic Level Control (ALC) meter
ALC circuit governs signal strength going into the power amplifier
Icom likes the meter to be somewhat full… Elecraft wants none of that…
FT8 lessons learned
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Turn off filtering You could be calling CQ for a while Operating split could help you You need to see if someone started to step on you
FT8 lessons learned
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