Sunday, October 11, 2020

JS8Call use


 Once or twice a week a take a look around on JS8Call. Just to check if I got messages or put my QTH on APRS.fi. I always try to start a QSO but though enough stations are on the air not many respond. Yesterday I saw someone testing with APRS messaging, I thought to give him a call transmitting the test was received and we started a QSO. It was with G0CQZ Nigel and we had a nice conversation going on. But I have to say that was after trying to have a QSO for over 30 minutes. I know....not everyone has that patience, most are doing other things and just monitor JS8Call. In the past I was a fanatic packet radio user, I wrote and received multiple messages every day with various people. Checking for messages on JS8Call however is most times not neccessary, there are non! Besides that I check other JS8Call frequencies as well but 40m seems to be the most interesting...

So I asked myself what else is a interesting experiment to do with JS8Call?

- Write someone a message

- Write yourself a message to retrieve later (at least you finally have a message then ;-) )

- Relay your own call back to yourself

For the more advanced users:

- Try to relay a message to another continent.


Actually do you know interesting experiments that can be done with JS8Call? I know it is intended for chatting but not many do actually so we should have something to do with this very versatile digimode software.

Please let me know in the comments, or better. Try to send me a message via JS8Call. I can see OH8STN and EI2GYB most of the day so you could store a message there if possible. It would be great to finally receive some messages. I will reply of course.

While writing this post I had a QSO with SP3IEW Arek:


We tested fast and turbo mode as experiment since signals were strong. Great fun and turbo mode is almost as fast a chatting with whatsapp or messenger.

Interesting links:

https://www.m0spn.co.uk/2020/06/16/an-introduction-to-js8call/

https://miscdotgeek.com/js8call-getting-started/

https://miscdotgeek.com/js8call-is-growing-you-can-help/

7 comments:

SV1GRN said...

Hi Bas for long qso's you can try the old, good and robust psk. Using modes such FT8 for conversations is like driving a ferrari in the center of a city just my opinion 73

PE4BAS, Bas said...

PSK is rarely used anymore and doesn't have the features you'll find in JS8Call. I do not agree with you. Have you ever tried? 73, Bas

SV1GRN said...

Nope. I am using only wsjt-x for long distance low power mostly qrp qso’s, if thw station is ATNO I exceed the 5W barrier. Its sad that psk is rarely used nowadays, with psk (and some other digimodes) with few tens of watts making long distance qso’s is quite easy. With the FT8 you can make qso’s in even longer distances but for dx qso’s (long out of Europe) till now I haven’t interested in ragchewing. Just making a true ATNO or ATNO in a new band, or new iota are reasons that make me feel satisfied nowadays. Thanks to JT modes a new era has begun in our hobby, enjoy with what ever software you want 73

PE4BAS, Bas said...

Yes, I understand your point of view. Many HAMs only collect DXCC these days. But others do communicate, that could be with your neighbour or with someone from another country. It is indeed just what your interest is. Personally I like both. 73, Bas

Photon said...

Unfortunately, I don't like JS8 at all. Mainly, because I already had a fantastic mode - OLIVIA, which was keyboard-to-keyboard 100% copy under even the worst conditions. Nobody now is to be found using it.

SV1GRN said...

Yes agree, its sad that people don't use such a robust mode which is there for years. Why instead they prefer to implement FT8 or derivatives in new packages I couldn't understand. Maybe its time to have a new look for Olivia, whats their freqs? 73

PE4BAS, Bas said...

Olivia.....I tried it. I nearly blew the finals out of my radio. I takes way too much from your equipment I think. It isn't a bad mode and very robust I agree. The fact that JS8Call is using FT8 as "carrier" is not important. It is the choice of the programmer but it could have been any digimode including RTTY of course. It is the fact that you cannot only communicate but also leave messages for later pick-up, relay function and much more....and important it is still being updated. I still think it is a very good idea, although the aim of the software is not DX hunting. 73, Bas