The Complete Bozo's Guide to HF JT65A
( a work in progress)
by Andy K3UK
Version 1.06    Last updated April 22,  2007
(new /revised items appear in BLUE text)
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This article may be freely re-distributed if  credit to the author is given and the document not changed in any way. 
A Russian translation of this document can be found at  http://ugt.kharkov.com/port/index.php?nma=catalog&fla=stat&cat_id=3&page=1&nums=66


Introduction:

As a complete bozo, I am quite qualified to write this guide.  I have been using the mode for three  whole weeks now and have had "QSOs" with over a dozen stations in several continents.  For example, South Africa on 40  meters.  All DX worked  with low power and a simple piece of wire in a tree.  I have no idea why the software works but if  I, K3UK, can figure out how to get it to work.....anyone can ! 

If you are smart, and know more than me about this software, please feel free to email me via andrewobrie@gmail.com  I will be happy to add your help to this document.  Please let me know if I have added anything that is just plain stupid, or wrong!

History: 

The JT65A discussed in this guide is a submode within a suite of applications collectively referred to as WSJT  .    The WSJT software has been available for several years  (2001) and was initially designed by Joe, K1JT.  This amazing piece of software has evolved to the point that there is now a team, rather than one individual, that are developing the software.  That team consists of  Joe K1JT ,  DL3LST,  KK7KA, ON/G4KLX., N5HY, VA3DB, and James Courtier-Dutton .  This team is to be commended for their contributions to the advancement of amateur radio communications.

These non-bozos have already written a document  that serves as a useful guide.  I have read it several times, it takes several readings for this bozo to understand just a little.  If you would like to read the smart people's guide, you can find it at  http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT_User_600.pdf 

The first HF terrestrial use of JT65 appears to have been a JT65B QSO on August 14 2006 between Victor UA0LGY and Tetsu JE5FLM. The recent explosion of HF activity began  after VE3FGU , and several of his  friends,  started experimenting with the JT65B on March 23 , 2007 and JT65A on March 24. 2007. 

On March 28th, several members of the digitalradio reflector (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ ) noted some unknown digital signals on 20M and on March 30th concluded that they were JT65A signals .  The experiments of  Mike  VE3FGU,  Tetsu JE5FLM, David WD4KPD,  Marshall W9RVG, Seli TF3AO, and others, quickly exploded in to the hottest HF  mode for weak signal DXing and experimentation.

What Skills Do I Need ?

1. The ability to set your computer's clock accurately and keep it synchronized      2.  The ability to match the transmit and receive frequencies within  0-200 Hz  via use of the software's waterfall.  3. The ability to connected your radio to a sound card for receive and transmit (receive only, if an SWL). 4.  Able to use a computer mouse or keyboard (fingers, feet , or nose will work just fine).

What can I do with this software ?

This is not software that is designed for a"rag-chew"  ( a British-American colloquialism for having a long conversations) .  If you want to find out how Bert's  operation went, try PSK 31 , DominoEx, Olivia , or some other digital mode well suited for keyboard chats.  This software is for brief exchanges of information.  Mostly callsign , location, signal report, and confirmation of the signal report.  Since it is very good for weak signal detection, it is a great QRP HF mode.  You will find the software useful for monitoring propagation and,  if you are a DX hunter interested it a quick 5NN and moving on , this is a mode for you!   Why not a "rag-chew" ?  Well, you could,  but the software is designed for brief exchanges of no more than 5-6 words and each exchange takes one minute.  So,  it would take you about 6 minutes to establish contact with Bert and find out that the surgeon removed the wrong organ. 

The software was  designed for EME and Meteor Scatter communications but I will leave that  for another bozo to write about.  I have to use a spell-checker to spell meteor.

The software is a very powerful application.  To maximize the utility of this software, you need to understand how to use it. Particularly the timing , frequency accuracy, and the effective use of the "message" system.  This guide is intended to get you started and encourage you to read the extensive documentation found elsewhere.


Where do I get the software

They don't make it easy to obtain.  A quick trip to Google will give you several dead links and even a visit to WSJT "Smooth Jazz" , an FM station in Florida.  We want "jazz" of a different kind,  so go to http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT596.EXE    for the most recent version.  If you have a REAL slow computer, there are older versions that will work well, check http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/Download.htm for these.  DM780 a digital mode companion to Ham Radio Deluxe and FLDIGI, a well known Linux application are both reportedly working on adding JT65A.


Installing the software:

Assuming you remember which folder you downloaded the software  to,  go to that folder and click on the  WSJT596.EXE file.  The install will default to your program files folder and the usual path will be c:\program files\wsjt\wsjt6.exe  .  Once you have  done this, boot up the program.  Take a deep breath, prepare to be confused and amazed.


Setting Up The Software:

This should take less than a minute . When the program boots up, you will see a brief dos-type window pop up.  Ignore this for a while, it s a useful window but something you may never need to pay much attention too.   A few moments later you will see the  WSJT main screen.  Don't panic if the "waterfall" is dark and devoid of signals , this is normal at this stage.  Click on MODE and select JT65A.

Here is what you will see when the  main window opens up .

imageone

Ignore the bit about the moon unless you are thinking of a moonlight walk with that new girlfriend,  or plan to bounce radio signals off the moon.  Yeah right...like that's really possible.

Now, we will set it up for your callsign and your location.  To do this, you need to click on  SETUP and then select OPTIONS.

options


You will note that in this picture, the callsign is already set-up for K3UK.  This may come as a complete shock to some ,  but you are NOT K3UK.  Your government issued a call sign just for you.  In the box named  MY CALL, enter in your call sign.  Next you need to figure out where you are.  This may not be easy if you have just drank two bottles of your favorite grog, or have traveled two days in a row boat to that rare DX island. However, those that do know where they are located should try to know their GRID LOCATOR and then you place your grid locator in , you guessed it... the box called GRID LOCATOR.   Since you are a complete bozo  like me, you may not know what your grid square is.  Grid locators can get very specific, to within a few metres.  For JT65A HF work, you really don't need to be that precise.  The grid square for your post office or town centre will do.  Americans can go to http://www.arrl.org/locate/locate.html  .  Britons can go to http://www.aber.ac.uk/cgi-bin/user/auj/locate.pl   .  It may be hard  for some American and Britons to realize , but there are other countries in the world.  That is good , because  we need other countries to make DXing more exciting.,  and provide places to go on vacation.  If you live in  one of these other places , try  http://www.qsl.net/ad7db/yourgrid.html.  A new alternative is F6FVY's  Google Maps server that allows you to find your location on a Google map and your grid square will pop up on the map.  Check http://f6fvy.free.fr/qthLocator/fullScreen.php The WSJT software does not require grid locators but the  grid locators are used in the default mode instead of a RST report.

OK, so you  have entered in your callsign and location.  If you want to make the software key your radio when transmitting, you need to tell WSJT which  comm port you are using for "PTT".  My station uses a virtual serial port  , port 5.  You will likely use 1,  or 3 if you are using a regular serial port.   Enter your port where it says  PTT PORT.

Just one more thing to do.  The software can calculate the distance between your grid locator and the received station's grid locator.  Most sensible folks use metres but a few people clutch to a old system referred to as  "miles" (mainly those Brits and Americans, again).  Remember, I am a complete bozo, so I use miles.  Click on the ML or KM in the DISTANCE UNIT area.

That's it.  Leave all the other stuff alone.


Receive signals : 

Assuming you already have the audio from your radio receiver connected to the input of your sound card, you are close to being ready to receive.  Remember though, the software was written by somebody completely intelligent.  There are many useful things that can be done with the software,  the smart author thus decided that the receiving of signals needs to be activated.    Your WSJT main screen should now look like this.

image3


Note that I have highlighted a button called MONITOR.  Note also that the other area I highlighted has your callsign and grid square inserted.  Now,  click on the MONITOR button with your radio tuned to any HF frequency and you will eventually see signals on what looks like  a waterfall. I say eventually, because this waterfall  is one thoughtful waterfall.  It needs to think a while about what it is receiving  and then, precisely when your PC's clock signifies the start of a new minute, the display will come to life with some  interesting squiggly lines.  Assuming you see some squiggly lines , you are in good shape and ready to move on.  To be honest, this "waterfall" is not a waterfall in the traditional sense.  The waterfalls that you see in Digipan, Multispsk, fldigi, MMTTY, Winwarbler, DM780, MixW, etc etc,  display the signal on a continuous basis and indicate the intensity of the received signal.  This display in WSJT actually takes a snap shot of what you have received in the past 48 seconds and displays it all at once.  The moon-bouncing  meteor dodging hams that use the WSJT software, use this aspect  to analyze minute details that enable them to determine if the Martians have actually entered our ionosphere. It is an important "main graphical area"  ( as the official guide calls it) ,  even for HF applications.  More on how to interpret this later.

Frequencies : 

We might as well get the radio tuned to frequencies known to be used for JT65A on HF.  Remember this is a new application for the software and it is still evolving.  The most commonly used frequencies are 14075 to 14076 ,7075  7076 in North America  ,7042 to 7043 LSB for Europe and Oceania,    3576 (North America ) , 3796 (Europe) ,  also 18102, 18106, 10147, 21076,  24910 . 1805 to 1808 .   14076 or 7076 are the best places to start.  These are DIAL frequencies,   most use USB but there are some that use  LSB.  By far the simplest method of figuring out where the action can be found is to use your web browser and got to http://www.chris.org/cgi-bin/jt65talk  .  This web site is the place to go for announcements of who is active and what frequency they are using.  The website is maintained by Chris, N0UK .  Yes, he is N0UK and I am K3UK.  We are both part of a British plot to take control of the JT65 world and lay the foundation for re-acquisition of  colonial America in 2076.  

So tune to one of the above signals , get a cup of coffee and relax for a minute or to.

Tuning Accuracy :

Now, some important stuff.  The smart JT65A users will eventually point this out to us bozos, so I figured I will tell you now.  The software decodes signals over a wide range, up to 600 Hz.  So you can decode several signals within this 600 Hz range .  You can be decoding all of them  but if you transmit you could be several hundred Hz from the other station's transmit signal.  This , to the JT65A afficinados,  is a crime and war crime tribunals may get formed.  Even a bozo like me can understand this after a while.  It's like working "split" and taking up more spectrum than is needed. It is also like not being zero-beat in CW and trying to work a person who has a 200 Hz filter active.  If you are 300 Hz from his frequency, he is not going to hear you.   REMEMBER THIS  SOFTWARE DOES NOT TRANSMIT AUTOMATICALLY ON THE SAME FREQUENCY AS THE RECEIVED FREQUENCY.  Don't fear, this is easy to address, more on this a little later in the document.. 

Let's not worry about accuracy at the moment, lets just tune a signal.   After a few minutes on an active frequency your main screen may look like this
waterfall


The blue highlighted text is my work, your screen will not automatically highlight text..

The highlighted text is...

163500 11   -7 -0.7  -73  3 #      DL5SWB DK7OM JO53   OOO   1   0

What the heck does this mean?   Smart guys already know, but bozos like me are still learning.    It tells you that at 1635 (and zero seconds) the software decoded  DK70M responding  to DL5SWB.  Just like a regular phone contact "P5DX de K3UK".  .  It also tells you that DK7OM is in grid square JO53 .  This string of information also tells me that the dB  was averaging -7 during the minute or so the software was decoding DK7OM's signal .  This is a signal to noise type of reference.  7 dB in to the noise.  This is a good signal, WSJT will decode signals well below -20 dB.  The minus 73 under the DF area tells me that I am close in frequency , about 73 Hz off, good enough for now.  I'll save the other info in that string for a later discussion.

What About The Rest  In The  Window. ?

 The "RO" RRR" and "73" are just snippets of a conversation used to confirm the QSO.   Its like tuning in your radio and hearing someone say  "Roger" or "73"  .  More on this later.

That Weird Waterfall Thingy : 

As mentioned earlier , that weird waterfall thingy (the "main graphical display" )  can tell you a lot.  The rookie user needs to know a few basics that will enable you to be closer to the received station's frequency.  In the picture below you will see a red spike on the spectrum display. 
waterfall2

You can take your mouse and click on the red spike  (see center of picture above) and that will get you close to the right frequency.    The peaked blue spike tells you something useful too, I will add that at another date.

Those RRR  and 73 reports that are decoded will show up as orange or purple lines on the waterfall.


Reportedly, clicking on the purple peak will also serve as an tuning aide, I have not tested that yet. 

Using a "waterfall" l that has to think for a minute before it updates information can be frustrating.  Don't worry, the author has another trick up his sleeve,  a second waterfall!   This is a REAL waterfall just like the ones Peter Martinez and Skip Teller invented for use old PSK31 users.  Click on  VIEW at the top of the main window and then select SPECJT.  A real  waterfall will open up  (if you are using an older version you need to manually boot up "spectran.exe" for this ).  This waterfall can detect RF generated by a flatulent butterfly 1000  kilometres away.  Eventually you will stare at this waterfall and see the tiniest hint of a signal and be amazed as the software decodes information from it.  Note on the picture below, you will see this second waterfall, a received signal and the mouse cursor indicating tuning  the signal to the sync tone. 

SPECJT with weak signal

Clicking with the mouse, on the longer sync tone will get you very precisely tuned. The sync tones are actually 1270 Hz, you and your dog should have no difficulty learning to recognize the sync tone both in the SpecJT,  and via your ears (actually, your dog may have difficulty understanding the waterfall display, sorry to point this out ) .  The authors of this software think of bozos like me and actually send the sync tone quite frequently, so you get lots of chances to spot it.  If you have monitored the active HF JT65A frequencies you will have heard a few JT65A signals. These tones sound a little like the old Throb mode, and a little like very slow DominoEX.  This throbbing type signal actually sends the important sync tone about 65 times in a typical sequence, the other tones in a sequence are sending information.  The tones actually change a little during a "QSO", and some of the messages actually don't use the sync tone in the same way.  That's too complicated for a bozo's guide, but the aforementioned smart people's guide explains it well.  Suffice is to say that you will  notice the tones sound a little different as the message sequences progress.  The general rule of thumb, detect a signal within the SpectJT that looks like JT65A and click on the LEFT edge of the signal.  Be aware that the SpectJT will display all kind of other signals within the range of the waterfall , so you may see PACTOR bandits, PSK Rangers, RTTY rompers, Hell raisers, and a plethora of other digital modes.  JT65 is fairly easy to spot after a couple of attempts, the only other digital mode that looks a little like it in the SpectJT is MFSK16, but this sounds very different. 

 The signal in the picture above is a very weak signal.  Sometimes  just a very very slight  line has shown in the SPECJT waterfall and I have successfully decoded a signal.   Remember , you don't need to be that precise to just decode signals, you need to get precise to be transmitting as close as possible to their  transmitted signal.  The reason you want to be close is  because  the smart  JT65A operator my not want to be receiving signals more than a certain distance from his transmit signal.  He may have , for example, set the software to ignore signals from more than 200 Hz away from  his signal.  So, if you are 300 Hz away, he will never decode your signal.   I often listen with a 600 Hz range so that I can get a sense of  who is active on the band , but switch to 200 Hz when trying to have QSOs.  To set the range ,  left click on the number in the TOL box to raise the setting, right-click on the number to lower the setting.  Click the "freeze" button to maintain this . 

tolerance and freez
Remember to raise TOL to 600 and Freeze "off", if you are just looking for QSOs.


While the SpecJT window is open , click on OPTIONS and select JT65 DF Axis.  This will help  further in precision tuning.  While there,  you can also play with the palette settings and vary the appearance of the waterfall. There will be a few occasions where you cannot even see a signal even in this highly sensitive waterfall.  The different palettes will make it possible to see extremely weak signals , try "hot" for example. 

Note at the bottom of SpectJT there is a "gain" area , just to the right of the digital clock.  You can adjust the gain of the waterfall with this control.  You can also adjust the brightness and contrast of the SpecJT waterfall.  Try that if your ears detect a signal but you don't see it on the waterfall.  The gain control can be an important factor if you experience a situation where you are unable to decode signals, please see the "trouble" section of this document.

adjusting the specJT

A good Bozo's guide should be short and sweet, but I need to explain a few more useful tips about receiving a signal .  Take a look at this

VE5MU
The stronger signal at the bottom right-hand corner is VE5MU.  The weaker signal is K4CML.  They are working each other but not exactly on the same frequency.  Their QSO copied at my station shows....

022200  3  -16 -1.5 -143  4 *      VE5MU K4CML FM17          1   0
022300 19   -4  1.4  -22  3 *      CQ VE5MU DO70             1   0

Pretty close though and will work unless they have their TOL set to less than 100.

Now take a look at this

ve5mu and ve7til
VE5MU and VE7TIL copied at my station on 40M, both almost exactly tuned with each other.  My station recorded their QSO
024800  9   -7  1.5 -121  3 #      VE7TIL VE5MU DO70   OOO   1   0
024900  3   -9  0.1 -116  3 #      VE5MU VE7TIL CN89   OOO   1   0

Although -121 and -116 DF from where I was tuned, they were within 5 Hz of each other.

Please note, the callsign in the above pictures do NOT appear in the SpecJT, I added them for illustrative purposes. 

I am sure you wonder what all the other  numbers mean, this will be added at a later date but it is worth mentioning that the last number in the line (the zero as in " 1   0   " ) is an indicator of how confident the software is that it has decoded  correctly.  The software is quite sophisticated and sometimes acts like a human ear/brain, it guesses what it heard.  The confidence scale goes up to 10 ,  supposedly anything under a three is questionable.  I'm still trying to figure out what most are given a zero but even when obviously accurately decoded.  The smart  author of software, Joe W1JT, took pity on this bozo and sent me the following...

"You mention the two numbers at the end of each line of decoded text.  If the first of these is 1, it means that "Deep Search" was not required and decoding will nearly always  be 100% correct.  If the first number is 0, the second (some number between 1 and 10) gives an indication of relative confidence of a Deep Search decoding.  Since the default list of "plausible" callsigns is VHF/UHF and EME oriented, Deep Search will not be very useful on HF unless the operator becomes fairly sophisticated in using WSJT".
 
Deep Search has no relation to Linda Lovelace and has apparently no connection to the Deep Throat that did Nixon in.  In is a software function designed to help the moon-bounce  and meteor scatter hams find fragments of RF and match the fragments to known users of the software.  It is recommended that your turn this feature off  in the main graphical display area , by going to OPTIONS/DECODE/JT65 and then checking "no deep search" .   Leaving it on does not cause global warming but does, on occasion ,cause a "phantom signal" to call you.  If you see a call to you when you have not been transmitting, it is possible that Deep Search caused it. 

One more item on receiving...


In the SpecJT waterfall  you will notice  a receive noise level indicator in the lower right-hand corner.  It displays the noise level in dB. I have been told that things do not decode very well if you have something like a 4-5 dB level  (above zero, not below) .  I have also noticed that it does not decode very well when you have a very low figure, like -20 dB. A number of factors can influence this and the noise level will change from band to band.   The biggest single factor will be whether you are getting enough , or too much, audio from your radio to the input of your soundcard.  Many digital mode interfaces  like Microham or Rigblaster products have knobs that control the audio levels.  If your RX noise level is too high or low,  adjust the audio so that your noise level is around 0 db without a signal present.  Smart people have also suggested it works better with AGC off, play around and see. You can experiment with your rig's filters, noise reduction circuitry, AGC settings , RF gain settings  , etc, etc. 

Transmitting signals

I've said this three times already but... to transmit you first need to understand that the smart JT65A guys all expect you to transmit at a certain time.  That time needs to be synchronized, so synchronize you PC's clock with Internet time or WWV.  I use an application called Dimension 4  that keeps my clock synchronized.    Why? Because the software needs time to decode your transmitted signal and also switches to transmit at certain times.  If your timing is off, the other station may have already switched to transmit and thus not decode your signal , or their decode period would be so short that it did not get a chance to decode all your information.  You can get the freeware Dimension 4 at http://www.thinkman.com/dimension4/download.htm

Transmitting Frequency.

Popular digital mode software like MixW, Multipsk, MMTTY,  have functions  that maintain a relationship between the received and transmit frequency.  These functions, often via a "net" on/off feature, cause the radio and/or soundcard to adjust when you click on a signal in a waterfall.  The WSJT software will allow you to click on the SpecJT waterfall and/or main graphical display  and receive signals at different frequencies but it will NOT change where you are transmitting.  So remember,  if you are several hundred Hz down the waterfall receiving that rare DX or grid square and excitedly press transmit, they will likely not hear you.  The solution is simple and will  take you back to those "old school" days when you actually used a dial to control your radio.  Let's take a look at the following.

 xmit1

Here we see  a CQ from P5DX , my radio was tuned to 14076 USB but my eagle eyes (and bat-like ears) spotted a signal further down the waterfall.  I clicked on the left-side of the signal on the SpectJT waterfall  and the green scale markers shifted to show that I am tuned about 500 Hz below where I started.  Although working North Korea is becoming routine for me, I take pity of the poor guy and decide to work him once again.  If I just transmit,  my rig will transmit at the zero mark, 14076 USB.   He is 500 Hz below, at 14075.500.  So all I really have to do is manually turn my dial 500 Hz lower, to 14075.5 and then...

xmit2

Here you can see  the old received signal shifted 500 Hz to the left and more importantly the new receive frequency is close to my transmit frequency at 14076 USB.  Simple , right?   If you don't know how to turn a radio dial and are used to a mouse wheel operated by your rig control software, it is the same process. 

To get more adept at precise matching of the received frequency and transmit frequency, use your mouse to move left  and right on the SpecJT waterfall.  Note how the frequency and DF changes.

xmit3
Mouse pointer at 1271 Hz and within 1 Hz of xmit frequency.

xmit4
Mouse pointer at 881 Hz  and 388 Hz below transmit frequency.


Audio levels:

As with any digital mode that relies on your PC's sound card, you need to pay a little attention to the quality of your transmitted signal.  Typically, when using modes like Olivia or the old PSK31, people suggest you keep your ALC level to the very minimum.  One of the non-bozo types emailed be recently and suggested that the nature of the JT65A signals is such that you don't have to worry about this as much , and can give a good amount of ALC.  I still keep mine fairly low, old habits... 

Another friendly ham reminded me that this mode is full duty cycle and he suggested that people shroud not use full power for long periods.  . This mode does not need a whole lot of power.  A ham , Tony KT2Q,  popped up one day and said he had a "Bird meter in line".  Being not only a bozo, but a  British bozo,  I wondered whether a bird meter was something similar to "a chic magnet",  perhaps ?  Maybe it can detect the fairer sex at a thousand paces ?  Well , it turns out that this KT2Q guy is one of them non-bozo hams.  The bird meter had a "plug" in it . So does my bath tub, but the bath tub does not help with most of my radio projects,. Well the "plug" enables him to calibrate his radio output and accurately determine how low his power is .  I was able to detect and decode his JT65A signal when he was using 250 milliwatts on 40 meters. Another ham, some 600 miles away from KT2Q, was able to detect him below 50 milliwatts.    So, you don't need to have your transmitter set for high power.  I often run just 50 watts on 20M. 

CQing. 

If you want to CQ, you have to decide whether you want to transmit "1st minute" or "second minute".   This helps to maintain world peace  and keeps QSOs orderly.    "First minute" means 00 and any even numbered minute 02 , 04, 06, and so on.  Second minute means 01 and any odd numbered minute , 03, 05, etc. 

So, if you were transmitting a CQ on the first minute, you should set the main window to TX 1st and select your CQ  message.  You should also use the auto transmit method.  As illustrated below.

transmit

At the precise minute, your rig will transmit.  It will send the CQ for about  48 seconds .  You then will wait until the beginning of the next odd numbered minute and , if lucky, you may hear or see a signal responding to your CQ.  Please be aware that you may NOT see a signal in the SPECJT or hear a signal with your ears  but  may actually  be decoding a signal.  After about 50 seconds in to the minute,  a blue decode button on your screen should be active and  around 55 seconds ,or so , any decoded signal will pop up on the screen.  On my slow computer, the decoded signal does not pop up until exactly the top of the next minute.    If you receive something like this     ....    
 
171500  0   -7 -0.1  471  3  

It probably means no one responded or your rig did not hear anyone respond. 

If you received something like this  ...

  165200 10  -11 -0.2  -27  5 *      YOURCALL  WQ5S EM13

It means WQ5S heard you and is responding with your callsign , his callsign, and his grid locator which serves as a report.    Here is an actual example..


165100 12   -7 -0.1   97  3 *      CQ VE5MU DO70             1   0
165200 10  -11 -0.2  -27  5 *      VE5MU WQ5S EM13           1   0


Lets pretend you are VE5MU (haven't we all wanted to be VE5MU at some point in our lives ?)   You called CQ, WQ5S answered.  Now what the heck do you do ?  Well, first double click on WQ5s' callsign, this will automatically be incorporated in your main screen info.



You will then respond with message number two (TX2).  With your auto mode ON ,  TX 1st checked, and TX2 message checked, your rig will respond with  "WQ5S VE5MU  D070  OOO"  .  Don't ask me what the OOO actually stand for, but this exchange means that  you  have received  WQ5S' information.  If WQ5S received your 000's,  he will respond with simply RO, no call sign, just RO.  This means he has received your 000's.  After you receive his RO, you send message number  TX4  by selecting it before your turn to transmit arrives.  TX4 will transmit at the top of the minute and send RRR.  Again, no calls signs, just RRR.  This means you have received everything for a valid QSO, :  A valid QSO consists of his callsign , the fact that he has your call sign correct,  the acknowledgment that he received your OOO's  . He will send you RRR to let you know that all is correct his end.  Often, you then send the message number TX5 with a 73 in it.  Some people type in extra info in this messages like

73 TU good night ur best -7 db.                              This is optional an usually is typed in to TX1, message number 1.


This will  sounds confusing but after a  couple of contacts you will have it easily figured out.  If you did not receive the acknowledgment of the OOO's or an RR, just resend and hopefully you will get it the next try. 

Remember,  the team designing the software are not bozos, they are smart blokes and their inventiveness is  extremely helpful to us bozos.  In their cleverness, they designed a mode that actually changes the nature of the digital tones depending on what is going on in the QSO.  This is almost like switching from SSB phone to CW in the middle of a QSO because you want to make sure your weak signal got through.  In JT65A (and other modes in WSJT) a  CQ message , TX1, will appear differently on the SpecJT waterfall that other messages.  The RO or 73 message will appear different too.  Let's take a look at the picture below

Ropic
(I  have RRR confused with RO , I will re-do this graphic later when I get a better capture , but it does basically  illustrate what you need to know)

I have illustrated , in the above picture, the typical patterns you will see in the SpecJT.  With a little experience you will be able to visually SEE what is going on in a QSO , and know which part of the exchange is taking place.  You will also be able to HEAR the difference because the tones sound different to the human ear.    Knowing what the different stages (messages) of a QSO sound like, can be useful  when working weak signals in a pile-up.  Why?  Well, you need to remember that the station you have just called begins responding to you 12 seconds after you have stopped transmitting,  BUT your main screen will not display received text until a minute later.  I have run in to occasions when I think the tones I am hearing indicates the station is responding to me, only to find out a minute later that the station was calling CQ, still.  He had not heard my call.  Knowing what the transmit messages sound like  and looks like in the waterfall, will aide your tremendously. 

You will note that the CQ signal is quite distinctive, much wider.  Some people get confused by the fact that the RO , RRR messages appear without a call sign.  Was he really coming back to me?   It is confusing,  BUT the nature of these "shorthand" messages is such that they can be decoded a further -5dB in to the mud !  This can make the difference between working that rare DX station or not.  So, don't be tempted to add your callsign to the RO, RRR, 73 text boxes. Learn to discern if the station is responding to you by matching the DF and dB indicators  with the decoded line that contained the callsigns earlier in the QSO. 

Some people will send you a message that says  something " Best -18 TU  73".  These smart people are manually  typing the message in to the TX1 message text box and sending it instead of the optional TX5 message.  Since it is sent after a QSO has been validated by RRR,  it is perhaps not that essential that the message get through,   so they use the wider , less robust, TX1 message. 

But I Need Time to Think. 

Suppose you CQ,  and clearly hear someone coming back to you.  You have NO idea who it is until the signal is decoded and pops up on your screen.  As mentioned previously, the message is supposed to pop up a few seconds before your auto transmission starts .  On my PC it mostly pops up right on the minute , just as auto mode starts transmitting.  So, that rare North Korea DX may be coming back to you with an acknowledgment that he heard you ... "K3UK P5DX PM27 000" ... However,  he may not have heard you and , when the decode finally pops up on the screen,  he may still be sending CQ P5DX PM27 .  

So what should we do about this?   It is recommended that you assume the person is coming  back to you and that while receiving his transmission , you "load up" the next message.   So,  if I send "P5DX K3UK FN02 ",   I am going to anticipate that he will send " K3UK P5DX PM27 000"  back to me .  I would thus load up (press the little button)  message TX3 and,  with auto-mode still on my TX3 message,  would automatically start transmitting at the top of the minute. 

So, our slow computers finally decode the guy's text a few seconds late and we realize to our  horror that he is in fact answering K4CML that dastardly DXer in Virginia. Don't despair or panic, just press the TX Stop button, this is accepted procedure. 

Suppose though that you know you have established communication with P5DX and he has sent you K3UK P5DX PM27 000 . You have sent him "RO" and are expecting a "RRR" back.  The RRR is essential to confirm that your RO was received in Pyongyang and to make the contact a legitimate one.   Anticipating an RRR back, you have already loaded up your RRR via TX4 and the automode transmits your RRR.  Alas, when the decoded text pops up from P5DX , you see a RO instead of RRR.  He did not decode your previous transmission and you need to send RO again, not RRR.  I know you might be panicking ...but don't. All you need to do is press the TX3 button and WSJT will switch "on the fly" and send RO.  If you switched "on the fly" within 10 seconds,  P5DX should get your re-sent RO, not the RRR that started at the top of the minute.  So, this gives you time to think.  I often "switch on the fly" when needed  at  various points in the QSO sequence


If a person's clock is a little off, you can actually adjust the timing of the software , plus or minus.  Click on the Dsec box on the main JT65A window, just to the right of the clock.  Right-click slows things down, left-click moves your time ahead , a tad.

Responding to a  CQ

Take a look at this 

182800  9  -13  0.4  -24  4 *      CQ N4WO EL88              1   0
182900 10  -15  0.0  -73  3 *      CQ DK7OM JO53             1   0
183000  7  -10  0.0  -27  3 *      CQ N4WO EL88              1   0
183100  7  -19 -0.1  -73  3 *      CQ DK7OM JO53             1   0
183200  7  -15  0.0  -30 21 *      CQ N4WO EL88              1   0


N4WO is CQ on the first minute ( 1828, 1830, 1832, ) and DK7OM is transmitting the second minute (1829 and 1831) .

Both are within 40 Hz or so of each other  but are not hearing each other.  You have a choice, who do you want to work.  If you pick the N4W0, you will need to be responding on the SECOND minute, so turn automode ON and make sure TX 1st is UNCHECKED.  If you want to  work the DK7OM,  you will need to turn automode  on  and make sure the TX 1st button IS checked.    Before you respond, you need to select the message used to respond to a CQ, this is message TX 1,  as illustrated by the following two Spanish stations working each other

190500 14   -4 -0.3  -11  2 *      CQ EA1UU IN83             1   0          (EA1UU calls CQ )
190600  4  -14 -0.2  -27  3 *      EA1UU EA1CKL IN82         1   0     ( EA1CKL responds to EA1UU with message number 1)

EA1UU would respond with 000, you would send message number  3 if you received the OOO's, EA1UU would send you RRR , you would send RRR and then may received a 73 back.    Some people skip a step but I have no figured this out exactly., remember I am a complete bozo, an executive bozo. 



OK, I just worked North Korea on 160M, where do I log  it.  ? 

Clicking on the "log QSO" button will log the QSO but the software only logs to VHF , UHF, and 6M .  So, you will have to manually log to your main log book.  However, even a bozo can have  brief moments of creativity.  The smart design team has built in a text file that collects information of what you received and when you transmitted.  Check in the WSJT folder and open the file called all.txt   Amazing right?  When you transmit the all.txt log will show things like...

190254  Transmitting: JT65A   CQ K3UK FN02 

or...

UTC Date: 2007 Apr 14
---------------------
230311  Transmitting: JT65A   G0CXW K3UK FN02

This log can actually detail a full QSO, look below.


010100  3  -17 -0.4  -13  4 #      K3UK ZS6BUN KG43    OOO   1   0
010300  3  -13 -0.1  -16  3 #      K3UK ZS6BUN KG43    OOO   1   0
010414  Transmitting: JT65A   RO                            (Shorthand)
010500 10  -19       -15  1   RRR ?                               
010612  Transmitting: JT65A   RRR                           (Shorthand)
010700 10  -16       -15  4   73  ?                               
010815  Transmitting: JT65A   73                            (Shorthand)
010900  6  -13  0.3  -16  1 *      TNX ANDY -11              1   0

So that I know the band I worked the stations on, I just open the all.txt file, use the Find command to locate the QSO of interest , and then manually add the band.  I can then add the QSO to my official log (DX Keeper) when I get a chance.

One JT65A user remarked that the 6 minutes length of time to conclude the standard exchange was "agony", he did not like the wait. Certainly,  a JT65A QSO takes longer than the  quick voice contacts or a RTTY DX exchange. However, a JT65A QSO is not that much longer than many other digital QSOs, except that you are not transmitting all those long winded messages about your QTH and equipment.  JT65A automatically tells you where person is located via the grid square information.  If you are mult-tasker like me, you will enjoy this mode.  The one minute between transmissions gives me time to put the kettle on, answer the phone, check the score of the Manchester United match , see if has Flitoff  been bowled for a duck,  check email,  or even get fancy with my logging. 

After I obtain the grid square information from the station I am working, I look up the location of his grid square and plot his location AND the QSO information on Google maps.  The new Google feature "my maps" enables you to create a mapping log book. I just started this , so the map below does not have many stations added.  It does give you something to do while decoding that other station though, and it's a log book too!

map log book
Google "My Maps" with JT65A QSO between  K3UK in FN02 and EA1FAQ in IN71.

If you need help with setting up your Google Maps, email me  at andrewobrie@gmail.com  . 

I'm hooked, where can a get more of this J65A drug?

Go to http://www.chris.org/cgi-bin/jt65talk  this is  a great resource for meeting other who are looking for QSOs.  There is a large , very active email discussion group at  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/
This group has a lot of discussion about J65A HF and other digital modes  .  A WSJT specific group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wsjtgroup/


I've worked a lot of JT65A and am not getting the same high anymore, is there a more potent drug?
The bigger "high" can be gotten from EME or Meteor Scatter operations.  Once addicted to this, you become known as a Ping Jockey.  See http://www.pingjockey.net/cgi-bin/pingtalk  for more on this addiction.


Trouble :

Remember that "DOS-type" window that I told you to ignore at the beginning of this document.  This can actually tell you if there is a problem with the sound card device or if your PTT circuit is not open.  If you suspect a problem of this nature, log on to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wsjtgroup/  and ask for help their.

Soundcard Clock

If you have an obvious JT65A signal that you can hear and the waterfall sees but it is NOT decoding, you may want to make sure your soundcard clock is accurate. Most digital software like MultiPSK, MixW, and Winbarbler, have features that will enable you to adjust your soundcard and keep it accurate.   The WSJT software displays your clock rate  as highlighted below

clock
You want your settings to be around a 1.0 . 

Audio Levels in to the Soundcard

As mentioned earlier in this document, you may experience problems in decode if the audio level is too strong or too low.  You can lower or raise these values first with the Gain Control slider in SpecJT and additionally with your soundcard  line-in control mixer.  With no signal present, -2dB seems to be a good level.  These are not always critical but if you cannot decode an obviously clear signal you might want to make sure you are not in the -20 dB  or + 20 db range. See below for key areas in control of the audio level.

trouble

If you cannot get enough audio from your rig to the PC soundcard, consider using the MIC-IN jack on you soundcard.  Be careful not to put TOO much audio in to your soundcard. 

Acknowledgment:

As a complete bozo, I needed help understanding things,  Thanks to all that responded to my questions in the  first few weeks of learning.  Thanks to David WD4KPD, Tony KT2Q. Chris, N2YYZ, Steinar LA5VNA, Mike VE3FGU, Colin K4CML,  John VE5MU,  Bill  N9DSJ, George G4PCI,  Bruce, N5SIX,  John W5UBW,  Walt K5YFW, Scott VE7TIL, John N2JH, Al WB7SWW. Marshall W9RVG. Joe K1JT.  More to be added soon.


Other Guides by Andy K3UK

The KB2EOQ Quick and Dirty Guide to PSK31 (2000)
The KB2EOQ Quick and Dirt Guide to Digital Modes (2001)
The Quick and Dirty Guide to Kenwood D700A and Digitraveller GPS Unit
First English Help File for MMTTY (very old)
The K3UK Quick and Dirty Guide to Chip 64/128
Communicating with PSK31 (in Logger16 help files)
Interfacing Your Radio (within Zakanaka and Logger16/32 help files)