On the 20th of March, I tested the 20260320 version of Decodium “Shannon” to see how “Fast Track 2 “performs”. Later tests were done between the 27th and 30th of March. The first test failed. I ran two instances of the software, using Virtual Audio Cable to route the audio internally. Spectrum Lab was used… Continue reading »
About a week ago, Joe Taylor posted a message about the FT2 “developments”. Citation: Compared with FT4, “FT2” is significantly less sensitive, needs twice the bandwidth, and has far more decoding failures caused by timing errors. The mode is hardly usable without full (or nearly full) automation. We have no plan to add a twice-speeded-up… Continue reading »
A quote from the website (ft2.it): “Complete QSO in 7-11 seconds. Theoretical rate of ~240 QSO/hour, ideal for contests and DXpeditions.” OK, game on. Let’s check. What about FT8 Superfox? The user manual states: (…) Standard messages include up to 9 Hound callsigns: as many as four may receive numerical signal reports to start a… Continue reading »
Today, the 1st of January 2026, it is exactly 50 years ago when my initial VHF licence became valid. The picture below shows a copy the initial licence (which I no longer have). We had to return documents to the administration when a licence was changed, which happened in 1977 after the CW test was… Continue reading »
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 »