Recent sporadic-E propagation openings on 6 meters and elsewhere have pointed up the need for a digital mode having faster turnaround time than currently available software versions offer. A recent WSJT-X reflector discussion allowed that, while the slow ’JT modes like JT65 and JT9 have excellent sensitivity, their 1-minute long transmissions may not permit completion of a contact when evanescent signals pop up and quickly disappear under certain E-skip conditions. MSK144 and the fast JT9 submodes allow much shorter transmissions, but they do not offer the multi-decode capability that JT65 users find so effective. Iain MacDonnell, N6ML, was among those remarking that, while the use of JT65 for working E-skip on 6 meters has really taken off, it’s too slow to be practical for openings that only last a couple of minutes or so.
Joe Dzekevich, K1YOW, of Harvard, Massachusetts, sounded a similar theme. “A few days ago we had a great opening on 6 meters, especially here in the New England USA area, given our latitude,” he noted. “I often find that often one cannot complete a QSO due to QSB and the ins and outs of Es. Yet, being a propagation buff, I love the idea that I can leave the rig on 50.276 in JT65 mode and then see who I hear throughout the day via PSK Reporter.”
WSJT-X developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, weighed in to express his appreciation to all who shared their ideas and experiences using JT9 and JT65 modes during recent multi-hop E-skip openings on 6 meters.
“We are very much aware that a mode with most of the excellent characteristics of JT65, but with faster turnaround time, would be a big winner in such situations,” Taylor commented on behalf of the WSJT-X development team. “We are experimenting with several such possibilities. Tentative goals include 15-second T/R sequences, sensitivity around S/N = –20 dB, occupied bandwidth less than that of JT65, and capability to decode as many as 10 or 20 signals in a 2-kHz bandwidth.”
But, Taylor added, developing new modes takes a lot of time, and results are not guaranteed. “We will report significant progress if and when available,” he pledged.
According to the WSJT-X page, JT9 is optimized for LF, MF, and HF, and it’s some 2 dB more sensitive than JT65 while using less than 10% of the bandwidth. Both JT9 and JT65 permit DX contacts at very low power levels and modest antennas. — Thanks to Joe Taylor, K1JT
Source:ARRL
How to get on JT65
Digital Modes
Demonstration of the new HF 300b Packet Modem Read more
Review
Man climbs 400-foot TV tower at WKMG News 6 in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — OrlaThe man has climbed the tower outside of the WKMG studios on John Young Parkway.ndo police have been called to a local TV station... Read more
The WSPR Heard ‘Round the World
Are you curious about the mysteries of signal propagation, or maybe wondering how well your antenna is working? The answer may be just a “WSPR... Read more
![Flex-6400M and Flex-6600M Preview from the Dayton Hamvention 2017 [ VIDEO ]](https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/18622145_10101189664121067_3083379459574983841_n-190x122.jpg)
Flex-6400M and Flex-6600M Preview from the Dayton Hamvention 2017 [ VIDEO ]
Flex-6400M and Flex-6600M Read more
KM4IPF Shows the Template for the HF Go Box that Will be Used for Our Dry Tortugas DXpedition
“KM4IPF, AE4FH, and WX4TV are planning a mini DXpedition to the Dry Tortugas later this year and we are building an HF go box to hold the Yaesu... Read more
All About CTCSS – ARRL HQ Video
A basic primer about the Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System The Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System, commonly... Read more