Topband: Testing FST4 on 160m

Tue Feb 9 19:27:39 EST 2021

I believe this will be a great DX mode on 160m eventually. 
I have made a few stateside QSOs with around 35 watts (amp is down right now). Worked N6SS with very good signals and decoded DL7NN this evening at -21. Question, I will call this the "Decode" window where the 2-Dark green arrows are located. I played with this and set it pretty much wide open understanding this is not recommended. I assume the more narrow this is the less decodes will occur? Does anyone have any input on what the default is and how narrow this should be set?
Thanks a bunch,
Mack K4AO

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Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 12:00 PM
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Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 218, Issue 7

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Today's Topics:

   1. Testing FST4 on 160m (Jim Miller)
   2. Re: Testing FST4 on 160m (Jim Brown)
   3. Re: Testing FST4 on 160m (James Wolf)
   4. Re: Testing FST4 on 160m (Jim Brown)

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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2021 19:51:44 -0500
From: Jim Miller <jim at jtmiller.com>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: Testing FST4 on 160m
Message-ID:
	<CACYeN9zX-9n=zdzH7af-yVPHxv=jEH4+xSVkb+UmJ6zp8OGdZw at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

I've been looking at FST4 as a possibility for getting some more difficult new ones on 160.

>From Table 7 in
https://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.4.0-rc1.html#SLOW_MODES

you can see that FST4 with 60 second periods is 3db more sensitive than
JT65 and 7db more sensitive than FT8.

I enjoy CW but will use FT8 when it gets the job done. But there are times when even FT8 doesn't get through.

I've used JT65 in the past but when FT8 came along everyone hopped on it.

FST4 at 60 second periods is obviously slower but has the same automation features that the newer WSJT-x modes have.

I'd like to find a partner in EU or AS who would sked with me to do some
FST4 tests on 160.

Anyone?

Stay safe

jim ab3cv

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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2021 17:03:04 -0800
From: Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Testing FST4 on 160m
Message-ID:
	<1a55788d-01fa-0317-8aff-8d56a5681d88 at audiosystemsgroup.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed

On 2/8/2021 4:51 PM, Jim Miller wrote:
> I'd like to find a partner in EU or AS who would sked with me to do 
> some
> FST4 tests on 160.

And I'll be happy to be QRV from California. A VK4 has been active, my rig has decoded him several times (while I was sleeping) off the back of my EU Beverage with plenty of signal to noise to spare, and I'm hoping to work him QRP. It's a 7,000 mile path. He worked N6SS a few nights ago.

73, Jim K9YC

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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2021 00:43:18 -0500
From: "James Wolf" <jbwolf at comcast.net>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Testing FST4 on 160m
Message-ID: <00a401d6fea6$7bfb6eb0$73f24c10$@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

I'm not understanding the time setting on FST4.  
Does the station calling CQ set the time duration of FST4 and the receiving station automatically detect that time setting and mimic it, or do both stations need to start with the correct setting?
I'm not seeing this information in the documentation.

Jim - KR9U

-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces+jbwolf=comcast.net at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Monday, February 8, 2021 8:03 PM
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Testing FST4 on 160m

On 2/8/2021 4:51 PM, Jim Miller wrote:
> I'd like to find a partner in EU or AS who would sked with me to do 
> some
> FST4 tests on 160.

And I'll be happy to be QRV from California. A VK4 has been active, my rig has decoded him several times (while I was sleeping) off the back of my EU Beverage with plenty of signal to noise to spare, and I'm hoping to work him QRP. It's a 7,000 mile path. He worked N6SS a few nights ago.

73, Jim K9YC
_________________
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2021 22:25:58 -0800
From: Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Testing FST4 on 160m
Message-ID:
	<ba290f59-f776-b2e2-dd04-5e577eefb38c at audiosystemsgroup.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed

On 2/8/2021 9:43 PM, James Wolf wrote:
> I'm not understanding the time setting on FST4.
> Does the station calling CQ set the time duration of FST4 and the 
> receiving station automatically detect that time setting and mimic it, 
> or do both stations need to start with the correct setting?
> I'm not seeing this information in the documentation.

Hi Jim,

The guys writing both the code and doc are super smart and excellent writers, but they fail to realize how little the rest of us know. :)

I know the answer because I asked on their email reflector -- each time duration is structurally different, so if I'm set for 60 sec (which I am), I'll see 15 and 30 sec signals on the spectrum display, but I won't decode them, and those stations won't decode me. The reason that's true is that each time duration also uses different tone spacing. And signal to noise ratio improves by 3 dB per doubling of time.

I've chosen 60 sec because I'm trying to work either 1) SC and VT to finish QRP WAS or 2) at full power, new EU countries. At this point, very few have adopted the mode. Most of the time I call CQ at 5W, but as the evening wears on I turn on the amp and crank it up to 1 kW. Even running power, I've been decoded by fewer than ten stations in an evening.

It's a great mode though, almost 20 dB advantage over CW with great ops on both ends.

73, Jim K9YC

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