WSJT-X 2.0

WSJT-X 2.0
A fourth candidate release  ("RC4") of  WSJT-X 2.0  has been available for  download  and use  by  beta testers  since  13 November.  The "Quick-Start Guide to WSJT-X 2.0" has been revised and extended, and must be read thoroughly before using RC4:

http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/Quick_Start_WSJT-X_2.0.pdf

The version  of  FT8  (and of MSK144  as well) in  the  new release  is  not backward-compatible with the original protocol. This means that anyone using an earlier version of the software  will be unable  to decode  transmissions from users of v2.0.0-rc4, and  vice-versa.  "To minimize this cross-protocol interference  we  suggest  initially  using  the  RC4  release  at audio  TX frequencies 2000 Hz and higher. As more users upgrade their software to  RC4 or  later, activity  can  gradually  move downward  in  audio frequency.  By December 10 or  very soon afterward,  everyone should  upgrade  to the  full WSJT-X 2.0 general availability (GA) release".

Download links for RC4 on  Windows, Linux, and  macOS  can be found  on  the:

WSJT-X web page: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html.

Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT

WSJT-X 2.0

È stata rilasciata una quarta versione ("RC4") di WSJT-X 2.0, questa relise è disponibile per il download e l'utilizzo da parte dei beta tester dal 13 novembre. La "Guida introduttiva a WSJT-X 2.0" è stata rivista ed ampliata, e deve essere letta attentamente prima di usare la versione RC4!!

https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/FT8_DXpedition_Mode_Italian.pdf

Il sistema FT8 (come per MSK144) nella nuova versione non lo è retrocompatibile con il protocollo originale. Questo significa che chiunque usa una versione precedente del software non sarà in grado di decodificare le trasmissioni dagli utenti di v2.0.0-rc4 e viceversa. "Per ridurre al minimo l'interferenza con questo nuovo protocollo  si suggerisce di utilizzare inizialmente la versione RC4 in TX su frequenze audio di 2000 Hz e oltre. Man mano che più utenti aggiornano il loro software su RC4, l'attività può gradualmente spostarsi verso il basso nella frequenza audio. Dal 10 dicembre circa, sarà rilasciatala versione “full” (GA) WSJT-X 2.0 pertanto tutti dovrebbero aggiornare con questa nuova versione”

I link per il download di RC4 su Windows, Linux e macOS sono disponibili su:

Pagina Web WSJT-X: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html

Good DX on FT8 de IK1XPK, Clay.

Moon-Bound Ham Radio Payload Will Transmit Your Message from Space — But Hurry!

http://www.arrl.org/news/moon-bound-ham-radio-payload-will-transmit-your-message-from-space-but-hurry

The Amateur Radio payload on the lunar-orbiting 4M-LXS spacecraft will carry up to 2500, 13-character digital messages into space for retransmission via JT65B mode on 145.990 MHz. But wannabes will have to act fast. The message collection site will close Wednesday, September 17 at 12:00 Central European Time (1100 UTC) the 4M website announced today. China recently announced plans to launch the orbiter carrying the 14 kg battery-powered payload, developed by LUXspace in Luxembourg. The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is a partner in the experiment. Getting a message into space requires registering and uploading one via the 4M website. A “73 de W1AW” message already has been uploaded.

“Give us your 13 characters long message, and we will send it ‘from the moon,’” an announcement on the 4M Manfred Memorial Moon Mission website invites. Signals from the Amateur Radio payload can be decoded using the free WJST software by Joe Taylor, K1JT. The Manfred Memorial Moon Mission memorializes Manfred Fuchs, the late founder and chairman of LUXspace parent company OHB of Bremen. He died in April. The 4M mission is expected to launch after 1800 UTC on October 23.

According to LUXspace, the 4M spacecraft will transmit continuously on 145.980 MHz (± 2.9 kHz) at 1.5 W into a simple quarter-wave monopole antenna. “This will give S/N comparable to EME signals at Earth’s surface,” LUXspace said. “The transmission is based on a 1-minute sequence and a 5-minute cycle. The transmission will start 4670 seconds (77.8 minutes) after launch.”

The 4M mission was detailed during a presentation the EME 2014 conference held recently in France. A paper, “4M Mission: A Lunar Flyby Experiment” also is available. During the lunar flyby, the spacecraft will be about nearly 248,000 miles from Earth and between 7440 and 14,480 miles from the Moon. The spacecraft will be part of the last stage of the lunar mission. The planned trajectory calls for a lunar flyby and return to Earth, with a 90 percent chance that the spacecraft will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. LUXspace has provided a tracking tool on its website.

The mission is scheduled to run slightly longer than 8 days, with lunar flyby occurring about halfway through the mission. The distance to the moon will be between 7440 and 14,480 miles, depending on the final orbital injection vector, LUXspace said.

LUXspace’s motive in encouraging radio amateurs to upload messages is to guarantee a built-in team of listeners who will monitor the transmissions and report back to LUXspace. “There will be a number of experiments and contests with prizes to the winners in each experiment and category,” LUXspace said.

The orbiter is one of the test models for Beijing’s new lunar probe Chang’e-5, which will land on the moon, collect samples, and return to Earth. The launch is aimed at testing technologies vital to that spacecraft’s success. The orbiter will be launched into Lunar Transfer Orbit and then perform a lunar flyby before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.

The orbiter, which arrived by air in Xichang, Sichuan, on August 10, has been transported to the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. — 

Thanks to LUXspace, AMSAT-UK

'73 de IK1XPK, Claudio