A new WSJT-X Improved 3.1.0 260226 (beta) release with our new open-source FT2 code is ready for testing. I had actually planned to release a new 3.1 version in April, but I think it's best to do it now for the reasons we all know. Additional features may be added later.
I have already commented on the situation surrounding FT2 mode over the last few days. So let's just get to the facts.
Here are the changes compared to 3.0.0 251212:
• Introduction of a new open-source FT2 mode:
o FT2 is an ultra-fast 77-bit mode with TR periods of 3.75 seconds (= 1/2 of FT4).
o The history of FT2 goes back to experiments by Joe, Steve, and Bill (sk) which later became FT4. IU8LMC recently introduced an FT2 mode with modified parameters. The FT2 mode introduced here is compatible with it, but is fully open-source. No code from IU8LMC was used.
o Note that FT2 is still experimental. I haven't decided yet whether we'll keep it. Let's see if FT2 proves itself alongside FT4, or if it's just a short-lived hype.
• Support of QSOs between two stations with non-standard or compound callsigns for the 77-bit modes (FT8, FT4, FT2, MSK144, Q65, FST4). The following QSOs are now possible:
o two non-standard callsigns (e.g. DG123YCB with W250USA)
o two compound callsigns (e.g. DG2YCB/QRP with W1XYZ/YOTA, or HB9/DG2YCB with KP5/W1XY)
o non-standard callsign and compound callsign (e.g. DG123YCB with W1XYZ/QRP)
o non-standard callsign and /P callsign (e.g. DG123YCB with W1XYZ/P)
o two standard callsigns with /P, /M, /R or whatever (e.g. DG2YCB/MM with W1XYZ/P)
Notes:
o Both stations must use WSJT-X Improved v3.1 (or compatible software) for such QSOs. I noticed that some beta builds of JTDX and MSHV seem to be compatible with these message formats, however, the standard WSJT-X or any earlier version of WSJT-X Improved would get stuck in an endless Auto Seq loop.
o All previous message types are still fully supported, making WSJT-X Improved 3.1 fully backward compatible.
o These new QSO types cannot be used in special operating activities, as the available 77 bits are not sufficient for this purpose.
• New technology for the MAP65 program, and for some FORTRAN files:
o The map65.exe file is now less than 1/4 the size it was before. This new technology will (hopefully) also bring stability improvements.
o It comes along with modernized FORTRAN code.
o Note: The OFC builds use the slightly older but well-proven code from v3.0.0 and therefore still have the previous MAP65 version.
• Various minor improvements and fixes:
o Added a new option to skip a8 decodes for the multithreaded FT8 decoder (MTD).
o The band hopping interval can now be switched between 1 minute and 2 minutes. See the new checkbox on the Settings | General tab.
o The "Less button coloring" option has been removed because it was rarely used.
o Fixed a flaw that caused FT4 decodes not to be displayed when the program was started with CQonly enabled.
o Bugfix: Country names are no longer accidentally displayed when in FST4W mode.
o Fixed an inconsistency regarding the highlighting of prefixes.
o Transmissions above 5362 kHz on 60m are allowed for UK stations again. Only Tx frequencies between 5358 and 5362 kHz are prevented now.
o Better visibility of the Settings | Tx Macros tab when dark style is enabled.
o Added an option to log the dial frequency instead of the actual Tx frequency.
• Support of the new Hamlib 5 series.
o The Update Hamlib function now supports both Hamlib 4 and Hamlib 5. The required version is detected automatically.
o My installation packages, however, still use Hamlib 4.7 for now, because Hamlib 5 does not offer any advantages at the moment. On the contrary, older libhamlib-4.dll files could then no longer be used (Hamlib 5 requires libhamlib-5.dll).
Important:
• After first start, go to Settings | Frequencies, right-click on the frequencies table and click on Reset. This will bring you the new (tentative) FT2 QRGs.
• I recommend that you always make backup copies of your WSJT-X.iniand wsjtx_log.adi files before installing program releases that involve major changes!
As usual, all packages are available on my SourceForge page. Here are the direct links to download the frequently used packages:
Windows 64-bit:
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_PLUS_260226-OFC.exe (Windows 64-bit, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_AL_PLUS_260226-OFC.exe (Windows 64-bit, AL GUI, similar to JTDX Improved)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226-OFC.exe (Windows 64-bit, widescreen GUI)
Linux:
• wsjtx_3.1.0_improved_PLUS_260226-OFC_amd64.deb (Linux, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx_3.1.0_improved_AL_PLUS_260226-OFC_amd64.deb (Linux, AL GUI)
• wsjtx_3.1.0_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226-OFC_amd64.deb (Linux, widescreen GUI)
macOS:
• wsjtx-3.1.0_improved_PLUS_260226-OFC_M1.zip (macOS M1, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0_improved_AL_PLUS_260226-OFC_M1.zip (macOS M1, AL GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226-OFC_M1.zip (macOS M1, widescreen GUI)
The Windows 32-bit packages can be downloaded here.
You'll find the packages for the Raspberry Pi here later today.
The optional language pack can be found here.
Users who would like to try out the new MAP65 program version and the modernized FORTRAN code should use these installation packages:
Windows 64-bit:
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_PLUS_260226.exe (Windows 64-bit, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_AL_PLUS_260226.exe (Windows 64-bit, AL GUI, similar to JTDX Improved)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226.exe (Windows 64-bit, widescreen GUI)
Enjoy the new release! The WSJT-X Improved development team has been working hard! Thanks to everyone who contributed!
Final notes:
There seems to be one bug left that can occasionally cause the program to crash if you are in FT2 mode (or switch to it) and change band or mode too quickly. The extremely fast FT2 timing is quite challenging in several places in our code, but also in terms of CAT control and audio! Let's see if we can get this further improved.
Please also note that FT2 has stricter requirements for PC time synchronization (ideally +- 60 ms). Furthermore, your CAT connection should be very stable. Avoid unnecessarily long switching times for your PA or any relays.
73 de Uwe, DG2YCB
I have already commented on the situation surrounding FT2 mode over the last few days. So let's just get to the facts.
Here are the changes compared to 3.0.0 251212:
• Introduction of a new open-source FT2 mode:
o FT2 is an ultra-fast 77-bit mode with TR periods of 3.75 seconds (= 1/2 of FT4).
o The history of FT2 goes back to experiments by Joe, Steve, and Bill (sk) which later became FT4. IU8LMC recently introduced an FT2 mode with modified parameters. The FT2 mode introduced here is compatible with it, but is fully open-source. No code from IU8LMC was used.
o Note that FT2 is still experimental. I haven't decided yet whether we'll keep it. Let's see if FT2 proves itself alongside FT4, or if it's just a short-lived hype.
• Support of QSOs between two stations with non-standard or compound callsigns for the 77-bit modes (FT8, FT4, FT2, MSK144, Q65, FST4). The following QSOs are now possible:
o two non-standard callsigns (e.g. DG123YCB with W250USA)
o two compound callsigns (e.g. DG2YCB/QRP with W1XYZ/YOTA, or HB9/DG2YCB with KP5/W1XY)
o non-standard callsign and compound callsign (e.g. DG123YCB with W1XYZ/QRP)
o non-standard callsign and /P callsign (e.g. DG123YCB with W1XYZ/P)
o two standard callsigns with /P, /M, /R or whatever (e.g. DG2YCB/MM with W1XYZ/P)
Notes:
o Both stations must use WSJT-X Improved v3.1 (or compatible software) for such QSOs. I noticed that some beta builds of JTDX and MSHV seem to be compatible with these message formats, however, the standard WSJT-X or any earlier version of WSJT-X Improved would get stuck in an endless Auto Seq loop.
o All previous message types are still fully supported, making WSJT-X Improved 3.1 fully backward compatible.
o These new QSO types cannot be used in special operating activities, as the available 77 bits are not sufficient for this purpose.
• New technology for the MAP65 program, and for some FORTRAN files:
o The map65.exe file is now less than 1/4 the size it was before. This new technology will (hopefully) also bring stability improvements.
o It comes along with modernized FORTRAN code.
o Note: The OFC builds use the slightly older but well-proven code from v3.0.0 and therefore still have the previous MAP65 version.
• Various minor improvements and fixes:
o Added a new option to skip a8 decodes for the multithreaded FT8 decoder (MTD).
o The band hopping interval can now be switched between 1 minute and 2 minutes. See the new checkbox on the Settings | General tab.
o The "Less button coloring" option has been removed because it was rarely used.
o Fixed a flaw that caused FT4 decodes not to be displayed when the program was started with CQonly enabled.
o Bugfix: Country names are no longer accidentally displayed when in FST4W mode.
o Fixed an inconsistency regarding the highlighting of prefixes.
o Transmissions above 5362 kHz on 60m are allowed for UK stations again. Only Tx frequencies between 5358 and 5362 kHz are prevented now.
o Better visibility of the Settings | Tx Macros tab when dark style is enabled.
o Added an option to log the dial frequency instead of the actual Tx frequency.
• Support of the new Hamlib 5 series.
o The Update Hamlib function now supports both Hamlib 4 and Hamlib 5. The required version is detected automatically.
o My installation packages, however, still use Hamlib 4.7 for now, because Hamlib 5 does not offer any advantages at the moment. On the contrary, older libhamlib-4.dll files could then no longer be used (Hamlib 5 requires libhamlib-5.dll).
Important:
• After first start, go to Settings | Frequencies, right-click on the frequencies table and click on Reset. This will bring you the new (tentative) FT2 QRGs.
• I recommend that you always make backup copies of your WSJT-X.iniand wsjtx_log.adi files before installing program releases that involve major changes!
As usual, all packages are available on my SourceForge page. Here are the direct links to download the frequently used packages:
Windows 64-bit:
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_PLUS_260226-OFC.exe (Windows 64-bit, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_AL_PLUS_260226-OFC.exe (Windows 64-bit, AL GUI, similar to JTDX Improved)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226-OFC.exe (Windows 64-bit, widescreen GUI)
Linux:
• wsjtx_3.1.0_improved_PLUS_260226-OFC_amd64.deb (Linux, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx_3.1.0_improved_AL_PLUS_260226-OFC_amd64.deb (Linux, AL GUI)
• wsjtx_3.1.0_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226-OFC_amd64.deb (Linux, widescreen GUI)
macOS:
• wsjtx-3.1.0_improved_PLUS_260226-OFC_M1.zip (macOS M1, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0_improved_AL_PLUS_260226-OFC_M1.zip (macOS M1, AL GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226-OFC_M1.zip (macOS M1, widescreen GUI)
The Windows 32-bit packages can be downloaded here.
You'll find the packages for the Raspberry Pi here later today.
The optional language pack can be found here.
Users who would like to try out the new MAP65 program version and the modernized FORTRAN code should use these installation packages:
Windows 64-bit:
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_PLUS_260226.exe (Windows 64-bit, WSJT-X GUI)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_AL_PLUS_260226.exe (Windows 64-bit, AL GUI, similar to JTDX Improved)
• wsjtx-3.1.0-win64_improved_widescreen_PLUS_260226.exe (Windows 64-bit, widescreen GUI)
Enjoy the new release! The WSJT-X Improved development team has been working hard! Thanks to everyone who contributed!
Final notes:
There seems to be one bug left that can occasionally cause the program to crash if you are in FT2 mode (or switch to it) and change band or mode too quickly. The extremely fast FT2 timing is quite challenging in several places in our code, but also in terms of CAT control and audio! Let's see if we can get this further improved.
Please also note that FT2 has stricter requirements for PC time synchronization (ideally +- 60 ms). Furthermore, your CAT connection should be very stable. Avoid unnecessarily long switching times for your PA or any relays.
73 de Uwe, DG2YCB