“Hi Folks!
A number of you have participated in the beta testing of the pre-release versions of JS8Call for some time now. Well, good news…JS8Call is finally out of it’s initial development and version 1.0 has been publicly released: http://js8call.com/news/
What is JS8Call & JS8?
JS8Call is an experiment to test the feasibility of a digital mode with the robustness of FT8, combined with a messaging and network protocol layer for weak signal communication on HF, using a keyboard messaging style interface. It is designed to connect amateur radio operators who are operating under weak signal conditions.
JS8 is a mode with the freedom to transmit arbitrary length free-text messages using an adaptive text compression scheme (15-18 wpm average, > 20+ wpm on some messages).
The software also includes:
- Callsign list that shows which callsigns you can hear and which can hear you.
- Directed message structure to allow messages to you to be received anywhere in the passband.
- Directed commands to request specific information from other stations (like their GRID).
- Message relays (use a series of intermediate stations to relay a message to a destination)
- Store-and-forward message inbox that allows messages to be left at intermediate stations to be retrieved later.
- Band hopping based on a schedule.
- Time drift controls for synchronizing to other stations when no other time source is available.
- Macros with text replacement for SNR, GRID, and other information.
- An API for other applications to integrate dynamic message sending (think, Chess, ARQ, Forms, Geolocation, etc)
- Spotting of station locators to PSKReporter, HamSpots, APRS-IS, and JS8NET.
- And is open-source (GPL) and free to use and/or modify.
If you’ve been interested in trying JS8Call, but didn’t want to have to sign up for the groups.io or upgrade frequently while in development, now is your time. The 1.0 release is a solid foundation for weak signal communication and I hope that you enjoy using it.
If there’s anything you need, feel free to email me kn4crd@gmail.com. Happy to answer any questions you might have in the meantime.
Cheers!
Best,
Jordan / KN4CRD”
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