A bit like the fashion for middle aged men, my good old Hewlett Packard 8568B got new clothes. In my opinion, it is one of the masterpieces of Hewlett Packard spectrum analyser design. Even today, the specifications are hard to beat with new equipment in the “amateur price” range. I will return to that. The… Continue reading »
What the… are hash collisions? What has it to do with FT8? This article explains that the FT8 protocol can confuse call signs and the software seems to behave erratically. What is a hash? In short, a hash code is a number, usually calculated via bit operations. Hash codes are widely used in data storage… Continue reading »
Having read about WSJT-X version 2.3.0 with the new FST4 protocols, curiosity drove me to perform some tests. In the past, I wrote about FT8 and the fact that its sensitivity is considerably less than JT65 or JT9, leading to lost DX opportunities. Especially on 60 metres, the restricted power levels pose an additional challenge… Continue reading »
There were times when there was only one type of amateur radio licence. One had to pass a technical exam and a Morse code test, because telegraphy was the standard operation mode. Later on, a separate licence became available without the Morse test and only gave access to VHF and up. My first exam was… Continue reading »
Regular readers of this blog know that noise (interference, to be correct) from various sources is my most prominent nuisance. A few weeks ago, I stayed for a weekend on a rural location in France and took my IC706 and antenna with me. A wire antenna was put up, using a tall tree and two… Continue reading »
The last few days, conditions on 6 and 4 metres were quite good. Even with my modest station, some nice DX was worked on 6. Back in 1989, I became rather frustrated because I had ‘half a QSO’ in CW with CO2KK. He unfortunately took my call as PA2HJH instead of PA2HJS and I was… Continue reading »
This article drew my attention. Another story about “Megahertz” wireless power transfer. If something is going to kill radio communications, this is spot on: Wireless power transfer Old school efficiency There were times we had trains. Electric trains. In The Netherlands, most railway lines use electricity to convey power to the locomotives (like this one… Continue reading »
Today, I stumbled upon a write-up of Joe Taylor, K1JT about developing a version of FT8, intended to be used by DXpeditions. In spite of the fact, that I do not favour FT8, especially because it takes out the lower tier of the signal to noise range, I consider this an interesting and valuable development…. Continue reading »
It is quite obvious that the internet helps to spread news very fast and thus, a real FT8 explosion took place. On busy moments there is a myriad of stations and it is impressive to watch how good the WSJT-X software decodes the whole bunch every 15 seconds. Hats off for the developers! The FT8… Continue reading »
FT8 has been around for some time now. It was adopted fast by the amateur radio community and it is clear that FT8 overtook JT65 quickly. But is it an improvement? It has to be said that Franke and Taylor (FT) have done a tremendous job with the development of various weak signal modes and… Continue reading »