[VHFcontesting] New WSJT-X Messaging System available for testing

[alex at kr1st.com]

Hi Roger,

I can appreciate what you are trying to do, but I wonder how effective this method will be for several reasons.

1) From a UI perspective, pop ups are annoying. 
Who would want to have to click away a popup when you are mid QSO with someone else just because someone you just worked sends you a QSY request? I would use a separate window for it or utilize unused space on the main window. Nothing should be interfering with what you are doing already.

2) It clutters a shared channel with non-QSO traffic. 
Unless you can somehow squeeze a QSY request into a message that is already part of the QSO exchange, you are generating non-QSO traffic that has no guarantee of being delivered. Also, what happens when someone replies "no' but that doesn't get received? Will you continue to get pop up if the requester continues to send QSY requests?

I do like the QSY request idea but would implement it very differently. Instead of on-air messaging, I would utilize use an IP based mechanism. And instead of a Message Creator window I would build a Message Center window in which one can send QSY requests and reply to such requests. This same Message Center could also be used for a regular QSO request as well. Sure, this would add quite a bit of complexity to implement, but it would be a lot more elegant, less interfering with the flow of making QSO's, and not add clutter to a shared channel. Heck, it would make for a great alternative to the KST chat page! With this option I could continue to make QSO's while also handle QSO/QSY requests at the same time if I choose to do so.

73,
--Alex KR1ST


-----Original Message-----
From: VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting-bounces+alex=kr1st.com at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Roger Rehr via VHFcontesting
Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2024 8:49 AM
To: vhfcontesting at contesting.com
Subject: [VHFcontesting] New WSJT-X Messaging System available for testing

Hi All,

The WSJT modes have been an exciting and revolutionary addition to our amateur radio armamentarium.  They have allowed us to make contacts that would be impossible without them.

An unfortunate side effect of their use in some contests (e.g. the ARRL January, June, and September VHF Contests) is that it has become difficult to pull folks away from FT8 on one band, particularly on 50 MHz, to make digital or analog contacts on other bands.

Because of the above, a new WSJT-X Message System is under development. 
The system is specially designed for VHF/UHF/SHF applications, but is now also suitable for general use. It is based on a messaging algorithm proposed by W4ZST in 2021 for the NA VHF Contest to invite your QSO partner to QSY to another QRG or mode.

A first prototype is ready for testing now in the latest release of wjst-x_improved, and if the system proves successful, it will likely be introduced in plain WSJT-X with a future Release Candidate 8.

With this new system, generating these request messages requires just a few mouse clicks and no typing.  When WSJT-X-improved receives such a request message it generates a pop-up indicating the requested frequency and mode and gives the recipient the opportunity to reply "yes" or "no" 
to the request.  When the requestor's instance of WSJT-X-improved receives an affirmative or negative reply it generates a pop-up indicating that response.

A Windows installer and a pdf file describing how to use the messaging system are available on SourceForge at https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/files/WSJT-X_v2.7.1/Test%20versions%20%28WSJT-X%20Message%20System%29/

as is a png image file that shows at a single glance how everything works.

wsjt-x_improved is an enhanced version of the excellent WSJT-X software by Joe Taylor K1JT, Steve Franke K9AN, Bill Somerville G4WJS, Uwe Risse DG2YCB, and others.  Uwe is the project leader for wsjt-x_improved as well as being one of the members of the core WSJT Development group.

If you try this new version of wsjt-X_improved and have questions regarding the use of the messaging system, feel free to email me for help.  If you have questions or comments that you feel would be of interest to / helpful to other users, please consider posting them to either the wsjt-x-improved-community mailing list or the WSJT GROUP forum.  You can sign up for the former at:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/lists/wsjt-x-improved-community
and for the latter at:
https://groups.io/g/wsjtgroup

Thanks to Dick Frey W2AAU and the N.E.W.S. Group club members, whose discussions spurred the development of this messaging system!

73,

Roger Rehr
W3SZ


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