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#js8

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It's #JS8 activity weekend again 😁!

I had the opportunity to celebrate his first-ever JS8 QSO with some Peter from Stockholm, Sweden, with a nice, long, chat and look forward to more fun contacts later today. Officially, this ends at 19 UTC, but there's no need to switch off at that time.

Activity apparently concentrates on 40 m and 20 m. I'll also try 30 m, at least leave my station running on that band for messages.

js8call.groups.io/g/main/viewe

js8call.groups.iomain@js8call.groups.io | View Event
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Typical programms for #FT8 and #JS8 both have an ALL.TXT feature. When activated, any text your computer ever decodes and anything ever sent will be written to that file.

Personally, I find that quite useful for certain research, so I activate it. Yes, over the years, this file can get somewhat large, but not too large for modern hard drives IMHO.

Asking the FT8 and/or JS8 users among you: How do you handle this?

@va3db @croyle

Playing around with FreeDATA (freedata.app/) app on 40 meters. What a nice modern application, can operate keyboard-to-keyboard QSO's and leave messages from a remote PC using a webbrowser. Seems like a nice modern alternative to #JS8CALL. It's based on the open source #Codec2 which is also used for #FreeDV and #M17. No need for proprietary software modems like #VARA anymore. If you like stuff like #VarAC or #JS8 give this a try! #hamradio #ham #freedata

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I've done #JS8 on and off for more than 4 years (wasn't yet called "JS8" then). Great mode for inner city QRP! I think the crowd is still small, but slowly growing.

I routinely check pskreporter.info/pskmap.html?p to choose band, mostly 20 and 40.

I enjoy ragchew QSOs often exceeding an hour. Easiest to reach during (but not restricted to) the monthly party js8call.groups.io/g/main/viewe .

I use the message/mailbox feature for friendly exchange with absent folks.

@oh2cil @bud_t @AF0AJ @va3db @k3fnb

www.pskreporter.infoDisplay Reception Reports

@dj3ei @AF0AJ @va3db @k3fnb

I enjoy using #JS8, but it has become clear to me in the past 1+ years that it is dead as a project*. Development has stopped, no one documents anything, and it just is what it is at this point. There are active groups (some quite unsavory imho) but is not likely to change or improve at all.

One day last year a number of us locally in N Colorado used it during a severe weather event, and it was fun, but not much since then.

*last time (1 yr ago) I posted something here about JS8 being "dead" I got really flamed in groups.io and Telegram. But since that time, what has changed? Nothing.

In a(n imho otherwise quite unfair) toot 🧵 , Wesley @AF0AJ justly criticized available #JS8 documentation.

A long time ago, I asked* what the license of the #JS8 - guide docs.google.com/document/d/159 was and how to contribute. I hoped as the software is open source, so might be the JS8 guide.

No answer.

🤷

No pull request from me.

3 years later, "TODO: We’ll eventually add an example here :)" at "first QSO" still not fixed.

* For JS8 mailing list members: js8call.groups.io/g/main/messa

@va3db @k3fnb

Google DocsJS8Call GuideJS8Call de KN4CRD 2020-06-25 - v2.2 JS8Call is an experiment in combining the robustness of FT8 (a weak-signal mode by K1JT) with a messaging and network protocol layer for weak signal communication. The open source software is designed for connecting amateur radio operators who are op...

What a treat!

I've been dabbling with #JS8 since 2018 or so (the name was still different then) and only today completed my first JS8 QSO ever on the 10 m band.

And whom did I reach on that occasion?

Hans Summers TA4/G0UPL himself of QRP Labs fame, for a friendly ragchew (although condx were not too favorable).

😀

It is activity weekend for the #JS8 #hamRadio community.

There IS a lot of activity - on the 11m CB band: 108 stations 👍 on air (including receive-only ones) that send data to pskreporter.info/pskmap.html?p .

Alas - we radio amateur stations must not communicate with them over the air. A legal thing. CB is legally a different radio service.

At the same time, 215 hams on air with JS8. A lot of activity on our 40 m band, USA-Australia connectivity.

Ham JS8 10 m? Wide open, too. We are 9 of us.

Welp.

Today 19 UTC until tomorrow 19 UTC, it's again the #JS8QSOParty for all who are enthusiastic or plain interested in the #JS8 #hamRadio digital mode. In short, it is just an appointment when particularly many people from the (still small) community try to be on air. See js8call.groups.io/g/main/viewe for details.

It looks like the MUF might climb beyond 28 MHz tomorrow, so maybe there will be some activity in the 10 m band this weekend. pskreporter.info/pskmap.html?p will know.

js8call.groups.iomain@js8call.groups.io | View Event

A station transmitting in the 20m #hamradio band via #js8 has been sending "50rc101" where an radio amateur callsign is expected. According to what they say, they're in KO84, so Russia.

As far as I can tell, that is not a radio amateur callsign. In most jurisdictions, radio contact between radio amateur and other stations is forbidden.

There is an exclusion blacklist in the JS8call program. If a call (or a "call") is on that blacklist, you station will not answer its heartbeats.

If you are listening to an ongoing #js8 conversation and put yourself on its frequency to make the listening more convenient, that's fine. As always in #hamradio, listening in is "you're welcome".

When you're a ham yourself and decide you're bored and start a conversation of your own, all of that is also completely fine.

But if you transmit on top of the still ongoing conversation, that's not.