Summary

MULTIPSK Version 3.13 Handbook

Quick help on modes:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX

OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

Generalities:

Author’s address and E-mail - Thanks

Limitations to the use of the freeware version - Purchase conditions of the non-limited version

Description of the software and schematic of the connections

Minimum hardware requirements

Installation of the software

Verification of the configuration file CONFPSER.SER, the files F1 till F24.SER, N1 till N24.SER, PERSO_PS.TXT and LOG_PSK.LO

Multipsk control:

Multipsk control through a DDE link

Multipsk programming

Configuration screen management:

Access to the configuration screen

Serial port:

Selecting the serial port

Selecting the serial port for GPS

Checking of the selected serial port

Sound card and mixer:

Selecting the sound card

Mixer setup

Manual control of the mixer by the user

Sound input selection

Input level selection

Sound input level display

Speaker output level selection

Various:

RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Setting up sequences (long macros) 1 to 24

Reading a QSO in progress or a previous QSO

Use of the Multipsk logbook and logging of an external logbbook (DXKeeper...)

Personal data and macros

Playing and recording sound files (.WAV)

RX/TX screen management:

General control of the transceiver (RX/TX screen):

Introduction and description of the windows and commands

Use in reception

Use in transmission

Use of the video identifier of mode

Modes and frequencies:

RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Frequencies used

Various:

Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies

Multipsk programming

Setting up sequences (long macros) 1 to 24

Reading a QSO in progress or a previous QSO

Use of the Multipsk logbook and logging of an external logbbook (DXKeeper...)

Personal data and macros

Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location

Additive controls of the transceiver:

Transceiver control through the Commander software

Tune function and opening of a repeater

Description of the beacon commands

Panoramic (8 to 23 RX channels decoded in the same time):

Panoramic reception for PSK modes (BPSK31, BPSK63 and PSKFEC31)

Panoramic reception for CW (Morse)

Panoramic reception for RTTY (45 bauds)

General RX:

IMD, signal quality  and S/N ratio

PSK modes (BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP (64/128), PSK10, PSKFEC31, BPSK63, QPSK63, PSKAM10, PSKAM31, PSKAM50, PSK63F, PSK220F + DIGISSTV):

Commands and use of the PSK modes

Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

MT63:

Commands and use of MT63 modes

CW, CCW and CCW-FSKmodes:

Commands and use of the CW (Morse) mode

Commands and use of the CCW (Coherent CW) and CCW-FSK modes

PACKET + APRS + DIGISSTV, PACTOR1, PAX/PAX2 + APRS:

General commands and use of Packet modes, APRS and DIGISSTV

Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

Commands and use of PACTOR 1 mode

General commands and use of PAX/PAX2 mode and APRS

Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

RTTY, ASCII and SYNOP/SHIP:

Commands and use of RTTY and ASCII modes and SYNOP/SHIP

Description of the SYNOP/SHIP commands (in RTTY 50 bauds)

AMTOR (ARQ/FEC), SITOR A, NAVTEX:

Commands and use of AMTOR modes

MFSK modes (Olivia, DominoF, DominoEX, MFSK16 + SSTV, MFSK8, THROB and THROBX):

Commands and use of the THROB and THROBX modes

Commands and use of the MFSK16 and MFSK8 modes

Description of the SSTV commands in MFSK16 mode

Commands and use of the DominoF and DominoEX modes

Commands and use of the Olivia modes

HF Fax, DIGISSTV and SSTV:

Commands and use of the HF Fax mode

Commands and use of the SSTV modes

Hellschreiber modes (FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80):

Commands and use of the Hellschreiber modes

Digital filters:

Description of the pseudo-mode FILTERS options

Description of the CW binaural reception options


Author's address and E-mail

Author’s address and E-mail - Thanks

Patrick LINDECKER (F6CTE)

4, rue du Square

91440 BURES-SUR-YVETTE

FRANCE

E-mail: f6cte@free.fr

WEB site:http://f6cte.free.fr (to download the last release of Multipsk)

A Yahoo group (in English language) exists for Multipsk users: Multipsk@yahoogroups.com. You can expose encountered problems or organize skeds...If necessary, contact the group arbitrator Terry at the adress: info@hamsoft.co.uk

The author thanks in advance all persons who give him results regarding this software. These could include problems encountered, possible improvements, good and bad points, possibly compared with other software, and so on. It is better to send these with the description of the PC configuration, the transceiver, the antenna, etc...

Correction of the English mistakes in this text or in the program English interface are welcome too.

Thanks for helping me with this release to

* Murray Greenman ZL1BPU for his help on the DominoEX mode,

* the Multipsk Betatesters team: DF1HK Klaus, DL4KT Otmar, DL8LE Juergen, DL8MBF Oskar, EA2AFR Txema, F1PYW Eric, G4ZWY Steven, G6WWM Harry, G7TMG Sholto, HB9BDM Chris, K5PAX Harvey, K6FIB Christopher, KA0VXK Bill, KB3FN Lynn, N3WT John, OH/DK4ZC Fred, OH7JJT Tommi, ON3AD Patrick, ON4CCX Robert, ON7NW Willy, ON7UZ Nick, Terry (responsible of the Multipsk Yahoo group), VK2DSG Les, W6IDS Howard, W7RDP Doug, WA5ZNU Leigh, WB2EMS Kevin, WD4KPD David, RV3APM Serge, VK3GOM Graeme, ZL1AVY Doug, ZL1WN Ross, N9DSJ Bill for having tested this version,

and to all who have pointed out the program bugs and have participated to their solution.

NEXT CHAPTER


Limitations to the use of the freeware version - Purchase conditions of the non-limited version

The free limited version decodes and encodes all Multipsk modes. But, with the registered version, the following auxiliary functions are also available:

* playing a sound file and recording in a sound file (see Playing and recording sound files (.WAV)),

* the alarm on callsigns in beacon mode (see Description of the beacon controls),

* the different alarms in panoramic PSK, CW and RTTY (see Panoramic reception for PSK (BPSK31, BPSK63 and PSKFEC31), Panoramic reception for CW (Morse) and Panoramic reception for RTTY (45 bauds)),

* the determination of the country, its latitude and longitude, according to a given prefixe or call (see Countries, World Map, Locator, Automatic Reception and Location),

* the positioning of a Locator, the distance and the azimuth to the user own Locator (see Countries, World Map, Locator, Automatic Reception and Location),

* the CW (Morse) panoramic decoding 23 channels simultaneously (see Panoramic for CW reception (Morse)),

* the RTTY (45 bauds) panoramic decoding 8 QSO simultaneously (see Panoramic for RTTY reception (45 bauds)),

* positioning, on the world map, a country according to the callsign ot its prefix, automatic reception and location on the world map, in the PSK, CW and RTTY panoramic (see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location and Panoramic reception for PSK (BPSK31, PSK63 and PSKFEC31) and Panoramic reception for CW (Morse) and Panoramic reception for RTTY (45 bauds)),

* the programming of the reception to, for example, sweep alternatively the spectrum in one or several modes (see Multipsk programming),

* the "Unproto" messages filtering, in Packet mode (see Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

* the "Unproto" messages filtering, in PAX/PAX2 mode (see Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

* several functions in the APRS frames reception and transmission, in Packet and PAX/PAX2 modes (see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)).

* automatic recording (standalone working) in DIGISSTV (see Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET).

* extension of the capacity to store QSOs, from 65500 bytes to 10 Mbytes (see Reading a QSO in progress or a previous QSO),

* the SYNOP/SHIP meteorological messages decoding in RTTY 50 bauds (see Description of the SYNOP/SHIP commands (in RTTY 50 bauds)),

* search of information among the 3000 last QSOs or all QSOs (see Use of the Multipsk logboob),

* determination of a position of a logged call or a logged Locator on the world map (see Use of the Multipsk logboob),

* wide pictures in HF fax - IOC 576, colorization in false colors and additional commands to center the received picture(see Commands and use of the HF Fax mode),

* automatic reception and fax picture record, in standalone working (see Commands and use of the HF Fax mode).

Explanations relatives to the limited functions (see above) are displayed in red.

The purchase conditions can be found in the menu "Help and licence", option "Nature of the limitations and purchase conditions of the non-limited version", from the "Configuration" screen.

Purchase conditions are reminded here after.

The "user key" (which is worth for the utilization license) for the non-limited version may be obtained with an e-mail and only by this way (no postal sending) sending 30 Euros or 40 $ (conditions for 2006, after

compensation for the bank) to the author which adress is given here after. This key will work, without

limitation of time, for the next releases of Multipsk and Clock.

I need your full name, e-mail and postal adresses, and possibly the call.

Please send that information via e-mail, preferably, or via postal mail to the adress shown below.

You can pay the license fee:

 * in Euros, by bank transfer. Contact me for my bank account number,

 * in Euros, via Paypal,

 * in Euros or in dollars (from USA), in cash.

Note: payment by Eurocheques is not advised because of the enormous bank charges on such checks.

On receipt of payment, I will send you, by e-mail, the file USER.TXT (the "key") which is valid for both

Multipsk and Clock. This file will be recognized by these softwares and will enable all functions.

Please contact me by e-mail, if you do not receive your USER.TXT file within two weeks, after your request. During July and August, I will need four weeks.

The "key" will work for the future releases of Multipsk and Clock. The future releases will be available by Internet download only, not by mail or any other way.

Author’s address and E-mail

Limited or not, this software is destined to non-commercial use only, except upon explicit agreement of the author.

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Functions of the software, schematic of the connections and typical set-up
Description of the software and schematic of the connections

Hardware requirements:

PC at 166 MHz or more, under Windows 95, 98, NT or XP with graphical resolutions of 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768, the best resolution being 800x600.

Lower speed PC's (<166 MHz) are too slow to be suitable for this program, particularly, laptops, for which the display is in general slow.

PC at 166 MHz can receive and transmit on a 2500 Hz bandwidth.

The PC at 450 MHz or more may receive and transmit on 2500, 3300 or 4300 Hz bandwidth (in fact the necessary computing power depends on the selected mode).

A PC at 2000 MHz or more with a graphical resolution of 1024x768 and 24 bits colors, is the optimum for Multipsk.

Note about PSK panoramic, THROB/X, MFSK and FILTERS modes: the program may work with a PC at 66 MHz (in a degraded way), except for the PSK panoramic and in THROB , THROBX and MFSK modes where a PC at 166 Mhz or more is necessary. A PC at 450 MHz will be a lot more satisfactory for the user. For FILTERS, a PC at 450 MHz is desirable.

DominoEX needs a PC at 450 Mhz as a minimum.

The CW and RTTY panoramic need a PC at 700 Mhz as a minimum.

Note about MT63 mode: this complex mode needs a minimum configuration of a PC at 1000 MHz.

Note about CHIP mode: this mode needs a minimum configuration of a PC at 166 Mhz for CHIP 64 and 450 Mhz for CHIP 128.

Note about Packet mode: this mode needs a minimum configuration of a PC at 300 MHz (for DIGISSTV).

Description of the program

1) The program decodes the following signal text or image (fax or SSTV) modes when received as audio from an SSB receiver or decodes them from saved .WAV files:

- BPSK31 (at 31.25 bauds),

- QPSK31 (at 31.25 bauds),

- CHIP 64 and 128 (at 300 bauds)

- BPSK63  (at 62.5 bauds) ,

- QPSK63  (at 62.5 bauds) ,

- PSK63F (at 62.5 bauds) with the DIGISSTV (in "Run" protocol),

- PSK220F (at 220.5 bauds) with the DIGISSTV (in "Run" protocol),

- PSK10 (differential two phases modulation at 10 bauds),

- PSKFEC31 (DBPSK modulation at 31.25 bauds with repetition of each bit),

- PSKAM50 (DBPSK modulation at 50 bauds with repetition of each character just like AMTOR FEC),

- PSKAM10: PSKAM at 10 bauds,

- PSKAM31: PSKAM at 31 bauds,

- CW (morse) between 10 and 52 words/minute,

- CCW (Coherent CW) and CCW-FSK at 12, 24 or 48 words/minute,

- THROB,

- THROBX,

- MFSK16 (with SSTV ability) and MFSK8,

- OLIVIA,

- DominoF DF ("DeFault mode"),

- DominoEX,

- MT63,

- RTTY at 45, 50 (+SYNOP), 75 or 100 bauds (+SYNOP),

- ASCII at 110 bauds (7 or 8 bits),

- AMTOR ARQ (LISTEN mode ), SITOR A,

- AMTOR FEC, SITOR B or NAVTEX,

- PACKET 300 and 1200 bauds (+APRS +DIGISSTV "Run" protocol),

- PAX/PAX2 (+APRS),

- PACTOR 1,

- FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL or HELL 80,

- SSTV

- HF FAX (facsimile)

Automatic determination of the BPSK-kind modes is done.

2) The program transmits, as modulated audio, PSK10, BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP 64/128, PSKAM10/31/50, PSKFEC31, BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F (+DIGISSTV), PSK220F (+DIGISSTV), CW, CCW, CCW-FSK, THROB, THROBX, MFSK16, MFSK8, OLIVIA, DominoF DF, DominoEX, MT63, RTTY 45, 50 and 75 bauds, ASCII, AMTOR FEC, PACTOR 1 FEC (100 bauds), PACKET 300 and 1200 bauds (+APRS +DIGISSTV), PAX/PAX2 (+APRS), FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80 code, SSTV or HF Fax using a SSB transceiver.

The audio signal is modulated in:

- phase-shift keying (PSK) at a rate of 31.25 bauds for BPSK31, PSKFEC31, PSKAM31 or QPSK31, at 50 bauds for PSKAM50, at 10 bauds for PSK10 or PSKAM10, at 62.5 bauds for BPSK63, QPSK63 and PSK63F, at 220.5 bauds for PSK220F, at 245 bauds for PSK HELL at 5, 10 or 20 bauds for MT63 (on 64 carriers) and at 300 bauds in CHIP 64/128,

- on-off amplitude keying (OOK) for FELD HELL, CW and CCW,

- frequency-shift keying (FSK) for THROB, THROBX, MFSK16, MFSK8, OLIVIA, PAX/PAX2 (+APRS), DominoF and DominoEX (in "Incremental Frequency Keying"), RTTY 45, 50 and 75 bauds, ASCII, AMTOR FEC (100 bauds), PACTOR 1 FEC (100 bauds), PACKET 300 and 1200 bauds, HELL 80, FM HELL (MSK in fact), HF Fax, SSTV and CCW-FSK,

3) The program offers an audio filter (as lowpass, bandpass or band rejection) for audio signals received from the receiver. It can also lower the background noise (pseudo-mode FILTERS).

4) the program allow a binaural CW reception, i.e by the two ears, the signals going to the headphones being in quadrature. This reception improves the signal-to-noise ratio as physiologically felt by the user.

Notes:

* An experimental new mode called PSKFEC31 is introduced. This mode is derived from PSK10 mode for the set of characters and from PSK31 for the speed (31.25 bauds). Each bit (and not each character as in PSKAM) is transmitted twice with an interval of 13 bits between the two transmissions of the bit. The speed is about 28 wpm. This mode permits to lower appreciably the number of errors due to HF propagation conditions (without loss of synchronization as in PSKAM). The bandwidth is about 110 Hz. The lowest S/N is -14.5 dB (for a PC at 166 MHz or higher).

* PSK10 mode is designed to assure communications with weak ratio Signal-to-Noise ratios down to -17.5 dB with less than 2% errors. The speed is 18 wpm. This mode is very sensitive to the ionospheric Doppler modulation.

* the BPSK31 and QPSK31 modes are designed to assure communications with ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio down to 0.1 (-11.5 dB, for a PC at 166 MHz or more). The speed is 37 wpm in capital letters and 51 wpm in small letters. When we say  PSK31, it refers to a general term for BPSK31 and QPSK31. The convolutional encoding of QPSK31 allows it to lower the number of errors.

* the new CHIP (64/128) mode is a new PSK mode which uses the "Spread Sprectum" modulation technique and, particularly, the Direct Sequence Spread Sequence (DSSS), this through an original algorithm. This technique permits to achieve a very robust mode. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is -8 dB.

* the new BPSK63 and QPSK63 modes derives from BPSK31/QPSK31 but they are twice faster. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 7 / -8 dB.

* the PSK63F mode has a same speed (62.5 bauds) as PSK63 but with a convolutional encoding. It is a powerful mode with the presence of noise. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 12 dB.

* the PSK220F mode is a PSK63F mode carried to a 220 bauds speed. It allows a very rapid transmission speed. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 7 dB.

DIGISSTV "Run" in PSK63F or in PSK220F: it is possible to send and to receive small pictures in digital SSTV ("Run" protocol), during a QSO in these modes.

* CCW (Coherent CW) has been created, for amateur radio, by Ramond Petit (W6GHM) in 1975. The CCW presented here derives from the "traditional" CCW with some modifications (F6CTE/DK5KE). For example, the standard speed is 12 wpm . Here the user can choose between 12, 24 and 48 wpm.

The minimum S/N ratio can be very low, down to -12 dB for the standard speed of 12 wpm, depending on the speed and the characters sent.

The CCW-FSK variant permits a more efficient decoding (+3 dB) and a better Pmean/Ppeak ratio (=1). The Morse sound can be built digitally, which strongly reduces radio noise.

* CW, RTTY, ASCII and AMTOR are what we call as traditional modes used by radio-amateurs.

RTTY, ASCII and AMTOR use two frequencies which are filtered, each one corresponding to a binary digit (1 or 0). These two frequencies, separated by a shift, modulate the RF when transmitted and the modulation is called Audio Frequency-Shift Keying (AFSK), otherwise the modulation can be done directly on the RF carrier and it is called Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK). In HF amateur radio, only AFSK is used.

In RTTY 50 bauds (and secondarily in 100 bauds), it is possible to decode the SYNOP/SHIP HF transmissions (WX information).

* PACKET is an AFSK mode as AMTOR (see above). In 1200 bauds, it allows to acceed in VHF to  BBS (Packet servers). It is the mode which allows the transport of APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) frames.

DIGISSTV "Run": it is possible to send and to receive small pictures in digital SSTV ("Run" protocol), during a QSO in this mode.

* PACTOR 1 is an AFSK mode using an ARQ protocol (as AMTOR ARQ). It allows QSO error free in HF. It can be used also as a FEC mode: this is the way Multipsk transmits it.

* PAX is a robust MFSK mode which derives from Olivia. The minimum Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 10 dB. It is also a protocol closed to AX25 (the one used for the Packet). Hence, it permits frame exchanges in non-connected mode (Unproto) and the transport of APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) frames,

* The PAX2 is the PAX mode but modulated twice rapidly. The minimum Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 7 dB. It allows a quick communication. The protocol is the same as PAX's one.

* THROB and THROBX are experimental multi-tone frequency shift keyed (MFSK) modes, good for low power transmission without being sensible to Doppler as are PSK transmissions. The use of raised cosine shaped tones pulses applied to each character gives a characteristic "throbbing" sound, hence the name of the modes. THROBX is an improved THROB mode but only for speeds of 1 and 2 bauds. The minimum Signal-to-Noise rato is about - 18.5 dB for THROBX at 1 baud.

* MFSK16 and MFSK8 are powerful modes MFSK (Multi Frequency Shift Keying) modes designed specifically for DX. They use a convolutional FEC (Forward Error Correction) coding and an interleaver, which disperse the symbols over a long period of time, in a way that counters the effects of noise and multi-path that affect reception. Bits are sent on a carrier chosen among 16 (MFSK16) or 32 (MFSK8). The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 13.5 dB for MFSK16 and -15.5 dB for MFSK8.

SSTV in MFSK16: it is possible to send and to receive small pictures during a QSO in MFSK16.

* OLIVIA is a MFSK mode designed for QRP and QRM (due to a large bandwidth, up to 1000 Hz) transmissions. It uses Walsh-Hadamard functions, an interleaver and a scrambler which makes it robust. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is about - 12 dB (in the standard mode).

* DominoF DF is a sensitive mode which, due to its incremental frequency keying and thanks to its interleaved multiple tones sets, is easy to tune and is few sensitive to interference and ionospheric effects. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is - 12 dB.

* DominoEX DF is an evolution of the DominoF mode allowing an extended set of characters (ASCII and ANSI) and a secondary transmission canal. It has the same qualities as DominoF. The minimum ratio Signal-to-Noise ratio is - 12 dB (in the standard mode).

* MT63: 64 carrier frequencies are phase modulated. This mode is not sensitive to fading and, due to its interleaving, is considered as a very robust mode. The minimum Signal-to-Noise ratio is at 10 bauds is - 5 dB.

* Hellschreiber FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL and HELL 80 modes are graphical modes where characters are drawn and the interpretation done by the user. For FELD HELL, the transmission is done by On-Off keying (OOK) as in CW, by BPSK for PSK HELL and by AFSK in HELL 80 and FM HELL (MSK in fact).

* SSTV ("Slow Scan Television") allows the user to send fixed pictures (in general in colors), with a bandwidth similar to the one of HF Fax (« shift » of 800 Hz, white at 2300 Hz and black at 1500 Hz). Different SSTV modes are proposed,

* HF Fax is similar to the RTTY mode with a shift of 800 Hz, the white at 2300 Hz and the black at 1500 Hz,

The next three modes are inferior in performance compared to PSKFEC31 because of the weakness of its synchronization scheme. This could lead to loss of data due to bad propagation conditions. In better conditions, these modes are interesting especially PSKAM10 in long wave communication.

* the interleaved PSKAM50 mode (from Multipsk V. 2.3) derives from PSK10 mode for the modulation and for AMTOR FEC for the repetition of the characters (time diversity). The speed is 50 bauds but each character is transmitted 2 times at an interval of five characters (example: A X B Y C A D B…). The speed is about 31 wpm. This mode permits to lower appreciably the number of errors due to HF radio conditions (without transmitting random characters). The bandwidth is about 180 Hz. The lowest S/N is -11.5 dB (for a PC at 166 MHz or higher).

* the PSKAM10 mode (from Multipsk V. 2.3) is PSKAM transmitted at 10 bauds. The speed is about 6 wpm. This mode permits to slowly chat speed but down to very weak S/N (-19.5 dB). The bandwidth is about 40 Hz.

* the PSKAM31 mode (from Multipsk V. 1.7) is PSKAM transmited at 31.25 bauds. The speed is about 20 wpm. This mode permits to chat down to a weak S/N (-14 dB). The bandwidth is about 110 Hz.

The 3 following additional documents: PSKAM.DOC, PSKFEC31.DOC and RS232_EN.DOC are found in the file. These files describe respectively the PSKAM (10/31/50) and PSKFEC31 protocols and examples of the RS232 interface.

Transmission and decoding are done through the sound card of your PC, which is connected for the audio input to the speaker of the transceiver or toan auxiliary AF output and for the audio output, to the the transceiver (RTTY input, for example).

The sound card should be SOUND-BLASTER compatible.

It is taken for granted that your transceiver has VOX. If not, the Push-To-Talk terminals must be connected with an appropriate electronic set to the RQS or DTR pin of the selected serial port.

For CW (Morse),  the keying input of the transceiver is not normally used. It is done by sending a keyed carrier. However, a possibility to key the transceiver is given but not recommended.

SCHEMATIC OF THE CONNECTIONS

                                             |

                             +---------------+---+

      +----------------+     ¦USB/LSB transceiver¦

      ¦ RX/TX screen   ¦     +------------+-+----+

      ¦ (reception/    ¦                  | |

      ¦  transmission) +---+              | |

      ¦    SCREEN      ¦   ¦              | |

      +----------------+   ¦              | |cables

     /                /    ¦              | |

    /   KEYBOARD     /     ¦              | |

    -----------+----       ¦      (Input  | |

               ¦           ¦    connector)| |(Speaker out connector)

            +--+-----------+-------------++-+-+----+

            ¦                            ¦ s  ¦    ¦

            ¦                            ¦ o  ¦    ¦

            ¦    PC                      ¦ u  ¦    ¦

            ¦                            ¦ n  ¦    ¦

            ¦                            ¦ d  ¦    ¦

            ¦                            ¦card¦    ¦

            ¦                            +----+    ¦

            +--------------------------------------+

OUTSIDE CONNECTIONS OF THE SOUND CARD

   +-------------------------------------+----

   ¦                                     ¦

   ¦                                     O Line in connector (stereo

   ¦                                     ¦               3.5 mm jack)

   ¦      sound card                     O Mic in connector (mono

   ¦                                     ¦               3.5 mm jack)

   ¦                                     O Line out connector (not

   ¦                                     ¦                    used)

   ¦                                     O Speaker out connector

   ¦                                     ¦ (stereo 3.5 mm jack)

   ¦                                     ¦

   ¦                                     ¦

   ¦                                     ¦Game/MIDI connector (not

   ¦                                     ¦                    used

   ¦                                     ¦

   ¦                                     ¦

   +-------------------------------------+

Either the Line-in or the Mic-in connector is used as well as the Speaker out connector (which must be connected to the RTTY input of the transceiver (AFSK IN) except for pseudo-mode FILTERS)

In pseudo-mode FILTERS and in binaural reception, the AF signal issued from the receiver is directed to the sound card of the PC, filtered and then sent to the speaker. In binaural reception the sound is sent to the 2 channels (left and right).

Note: on some sound cards, Line in input and Mic input are geographicaly inverted.

For details about the use of these modes, please refer to:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX  OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

Note: the pseudo modes (digital filters) "Filters" and "CW Binaural Reception" needs a  full-duplex sound card.

GENERAL NOTES

The 65500 (10,000,000 in licencied version) first characters received during a cession will be recorded in the

"QSO <Date> <Time>.TXT" file. That text can be read at wish by taking the option «Reading the QSO in progress or the preceding QSO».

The sent characters are, also, recorded in the "QSO <Date> <Time>.TXT" file.

Afterwards, a key is noted <key> (example: <Alt>).

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Minimum hardware requirements

* a PC at 166 MHz or more under Windows 95, 98 or NT,

* a 100 % SOUND-BLASTER compatible sound card. The card must be “full duplex“ type for the DSP modes,

* a speaker connected to the sound card output for the pseudo-mode FILTERS,

* two connection cables from the sound card to the transceiver (computer cable type),

* a SSB Amateur transceiver.

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Installation of the software

To install the software, double-click on "INSTALL".

This will create the directory «C:\MULTIPSK» (or the user can choose any other file) which, after installation, will contain all the necessary files.

A simple updating is also possible. In that case, only few files will be copied, one of which is MULTIPSK.EXE.

For more details, please refer to the text file "_READ ME".

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Verification of the configuration file CONFPSER.SER, the files F1 till F12.SER, N1 till N12.SER, PERSO_PS.TXT and LOG_PSK.LO

Verification of the configuration file CONFPSER.SER, the files F1 till F24.SER, N1 till N24.SER, PERSO_PS.TXT and LOG_PSK.LO

At the start-up of the software, the presence of the files necessary for the operation is verified. If for any reason, a file is missing or altered, a error message will appear.

In that case, the default configuration is chosen and the file CONFPSER.SER is saved. Then, the user makes his own configuration. For the files .SER, you just have to restore the sequence. PERSO_PS.TXT and LOG_PSK.LO are automatically created.

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Multipsk control through a DDE link

A DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) link allows a "client" program to control a "server" program (here: MULTIPSK.EXE). The DDE is a Windows computer tool.

The "client" program will be, for example, a reception management program (mode and frequency). It will be something as the CAT communication between a program ("client") and a transceiver ("server") through a serial transmission.

Once the link established by the "client", it is possible to send commands (in form of strings) to the "server".

The commands will be relative to modes and RX/TX AF frequency.

I propose a demonstration program (.EXE and source in DELPHI 6 of Borland) which name is BRIDGE_DDE_FOR_MULTIPSK. It will be available on demand to the author.

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Multipsk programming

Multipsk allows the user to tailor  text reception mode qualities (not SSTV, FAX or HELL) with a little programmer, in a specific type language, without creating an internal loop.

It is possible, for example, to view the entire AF band in a given mode, staying more time on powerful signals, then doing the same type of watching in an other mode.

Once started in automatic in the RX/TX screen, the program will be run regularly (one time by second).

Programs can be saved and then loaded.

In limited version (without user key), the working is limited to 10 minutes.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

From top to bottom, it is found:

* the user window where the programmer will be able to display the programming results. Click right to obtain "Copy/SelectAll" possibilities,

* the programming window where the program is written. Click right to obtain "Copy/Paste" possibilities,

* just below this window, from left to right:

- a label where the line number is displayed,

- the number of the call (number of the seconds from the beginning),

- a label with the results of the program control (see further on),

- a button to print the programming window,

- a button to print the user window,

* the controls window.

CONTROLS DESCRIPTION

"Load a program file": if the user has, before, saved a program, he can re-load it in the programming window,

"Program example": it is a little demonstation program. Comments allow the understanding. A confirmation is asked to avoid to overwrite a possible program.

"Save": if a program has been loaded and then modified, the file is up-to-dated. The last but one version is saved in the N_1.PRO file. So, in case of unintentional saving, the user will be able to recover the former file in N_1.PRO.

"Save as...": to save a program in a file (to the format "XYZ.PRO") in the sub-directory /PROGRAM,

"End": to finish,

"Control": to check the program. The first error is displayed by its line number.

"Execution": to test the program: it is run only one time.

"Automatic running":the program is regularly started with a time interval of one second.

The RX/TX screen is in "Stop" position as long as the program is not automatically running.

"Pause": to pause during the automatic running.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Generalities

1) the instructions are written on only one line. They are in capital and composed of one macro possibly followed by one parameter, with one or several spaces between them (example: EQUAL F 1200),

2) the instructions can be preceded or followed by one or several spaces and can be followed by a comment,

3) there is no possibility of internal loop (no GOTO, FOR, WHILE or REPEAT). In fact, the loop is external as the program is run automatically.

Variables description (in bold)

Variables represent integers between -231 (about -2E9) and 231 (about 2E9). Nevertheless, M and N might be positive and L and F might be limited to physical values (see further on).

All the variables are in reading/writing.

Some (M, N, F, H and L) are associated with physical pieces of data (time, frequency and signal level).

"G", "I", "J" and "K" are variables of free use. They can be used as constants or incremental values.

"M" and "N": are time variables which count the number of calls to the program (one par second). These variables always evolve. They allow to estimate durations. There initial value is -1 (to allow an initial initialization of the programme).

IMPORTANT: they might be are limited to positive values.

"F": is the variable representing the AF frequency (Hz). Its initial value is 200.

IMPORTANT: it might be limited by inferior value to 200 (Hz) and by superior value to the maximum frequency of the spectrum (2500 Hz as a minimum).

"H": is the variable representing the HF frequency (Hz). For the instructions using H (GETHF and SETHF) be taken into account, Commander must be started (before Multipsk), the Cat-System interface must be in operation and the function "Transceiver" must be started (see Transceiver control through the Commander software).

IMPORTANT: H might be limited by inferior value to 0 (Hz) and by superior value to the maximum frequency adjustable by Commander (1,000,000,000 Hz).

"L": is the variable representing the level of the received signal in dB (in fact it is the signal-to-noise ratio).

IMPORTANT: it might limited by inferior value to -30 (dB) and by superior value to 15 (dB).

Instructions description (in bold)

"SOUND Variable1 or a number Variable2 or a number" to produce a sound at a given frequency in Hz corresponding to the first parameter of a duration in ms corresponding to the second parameter.

Examples: "SOUND 1000 100" means a sound of 1000 Hz frequency during 100 ms and "SOUND J K" means a sound of J Hz frequency during K ms.

The minimum frequency is 50 Hz. The maximum frequency is 20000 Hz.

The minimum duration is 1 ms. The maximum duration is 800 ms.

To pass in a given "text mode":

"PSKFEC31", "PSK10", "BPSK31", "CHIP", "PSKAM50", "PSKAM10", "PSKAM31", "PSK63F", "PSK220F", "QPSK31", "BPSK63", "QPSK63", "CW", "CCW", "ASCII", "RTTY 45", "RTTY 50", "RTTY 75", "AMTOR FEC", "THROB", "THROBX", "MT63", "MFSK16", "MFSK8", "OLIVIA", "DOMINO" (DominoF), "DOMINOEX",  "RTTY 100", "SITOR A", "AMTOR ARQ", "PACKET", "PACTOR 1", "PAX".

"GETF": or F=Frequency: to assign the value of the AF frequency to the variable F.

"SETF": or Frequency=F: to assign the value of the variable F to the AF frequency (the frequency will be limited between the lower and upper limits of the spectrum).

"GETHF": or H=Frequency: to assign the value of the HF frequency to the variable H.

"SETHF": or Frequency=H: to assign the value of the variable H to the HF frequency (the frequency will be limited between 0 and 1,000,000,000 Hz).

Note: for the instructions GETHF and SETHF be taken into account, Commander must be started (before Multipsk), the Cat-System interface must be in operation and the function "Transceiver" must be started (see Transceiver control through the Commander software).

"GETL": or L=Level: to assign the value of the signal level (-30 to 15 dB) to the variable L.

"WRITE X": writing, in the user window, of the value of the variable X ("F" to "L") without carriage return. For example, if the instruction is "WRITE F" and if F is worth 1000, then, it will be displayed " F=1000".

"WRITELN X": same instruction as "WRITE X" except that a carriage return (with a line feed) is inserted at the end of the writting.

"CRLF": simple carriage return (with a line feed).

"WRITEDATA": writing (without carriage return), in the user window, of the buffer of characters received from the last "WRITEDATA" instruction or the last "CLEARDATA". After a "WRITEDATA" the buffer is cleared (as with a "CLEARDATA").

"CLEARDATA": clear the buffer of received characters.

"CLEARWINDOW": clear the user window.

"EXIT": to quit immediately the program (interesting for tests).

Operations on variables.

It is reminded that the variables M, N, F and L might be limited (by the user) to physical bounds (see above).

For example: EQUAL F 100 is impossible because the lower limit of the spectrum is 200 Hz.

Another example: EQUAL L 20 is impossible because the higher limit of the level is 15 dB.

IMPORTANT: all the used numbers must be integers and not reals.

"EQUAL Variable1 Variable2 or number" to assign the value of the variable2 or a number (integer) to the variable1. Examples: "EQUAL I J" means I=J and "EQUAL I 300" means I=300.

"INC Variable1 Variable2 or number" to increase the value of the variable1 with either the value of the variable 2 or a number (integer). Examples: "INC I J" means I=I + J and "INC I 300" means I=I + 300.

"DEC Variable1 Variable2 or number" to decrease the value of the variable1 with either the value of the variable 2 or a number (integer). Examples: "DEC I J" means I=I - J and "DEC I 300" means I=I - 300.

"MUL Variable1 Variable2 or number" to multiply the value of the variable1 by either the value of the variable 2 or a number (integer). Examples: "MUL I J" means I=I x J and "MUL I 300" means I=I x 300.

"DIV Variable1 Variable2 or number" to divide the value of the variable1 by either the value of the variable 2 or a number (integer). Examples: "DIV I J" means I=I / J and "DIV I 300" means I=I / 300.

Comparisons:

An "IFinstruction" is one the following described instruction (IFEQUAL, IFABOVE or IFBELOW).

IMPORTANT: a comparison is true or false. If it is true, all instructions down to the "ENDIF" instruction finishing the block (IF...ENDIF) or to the end of the program (if no "ENDIF" instruction is found) will be run. If the comparison is false, the program goes directly to the instruction "ENDIF" of the block or to the end of the program (if no "ENDIF" instruction is found).

The blocks of instructions IF...ENDIF must be nested: it can be put a second IF...ENDIF block inside a first IF...ENDIF block (see the demonstration program).

"IFEQUAL Variable1 Variable2 or number": or "IFEQUAL Variable1=Variable2" or "IFEQUAL Variable1=number (integer)". Examples: "IFEQUAL I J" means "IF I=J" and "IFEQUAL I 300" means "IF I=300".

"IFABOVE Variable1 Variable2 or number": or "IFABOVE Variable1=Variable2" or "IFABOVE Variable1=number (integer)". Examples: "IFABOVE I J" means "IF I>J" and "IFABOVE I 300" means "IF I>300".

"IFBELOW Variable1 Variable2 or number": or "IFBELOW Variable1=Variable2" or "IFBELOW Variable1=number (integer)". Examples: "IFBELOW I J" means "IF I<J" and "IFBELOW I 300" means "IF I<300".

"ENDIF": this instruction does not execute anything. It is, in fact, an end label for the instructions block beginning by an "IFinstruction". For example:

IFEQUAL L 500      // beginning of the bloc

  SOUND 1000 100 // if IFEQUAL=TRUE

  WRITELN N         // if IFEQUAL=TRUE

ENDIF                   // end of the bloc

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Access to the configuration menu

Access to the configuration screen

From the directory A:\> or C:\MULTIPSK>, start up the program "MULTIPSK".

IMPORTANT: this is a stand-alone program. All that other applications must be closed while running Multipsk.

In case it should be necessary, the energy saving functions of the monitor will be deactivated.

In effect, these functions may, possibly, cause the loss of the picture (non recoverable with a click) with, therefore, the necessity to start the PC again.

A test is immediately started to determine the sampling frequencies (Fe) available on your sound card.

It must be equal to 11025, except in MT63 where Fe must be equal to 8000.

Two pushbuttons at the top of the screen: "Open "Configuration" screen after start-up / Open RX/TX screen after start-up" give the possibility to open the configuration screen each time Multipsk is started up (option by default). If you choose the contrary, the RX/TX screen will be displayed directly. The configuration screen is, of course, always accessible from the RX/TX screen.

PARAMETERS

The program works with a lot of parameters which can be modified by the user. These parameters are stored in the file CONFPSER.SER. Some management tools are given to the user:

* a button "Default parameters" allows the user to return to the default parameters of the software in case of necessity,

* a button "Save Para." allows the user to save the actual parameters in the file CONFPSER.BAK (if, for example, at one point, he wants to return, provisionally, to the default parameters),

* a button "Load Para." allows the user to load the previous parameters saved in the file CONFPSER.BAK (this file is then copied in the file CONFPSER.SER and then executed).

Note: in case of Multipsk up-to-date, the old parameters are renewed and the new ones are added to the file CONFPSER.SER  with their default value.

The configuration screen gives the user a choice of 13 pop-down menus:

The menus "Sound input", "Input level", "Speaker out level" and the option "Display of the level on sound inputs", will be displayed only if, the mixer is controlled by the software.

The option "Control mixer", will be displayed only if, the mixer is controlled by the user.

."Lang(u)age"	: to select the used language (English / French),

 "Help and licence": various items of information of help,

."PC"	: to select the processor (the operation will be degraded with less than a PC at 166 MHz).

."Options for serial ports": to select the option "Neither serial ports scanning nor automatic checking (to avoid initial micro RX/TX switches)". If selected, it won't be indicated to the user the serial ports available on the PC.

."Serial port"	: to select a serial port (none or 1 to 8)

."Serial port for GPS"	: to select a serial port for the GPS (none or 1 to 8)

."Sound card"	: to select the sound card

. "Mixer"	: to adjust the mixer either by the software or by the user

."Sound input"	: to select the sound card Input

."Input level" 	: to select the Inputlevel of the AF signal

."Speaker out level": to select the Speaker output level of the signal going to the transceiver

."Sequence"	: to create a sequence (Macro text) (1 to 24) (text and associated name)

."Fonts"	: to choose the display font for the transmitted and received characters in the display windows. The choices are:

- for all windows: the font name, the style and the character size (by default: Ms Sans Serif, bold, 8),

- for the transmitted characters: the font color (by default: red),

- for the received characters: the font color (by default: black),

- for all windows: the background color (by default: white).

This option is also available in the bottom of the RX/TX screen (button "Fonts").

."Your logbook"	: to select an external logbook where the user will be able to log in his QSOs. Multipsk has its own logbook so it is not compulsory to use this option. The default option is "DXKeeper".

Note: to be integered to Multipsk, logbooks must use, for information exchange, the DXKeeper DDE link.

List of available external logbooks:

* DXKeeper (from Dave AA6YQ) is a very powerful logbook (in "freeware") which is part of a suite of softwares (as Commander...) called DXLAB,

* wxLogbook (from Dave W1HKJ) is a new Multipsk compatible logbook (in "freeware"), which can merge the LOG_PSK.LO file (where Multipsk records QSOs).

See Use of the Multipsk logbook and logging of an external logbbook (DXKeeper...) for more information.

."Actions":

Initial selection of the RX/TX modes

RX/TX screen

Reading the QSO in progress or a previous QSO

Checking of the selected serial port

Display of the level on sound inputs

Mixer control

Log book

Personal data

Panorama PSK

Panorama CW

Panorama RTTY

Button "Deutsche Hilfe": it is the German help written by DL8MBF (Oskar).

XIT AND INITIAL RX/TX FREQUENCIES WINDOW

First notice: XIT is taken in account only for PSK modes (BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP, BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F, PSK220F, PSK10, PSKFEC31, PSKAM(10/31/50)), CW, CCW, CCW-FSK and OLIVIA. In the other modes, only the initial reception frequency is taken into account .

The commands necessary to give the possibility to transmit and to receive on two different frequencies appear on a big green screen. The XIT value, as an offset (in Hz), is equal to the difference between transmit and receive frequencies (TX Fx = RX Fr. + XIT). Initially, the XIT is equal to 0 Hz. Except for a particular need (for example, in old transceivers with bad frequency stability), there is no need to modify this value. Otherwise, the XIT will be adjusted to the required value.

The XIT, as a coefficient (in 0.0001 Hz/Hz), gives the possibility to correct the linear error of a bad sound card (TX Fx. = RX Fr. * ((10000+XIT) / 10000). For example, an error of 1 % will be corrected, putting XIT to 100.

Note: a bad sound card is the one which gives different RX and TX frequencies although these frequencies are supposed to be the same. This program accepts an error of less than 0.03 %.

The initial reception frequency is 1000 Hz.This can be adjusted otherwise, when necessary, when using a filter after the sound card.

After each modification of either the XIT or the initial reception frequency, the new transmission frequency is calculated and displayed. The adjustment of the XIT is limited to -4100 to 4100 Hz and the adjustment of the reception frequency is limited to 200 to 4300 Hz. For the transmission frequency, it’s, of course, also 200 to 4300 Hz.

For example, if the XIT (as an offset) is 1000 Hz and the reception frequency is 3500 Hz, the transmission frequency (in PSK) will be 4300 and not 4500 Hz. This is valid for the Reception/Transmission screen.

IMPORTANT: either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency may be imposed by clicking on the right button when the cursor is focused on the waterfall and if the button "XIT" near the waterfall is pushed.

Attention: the TX frequency is determined from the position of the mouse cursor on the waterfall.

The window " Decoding: from the sound input or a sound file"

The commands that permit decoding the signal from sound input of the sound card and also from a .WAV file are shown in this small green window. To play and decode a sound file (.WAV), please refer to Playing and recording sound files (.WAV)

The window "Recording on a .WAV sound file"

The commands that permit recording the sound coming from the sound card in a .WAV as chosen by the user appear in this small green window. For details, refer to the chapter Playing and recording sound files (.WAV)

The window "Beacon mode (all TX modes except Packet)

Please refer to the chapter Description of the beacon commands.

The window " UTC start time for recording or beacon"

If the button "Yes" is clicked, the user will have the possibility to program the UTC start time (by quarter of hour) for either the recording or the beacon. As the duration of recording or beacon transmission is programmable, the beginning and the end of these operations may be determined by the user. For recording, the panoramic spectrum will be automatically started as well as a recording at 11025 samples/sec, 8 bits and "mono".

The end of the recording or the beacon will take place at the end of the time defined by the user or manually.

VARIOUS INFORMATIONS

The menus "Sound input", "Input level", "Speaker out level" and the option "Display of the level on sound inputs", will be displayed only if, the mixer is controlled by the software.

The option "Control mixer", will be displayed only if, the mixer is controlled by the user.

The use of the pop-up or pop-down menus is the same as for the other applications under WINDOWS.

Particularly, it is possible to select a menu by hitting <Alt> + the underlined letter of the wording (for example <Alt> <I>, to select the Input level).

Buttons allow “short cuts” to avoid the "Actions" menu.

A small window above mixer control button on the right of the screen indicates if the sound card is a "simplex" or a "full-duplex" type (indispensable in FILTERS mode and in binaural reception).

The user can quit the application by clicking on the cross situated on the upper right hand corner of the screen or can exit to the main RX TX screen by clicking on "Exit to RX/TX screen".

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Selecting the serial port

If the user does not have the VOX function in his transceiver, then it is possible to control the PTT by one of the DTR/RQS pins of a serial port (COM 1 to 16). A menu gives the ability of choice of the COM  port.

The user must avoid the mouse port. About this problem, see: Checking of the selected serial port.

In «Decoding» mode, the DTR pin (n°4 on DB9 and n°20 on DB25) and the RQS pin (n°7 on DB9 and n°4 on DB25) will have about -10 V and the reverse in «Transmission» mode.

These pins produce only several milli Amps, so it is necessary to employ an adequate electronic interface (see RS232_EN.DOC which gives RS232 interface examples).

Of course, if the user disposes of the VOX function, he will choice «None» in the Serial Port pop-down menu.

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Selecting the serial port for GPS

It is possible to receive position data from a GPS. This one can transmit its data to the computer through the serial port (COM x), using the NMEA protocol. The signal is available on the GPS NMEA 0183 serial output.

The "Data out/Transmit" GPS pin must be connected to the pin 2 of the female DB9 serial plug (pin 3 on DB25) to connect to the computer.

The "Ground/Data Common" GPS pin must be connected to the pin 5 of the female DB9 serial plug (pin 7 on DB25) to connect to the computer.

This menu gives the ability of choice of the COM port (COM 1 to COM 16). The user must avoid the mouse port.

If the user does not use the GPS, the option, by default, will be "None".

Note: theoretically, the same serial port may be chosen to switch the transceiver and to connect the GPS, as the pins used are different.

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Checking of the selected serial port

The selected serial port is checked if it exists, and, on the other hand, if it is not opened yet.

At the initial selection or during a checking, if it is determined that the serial port is not available, the "No serial port" option is automatically selected.

See Selection of the serial port.

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Selecting the sound card

On almost all computers, there is only one sound card. In that case, there is no selection to do, for lack of choice.

On some other computers, there could be two sound cards (for example, one for Ham applications and the other for the rest of the applications). In that case, two sound cards are detected and one has to be chosen.

The mixer, when called, will adjust the levels of the selected sound card.

MULTIPSK can detect up to 4 sound cards.

We remind you that a small window above mixer control button on the right of the screen indicates if the sound card is a "simplex" or a "full-duplex" type. This latter type is indispensable for the operation of FILTERS mode and binaural reception.

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Mixer setup

If the user wants to keep the mixer as it was after adjustments done with another software (DIGIPAN, for example) or for another reason (if, for example, a non-standard mixer cannot be controlled by the software) then he selects the option "User adjustment". In this case, the menu items "Sound input", "Input level", "Speaker out level" and "Display of the level on sound inputs" will not be displayed.

In this case, in the RX/TX screen, the user will have the possibility to adjust the mixer (volume control and recording control). These controls appear also when clicking on the button "Mixer control" in the configuration menu.

Refer to Manual setup of the mixer.

If the option "Software adjustment" is selected, all menus will be displayed except the button "Mixer control" and the software will manage the adjustments of the mixer according to the user.

The user must know that the software, normally, keeps the mixer in the state encountered at the beginning. Nevertheless, on some mixers, the user may lose adjustments done before (due to the lack of real standard for mixers).

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Manual control of the mixer by the user

The sound card mixer is initially controlled by the user (see the option Adjustment of the mixer). It could be controlled by software but there are some non-standard mixers which cannot be controlled by software. Therefore the user should learn to adjust the mixer manually.

The mixer controls appear by clicking on the button "Mixer control" if the option "User adjustment". of the menu “Mixer” has been selected.

For example, if the option "User adjustment". of the menu “Mixer” has been selected and the left Line in channel has been chosen ( see Audio input), the user should see the following (after coming back to the option "Software adjustment” of the menu “Mixer”):

- In the option "VOLUME CONTROL":

* the "Volume Control" level must not be at zero and the balance must be at the middle,

* the "Wave" level must not be at zero and the balance must be at the middle,

* the "Line in" level must be at 100 %, the balance must be at left side and the option "Mute" selected,

* the microphone must have the option "Mute" selected.

- In the option "RECORDING CONTROL" obtained by clicking <Options> then <Properties> then <Recording> :

* the "Line in" level must be at 100 %, the balance must be at left side and the option "Selected" set,

* the microphone must have the option "Selected" deactivated.

Note: after using this software, if it has controlled the mixer from the beginning (by choosing "Software control" in the "Mixer" menu,  the mixer is set in its default configuration.

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Sound input selection

With this menu, the user selects either the Line-in input (left or right channel) or the Mic-in input (only if the signal is very weak) ), these inputs are found on the sound card which is to be connected to the receiver (see " OUTSIDE CONNECTIONS OF THE SOUND CARD" in Description of the software and connections schematic).

The normal input is Line-in left channel. Some cards as the PCI 128 do not accept the right channel.

The microphone input is preferable if the level on the line input is too weak (<30 %) even if it has some distorsion.

See also Display of the level on sound inputs.

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Input level selection

The input level of the AF signal received from the receiver can be attenuated with the help of this menu item. In fact, the ideal level (peak to peak) of the signal would be just less than the input range of the sound card, to assure the best quality possible of the signal, without overloading.

Therefore, if the input level is not adjustable from the transceiver, it is possible to multiply it by a factor 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 or 1.

Practically, the level must be set up just below the level which produces a signal overload

(see Display of the level on sound inputs).

If the option "AGC" (Automatic Gain Control) is selected, the software controls the gain (in the limits of the mixer): on overload it lowers the gain and on a very weak level, it increases it. This is the default option.

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Sound input level display

In order to display the root mean square level in percentage of the maximum value on each sound input (Line-in left channel, line-in right channel, microphone), the user can utilize a window showing the root mean square value of the signal for each input.

This option allows the user to know the input to which the signal is applied. The displayed value allows setting up the input level (see Input level selection).

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Speaker output level selection

The speaker output level of the sound card to the transceiver may be adjusted with the help of this menu. "/ 1" means that the signal is at its maximum level (peak-to-peak voltage depending on the sound card), "/ 2" that the signal is half of the maximum and so on until the minimum ("/ 256").

The user will adjust the speaker output level to that suitable for the transceiver (for example 100 mV maximum).

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RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Quick help on modes:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX    OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

RX/TX modes selection

Except for several modes as HF Fax, FILTERS, binaural reception, Hellschreiber modes..., it is possible to choose a  transmission (TX) mode different from the one chosen for reception (RX).

The possible receive modes are: BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP (64/128), BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F and PSK220F with DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol), PSK10, PSKAM10/31/50, PSKFEC31, CW, CCW, CCW-FSK, THROB(X), MFSK8, MFSK16 (with SSTV capacity) , OLIVIA, DominoF DF ("Default mode"), DominoEX, MT63, RTTY at 45, 50 (+ SYNOP), 75 or 100 bauds, ASCII at 110 bauds, SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ LISTEN, SITOR B/AMTOR FEC/NAVTEX, PACKET 300 and 1200 bauds (+APRS) with DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol), PACTOR 1, PAX/PAX2 (+APRS), FELD HELL, FM HELL, PSK HELL, HELL 80, SSTV, HF Fax, FILTERS and CW binaural reception.

In AMTOR (SITOR/NAVTEX), the errors are indicated by ‘¿’, while in PSKAM10/31/50, they are indicated by ‘¿’.

An automatic detection of the mode is possible for BPSK mode type as follows: PSK10, BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK63F, PSKAM10/31/50, PSKFEC31, PSK220F.

The possible modes in transmit are the following: BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP (64/128), BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F and PSK220F with DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol), PSK10, PSKAM10/31/50, PSKFEC31, CW, CCW, CCW-FSK, THROB(X), MFSK8, MFSK16 (with SSTV capacity) , OLIVIA, DominoF DF, DominoEX, MT63, RTTY 45, 50 and 75 bauds, ASCII 110 bauds, AMTOR FEC, Pactor 1 FEC (100 bauds), PACKET 300 and 1200 bauds (+APRS) with DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol), PAX/PAX2 (+APRS), FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80, SSTV and HF FAX.

With a graphical resolution of 800x600 or more, the mode can be chosen directly from the mode table on the upper right hand side of the screen. Mode names written in bold are currently used for amateur radio. Others that are bold italic are either mainly commercial (RTTY 50, 75 et 100 et SITOR A and HF FAX) or rarely used (PSK10, RTTY 50...).

For CW, CCW, CCW and RTTY 50 and 100, by clicking on the button "MODE", parameters can be chosen but only in reception mode.

Color used codes (from the top to the bottom):

- The modes in black are PSK modes.

- The ones in dark red (PSK63F, PSK220F) are reliable PSK modes being able to transmit DIGISSTV pictures,

- The ones in red (CW, CCW(-FSK)) are Morse modes (CW and CCW in OOK and CCW-FSK in FSK).

- The ones in dark blue are FSK modes.

- The ones in green are MFSK modes.

- The ones in blue (HF FAX, SSTV) are FSK modes to transmit pictures.

- The ones in purple are Hellschreiber modes (OOK in FELD, PSK in PSK HELL, MSK in FM HELL and FSK in HELL 80).

- The pseudo-mode FILTERS and the CW binaural reception are particular cases as they are DSP processings of the signal.

Except for Packet, PAX/PAX2, Hellschreiber modes, Pactor 1, MT63, OLIVIA, DominoF, DominoEX, SSTV, HF Fax, FILTERS and CW binaural reception, there are two transmit possibilities:

- either to have the same mode in transmit and in receive, in which case choose "TX mode=RX mode". If the receive mode is RTTY 100 bauds, then it will be considered that no mode was chosen and the user will not be able to pass to transmit,

- or to have a different mode. In this case, a menu allows the choice among the following modes: BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP (64/128), BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F, PSK220F, PSK10, PSKFEC31, CW, CCW (or CCW-FSK), THROB(X), MFSK16, MFSK8,  RTTY 45, 50 and 75 bauds, AMTOR FEC.

Three buttons allow the user to have information about:

* the description of  the codes decoded by Multipsk,

* the frequencies used in the different modes,

* the set of characters used for CW/CCW (and CCW-FSK) with a list of keys to type, given for the purpose of transmitting special characters such as <VA> for example.

A window allows the choice of the RTTY shift (for 50 bauds and more): 85, 170, 183, 200, 425, 450 or 850 Hz. The normal shift is 425 Hz. 850 Hz is rarely used. The shift of 85 Hz for 50 bauds corresponds to the German station DDH47 (20 kW) on 147,3 Khz and the shift of 450 Hz for 50 bauds corresponds to the German stations DDH7,8 and 9 and DDK2 and 9. For example, DDK2 (1 kW) may be found on 4583 Khz and DDK9 on 10100.8 Khz (10 kW). The shifts of 170, 183 and 200 Hz are used by Navy Mars Hams in 75 bauds.

A window allows the choice of the CCW/CCW-FSK parameters (in transmission):

* the user can choose the keying speed of 12, 24 or 48 wpm. The standard is 12 wpm. The slower the spedd, the better is the detection of QRP signals.

* the prefix "CCW" at the beginning of the transmission may be omitted to win time. The standard is to keep it because that way the other operator knows that it is a CCW transmission and not a CW one.

The button "Standard" allows the selection of the CCW default parameters: 12 wpm and the prefix "CCW".

A window allows the choice of the CW parameters:

 * on transmit and for PC at 166 MHz or more (and no other software in operation): the standard way is to use the sound card to transmit CW in USB (as for the other modes), the software is transformed into a Morse keyer. In this case, with the mean of an electronic intefarce (see, for example, the first diagram from the RS232_EN.DOC replacing the PTT plug with the standard KEY plug), the user can be choose to key from serial port DTR pin or RQS pin (see Selecting the serial port). This can be useful for exclusive CW transmitters. If the transmitteroperates also USB, then this option is without any interest and the user should operate USB.

It must be noted that if the keying is done by the DTR pin or the RQS pin, and then the audio side tone can be heard from the PC speaker by choosing ("Yes with sound") (option not available on NT and XP computers).

The keying from DTR pin or RQS pin is not advised for Windows XP, because the cursor diseappears during a character sequence transmission.

* on receive: the user can choose between an automatic decoding speed detection (default option) or a fixed speed (in wpm) if this one is known and stable,

* on transmit: the user can choose his keying CW speed in wpm. The initial proposed CW speed is 20 wpm, most of Morse transmissions being done around this speed.

In general, we can say that:

- 10 words/mn	: slow keying speed,

- 20 words/mn	: medium keying speed,

- 30 words/mn	: fast keying speed,

- 52 words/mn	: exceptional keying speed.

The button "Standard" allows the selection of the CW standard parameters: sound card transmission, automatic detection of the decoding speed and keying speed of 20 wpm.

Note: it is to be noted that the transmit mode may be decided in the sequences (see Sequences 1 to 24 creation and Personal data and macros).

IMPORTANT: all the minimum signal-to-noise ratios are given for 2% of error obtained from a sequence of "8" symbols. The noise power is normalized on a 3 Khz bandwidth. The signal power is a mean power and not a peak power. As the ratio between mean power and peak power ("Pmean/Ppeak") is given, it is easy to deduce the peak power-to-noise ratio.

RX/TX modes description

BPSK31 and QPSK31

Created by: Peter Martinez G3PLX

Description :

Baud rate 	: 31.25

Speed 	: 37 wpm in capital letters and 51 wpm in small letters (average)

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Receive mode: indifferent (LSB or USB) for BPSK31 only, for QPSK31 USB is mandatory

Character set 	: ASCII characters + ANSI extended characters + an error reset character  (« Varicode » characters)

Shape of pulse 	: raised cosine

Bandwidth 	: about 80 Hz,

Demodulation 	: coherent,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no for BPSK31, yes for QPSK31 (Rate=1/2, Constraint length=5, use of Viterbi decoder with soft decison)

Interleaving 	: no

Automatic Frequency Correction: about +/- 10 Hz depending on signal-to-noise ratio,

Drift tolerance 	: 60 Hz/min in BPSK31 and 20 Hz/min in QPSK31 (depending on level)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.79 for BPSK31 and 0.35 for QPSK31

Lowest S/N	: -11.5 dB

Waterfall range 	: 200 to 4300 Hz for Multipsk

Note 	: the BPSK31 mode is very much used, QPSK31 is not used that much.

BPSK63 and QPSK63

Created by: Moe Wheatley (AE4JY) and Howard Teller (KH6TY) in 2003

Description :

Baud rate 	: 62.5

Speed 	: 74 wpm in capital letters and 102 wpm in small letters (average)

Bandwidth 	: about 160 Hz,

Drift tolerance 	: 120 Hz/min in BPSK63 and 40 Hz/min in QPSK63 (depending on level)

Lowest S/N	: - 7 dB for BPSK63 and - 8 dB for QPSK63

Note: for the remainder, the characteristics are identical to the ones of BPSK31/QPSK31 modes.

PSK63F

Created by : Nino Porcino IZ8BLY

Description :

Baud rate 	: 62.5

Speed 	: 42 wpm (average)

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: ASCII characters + almost all ANSI extended characters + an error reset character (« Varicode » characters)

Shape of pulse 	: raised cosine

Bandwidth 	: about 140 Hz,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: R(Rate)=1/2, K (Constraint length)=7  with Viterbi type decoder, both coder outputs being sent successively,

Drift tolerance 	: 1 Hz/sec (depending on signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.79

Lowest S/N	: - 12 dB in text and -10 dB in DIGISSTV

Interleaving 	: no

PSK220F

Created by : Patrick Lindecker F6CTE (2005)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 220.5

Speed 	: 140 wpm in capital letters and 200 wpm in small letters (average)

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: ASCII characters + almost all ANSI extended characters + an error reset character (« Varicode » characters)

Shape of pulse 	: raised cosine

Bandwidth 	: about 430 Hz (max - 30 dB),

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: R(Rate)=1/2, K (Constraint length)=7  with Viterbi type decoder, both coder outputs being sent successively,

Drift tolerance 	: 2.5 Hz/sec (+/- depending on signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.79

Lowest S/N	: - 7 dB in text and -5 dB in DIGISSTV

Interleaving 	: no

Note: this mode is simply PSK63F (of Nino Porcino IZ8BLY) carried to 220.5 bauds.

DIGISSTV "Run" (in PSK63F, PSK220F and PACKET)

Created by : Patrick Lindecker F6CTE (2005)

Description :

It is a digital SSTV protocol (DIGISSTV), allowing transmission pictures in colors, in grey scale or in black and white, where the picture may be transmitted among PSK63F, PSK220F or PACKET text.

The "Run" protocol has several peculiarities:

1) The goal is not, here, to transmit a binary picture of an already compressed file but:

- to load a picture (BMP or JPG) on an array of pixels,

- to compress it in the most appropriate way for radio transmissions,

- to manage its transmission and reception.

2) A SWL or a Ham listening must be able to decode this digital picture either at the beginning of the transmission or while the transmission is in progress, hence:

- the lines changes are identified and define the type of compressed picture transmitted (colors, grey scale or black and white),

- the line numbers are transmitted.

So the compression unit chosen here, is the line.

3) In colors and grey scale, the compression affects very slightly the quality of the picture (difference between the original and the copy non distinguished without a precise examination). In black and white, the compression is lossless (copy=original).

4) The picture format is free but must be comprised between 8x6 and 320x256 (the last one being the one used in classical analogic SSTV).

5) The chosen compression method is called RLE ("Run Length Encoding") so the name of this protocol: "Run". The obtained compression rates are interesting but modest: typically 3,5 for color pictures, 7 in grey scale, 25 in black and white, weaker for photographic pictures and bigger for synthetic pictures. Moreover, the smaller the picture, the weaker the compression rate, and conversely.

6) To warn the correspondent Ham or the ones listening, of a picture transmission, the picture is preceded by a prefix, for example: "Run320x256C" for a color picture in 320x256 format.

The general objectives of this mode and the detailled specifications are given in the document "RUN_PROTOCOL" situated in the "Specifications" heading on my WEB site (English page).

PSK10

Created by: Patrick Lindecker F6CTE (2001)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 10

Speed 	: 18 wpm

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set	: 56 "Varicode" characters " A..Z 0..9  <CR> <ESPACE> . , " : - = + ? $ ' ( ) ! / @ & # * with an error reset character and an idle character (displayed by ">").

Small characters are transformed in capital characters and special characters as

" é " are transformed in standard capital (in the example above: " E ").

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular but the transition between 2 successive different bits is done by a 	decreasing sine then by an increasing sine (each one during a quarter of period)

Bandwidth 	: about 40 Hz

Demodulation 	: coherent,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving	: no

Repetition 	: no

Drift tolerance 	: 40 Hz/mn (depending on signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.86

Lowest S/N	: -17.5 dB

For precise specifications about PSK10, see the PSK10.DOC file.

PSKFEC31

Created by: Patrick Lindecker F6CTE (06/2003)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 31.25

Speed 	: 28 wpm

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: 56 "Varicode" characters " A..Z 0..9  <CR> <ESPACE> . , " : - = + ? $ ' ( ) ! / @ & # * with an error reset character and an idle character (displayed by ">").

Small characters are transformed in capital characters and special characters as

" é " are transformed in standard capital (in the example above: " E ").

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular but the transition between 2 successive different bits is done by a 	decreasing sine then by an increasing sine (each of one during quarter of period)

Bandwidth 	: about 160 Hz

Demodulation 	: coherent,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving	: no

Repetition 	: each bit is repeated 13 positions later (so 0.42 s between 2 transmissions of the same bit). This time diversity allows the correction of an erroneous bit. The synchronization is easy.

Automatic Frequency Correction: from +/-3 Hz to +/- 10 Hz depending on signal level,

Drift tolerance 	: 60 Hz/mn for PSKFEC31 (depending on signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.86

Lowest S/N	: -14.5 dB

Due to the FEC process, this mode permits to reduce appreciably the number of errors due to HF propagation conditions, compared to BPSK31.

For precise specifications about PSKFEC31, see the PSKFEC31.DOC file.

PSKAM10/31/50

Created by: Patrick Lindecker F6CTE (2002/2003)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 10 (PSKAM10) , 31.25 (PSKAM31), 50 (PSKAM50)

Speed 	: 6 wpm (PSKAM10), 20 wpm (PSKAM31), 31 wpm (PSKAM50),

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: 56  « fixed length » characters A..Z 0..9  <CR> <SPACE> . , : - = + ? $ ’ ( ) ! / @  %  with an error reset character and an idle character (displayed by ‘>’). Small characters are transformed in capital characters and special characters as « é »  are transformed in standard capital (in the example above: « E »)

Shape of pulse 	: for PSKAM10 and PSKAM50: rectangular but the transition between 2 successive 	different bits is done by a decreasing sine then by an increasing sine (each one during

a quarter of period)

for PSKAM31: raised cosine

Bandwidth 	: about 50 Hz (PSKAM10), 80 Hz (PSKAM31), 260 Hz (PSKAM50),

Demodulation 	: coherent,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving	: no

Repetition 	: each character is repeated 5 positions later (0.8 s in PSKAM50, 1,28 s in PSKAM31 or 4 s in PSKAM10)  between 2 transmissions of the same character) (example: A X B Y C A D B…). This time diversity allows the correction of an erroneous character. Its detection is easy due to the particular content of a character (5 « space » and 3 « mark »).

Automatic Frequency Correction: from +/-3 Hz to +/- 10 Hz depending on signal level,

Drift tolerance 	: 60 Hz/mn for PSKAM31 and PSKAM50 and 40 Hz/mn for PSKAM10 (depending on signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.86 for PSKAM10 and 50, 0,79 for PSKAM31

Lowest S/N	: -11.5 dB for PSKAM50, -14 dB for PSKAM31 and -19.5 dB for PSKAM10

For precise specifications about PSKAM modes, see the PSKAM.DOC file.

CHIP (64/128)

Creator : Nino Porcino IZ8BLY in 2005

Description :

General	: this mode uses the "Spread Sprectum" modulation technique and, particularly, the Direct Sequence Spread Sequence (DSSS), this through an original algorithm. This technique permits to achieve a very robust mode.

Chiprate	: 300/second (a "chip" is here a "bit" from the point of view of the modulation)

Bits rate (after pseudo WHP inverse transform): 37.5 per second in CHIP64 and 21.09 in CHIP128

Speed (words)	: 48 wpm in capital letters to 68 wpm in small letters (average in CHIP64)
27 wpm in capital letters to 38 wpm in small letters (average in CHIP128)

Modulation 	: DBPSK
A "block" is composed of 64 chips in Chip64 and 128 in Chip128. A block corresponds to a code on 8 bits in Chip64 and 9 bits in Chip128. The block is obtained from the code, by a WHP transform "Walsh-Hadamard-Porcino", so as:

* to give a good autocorrelation quality necessary for the "block" synchronization, using an "m-sequence"
* a weak intercorrelation between codes to distinguish them, using a Walsh-Hadamard transform.

In Chip64, for the codes between 0 and 127, it will be used the m-sequence[6,5,2,1] for odd codes and the m-sequence[6,5] for the even codes.

In Chip128, for the codes between 0 and 255, it will be used the m-sequence[7,3,2,1] for odd codes and the m-sequence[7,3] for the even codes.

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: ASCII characters + almost all ANSI extended characters + an error reset character (« Varicode » characters)

Shape of pulse 	: raised cosine

Bandwidth 	: about 580 Hz,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: the use of the WHP transform is equivalent to a a powerful "block" coding type

Convolution code: no,

Interleaving 	: no

Drift tolerance 	: 15 Hz/minute (+/- depending on signal level)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.79

Lowest S/N	: - 8 dB

THROB and THROBX

Created by : Lionel Sear G3PPT, in 2000 for THROB and 2003 for THROBX

Preliminary	: THROBX is an evolution of THROB.

Description :

Baud rate 	: 1, 2 or 4 (1 or 2 in THROBX)

Speed 	: 10, 20 or 40 wpm (=10 x baud rate) or 60, 120 or 240 characters/min (=60 x baud rate) (10 or 20 wpm in THROBX)

Modulation 	: for THROB: FSK 9 tones with 1 or 2 tones send  in the same time (which give 45 possibilities including the idle tone)

for THROBX: FSK 11 tones with 2 tones send at the same time (which give 55 possibilities including the 2 possible idle characters)

Reception mode: only one side (USB or LSB), USB is recommended

Character set 	: for THROB: 46 « fixed length » characters: A..Z 0..9 , . ’ / ( ) ? @ =  <SPACE>  (with use of a « shift » character for ?@=). No error reset character.

: for THROBX: 53 characters: A..Z 0..9 , . ’ / ( ) ? @ = # " + - ; : ! <SPACE> . No error reset character.

Shape of pulse 	: for the 1 or 2 bauds modes: rectangular at the center with leading and trailing quarters as raised cosine. For the 4 bauds  mode (THROB only): raised cosine

Space between tones : for THROB: 8 Hz (1 or 2 bauds) or 16 Hz (4 bauds), for THROB: 7.8125 Hz ,

Bandwidth 	: for THROB: 72 Hz (1 or 2 bauds), 144 Hz (4 bauds), for THROBX: 94 Hz

Demodulation 	: non-coherent,

Synchronization: automatic on incoming « throbs »

Correction code	: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Automatic Frequency Correction: +/- 3 Hz,

Drift tolerance 	: 4 bauds: 40 Hz/mn max, 2 bauds: 20 Hz/mn max, 1 baud: 10 Hz/mn max according to signal-to-noise ratio,

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.35 for 1 and 2 bauds modes, 0.19 for 4 bauds

Lowest S/N   	: THROBX:  -18,5 dB for the 1 baud, -17.5 dB for the 2 bauds

  THROB: -16 dB for the 1 baud, -14.5 dB for the 2 bauds et -12 dB for the 4 bauds

MFSK16 and MFSK8

Created by : Nino Porcino IZ8BLY and Murray Greenman ZL1BPU

Description :

Baud rate 	: 15.625 for MFSK16 et 7.8125 for MFSK8

Speed 	: 42 wpm (average) (62.5 bits/sec) for MFSK16 and 26 wpm (average) (39.06 bits/sec) for MFSK8

Modulation 	: FSK 16 tones (4 bits) for MFSK16 and 32 tones (5 bits) for MFSK8

Reception mode: only one side (USB or LSB), USB is recommended

Character set 	: ASCII characters + almost all ANSI extended characters + an error reset character (« Varicode » characters)

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Space between tones : 15.625 Hz for MFSK16 et 7.8125 Hz for MFSK8,

Bandwidth 	: 316 Hz,

Demodulation 	: non-coherent,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Convolution code: R(Rate)=1/2, K (Constraint length)=7  with Viterbi type decoder

Interleaving 	: yes (for example, spreading of 120 bits for MFSK16)

Drift tolerance 	: 10 à 20 Hz/mn for MFSK16 and 4 to 7 Hz/mn according to signal-to-noise ratio,

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N	: -13.5 dB for MFSK16 and -15.5 dB for MFSK8

Note: pieces of information about these modes can be found on the WEB site of ZL1BPU (Murray Greenman).

SSTV in MFSK16

Created by : Nick Fedoseev (UT2UZ) and Denis Nechitailov (UU9JDR) in 2003

Description :

It is a SSTV mode without transmission of a synchronization ray, in color or in black and white mode, where the picture may be transmitted among MFSK16 text.

The picture format is not fixed as in classical SSTV but variable (limited to small pictures).  Multipsk proposes to use the standard "320x256" to take advantage of the SSTV "workshop" and the stored SSTV pictures.

The band of frequencies used is 234,375 Hz (15 x 15,625 Hz), which is the width between extreme peaks of a MFSK16 transmission. The duration of a pixel is exactly 1 ms. In color mode, the colors are transmitted in the following order: Red, Green, Blue. In black and white mode, the black color corresponds to the lower frequency and the white color to the higher frequency.

To be recognized, the picture must be MFSK16 prefixed by:

* "Pic:320x256C;" for example for a color picture of 320x256 dimension whose transmission will last 320x256x3x0,001=246 sec,

* "Pic:320x256C;" for example for a black and white picture of 320x256 dimension whose transmission will last 320x256x1x0,001=82 sec.

Note: on this program, for a better appearance, the grey level is computed according to a "physiological" formula: Grey level = 0,30 x Red level +  0,59 x Green level + 0,11 x Blue level

OLIVIA

Creator : Pawel Jalocha SP9VRC in 2005

Description of the standard mode ("default mode"):

Baud rate 	: 31.25

Speed 	: 2.44 characters/sec so 24 wpm

Modulation 	: FSK 32 tones (5 bits arranged in a Gray form), with a shift between tones of 31.25 Hz (1000 Hz bandwidth). A "block" is defined as composed of 64 symbols of 5 bits (in other words it is a matrix of 64 columns (following the time) on 5 lines). Each of the 5 block lines of this block corresponds to a character which has been encoded, on a 64 bits vector, using a Walsh-Hadamard transform to provide a high level of redundancy.

Note: the implicite used matrix is 128x64dimension, the 64 first lines are the 64 standard orthogonal combinations of the Hadamard matrix. The 64 next lines are their opposite. So any couple of lines are either orthogonal (scalar product=0) or biorthogonal (scalar product<0).

Reception mode: sensible to the side (USB or LSB), USB is recommended

Shape of pulse 	: specific shape (between a Hanning window and a rectangular window)

Character set 	: ASCII 7 bits (128 characters)

Bandwidth 	: 1000 Hz

Synchronization : automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: yes, spreading of 5 bits "vertically" in the block,

Scrambling	: yes, with a 64 bits sequence applied on each line of the block but with a delay of 13 bits between two successive lines.

Drift tolerance 	: 30 Hz/mn according to signal-to-noise ratio,

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.76

Lowest S/N 	: – 12 dB

Olivia modes decoded by Multipsk

This program decodes 6 Olivia modes, which are the modes:

* "8-250": "Slow" 8 tones, bandwidth=250 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 14.6 wpm, lowest S/N=-14 dB,

* "16-500": "Average" 16 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 19.5 wpm, lowest S/N =-13 dB,

* "32-1K" ("Standard" default mode): 32 tonalités, bandwidth=1000 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 24.4 wpm, lowest S/N =-12 dB,

* "8-500": "Normal" 8 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=62.5 bauds, 29.3 wpm, lowest S/N =-11 dB,

* "16-1K": "Fast" 16 tonalités, bandwidth=1000 Hz, speed=62.5 bauds, 39.1 wpm, lowest S/N =-10 dB,

* "4-500": "Fast 2" 4 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=125 bauds, 39.1 wpm, lowest S/N =-10 dB.

Note: it exists 40 Olivia modes (among which 5 are decoded by Multipsk), from 8 to 256 tones and from 125 to 2000 Hz of bandwidth. All are conceived in the same way.

Multipsk specificities:

- the transmission begins with the emission of two extreme tones for one seconde, to be able to manually position the frequency, if needed,

- the idling character is not the CHR(0) character, but successively one of the characters CHR(0), CHR(1), CHR(2), CHR(3) and CHR(4), to have a transmission well shared on the bandwidth and so to facilitate the search of the Olivia central frequency,

- the reception and the transmission can be done everywhere on the spectrum,

- the search of the Olivia central frequency is done when clicking on the spectrum. It takes about 5 seconds. Afterwards, when decoding, there is no automatic search but a simple frequency drift following, this to avoid abrupt frequency variations on events as QRM or QSB,

- an offset between sound cards sampling frequencies inferior or equal to 1 % is withstood.

PAX/PAX2

Creator : Patrick Lindecker (F6CTE) in 2005

Description :

Baud rate 	: 62.5 for PAX and 125 for PAX2

Speed 	: 5.86 characters/sec so 59 wpm ou 11.71 characters/sec so 117 wpm

Modulation 	: FSK 8 tones (3 bits arranged in a Gray form), with a shift between tones of 62.5 Hz (500 Hz bandwidth) for PAX and a shift of 125 Hz (1000 Hz bandwidth) for PAX2. A block is composed of 32 symbols of 3 bits (in other words it is a matrix of 32 columns (following the time) on 3 lines). Each of the 3 block lines of this block corresponds to a character which has been encoded, on a 32 bits vector, using a Walsh-Hadamard transform to provide a high level of redundancy.

Note: the implicite used matrix is 64x32 dimension, the 32 first lines are the 32 standard orthogonal combinations of the Hadamard matrix. The 32 next lines are their opposite. So any couple of lines are either orthogonal (scalar product=0) or biorthogonal (scalar product<0).

Reception mode: sensible to the side (USB or LSB), USB is recommended

Shape of pulse 	: specific shape (between a Hanning window and a rectangular window)

Character set 	: ASCII 6 bits (64 characters)

Bandwidth 	: 500 Hz for PAX and 1000 Hz for PAX2

Synchronization : automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: yes, spreading of 3 bits "vertically" in the block,

Scrambling	: yes, with a 32 bits sequence applied on each line of the block but with a delay of 13 bits between two successive lines.

Drift tolerance 	: 30 Hz/mn (depending on signal the signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.76

Lowest S/N 	: – 10 dB for PAX and – 7 dB for PAX2

Note: there are modes directly derived from the 8 tones, 62.5 bauds Olivia mode (Pawel Jalocha SP9VRC) but with a 32 bits vector instead of a 64 bits vector, a different set of characters and a double speed for PAX2 (125 bauds). Moreover, any AF frequency (200 to 4000 Hz) must be able to be used.

Other PAX/PAX2 characteristics:

- the transmission begins with the transmission of the extreme low tone for a time which depends of the value of the parameter TXDELAY and the type of frame (minimum 0.5 second), to be able to manually tune on the frequency, if needed,

- the reception and the transmission can be done everywhere on the spectrum,

- the search of the PAX/PAX2 central frequency is done when clicking on the spectrum. It takes about one second. Afterwards, when decoding, there is no automatic search but a simple frequency drift following, this to avoid abrupt frequency variations on events as QRM or QSB,

- an offset between sound cards sampling frequencies inferior or equal to 1 % is withstood, but it is hardly advised if not indispensable to determine the sound card sampling frequency (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies). In fact, if the speed offset is too high, the synchronization could be too long and if would be possible not to detect the start flags.

PAX/PAX2 protocol in non-connected mode ("Unproto")

All the communication is done through "frames" (limited set of characters). There is, in non-connected mode, only one sort of frame called UI, which permits to send either messages or APRS frames. The Unproto PAX/PAX2 protocol is similar to the AX25 Unproto protocol (Packet).

Each frame is composed of:

* at least 3 flags ("flag": special and unique character),

* a PID field (protocol identifier) + Version (of the protocol),

* a control byte defining the type of frame (UI here),

* an adress field: destination then source then possible repeaters (2 max),

* a "length" byte giving the number of information characters,

* an information field where data is located,

* a FCS field composed of 2 bytes where is located the CRC ("Cyclic Redundancy Check Sum") calculation on all the frame data until this field (except flags). A difference between calculated CRC and received CRC makes the frame invalid.

Note: the PAX/PAX2 "bytes" are 6 bits long (instead of 8 bits).

It is possible to pass through 2 PAX/PAX2 repeaters (with possible use of the alias ECHO).

PAX/PAX2 protocol in connected mode

The connected PAX/PAX2 mode is an ARQ mode type (ARQ for "Automatic Repetition reQuest" by acknowledgment ACK or non-acknowledgment NACK) inspired from AX25 (Packet) and Pactor1 but asynchronous (Pactor 1 being ARQ synchronous) because the acknowledgments and non-acknowledgments are not done at fixed interval (this possibility not being available under Windows) but inside a maximum duration.

Each transmitted I frame is subject to an acknowledgment or a non-acknowledgment by a RR or I frame.

It is possible to pass through 2 PAX/PAX2 repeaters. Without repeaters, the transmission can be "full-duplex" type (protocol level (OSI level 2)). With repeaters, the transmission must be "half-duplex" type (protocol level (OSI level 2)), each one in turn.

This protocol permits free error transmissions. APRS transmission can also be transmitted.

Note: the complete PAX/PAX2 protocol is not available at the moment (the author considering the protocol as experimental, and reserving the possibility to do all the necessary modifications, before issuing it).

DominoF DF ("DeFault mode")

Creators : Con Wassilieff ZL2AFP and Murray Greenman ZL1BPU in 2004

Description :

Baud rate 	: 10.766

Speed 	: 40 wpm (by deleting the synchronization characters)

Modulation 	: IFK (Incremental Frequency Keying) 16 tones but with two tone sets (J1 and J2) in alternance so as to reduce the ISI (InterSymbol Interference) and to allow a quick synchronization.

The total number of tones being 16 separated by a frequency offset (FO) equal to the baud rate, each set has 8 interleaved tones separated by 2 DF:

    O    O   ...J1

O    O      ...J2

Note: in fact, 18 tones (2 x 9) are used to limit the rotations.

A character is composed of 2 symbols of 3 bits each, each symbol being sent on a tone set (first symbol on J1 then second symbol on J2).

Reception mode: sensible to the side (USB or LSB), USB is recommended

Character set 	: 62 characters (lower case, numbers and some punctuation) + an error reset character (6 bits long characters) + a synchronization character

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Space between tones : 10.766 Hz

Bandwidth 	: 213 Hz,

Demodulation 	: non-coherent,

Synchronization: for the 3 bits symbols, using the signal. For the symbol order, thanks to a block of 4 synchronization characters sent after 12 characters standard.

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Offset tolerance	: 65 Hz. This is the big advantage of this IFK mode which can accomodate a mistuning inferior or equal to +/- 65 Hz.

Drift tolerance 	: 20 Hz/mn (depending on signal the signal-to-noise ratio)

Note: inside the band limited by the offset tolerance, the drift tolerance is superior to 200 Hz/mn

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N	: -12 dB

Note: it exists 2 other Domino modes (not decoded by Multipsk) at 7.8125 and 15.625 bauds. They are conceived in the same way.

DominoEX

Creators : 	Con Wassilieff ZL2AFP and Murray Greenman ZL1BPU in 2005
Patrick Lindecker (F6CTE) for the FEC option, in 2006

Description :

Baud rate 	: 3.90625 for DominoEx4, 5.3833 for DominoEX5, 7.8125 for DominoEx8, 10.766 for DominoEx11, 15.625 for DominoEx16 and 21.533 for DominoEx22

Speed 	: 27 wpm for DominoEx4, 38 wpm for DominoEx5, 55 wpm for DominoEx8, 77 wpm for DominoEx11, 110 wpm for DominoEx16 and 154 wpm for DominoEx22

Modulation 	: IFK (Incremental Frequency Keying)

The total number of tones is 18 separated by a frequency offset (FO) equal to the baud rate for the Domino11, 16 and 22 modes and equal to twice the baud rate for the Domino4, 5 and 8 modes.

A character is composed of 1 to 3 "nibbles" (group of 4 bits). The first one is called "Initial nibble" and has a value between 0 to 7, the 2 others are called "Continuation nibbles" and have a value between 0 to 15. The "initial nibble" is compulsory and, from its value, permits to know that it is the first 4 bits start of the character. The "continuation nibbles" exist only depending of the transmitted character.
Only one tone is used for a given "nibble". For determination of the tone number, it is used the following formula:

* Tone number (between 0 and 17) = Previous tone number + data nibble (0 to 15) +2

* If the tone number>=18 then Tone number = Tone number -18

Reception mode: sensible to the side (USB or LSB), USB is recommended

Character set 	: ASCII characters + almost all ANSI extended characters + an error reset character (« Varicode » characters due to the fact that it can be used 1, 2 or 3 nibbles).
Due to the fact that 512 characters are available with 3 nibbles:

* a first set of 256 characters (called "Primary VaricodeTable) is used for the current exchanges,
* a second set of 256 characters (called "Secondary VaricodeTable") is used to send automatically the information "Call", "Locator"...type, during which nothing is sent, the QSO being in progress. It is a sort of  "intelligent idling".

The idling character, if nothing can be sent, is the character CHR(0) from the first set of characters

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Space between tones : 3.90625 x 2 Hz for DominoEx4, 5.3833 x 2 Hz for DominoEx5, 7.8125 x 2 Hz for DominoEx8, 10.766 Hz for DominoEx11, 15.625 Hz for DominoEx16 and 21.533 Hz for DominoEx22

Bandwidth 	: about  140 Hz for DominoEx4, 194 Hz for DominoEx5, 281 Hz for DominoEx8, 194 Hz for DominoEx11, 281 Hz for DominoEx16 and 388 Hz for DominoEX22,

Demodulation 	: non-coherent,

Synchronization: for the 4 bits symbols ("nibbles"), using the signal. For the symbol order, using the fact that the value of the first nibble" is beetwen 0 and 7 (the other "nibbles" having a value between 8 and 15).

Convolution code: non

Interleaving 	: non

Offset tolerance	: 65 Hz for the 11 bauds mode. This is the big advantage of this IFK mode which can accomodate a mistuning inferior or equal to +/- 65 Hz. It is equal to 47 Hz in 4 bauds, 65 Hz in 5 bauds, 94 Hz in 8 and 16 bauds and 129 Hz in 22 bauds,

Drift tolerance 	: 20 Hz/mn (depending on signal the signal-to-noise ratio) for the 11 bauds mode

Note: inside the band limited by the offset tolerance, the drift tolerance is superior to 200 Hz/mn

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N	: -14.5 for Domino4, -14 for Domino5, -13.5 for Domino8, -12 dB for DominoEx11, -10.5 for DominoEX16 and -9 dB for DominoEx22,

FEC option	: the DominoEX modulation passes through a Viterbi decoder. The set of characters used is the MFSK16 one with a part applied to the primary table and the other part applied to the secondary table (see the document "Characters on DominoEX FEC.DOC" on my WEB site ("Specification") for details). The convolutional coder/decoder is the same as the one used for MFSK16, except about the following points:
   * the number of interleavings is 4 instead of 10,
   * there is no Gray coding due to the particular modulation (IFK).

The gain on the lowest S/N is about 1 dB, with a much more reliable transmission. Reversely the speed (in wpm) is divided by 2, which is not a problem for QSO "chat" type, this mode being initially fast.

MT63

Created by : Pawel Jalocha SP9VRC in 1997

Description :

Baud rate 	: 5, 10 or 20

Speed 	:  5, 10 or 20 characters/sec so 50, 100 or 200 wpm

Modulation 	: DBPSK on 64 carrier tones. the tones are separated by 7.81 Hz for the 500 Hz bandwidth, 15.625 Hz for the 1000 Hz bandwidth or 31.25 Hz for the 2000 Hz bandwidth mode. The data is encoded using a Walsh-Hadamard transform to provide high degree of redundancy.

Note: the matrix dimension used is 128x64dimension, where the first 64 lines are the 64 standard orthogonal combinations of the Hadamard matrix. The next 64 lines are their opposite. Therefore any couple of lines are either orthogonal (zero scalar product) or bi-orthogonal (negative scalar product).

Receive mode	: only USB

Character set 	: ASCII 7 bits (128 characters)

Bandwidth 	: 500 Hz (500 to 1000 Hz), 1000 Hz (500 to 1500 Hz) or 2000 Hz (500 to 2500 Hz)

Synchronization : automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: three levels (very short over 8 bits, short over 32 bits or long over 64 bits)…which when associated with the different baud rates give a delay of decoding between 0.4 to 12.8 seconds. The codes used for interleaving respond to two problems connected with diversity:

a) give the biggest distance between two interleavings on two adjacent frequencies (for example, we do not use a code that increases the interleaving position by unity with every increase of the frequency,

b) never have the same distance for the 64 frequencies (the 64 possible positions must be occupied).

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.1

Lowest S/N 	: – 8 dB for 5 bauds,  - 5 dB for 10 bauds and -2 dB for 20 bauds (without sampling frequency offset).

Note: the standard mode for calling is the 1000 Hz wide with long interleaving.

Additional  specifications by F6CTE

The MT63 specifications require a precision of +/- 0.01 % for the sampling frequency. However Windows MT63 softwares accept +/-0.5 % offset and many sound cards have an offset of up to 0,7 % or even more for the nominal sampling frequency of 8000 samples/second, which does not allow the decoding of MT63 (as the offset of RX and TX can reach 1,4 %). To correct this situation, Multipsk automatically determines the offset between receive and transmit up to 1.5 % (only with good signals).

On the other hand, the chosen idling character is not CHR(0) one (which is the standard in MT63 and which is the worst for this problem) but the choice is for CHR(6).  And not to lose the tracing of offset calculation:

* the characters CHR(32), CHR(96) and CHR(112) are preceded by two idling characters,

* the characters CHR(48) and CHR(80) are preceded by one idling character.

A simplified example of how a character is sent in the 1000 Hz mode (without consideration of digital techniques used in the source code: inverse FFT, decimation, interpolation, analytic signal...:

* going through the Hadamard transform of the ASCII code of the letter, determination of the frequencies affected with a 180 degrees phase shift, and taking the phase shift into consideration,

* generating even frequencies for the duration of 0,256 second, but with a phase angle increase corresponding to 0.1 second interval (for 10 bauds) and saving in a buffer,

* filtering of the buffer and adding the result to a collecting buffer of 0.256 second capacity,

* sending to the soundcard (after scaling) of samples corresponding to the first 0,05 second of the collecting buffer,

* shifting the collecting buffer by 0,05 second,

* generating odd frequencies for the duration of 0,256 second, but with a phase angle increase corresponding to 0,1 second interval (for 10 bauds) and saving in a buffer,

* filtering of the buffer and then adding the result to a collecting buffer of 0,256 second capacity,

* sending to the sound card (after scaling) of samples corresponding to the first 0,05 second of the collecting buffer,

* shifting the collecting buffer by 0,05 second.

Decoding MT63 is equal to decoding of 64 BPSK signals in parallel. The main difficulties are in determining:

* the offset in frequency on transmit,

* the difference between the sampling frequencies of the corresponding soundcards.

CW (MORSE)

Morse is a digital mode because it can be easily decoded by a computer but it can be seen as a sort of non-digital code for Ham people who decode a Morse character no as a series of dashes and dots but as a particular « music ». That is why, in reading Morse, humans are better than programs.

Description :

Speed 	: currently 10 to 40 wpm (standard speed: 20 wpm)

Modulation 	: On-Off keying of an audio tone (currently between 500 and 800 Hz) or of a HF simple carrier but in that case, there must be a difference between reception and transmission frequencies,

Receive mode	: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: A..Z 0..9 ? = / + and some others signs more or less used (« Varicode » characters type)

A carriage return is transformed in space

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: up to about 100 Hz according to speed,

Demodulation 	: non coherent,

Synchronization: on reception of a dash or a point

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.5 but very variable

Lowest S/N 	: the slower is the CW, the easier is the decoding (for example, one can reach –15 dB/-20 dB for a 20 wpm Morse decoded by a human being), this down to about 10 mpm (for humans)

CCW (Coherent CW)

The coherent CW is a pure digital mode because it is only done for computers (although it is readable by a human being). The keying produced by the computer is perfect so as to allow synchronization and correct evaluation of the bit (dot or dot abscence).

The description done hereafter corresponds to the CCW of Multipsk, which has introduced some modifications (F6CTE/DK5KE) and new modifications in the Multipsk version 3.10.

Created by: Raymond Petit (W6GHM) in 1975

Description :

Speed 	: 12 wpm in standard. Here 12, 24 or 48 wpm respectively corresponding to a dot length of 100, 50 and 25 ms

Modulation 	: On-Off keying of an audio tone,

Receive mode	: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: A..Z 0..9 ? = / + and some others signs more or less used (« Varicode » characters type). The waiting character (-_---) is used as idling character. It is specific to the CCW (of Multipsk) to keep the synchronization in case of absence of characters to send. The line feed character is transformed in  a "message start" signal (_-_-_). The removal of a character is done with the transmission of an error character (--------), correction which is taken into account by the receiver.

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: up to about 100 Hz according to speed,

Demodulation 	: coherent,

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Drift tolerance 	: 15 to 25 Hz/min  (depending on the CCW speed and on the signal-to-noise ratio)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.5 but very variable

Lowest S/N 	: the slower is the CCW speed, the better is the decoding.

The minimum S/N ratio depends on the speed and the letters sent. For the standard speed (12 wpm) the minimum S/N is about -12 dB (-8 dB at 24 wpm and -5 dB at 48 wpm).

Note 1: at the beginning of transmission, "CCW", a space and a waiting character (-_---) are transmitted. The user, to win time, can supress the prefix CCW and its space but the opposite operator will ignore that it is CCW.

Note 2: in order not to lose the synchronization, it is not possible to type more than one space between two words.

CCW-FSK (Coherent CW in FSK)

Created by : Patrick Lindecker (F6CTE) in 2005

Description :

This mode derives from the Multipsk CCW mode. It permits a more efficient decoding and a better Pmean/Ppeak ratio than in classical CCW (OOK). The Morse sound can be built digitally, which strongly reduces radio noise and allows the selection of the only one signal clicked on the waterfall.

The essential difference is the transmission of a complementary morse signal, on a carrier situated at a 240 Hz distance, for example:

* morse signal at 1000 Hz,

* complementary morse signal at 760 Hz.

This "shift" of 240 Hz is sufficient to separate the 2 signals for a human decoding .

The 2 signals form a FSK modulation.

Note: the program can decode either the 2 carriers in FSK or both carriers in OOK, or one of the two carriers in OOK, according to the link conditions. The normal decoding is done in FSK.

All the characteristics are the ones of CCW Multipsk, except the following:

Receive mode	: USB only

Pmean/Ppeak	 1

Lowest S/N 	: -14 dB at 12 wpm, -10.5 dB at 24 wpm and -8 dB at 48 wpm.

Mapping of Morse characters into ANSI characters

There are not always letters to represent directly the CW/CCW characters, for example the code Error  signal which is a serie of dots (........).

Therefore, a conventional letter is associated to display the CW/CCW character. For example, the code Error signal (........) is displayed as the letter "*" in CW.

Mapping of CW/CCW characters to ANSI characters received or transmitted (displayed between brackets) is described in the following:

A ... Z	--> <A> à <Z> (small letters translated in capital letters)

é=è=ë	--> <é>

0 ... 9	--> <0> à <9>

Ä , à	--> <Ä> , <à>

Ñ , "CH"	--> <Ñ>(<Alt> 165), <ç>

Ö , Ü	--> <Ö> , <Ü>

. , "," , ";"	--> <.> , <,> , <;>

: , ? @	--> <:> , <?>, <@>

' , - , =	--> <'> , <-> ,<=>

/ , ( , )	--> </> , <(> ,<)>

Underlined	--> <_>

Understood	--> <&>

Error, +, "	--> <*> except in CCW and CCW-FSK, <+>, <">

Waiting	--> <£> except in CCW and CCW-FSK

Message start	--> <!> except in CCW and CCW-FSK

VA (Message end) --> <$>

Separator	--> <%>

Space	--> space bar (7 dots duration)

Amateurs use most of all the Morse characters: A..Z  0..9  ?  =  /  .  +  VA  Error

Note.: + and VA are only used at the end of the message.

In CW, a carriage return (line feed) is transformed into space.

In CCW and CCW-FSK, a carriage return (line feed) is transformed into a message start.

In CCW and CCW-FSK, the waiting (idling) character  (-_---) is not displayed.

RTTY

Description :

Baud rate 	: 45. A character is composed of a « start » bit (1 « space »), 5 bits and a « stop »  bit (1.5 « mark »)

Speed 	:  60 wpm

Modulation 	: FSK two tones (« mark » and « space », "mark" high) with a shift between tones of 170 Hz (or, sometimes, 200 Hz),

Receive mode	: USB

Character set 	: ITA2 (32 letters and 32 figures) without error correction character (« fixed length » characters). Small characters are transformed in capital characters and special characters as « é »  are transformed in standard capital (in the example: « E »)

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: about 600 Hz (due to rectangular shape),

Demodulation 	: non coherent,

Synchronization: on « start »

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N 	: -5.5 dB

In 50 bauds, the speed is 67 wpm and the lowest S/N is -5 dB.

In 75 bauds, the speed is 100 wpm and the lowest S/N is -3.5 dB.

For radio amateurs, the transmission speed is 45 bauds with a 170 Hz shift and more rarely 50 bauds with a 425 Hz shift. Transmissions of Navy Mars Hams are done in 75 bauds, shift: 170, 183 or 200 Hz.

In commercial RTTY, the transmission speed may be, theoretically, 50, 75 or 100 bauds with a 85, 425 Hz, 450 or 850 Hz shift. In reality, only 50 and 75 bauds are available (in fact only 50 bauds).

On several HF frequencies (for example DDK2 on 4583 Khz), SYNOP/SHIP WX information is transmitted in RTTY 50 bauds. This information can be decoded by this program, the WX station position being displayed on a map.

Mapping of RTTY Baudot codes and received or transmitted characters

For 45 to 100 bauds speeds, mapping (ITA 2 standard) between the RTTY Baudot codes and the received or transmitted letters, figures and signs, as considered in this program, is as follows:

3	--> "A" or "-"

25	--> "B" or "?"

14	--> "C" or ":"

9	--> "D" or "$"

1	--> "E" or "3"

13	--> "F" or "!"

26	--> "G" or "@"

20	--> "H" or "#"

6	--> "I" or "8"

11	--> "J" or *

15	--> "K" or "("

18	--> "L" or ")"

28	--> "M" or "."

12	--> "N" or ","

24	--> "O" or "9"

22	--> "P" or "0"

23	--> "Q" or "1"

10	--> "R" or "4"

5	--> "S" or "'"

16	--> "T" or "5"

7	--> "U" or "7"

30	--> "V" or "="

19	--> "W" or "2"

29	--> "X" or "/"

21	--> "Y" or "6"

17	--> "Z" or "+"

4	-->  Space

8	-->  Carriage return

2	-->  Line feed

27	-->  Figures

31	-->  Letters

The small letters keystroke at the editor are translated in capital letters.

The 27 and 31 codes (shift to figures or to letters) are only managed by the program and are transparent to the user.

The 2 code (LF) is ignored because redundant.

ASCII

Used by radio amateurs since 1980.

Description :

Baud rate 	: 110. A character is composed of a « start » bit (1 « space »), 7 or 8 bits and a « stop » bit  (2 « mark »)

Speed 	:  110 wpm (7 bits) or 100 wpm (8 bits)

Modulation 	: FSK two tones (« mark » and « space » , "mark" high) with a shift of 170 Hz (or, sometimes, 200 Hz),

Receive  mode	: USB

Character set 	: 7-bits ASCII (or 8-bit ASCII for some languages), no parity,

Shape of pulse	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: 700 Hz (due to rectangular shape),

Demodulation 	: non coherent,

Synchronization: asynchronous with start bit,

Correction code: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N 	: -2 dB

AMTOR

AMTOR ARQ (called also SITOR-A for the navy (as a maritime mobile service system) or simply TOR)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 100. A character is composed of 4 « space » and 3 « mark » bits. A block of characters (called « Block 1 » or « Block 2 ») is composed of three characters (total duration: 3 x 70 = 210 ms) and a pause of 240 ms duration. During this pause, the receiving station emits a control signal of 70 ms duration to say « please next block » (symbol "ACK" for acknowledge) or to ask for a repetition of the last block, in case of erroneous character (symbol "NACK" for not acknowledge)

Speed 	: between 0 and 67 wpm (67 wpm corresponding to the 50 bauds RTTY) depending of the number of repetitions

Modulation 	: FSK two tones (« mark » and « space », "mark" high) with a shift between tones of 170 Hz

Reception mode: USB

Character set 	: CCIR476-4 (32 letters, 32 figures and 6 control, idle or phasing signals) with no error reset character (« fixed length » characters).

In SITOR A, the character set may be extended to the Cyrillic characters by using the character for « un-perforated tape » (third shift)

In AMTOR A, the character set may be extended to the ASCII characters (32 to 128) by using the character for the « un-perforated tape »

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: about 800 Hz (due to rectangular shape),

Demodulation 	: non coherent

Synchronization : automatic using the signal

Correction code	: yes via automatic repetition and easy detection of an erroneous character due to the particular content of a character (4 « space » and 3 « mark » bits)

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Note: 	in AMTOR ARQ LISTEN, characters are tranlated the best possible way because no repetition can be requested. Therefore, receive quality is not generally very good.

AMTOR FEC (called also SITOR-B for the navy (as a maritime mobile service system) or simply FEC) collective B-mode

Description :

Baud rate 	: 100. A character is composed of 4 « space » and 3 « mark » bits. It is an uninterrupted stream of characters, contrary to AMTOR ARQ.

Speed 	: 71 wpm

Modulation 	: FSK two tones (« mark » and « space », "mark" high) with a shift between tones of 170 Hz

Reception mode: USB

Character set 	: CCIR476-4 (32 letters, 32 figures and 6 control, idle or phasing signals) with no error correction character (« fixed length » characters). Small characters are transformed in capital characters and special characters as « é »  are transformed in standard capital (in the example: « E »)

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: about 800 Hz (due to rectangular shape),

Demodulation 	: non coherent

Synchronization: automatic using the signal

Correction code	: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: each character is repeated 5 positions later (that is 350 ms between 2 transmissions of the same character). This diversity in time allows the correction of an erroneous character. Its detection is easy due to the particular content of a character (4 « space » and 3 « mark »).

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N	:  about -5 dB

Note 	: There are 2 FEC modes: the collective B-mode (described before) and the selective B-mode (little differences as an inversion of bits).

NAVTEX  system (for information)

Description 	: it’s a world-wide system which allows the transmission of navigational and meteorological warnings, and urgent information through coastal stations. Transmissions take place on 518 kHz or 490 kHZ in AMTOR FEC mode with special specificities of the message.

The user will set his receiver on USB at 517 or 489 khz. The transmissions are done at fixed time, for example for NITON (GB): 7h00 and 19h00 UTC on 518 khz in English, 5h20 and 17h20 on 490 kHz in English, 7h10 and 19h10 on 490 kHz in French.

The character set  of SITOR A and SITOR B/AMTOR FEC is the same of the one used for RTTY.

On SITOR A, the reception of the "un-perforated tape" is used by Russians ships to pass in traffic on Cyrillic. In that case, MULTIPSK passes to "letters".

The character set of AMTOR ARQ is an extended character set which allows the transmission of ASCII characters (32 to 128) thanks to the use of the "un-perforated tape".

PACKET (AX25)

Elaborated between 1978 and 1984 by the radio-amateur community.

Description :

Baud rate	: 300 for use in HF and 1200 for use in VHF.

Speed 	: about 330 wpm at 300 bauds and 1320 wpm at 1200 bauds depending of the number of repetitions

Modulation 	: FSK two tones (« mark » and « space ») with a shift between tones of 200 Hz

at 300 bauds and 1000 Hz at 1200 bauds (fixed tones at 1200 and 2200 Hz)

Reception mode: USB ou LSB for HF (300 bauds), FM for VHF (1200 bauds)

Character set 	: ASCII characters + ANSI extended characters

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: 900 Hz for the 300 bauds mode and 3400 Hz for the 1200 bauds one

Demodulation 	: non coherent

Synchronization : automatic using the signal

Correction code	: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

AX25 protocol (principle): all the communication is done through "frames" (limited set of characters). There are different sorts of frames (information , supervisory...) which allow to connect, to do the communication (through an automatic procedure of transfer and anknowlegment) then to deconnect. Each frame is composed of:

* one or several flags ("flag": special character),

* an adress field: destination + SSID then source + SSID, the SSID defining the type of station (from 0 to 15, simple Ham station, BBS...),

* a control byte defining the type of frame,

* for information frame: a PID field (routing protocol),

* for information frame: an information field where data is located,

* a FCS field composed of 2 bytes where is located the CRC ("Cyclic Redundancy Check Sum") calculation on all the frame data until this field (except flags). A difference between calculated CRC and received CRC makes the frame invalid,

* an end frame flag.

Note 1: the standard in 300 bauds is the "Unproto" mode and in 1200 bauds, the "Connected" mode (with a little bit of APRS in "Unproto" mode).

The FSK Packet needs very good signal-to-noise ratios. In the contrary case, the communications are not possible.

Note 2 : it exists, for Packet,  other speeds (for example, 9600 bauds) and other modulations (PSK, for example).

Note 3: it can be found on the WEB a big quantity of information about all the different aspects of the Packet radio.

Note 4: in Packet, it can be received and transmitted:

* position frames in APRS (see below),

* pictures in DIGISSTV "Run" protocol (see above, after the description of PSK220F).

APRS

(as a protocol layer of the non-connected Packet mode)

Creator : Bob Bruninga (WB4APR) in 1992

From "What is APRS" in "APRS protocol reference version 1.0", it is explained that:

"APRS is short for Automatic Position Reporting System, which was designed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, and introduced by him at the 1992 TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference.

Fundamentally, APRS is a Packet communication protocol for disseminating live data to everyone on a network in real time. Its most visual feature is the combination of Packet radio with the Global Positionning System (GPS) satellite network, enabling radio amateurs to automatically display the positions of radio stations and other objects on maps on a PC.

Other features not directly related to position reporting are supported, such as weather station reporting, direction finding and messaging."

APRS is described in the "APRS protocol reference version 1.0" written by G3NRW (Ian) and the "APRS Working Group". This protocol is available on the TAPR Web site.

Modifications (version 1.1) and corrections have been introduced.

PACTOR 1

Creators : Ulrich Strate (DF4KV) and Hans-Peter Helfert (DL6MAA) in 1990

Description :

Baud rate	: 100 or 200 (200 bauds initially) automatically selected according of the propagation conditions

Speed	: between 0 and about 260 mpm according to the number of repetitions, the propagation conditions and the selection or not of a compressed mode (Huffman),

Modulation 	: FSK two tones (« mark » and « space ») with a shift between tones of 200 Hz

Polarities are reversed for each new information frame.

Reception mode: indifferent (LSB or USB)

Character set 	: ASCII characters + ANSI extended characters in "8 bits" or only ASCII characters with an Huffman compression

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: 600 Hz

Demodulation 	: non coherent

Synchronization : automatic using the signal

Correction code	: no

Convolution code: no

Interleaving 	: no

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N at 100 bauds:  about -4 dB

Pactor 1 protocol (principle): all the communication is done through "frames" (limited set of characters) and control signals (CS1 to CS2) as in AMTOR ARQ. There are two different sorts of frames: one to synchronize, when starting, for the connection and the information frames which allow the communication through an automatic procedure of transfer and anknowlegment by the signals CS1 to CS4. Each information frame is composed of:

* a header (a special character),

* an information field where data is located (8 bytes at 100 bauds and 20 at 200 bauds),

* a FCS field composed of 2 bytes where is located the CRC ("Cyclic Redundancy Check Sum") calculation on all the frame data until this field (except header). A difference between calculated CRC and received CRC makes the frame invalid.

It is an ARQ mode because each frame, bad or good, receive an acknowlegment, positive or negative, followed by an immediate repetition if the frame has been bad received. The duration of each cycle is fixed (1.25 sec).

Note 1: 	the Pactor 1 is only used in HF. It is a public protocol without protection. It seems difficult to program it under Windows because the reaction times are too short and too precise. On the other hand, under DOS, this would be, probably, possible.

Note 2:	it exists two other Pactor protocols : Pactor II and III which are more efficients but are not public (it exists a protection of these protocols).

Note 3: it exists a FEC version of this mode. The differences are the following:

* there is no acknowlegment protocol, the link is thus not "connected" but "Unproto" type. The exchanges are not free-error (as in ARQ) as the repetitions are not asked in case of error,

* reversely, one or more systematic repetitions of each frame are done, so the term "FEC". As errors are independants, the probability to have several successive errors is very weak, hence if errors are possible in Pactor 1 FEC, they are rare,

* the duration of  the cycles is not fixed but determined by the TX Ham.

Multipsk transmits Pactor 1 FEC frames in the following fixed conditions:

* 100 bauds: to be the most sensitive in HF with a nominal shift of 200 Hz,

* ASCII 8 bauds: to be compatible with all national set of characters and, moreover in Huffman coding, the loss of a frame can lead to lose an indeterminate number of  valid characters,

* a minimum idle time between two frames equal to 0.04 sec (the cycle lasts 1 second): to keep the synchronization which leads of a speed of 40 wpm with one repetition,

* idling is done with the character CHR(21) when nothing must be transmitted: to simplify the exchanges between Hams.

FELD HELL

Feld Hell is a Hellschreiber mode. All Hellschreiber modes are "Fuzzy" modes. The rules to be "Fuzzy" are:

- the transmitter uses no coding,

- the receiver does not decide when data is present,

- the receiver does not decide what data is present.

These modes are only human readable. They cannot be read by computers unless sophiticated neural system are used. In fact, hypothesis that human eye/brain character recognition in its context was better than a computer could do,

Created by	: Rudolph Hell in 1929

Description :

Baud rate 	: 245 bauds but, in fact, it is a pseudo-122.5 bauds (one "pixel" is 8.163 ms long)

Reading direction: column by column, from down to up and from left to right,

Matrix	: height: 7 pixels et width: 7 pixels…so a total of 49 pixels per character

Speed 	: 25 wpm

Modulation 	: On-Off keying of an audio tone

Reception mode: indifferent (USB or LSB) but in general USB

Character set 	: all ASCII printable characters except small letters, carriage return (+ line feed) and error correction character. The used font (FeldHell) is derived from the font of G3PLX (Peter Martinez),

Shape of pulse 	: raised cosine profile

Bandwidth 	: about 300 Hz,

Synchronization	: no need, each column is displayed vertically 2 times (but transmitted once)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.25

Lowest S/N 	: - 12 dB

Note: pieces of information about Hellschreiber modes can be found on the WEB site of ZL1BPU (Murray Greenman).

PSK HELL

Psk Hell is a Hellschreiber mode.

Createad by : Nino Porcino (IZ8BLY) and Murray Greenman (ZL1BPU)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 105 or 245 (only 245 bauds on Multipsk)

Matrix	: for PSK HELL 105 bauds…height: 6 pixels and width: 7 pixels

  for PSK HELL 245 bauds…height: 7 pixels and width: 14 pixels

Speed 	: 25 wpm

Modulation 	: DBPSK

Receive mode: indifferent (USB or LSB)

Character set 	: all ASCII printable characters except small letters, carriage return (+ line feed) and error correction character. The used font (FeldHell) is derived from the font of G3PLX (Peter Martinez),

Shape of pulse 	: raised cosine profile

Bandwidth 	: about 170 Hz for 105 bauds and 400 Hz for 245 bauds,

Synchronization: no need, each column is displayed vertically 2 times (but transmitted once)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 0.62

Lowest S/N 	: - 10 dB for 245 bauds mode

FM HELL

FM Hell is a Hellschreiber mode.

Createad by : Nino Porcino (IZ8BLY) and Murray Greenman (ZL1BPU)

Description :

Baud rate 	: 105 or 245 (only 245 bauds on Multipsk)

Matrix	: for FM HELL 105 bauds…height: 6 pixels and width: 7 pixels

  for FM HELL 245 bauds…height: 7 pixels and width: 14 pixels

Speed 	: 25 wpm

Modulation 	: MSK with a "minimum" shift between tones of 122.5 Hz (at 245 bauds). The white is at the upper frequency and the black at the lower one.

Receive mode	: USB

Character set 	: all ASCII printable characters except small letters, carriage return (+ line feed) and error correction character. The used font (FeldHell) is derived from the font of G3PLX (Peter Martinez),

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: about 130 Hz for 105 bauds and 300 Hz for 245 bauds,

Synchronization: no need, each column is displayed vertically 2 times (but transmitted once)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N 	: - 10 dB for the 245 bauds mode

HELL 80

Hell 80 is an Hellschreiber mode.

Creator : Siemens company in the 1960's

Description :

Baud rate 	: 315 (one pixel is 3.175 ms long)

Reading direction: column by column, from down to up and from left to right,

Matrix	: height: 9 pixels et width: 7 pixels…so a total of 63 pixels per character. For each character, 2 lines and 2 columns are reserved for the frame.

Speed 	: 50 wpm (5 characters by second)

Modulation 	: FSK two tones with a shift between tones of 300 Hz. Normally, the white is at 1625 Hz and the black at 1925 Hz.

Receive mode	: USB

Character set 	: all ASCII printable characters except small letters, carriage return (+ line feed) and error reset character. The used font derived from the one used for FELD HELL,

Shape of pulse 	: rectangular

Bandwidth 	: about 800 Hz (due to rectangular shape),

Synchronization	: no need, each column is displayed vertically 2 times (but transmitted once)

Pmean/Ppeak	: 1

Lowest S/N  	: - 4 dB

Note 1 	: a start-stop mode also exists in the original system (not described here and not emulated by Multipsk).

Note 2 	: it is added a "DX" and a "Super DX" sub-mods (provided also for FELD HELL and PSKHELL).

Additive F6CTE specification: when no character has to be transmitted, the power is reduced by a factor 9, this  to keep the trace of the frequency associated to the white color, so as to signal that the transmission is still in progress.

SSTV

The SSTV ("Slow Scan Television") allows the user to send fixed pictures, in colors or in grey scales, with a transmission band similar to the one of HF Fax (« shift » of 800 Hz, the white at 2300 Hz and the black at 1500 Hz). Different SSTV modes exist.

SSTV is, as Fax mode, an analog mode, not a digital mode.

In SSTV "grey scales" (as in B/W24), frequencies are situated between 1500 and 2300 Hz from the black (1500 Hz) to the white (2300 Hz). In a color picture, the grey nuance is defined as equal to the mean value between the three fundamental color levels (green, red and blue).

For example for the "B/W 24" mode, the picture is defined on a width of 320 columns and a height of 240 lines. In this mode, the following are sent successively:

* the VIS code for B/W24: this binary code allows to define the used mode. It is available for classical modes as Martin 1 or Scottie 1. The bit "0" is defined by a frequency of 1100 Hz and the bit "1" by a frequency of 1300 Hz. Therefore starting from a state when the mode is unknown, the VIS code will allow to define it.

* a synchronization signal of 7 ms long at 1200 Hz,

* a transmission of 93 ms long to define the grey level.

* this process is repeated (synchronization then grey level) for each of the 240 lines. So the transmission of a picture is 24 seconds long.

Note 1: for a better appearance, the grey level is computed according to a "physiological" formula:

 Grey level = 0,30 x Red level +  0,59 x Green level + 0,11 x Blue level

Note 2: 256 grey nuances are distinguished which is sufficient.

In SSTV "color" (as in Martin1), the color of each pixel is defined from the fundamental colors, the proportion of each of these three components allows to define a big number of colors (256x256x256).

As an example of color mode, we can start with the "Martin1" mode, where the picture is defined on a width of 320 pixels and a height of 256 pixels. In this mode are sent successively:

* the VIS code for Martin1,

* a synchronization signal of 5 ms long at 1200 Hz,

* a passage of 147 ms long to define the green level,

* a passage of 147 ms long to define the blue level,

* a passage of 147 ms long to define the red level. Here, the line is complete,

* this process is repeated (synchronization, green, blue, red) for each of the 256 lines. So the transmission of a picture is 114 sec long.

The modes proposed by the author are the following:

* Martin 1: color mode, transmission time: 114 sec,

* Martin 2: color mode, transmission time: 58 sec,

* Scottie 1: color mode, transmission time: 110 sec,

* Scottie 2: color mode, transmission time: 71 sec,

* Scottie DX: color mode, transmission time: 268 sec,

* Robot 36: color mode, transmission time: 36 sec,

* Robot 72: color mode, transmission time: 72 sec,

* B/W 24:  grey scales mode, transmission time: 24 sec,

* PD 50: color mode, transmission time: 50 s,

* PD 90: color mode, transmission time: 90 s,

* PD 120 (RX only): color mode, transmission time: 126 s,

* PD 180 (RX only): color mode, transmission time: 187 s,

* PD 240 (RX only): color mode, transmission time: 248 s.

Notes:

* Martin and Scottie modes are all in a picture format of 320x256, the others in 320x240,

* Martin modes have been developped by Martin Emmerson G3OQD,

* Scottie modes have been developped by Eddy Murphy GM3BSC,

* the B/W 24 and Robot 36/72 are modes developped by the firm "Robot" (USA),

* The PD modes have been developped by Paul Turner (G4IJE) and Don Rotier (K0HEO) in 1996,

* S/N ratio must be high (>0 dB) to distinguish the picture.

HF Fax

In HF Fax, such stations as meteorological transmissions of official stations exist, for example:

* Bracknell Meteo on 2618.5, 4610 or 8040 Khz,

* RN London on 3652, 4307 or 6446 Khz,

* Hambourg Meteo on 3855, 7880 or 13882.5 Khz.

There are two types of fax: "black and white" or with 8 grey scales, but only the first seems to be used.

In " black and white" fax, two AF frequencies are transmitted: one at low frequency (1500 Hz), the other at high frequency (2300 Hz), the first tone corresponding to black and the second to white. These two frequencies, separated by a shift (800 Hz in SW), can effectively modulate the RF when transmitted (AFSK) or be artificially produced by a simple shift of RF frequency (FSK). For the listener, they both sound the same.

The listening is on USB, the user must adjust the receiver frequency 1900 Hz ((1500+2300)/2) below the transmitter frequency (for example, BRACKNELL METEO on 2616,6 KHz).

In grey scales, frequencies are located between 1500 and 2300 Hz.

The scan speed or number of lines produced per minute (lpm) may be of 60, 90 ou 120. In Western Europ, the speed is 120 lpm. In Eastern Europ, the speeds are 60 and 90 lpm.

The indice of co-operation (IOC) is an exploration characterictic of the transmitted picture. This indice corresponds to the ratio between the cylinder diameter to the scan step (between two successive lines). In practice, the IOC defines the maximum transmission duration. For example, for 120 lpm, the duration will be of 9.4 minutes for an IOC of 288 and 18.8 minutes for an IOC of 576. For 60 lpm, durations would be doubled.

The official stations use IOC of 288 and 576 and rather this second value, but as the maximum duration is rarely used, an IOC of 288 may be utilized.

Hams use an IOC of 288 and a speed of 120 lpm. Pictures are transmitted either in "black and white" or in grey scales.

The fax transmissions are preceded and followed by "APT" signals (alternation of black and white). The first "APT" signal could be used to determine the IOC but MULTIPSK does not do it. After the first "APT" signal, there will be a phasing signal (30 sec. of white band alone). This signal allows to synchronize and to determine the sweeping speed in lpm. MULTIPSK allows to synchronize but not to determine the sweeping speed.

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Setting up sequences (long macros) 1 to 24

Setting up of sequences (long macros) 1 to 24

The user can set  up messages utilizing a special text editor. These messages could then be used in any text mode, from the RX/TX screen:

* the buttons called "CQ", "ABCDEFH", "12345678", "SEQ. 4" to "SEQ. 10", "Cw end/fin", "Cw answer" send the 1 to 12 saved sequences respectively,

* on pushing the key <Ctrl> ("CONTROL"), it is obtained a new set of 12 sequences with the buttons called "SEQ 13" to "SEQ.24", which carries the total to 24 possible sequences.

After clicking one of these buttons, the sequence text is put on the text editor.

The selection of the sequences may be done, also, by the function keys <F1> to <F12>.

Note: it is possible to call up this sequence editor by a right click on the mouse over the button of the sequence on the TX/RX screen.

The user, to simplify and automate the writing of the sequences, may use macros.

For example, to say in BPSK31:

CQ CQ CQ DE F6CTE F6CTE F6CTE +K , the user may write in the sequence 1:

CQ CQ CQ DE <MY CALL><SPACE><MY CALL><SPACE><MY CALL><SPACE>+K

The user can add commands such as <TX> to pass into transmit when clicking the sequence 1 button, <BPSK31> to force this transmission mode, <RX> to pass into receive at the end of the sequence, "CQ CQ CQ DE" in the macro "NOTE 1", to put "+K" in <NOTE 2> and to put a space in the fiels <MY CALL> (or put it simply with the space bar !), which will give (there are many variations on how to arrange that depending on the imagination of the user):

<TX><BPSK31><NOTE 1><MY CALL><MY CALL><MY CALL><NOTE 2><RX>

The macros <TX>, <BPSK31>, <NOTE 1>, <NOTE 2>, <MY CALL>, <SPACE> and <RX> are obtained by clicking on the corresponding buttons.

All the macros are described in Personal data and macros.

It is possible to control the typed text. For this purpose, in the window "Text control according to the selected mode", one clicks on the button which corresponds to the selected mode. The characters not belonging to the selected mode will not be displayed. The user may also choose not to control anything.

AMTOR FEC, PSK10, PSKFEC31, PSKAM, ASCII 7 bits, RTTY, CW and CCW, MT63, OLIVIA, DominoF and THROB(X) have a reduced character set compared to  the one of PSK31.

For example, if the transmission is done in PSK10, the small letters are transformed in capital, some special characters as "ß" (beta) are not transmitted and some others as "é" or "é" are transformed in capitals with no accentuation (here "E" and "A", respectively).

However, in AMTOR FEC, PSK10, PSKFEC31, PSKAM, RTTY, CW and CCW and THROB(X) the characters "<" et ">" will be accepted for the definition of the macros but will not be transmitted. In CW, in CCW and in CCW-FSK, the carriage returns will be accepted for the text readability but wil not be transmitted either.

The special character ® for <TX TO RX> and ASCII control characters (below CHR(32) are not be accepted.

Transmissions in AMTOR FEC, BPSK31, CHIP (64/128), QPSK31, BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F, PSK220F, PSK10, PSKFEC31, RTTY, ASCII, CW, CCW, CCW-FSK, THROB(X), MFSK8 or MFSK16  may be mixed in a sequence.

However, changes in mode are not taken into account in Hellschreiber modes (FELD HELL...), because these modes function alone.

The MT63, OLIVIA,PAX/PAX2, PACTOR, DominoF and DominoEx modes can be only mixed with CW.

The user has the possibility to control his writing according to the chosen mode by clicking on the corresponding mode button.

Once, the sequence is edited, one only has to click on the button "Save and close" to save the sequence in a type Fx.SER file (x being the sequence number).

The sequence may also be saved without return to the menu (button "Save"). On the other hand, return to the menu can be done, without automatic record (button "Close").

The editor operation is standard.

The maximum length of a sequence is 5000 characters. It can be put, of course, as numerous carriage returns as the user wishes (in the limit of 5000 characters).

Example of a sequence: "CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ OF FW5XYZ FW5XYZ FW5XYZ + K".

Each sequence can have a name of up to 10 letters/numerals. The color of the name can be chosen. Black is the default color, except for the first sequence ("CQ") where it is the red one. For example, the sequence 1 may be called « 1 » or « CQ ». Once the name is created and, possibly the color chosen, the user may save with the button «Save name and color ».  If there is only the name to save, the user may return to the menu with the button "Close". The file of the sequence name is Nx.SER type, with x=sequence number.

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Reading a QSO in progress or a previous QSO

It is possible:

- to read a QSO in progress,

- or, thanks to the button "Load a previous QSO file", any previous QSO (from the file named QSO <Date> <Time>.TXT) with <Date>: year-month-day so as to arrange the QSO files in a chronological order.

Note: to have the order of the files beginning with the most recent one, on the "Open" menu, the user must click on the button "Details" and, then, click twice  in the "Name" column.

In fact, the received characters during the last session (a "session" extends from the program start to the program end  with the "Exit"button) are recorded in the file named QSO <Date> <Time>.TXT of the QSO directory (when the program ends).

The maximum capacity in writing and reading is 10,000,000 characters in licencied version and 65,500 characters in non-licencied version.

From then on, it will be possible, if desired, to read this text thanks to the option "Reading the QSO in progress or the previous QSO".

At each new session, a new QSO file is created. To read the file, just load it. It’s possible to print the file.

Note: when the user passes from the decoder to the editor, a line feed character and the characters string <TX> + mode are saved. On the other hand, when the user passes from the editor to the decoder, a line feed character and then the characters string <RX> + mode are saved.

Each mode change is also noted with <RX> + mode.

Thus, it is easy to distinguish in the QSO text the edition phases from the decoding phases.

In beacon mode, we should remember the two sequences used and then at each new transmission: "mode + Message 1 or 2...<RX>:" are saved, followed by the received characters.

To go to the end, the user may type <CTRL><End> and to go to the beginning <CTRL><Home>.

With a right click, a pop menu appears which proposes either, doing a copy of the selected text, or to select all the text.

Another option, relative to RTTY and AMTOR modes, consists to converting letters into figures or the other way around according to the ITA2 mapping of characters. This function allows the user to correct a mistake on the character set related to several characters. The modifications done are saved.

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Use of the Multipsk logbook and logging of an external logbook (DXKeeper...)

IMPORTANT:

The external logbook taken into account for explanations is "DXKeeper", but they apply also for other external logbook (except for some indicated specificities). For information about external logbooks, see Access to the configuration screen ("Your logbook" option).

Commands availables from the RX/TX screen

The QSOs will be recorded in the log book all along the use of the program without necessity to quit the decoder.

UTC / GMT date and time are given automaticaly by the software when the QSO is recorded.

The current focused log field is colored in light yellow. Clicking on a field make it become "current" which fills it in light yellow.

To fill a field, there are three possibilities :

* write on the field,

* first click on the field (which becomes light yellow), then, on the decoded text, double-click on a word. The word will be automatically copied to the current field (in light yellow),

* with the mouse, select a set of characters or words on the decoded text, click on the right button of the mouse, then click on the wished field name. The selected text will be automatically copied to the chosen field.

Note: these 2 last possibilities don't apply to the "Mode", "R' and "S" fields.

Clicking on the button "?" near "Call" permits to determine the country and to locate the call on the map (limited to 10 mn for non licensied copies).

Clicking on the button "?" near "Locator" permits to determine the position and to locate the Locator on the map (limited to 10 mn for non licensied copies). The Locator must be 6 characters length (example: "JN18CQ").

Clicking on the button "?" near the button "Clear",  the program searches among the last 200 (3000 in licencied version) QSO's of the logbook (or all QSO's in licencied version), the pieces of informations relative to the call displayed in the field "CALL" and, if found, fills the fields "NAME", "QTH", "WKG" and "NOTES" with the information found (if exists).

If the call has been found, it is displayed "In the log book". Reversely, nothing is displayed.

The options relative to this search (automatic or manual search, overwriting of the non-empty QSO fields, 3000 last QSO or all (in licencied version)) are described at the end of this chapter.

It is possible to clear all the fields (except the fields "Freq" and "Mode" which are supposed to keep the same), with the button "Clear". The RST fields are initialized to 599.

The QSO will be record (button "Record") when the fiels are filled. The QSO will be inserted on the data base of the log book. If the user want to search or edit, he will click on "Logbook".

The logbook (or simply "log") allows registering the accomplished QSO's. The log is saved in the file LOG_PSK.LO (main log book) or LOG_N2.LO (second log book). See the logbook commands further on ("Log book Commands").

The QSO may be logged (recorded) in the logbook managed by the software DXKeeper version 3.9.9 or more (from Dave AA6YQ), this through a DDE link from a program to another program (button "Log DXKeeper")...see hereafter.

Note: see also, further, the text about the button  "Screen RX/TX: automatic recording with the export, to the external log (DXKeeper or Wxlogbook)".

The Multipsk fields larger than those of DXKeeper can be reduced to the length of the DXKeeper ones. (button "DXK fields"), this to simplify the filling of the fields for the DXKeeper users...see hereafter. It is a DXKeeper specificity.

Note 1: it is reminded that the QSO may be logged on all external logbooks taken into account by Multipsk.

Note 2: the number to the right of the field called "Call" represents the number of the next QSO to be logged. It is useful for contests and simply to know how many QSO have been realized (+1). This number can be transmitted by the macro <NEXT QSO> (see Personal data and macros).

QSO recording in DXKeeper (or other external logbook)

Once clicked on the button "Log XYZ" (with "XYZ"="DXKeeper" or other), the QSO is directly recorded ("logged") in the external computerized logbook. The logbook program must have been started before the MULTIPSK starting.

It is added the band which is determined from the field "FREQ" (in Mhz). For example, the band will be "20 M" if the frequency "14" (Mhz) is specified.

If the user choses fields with length corresponding to the DXKeeper ones (button "DXK fields"), he will just have to fill them without problem. Otherwise, he will take into account length differences:

Indeed, the formats of the Multipsk and DXKeeper QSO are not exactly the same, which leads to the following remarks:

* "CALL" is on 13 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 15 characters (Multipsk), which does not pose any problem as calls on 14 or 15 characters are very rare or non-existent,

On external logbooks except DXKeeper, there is no limitation.

* "NAME" is on 20 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 18 characters (Multipsk), so no problem,

* "FREQ" is on 10 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 12 characters (Multipsk), which does not pose any problem, a precision on 10 characters being sufficient,

On external logbooks except DXKeeper, there is no limitation.

* "MODE" is on 8 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 10 characters (Multipsk), which does not pose understanding problem ("AMTOR FE" for "AMTOR FEC", for example),

On external logbooks except DXKeeper, there is no limitation.

* "UR RST" and "MY RST" are on 3 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 7 characters (Multipsk), which suppress the indications after the RST itself ("599" instead of "599+30", for example),

On external logbooks except DXKeeper, there is no limitation.

* the QSL card to receive...field "R" of one character (DXKeeper and Multipsk) for which the DXKeeper meaning is the following:

* "Y" for "Yes, QSL received",

* "R" for "Requested" (QSL requested)

* "I" for "Invalid received QSL";

* nothing for "QSL non requested".

* the QSL card to send...field "S" of one character (DXKeeper or Multipsk) for which the DXKeeper is the following:

* "Y" pour "Yes, sent" ("QSL sent"),

* "R" pour "Requested" ("QSL to be sent"),

* nothing for "QSL non requested".

NOTE: these fields are sent as they are, the understanding being the one chosen by the user.

* "Locator" is on 8 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 35 characters (Multipsk), which will delete the possible position in ° after the Locator (or instead of the Locator),

* "QTH" is on 30 characters (DXKeeper) instead of 40 characters (Multipsk), which might not pose problem in general,

On external logbooks except DXKeeper, there is no limitation.

* the field "NOTES" is 1024 characters max for DXKeeper. It will be put the fields WKG et NOTES of Multipsk (on two different lines).

Description of the (Multipsk) fields

The information relative to a QSO is the following:

* the UTC / GMT date and time (given automatically by the software when the QSO is recorded)…field "UTC/GMT", of 17 characters maximum,

* the call of the opposite station…field "CALL", of 15 characters maximum,

* the name of the opposite operator…field "NAME", of 18 characters maximum,

* the frequency used…field "FREQ", of 12 characters maximum in Megahertz (for example 14.070),

* the transmission mode…field "MODE", of 10 characters maximum,

Note: by default, the displayed mode is the one selected in reception.

* the "RST" given to the opposite station (for example: 599)…field "UR RST", of 7 characters maximum,

* the "RST" given by the opposite operator for you…field "MY RST", of 7 characters maximum,

* the QSL card to receive...field "R" of one character for which the meaning might be the following (compatible with DXKeeper):

* "R" for "Requested" (QSL requested) and after reception:

* "Y" for "Yes, QSL received",

* "I" for "Invalid received QSL";

* "N" for "QSL not requested",

* the QSL card to send...field "S" of one character for which the meaning might be the following (compatible with DXKeeper):

* "R" pour "Requested" ("QSL to be sent") and after sending:

* "Y" pour "Yes, sent" ("QSL sent"),

* "N" for "QSL non requested",

If the option ""Wkg" field instead of "Locator", for SWL" is "Off" (standard, for Hams):

* field "Locator"  of 35 characters maximum. It will be put:

- the Locator  ("JN18CQ" for example),

- and, possibly, the position in °, as for example in APRS format "48-41.97N 002-09.35E"

If the option ""Wkg" field instead of "Locator", for SWL" is "On" (rather for SWL):

* field "Wkg" ("Working") of 35 characters maximum,

- for Ham’s, it might be the description of the opposite station particularly the power in watts ("Working conditions")...but this description can be put in the "NOTES" field,

- for SWL’s, it is the call of the second correspondent station’s ("Working station").

* the QTH and the locator...field "QTH", of 40 characters maximum.

* the notes or comment…field "NOTES", of 79 characters maximum.

Log book commands

The possibilities given by this log book are the following:

* navigation in the logbook either QSO by QSO or page by page (10 QSO's). The user may, also, go directly to the beginning and to the end of the logbook. The total number of QSO's (after data filtering) and the number of the last QSO (for the user to know where he is located in the log), are displayed.

* thanks to the button "From all datas", possibility to filter from either all data (each filter takes, initially, into account all records) or from the previous filtered records (so filters can be cascaded).

* call filter: the user writes the call in the filter editor and clicks on "Call filter". He may use the character “*” behind a letter or a group of letters. For example, to select all the French calls, he will write "F*" or "GM*" for Scottish amateurs,

* mode filter: the user writes the mode in the filter editor and clicks on "Mode filter". He may use the character “*” behind a letter or a group of letters. For example, to select all the CW and CCW QSO, he will write "C*",

* date filter: the user writes the date on the editor ("Day/month/year") and clicks on "=" (for example he selects all the QSO's of the 17/02/02). In the same way, he can select all the QSO's recorded at a date superior or equal to the edited date by clicking on ">=" or, reversely, all the QSO's recorded at a date equal or inferior to the edited date by clicking on "=<".

CAUTION: by default (button "From all datas" in "Off" position) the filters are voluntarily cumulative. For example, if the user wants to select all the QSO's done with French amateurs before 01/01/02, he will filter first on the call "F" ("F*") and then on the date ("=<" of the 31/12/01).

* with the button "|   ", one can read the beginning of the QSO and with the button "   |", the end of the QSO.

* with the button "Alphabetical order", it is proposed to sort the QSO's in alphatical order of the "Call" field. It concerns all the QSO's if the button "From all datas" is "Off" and only the present QSO's if it is "On".

* with the button "Reverse alpha order", it is proposed to sort the QSO's in reverse alphatical order of the "Call" field. It concerns all the QSO's if the button "From all datas" is "Off" and only the present QSO's if it is "On".

* display of all QSO's recorded (in the chronological order) by clicking on "Display all". This is useful if after having filtered, the user wants to do new data filtering starting with all records,

* removal of the QSO located under the cursor (button "Delete QSO") or removal of all present QSOs (obtained by possible data filtering) (button "Delete all"). Thus the user may, for example, after having done a data filtering on the QSO's of the year 2001, judge useful to export them and then to delete them (to avoid a too big logbook),

* modification of the QSO located under the cursor (button "QSO modification"). A window containing all the information about the QSO appears. The user may modify the QSO. Then he may save or not the modifications done,

* logging, in DXKeeper (or other external logbook), of the QSO located under the cursor (button "Log XYZ" (with "XYZ"="DXKeeper" or other)). It is necessary, of course, that the logbook program be started. The user will refer to the previous chapter "QSO recording in DXKeeper (or other external logbook)". The logbook program must have been started before the MULTIPSK starting.

* export of the present QSO's (and in the same order) to a text file whose name, proposed by the program, is composed of the word "Export" and the date (button "Export in text format"). The suffix is always ".TXT" (for text file). The name of the file may be modified by the user. The directory can also be chosen by the user. The file must be read in "Courier" or "Courier New" type font,

* export of the present QSO's (and in the same order) to an ADIF (Amateur Data Interchange Format) file whose name, proposed by the program, is composed of the word "Export" and the date (button "Export in ADIF format"). The suffix is always ".ADI" (for ADIF file). The name of the file may be modified by the user. The directory can also be chosen by the user.

Note: ADIF format permits transfert of data conforming to this standard, between various amateur programs.

This ADIF format is different from previous Multipsk format. Now the field "WKG" is integrated to the field "NOTES" as "WKG" may contains figures and text.

Otherwise, several modes take more standard names ("RTTY" for "RTTY 45", "RTTY 50" or "RTTY 75", "AMTOR" for "AMTOR FEC", "PSK31" for "BPSK31", "HELL" for "FELD HELL"). The exotic modes as "PSKFEC31" have their complete name.

* export of the presents QSO's (and in the same order) to the DXKeeper computerized logbook (button "Export to DXKeeper"). This feature applies to other external logbooks. The remarks done previously in the chapter "QSO recording in DXKeeper" stay true. The DXKEEPER program (version 4.2.2 or more) must have been started before the MULTIPSK starting.

NOTE: this export is done in two steps: a classical export to the ADIF file labeled "TEMPORARY_DXKEEPER_ADIF_FILE.ADI" then a DDE transmission of the file label to DXKEEPER, this program making an import of the ADIF file. So it is an automatic export-import of an ADIF file.

An alternative is to export the log book in an ADIF format (button "Export in ADIF format") and then to manually import it in DXKeeper.

* import of QSO stored in a standard ADIF file (.ADI)  (button "ADIF file import"). These new QSO are stored after the last QSO. This option can be useful if, for example, the operator want to use the call search among the last stored QSO (button "?" on the RX/TX screen).

*compression of the logbook (button "Compression"). When a QSO is deleted, the file keeps its size. In the file, the program simply notes the removal of the QSO. To avoid a too big file containing only few "active” QSO's, it is useful to compress the file to let all the useless (deleted) QSO's. If no QSO has been deleted, this operation is of course useless. Before updating the log file, an archiving is done, by security.

* archiving of the log file LOG_PSK.LO (main log book) or LOG_N2.LO (second log book) to the archive file LOG_xxx date time.AR.AR (bouton "Archiving"), with "PSK" for "xxx" (main log book) or "N2" for "xxx" (second log book). This is a simple backup. If, for any reason, the user loses the log file, then only rename LOG_xxx date time.AR.AR in LOG_PSK.LO (main log book) or LOG_N2.LO (second log book) to start again. The archive file is, in fact, the compressed log file.

Note in case of detection by Multipsk of an incorrect LOG_PSK.LO (main log book) or LOG_N2.LO (second log book) file, this one is also archived in the "LOG_xxx date time.AR" file for a possible repair, with "PSK" for "xxx" (main log book) or "N2" for "xxx" (second log book).

* the button "Second log book" allows the user to use a second log book, independant from the main log book. It can be used, for example, for a contest, if it is more practical for the Ham to work on a provisional log book separated from the main (standard) one. This option is only available for the licensed copies.

* the button "Automatic location of a logged Locator" allows the user to, automatically, determine the position and to locate the logged Locator (on the RX/TX screen), on the world map. This option is limited to 10 mn for non licensied copies. The Locator must be 6 characters length (example: "JN18CQ"). It is an automatic version of the button "?" near "Locator" on the RX/TX screen (see above).

* the button " Wkg" field instead of "Locator", for SWL " allows a SWL to note the call of the second correspondent station’s ("Working station"). This corresponded to the standard working of the log book until the Multipsk 3.12 version. Now, the standard working (button "Off") is to manage a "Locator" field (ADIF compatible) instead of a "Wkg" field (non ADIF compatible).

* the button "Screen RX/TX: automatic recording with the export, to the external log (DXKeeper or Wxlogbook)" will allow the user to benefit from the Multipsk search possibilities, particularly during contests to avoid "dupes". If the user don't do any contests, this function is without interest and will be deactivated.

NOTE 1: this log allows, theoretically,  to manage a maximum of 100,000 QSO but it is recommended not to pass 10,000 QSO, in order not to lengthen delays for loading or compressing etc…

NOTE 2: if the log is edited while the user is in decoding phase, the decoder will keep on working. If it is desired to devote all the calculation power to the log book, this one will be called from the configuration menu (see Access to the configuration screen).

Call's search options

These options are relative to the search done among the last 200 (3000 or all (in licencied version)) QSOs (see explanations about the button "?" at the beginning of the chapter).

* "Automatic search" : in "Automatic search" (button "On"), each call's modification in the "Call" field (located in the RX/TX screen, "QSO" part) generates an information search which goal is to fill the "QSO" fields:  "NAME", "QTH", "WKG" and "NOTES". In "Manual search" (button "Off"), the search is done by clicking in the "?" button (located in the RX/TX screen, "QSO" part),

* "QSO fields overwriting" in "Overwriting" (button "On"), the QSO's fields ("NAME", "QTH", "WKG" and "NOTES") located in the RX/TX screen, "QSO" part, are overwrited by the data found even if these fields are not empty. If no data is found, these fields are not cleared. In "Non-overwriting" mode (button "Off"), the fields are only filled with the found data, if they are empty.

* "Search in all QSO": this option is only available in "licencied" version. In non-licencied version, the search is limited to the last 200 QSO.

In "Search in all QSO" mode (button "On") all the stored QSO are considered in the search and non only the last 3000 QSO. If numerous QSO are stored (10,000 for example), it is necessary to have a powerful PC. It is reminded that this log book can stored 100,000 QSO but a maximum of 10,000 is advised (due to the management durations which become long).

In the "Search on the last QSO" mode (button "Off"), only the last 3000 QSO are considered (200 in non-licencied version) in the search.

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Personal data and macros

Reminder: if the user wants to simplify and automate the writing of the sequences (Setting up Sequences 1 to 12) , he can avoid writing complete sequence text but opt for writing squences that contain text and macros. For example, if the operator wants to write the following sequence CQ CQ CQ DE F6CTE F6CTE F6CTE +K in CW, with a passage to transmit at the beginning and to receive at the end, he might write: <TX><CW>CQ CQ CQ DE <MY CALL><SPACE><MY CALL><SPACE><MY CALL><SPACE>+K<RX>.

The macros are divided into 3 categories :

* those that are personal to the operator himself: his personal data,

* the ones concerning the other operator whose information has been received and recorded in the fields of the log book,

* diverse macros.

PERSONAL DATA

Here the fields have an obvious meaning.  The operator has only to fill in the fields.

We should notice here  that <NOTE 1> to <NOTE 4> have no predefined meaning. The user fills them in at wish.

The fields have a maximum length of 255 characters. These data are saved in the file PERSO_PS.TXT.

Don't forget to add a space at the beginning or at the end of each data, in order not to have to add it each time  you use it.

DATA FROM THE CORRESPONDENT OPERATOR

Theses are : <CALL>, <NAME>, <QTH> and <MY RST>.

These fields are filled in the RX/TX screen...see Introduction and description of the windows and commands (Description of the QSO recorder for the logbook).

They are described in Use of the Multipsk logbook and logging of an external logbbook (DXKeeper...)

DIVERSES MACROS

<UR RST> is filled in the RX/TX screen...see the preceding paragraph.

<UTC/GMT> gives UTC date and time (for example : " 02/03/02 11:42:09 UTC") .

<SPACE> insert a space and <LINE> a line feed (LF + CR). In fact, <SPACE> and <LINE> are not real macros because when they are clicked,  a space is inserted in the text or a line feed happens (there is no further interpreting).

<TX> allows to pass immediatly from receive to transmit. This macro has to be put at the beginning of the text.

In Packet and PAX/PAX2, this macro is ignored.

<RX> (® in the text) allows to pass from transmit to receive. This macro has to be put at the end of the text. After this macro, there is no need to continue the text. Any further text will be ignored.

In Packet, this macro is ignored.

<RXCLR> (® in the text) is equivalent to the macro <RX> with a clearing of all windows.

In Packet and PAX/PAX2, this macro is ignored.

<NEXT QSO> allows the transmission of the next number of QSO (displayed to the left of the field "Call" in the RX/TX window) thus the one that must be given to a new contact. This macro must be only used for contests.

<VIDEO ID> allows the transmission, in the middle of a "CQ" call for example, of the Video ID as specified in Use of the video identifier of mode

MACROS "MODES"

<BPSK31> allows the transmission of the text which follows it in BPSK31.

It is the same principle for all the other "mode" macros <QPSK31>, <BPSK63>...

Note: all these "mode" type macros are transmitted through not used ASCII or ANSI characters as CHR(127), CHR(128) and the display shows some sort of a black vertical bar.

In Packet and PAX/PAX2, this macro is ignored.

<PRECED> allows the user to return to the preceding mode after having transmitted a given mode. The standard use will be to transmit a CW text among a text of another mode. Example: if one supposes that the TX mode is MT63, then "<CW> CQ DE F6CTE <PRECED>" will mean "Transmission of a CW text and return to MT63".

In Packet, this macro is ignored.

USE OF MACROS FROM THE RX/TX SCREEN

The macros are also directly available from the RX/TX screen, with the button "Macros" of the text editor. They may be used either for decoding or in transmission. When clicking on the button, "Macros", a window containing all the macros will open. Clicking on a macro, the text of the macro will be put on the text editor ready for transmission. The macros may be useful in the cases where a sequence is not provided for what the user has to say.

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Playing and recording of sound files (.WAV)

Playing and recording sound files (.WAV)

While decoding, the operator has the possiility to record the received sound in a ".WAV" type sound file. Then, he might play back this sound file later to decode it in one of the Multipsk proposed modes.

Playing and decoding of a sound file

In the "Configuration" screen, in the window "Decoding: from the sound input or a sound file", a little green window appears with the necessary commands that enable to decode not only the signal coming from the sound input of the sound card but also from a sound file.

The decoding of a sound file may be very quick and depends very much on the power of the Personal computer. The “sound file” is interesting in the case of absence of the user when the sound file was received and recorded. The operator can then decode the prerecorded sound file (see paragraph below). The sound file may then, for example, be exchanged with other hams or SWL.

By default, the "Input sound" mode is proposed. The example sound file is called "EXAMPLE_BPSK31.WAV". The user may load any other .WAV file.

For an audio information, the selected WAV file may be listened clicking on "Play". The playing can be stopped clicking on "Stop". The user must have connected a louder to the sound card output.

Except for MT63, the recording must be done at 11025 samples/sec, 8 bits and in "mono". It is the recording mode of MULTIPSK (see further on). In MT63, recording should be done at 8000 samples/sec, 8 bits and in "mono".

When the option "Sound file" is chosen, on the "RX/TX" screen and on the "Panoramic" screen, a scroolbar and a counter show up. The counter indicates the percentage of recording read (and the corresponding time). By holding the index of the scrollbar, the user may go to any position on the record. By clicking on the position button, the reading starts at the beginning of the recording.

The reading can be temporarily stopped with the "Pause" button.

Note: during this time no transmission is possible.

Repetition of a recording

Thanks to the button "Repeat the recording", it is given the possibility to repeat the proposed WAV file ("EXAMPLE_BPSK31.WAV" initially).

It can be either to repeat a digimode recording as "EXAMPLE_BPSK31.WAV", for example or to repeat a general call ("CQ CQ...") pronounced by the Ham.

In this last case, the last recording will be done according to the following chapter (Recording a sound file), but here, the user will select the BPSK31, for example, then the microphone input thanks to the mixer (button "Mixer control"). The Ham will pronounce his call and will come back to the Configuration screen.

The pause between repetitions can be chosen among 1, 3 and 10 seconds (buttons "1", "3" and "10").

Recording a sound file

In a little green window in the field "Recording on a .WAV sound file" on the "Configuration" screen, the operator can see the commands necessary to give the possibility to record, in the planned user configuration, the sound coming from the sound card. The record is done in the standard format:  11025 samples/sec, 8 bits and in "mono" (except for MT63 where the sampling is 8000 sample/sec), to reduce the space occupied on the hard disk (0,66 Moctets by minute of recording at 11025 samples/sec).

By default, it is proposed the "No recording" mode. The recording file proposed by default is called "RECORDING.WAV". The user may load an other .WAV file or define another name.

The maximum recording duration may be adjusted between 5 to 240 mn (240 mn equaling 4 hours initially). The user may, manually, stop the recording.

This option is only intended for the operator to use it as a tape recorder with possibility to decode any mode but the mode can’t be changed during the recording. The user will not be allowed to pass to transmit or to pass from the Panoramic spectrum to the RX/TX screen and vice versa.

When starting the Panoramic spectrum or the RX/TX screen, the recording begins. When coming back, the recording is completed. If a decoding is started again, the recording starts from the beginning. The recording elapsed time is displayed.

Note: it is recalled that it is possible to record a general call pronounced by the Ham; see previous chapter: "Repetition of a recording".

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Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies

Description of the commands relative to the determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies

Introduction: the standard sample frequency is 11025 samples/sec (except in MT63 where it is 8000 samples/sec). This frequency is only respected by quality sound cards (SB16, for example). On-board sound cards have not, in general, a good precision, the sample rate being able to go from 11025 -1% to 11025 +1% samples/sec. So in this case, this operation is advised because the decoding will be improved.

It is given, here, the possibility to make vary the sampling frequency of  +/- 1,5 % around 11025, which is sufficient.

Advantage: although Multipsk be tolerant about these sampling frequencies, the better decoding will be obtained if it is done with the sound card ones.

By default, the RX and TX sampling frequencies are equal. However, it can happen that it exists an offset between both, which can involve a slow drift during a QSO. This drawback is minor, however it is given the possibility to correct this offset.

For the determination of the sound card RX and TX sampling frequencies, it must be clicked on the button "Sampling freq.". The PSK10 mode is forced in RX/TX. There are 3 steps of automatic determination of the frequencies with for the two first steps, an optional control of the found result, by a method completly different, this to detect possible rough estimation errors.

The fourth step gives the possibility to correct the RX/TX sampling frequencies for MT63.

Note: this correction does not apply to RX Hell (the correction is manually done) and to the pseudo-modes Filters and Binaural.

IMPORTANT:

* no other application must be started during these tests,

* these operations need to be done only once, at the first start and, afterwards, each time a new sound card will be installed.

Button "16 bits"

It will be selected the position (8 bits ou 16 bits) relative to the one selected on the RX/TX screen (see Introduction and description of the windows and commands). As the default position is the one selected in the RX/TX one, the best is to change nothing.

Note: normally, the results are the same either in 8 bits or in 16 bits, but not always.

First step: click on the button "Determination of the standard RX sampling frequency (test on

3 minutes)". An automatic test to determine the sound card standard frequency is done. It lasts 3 minutes. The user must wait for the end of the test. After the test done, it is displayed the obtained result (standard: 11025 samples per second). The result is approximative (precision: 0.05 %) but sufficient for a good decoding/coding (standard=11025).

Note: beyond an offset of 175 samples/second relatively to the standard (11025), it is considered that there is a problem on the sound card.

If the user is not sure of the determined RX sampling frequency, or if he desires to know it in a more precise way (error<=0.02 %), he can check it ("Optional: control of the result or more precise determination (see the help)"). The method is described hereafter:

Initial state: come back to the RX/TX screen. The receiver is tuned on a strong LF carrier: FRANCE-INTER, Europe 1, BBC, RUGBY, HBG, WWVB or DCF77, on an audio frequency of 2000 Hz (reputed to be precise), for example 160.00 KHz in USB for France-Inter. The operator clicks on the carrier on the waterfall. The frequency displayed must be very close to 2000 Hz.

Operation: the operator clicks on the button "Sampling freq.", then by adjusting the sampling frequency with the horizontal arrows, he must obtain an average (due to variations) displayed frequency under "RX frequency" of 2000 Hz. After each modification of frequency, one must stay until it is stable.

Second step: for the operators who desire to adjust the TX sampling frequency so as to avoid a slow drift during a QSO. Click on the button "Determination of the offset between TX/TX frequencies...initially xy samples/s". An automatic test to determine the sound card standard frequency is done. It lasts 3 minutes. The user must wait for the end of the test. After the test done, it is displayed the obtained offset "TX frequency - RX frequency"(standard: 0) and the TX frequency (standard: 11025 samples per second). The result is approximative (precision: 0.05 %) but sufficient.

Note: beyond an absolute offset of 110 samples/second relatively to the RX frequency, it is considered that there is a problem on the sound card and the offset is limited. Besides, relatively to the TX frequency, beyond an offset of 175 samples/second relatively to the standard (11025), it is considered that there is a problem on the sound card and the TX frequency is limited either to the maximum or the minimum.

The offset and the sampling TX frequency can, in necessary, be manually adjusted with the horizontal arrows (the one pertaining to the second step).

Only if the user has a doubt of the previously determined offset, he can check it. For this, the sound card must be full-duplex (as the majority of them). The method is described hereafter:

Initial state: thanks to a cable provided with 2 stereo jacks, connect together the sound card input with the output. If necessary, decrease the input and the output sound card levels through the mixer ("Input" and "Output" buttons).

Operation: the operator clicks on the button "Sampling freq.", then on the button  "Optional verification of the TX/RX offset (for "full-duplex" sound card)...see the help". It is, afterwards, generated a 2000 Hz signal. It will be observed that the cursor of reception moves to the 2000 Hz frequency. Then, the internal PLL is going to set on the received frequency. This frequency (close to 2000 Hz) is going to be displayed under "RX frequency". After 20 seconds, according to the offset between RX and TX frequencies, the program will determine the offset between the RX and TX sampling frequencies. The RX sampling frequency being known, it will be deduced the TX sampling frequency.

IMPORTANT: try 2 or 3 times this test. If, each time, you find the same offset, then consider that the result is exact and modifiy the offset with the horizontal arrows. A "normal" offset would be betwen -2 and 2. It can change slightly with time working.

Third step: indispensable for the Hams practising MT63.

Click on the button "Determination of the MT63 RX/TX sampling frequency (test on 3 minutes)". An automatic test to determine the sound card MT63 frequency is done. It lasts 3 minutes. The user must wait for the end of the test. After the test done, it is displayed the obtained result (standard: 8000 samples per second). The result is approximative (precision: 0.1 %) but sufficient for a good decoding/coding. Note: beyond an offset of 120 samples/second relatively to the standard (8000), it is considered that there is a problem on the sound card.

The sampling RX/TX frequency can, in necessary, be manually adjusted with the horizontal arrows (the one pertaining to the third step).

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Control of the transceiver (RX/TX screen);Introduction and description of the windows and the commands

General control of the transceiver (RX/TX screen)

Introduction and description of the windows and commands

Introduction:

* for use of the program in reception see Use in reception

* for use of the program in transmission see Use in transmission

* The shortcut key <Esc> allows to pass from the decoder to the editor and conversely,

* The "DSP modes"  correspond to "Filters" and "CW binaural reception".

As soon as the option "Reception / Transmission" is started (in BPSK31, for example), a screen opens which contains, from up to down:

* the global commands ("About", "Help",...),

* the commands relative to the PC and to the sound card adjustment,

* the QSO recorder for the log book,

* the commands for mode of choice,

* the commands and indications of the signal,

* the spectrum display and its commands

* the editor and display windows, for all modes except HF Fax, SSTV and DSP modes,

* the RX, STOP, TX... controls, for all modes except HF Fax, SSTV and DSP modes.

Note 1: in 800x600 or more graphic format, a quick selection mode window (modes table) opens, in the right top corner to allow the user to select a mode directly. The modes in bold are currently used in Ham communication. Others (bold italic) are either mainly commercial (as RTTY 50, 75 et 100 et SITOR A, HF FAX) ou more less used (PSK10, RTTY 50...).

For the CW, CCW, CCW-FSK and RTTY 50 and 100 modes, the user may select (but only on reception) the parameters of each of these modes.

Note 2: this screen can be positioned and resized by the user, with some limits:

* there is a minimum size of resizing,

* the SSTV and FAX modes which must have a full screen can't be resized,

* once the screen definitively resized by the user, it is advised to stop and start again the 	software so as the spectrum be well sized.

Description of the operation global commands:

* button Help,

*the button "Transceiver" allows the user to control his transceiver from his PC through the Commander software, one of the program of the DXLAB suite (see Transceiver control through the Commander software).

* the button "Country/Locator" allows the user to find the country (DXCC entity), according to the prefix, the call or the Locator, and its latitude and longitude (see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location).

* the button "World" allows the user to locate the country on the world map, manually from the button "Country" or automatically from the detection of a prefixe in the received text.

Automatic reception and location are done in panoramic mode (PSK31 for example). Please refer, for details, to  Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

* button QSO (see Reading the QSO in progress or a previous QSO)

* the button "Configuration" to return to the configuration menu (see Access to the configuration screen),

*the button "Tune" to tune the TX (see Tune transmission),

*the button "Program" allows the user to program the reception (see Multipsk programming). One can, for example, sweeps alternatively the spectrum in one or several modes.

* button "Beacon" (see Description of the beacon commands),

* under the label "Panoramic", the button "PSK" to observe all the BPSK31, BPSK63 or PSKFEC31 QSOs between 200 and 2500 Hz (see Panoramic reception for PSK modes),

* under the label "Panoramic", the button "CW" to observe all the CW (Morse) QSOs between 200 and 2500 Hz (see Panoramic reception for CW (Morse)),

* under the label "Panoramic", the button "RTTY" to observe all the RTTY (45 bauds) QSOs between 200 and 2500 Hz (see Panoramic reception for RTTY (45 bauds)),

*the button "Exit" allows the user to quit the application.

Description of the commands relative to the software, the PC and to the sound card adjustment,

* the buttons About, Licence, Personal (see Personal data and macros)

* the button "Clocks" allows the user to display local and/or UTC dates and times on clocks,

* the button "Sampling freq." to determine the RX and TX sampling frequencies (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies),

* the button "16 bits" permits to sample on 16 bits instead 8 bits, at the sound card level. The advantage is a slightly better decoding and the possibility to decode signals having a weak AF level. The pseudo-modes Filters and Binaural stay with a 8 bits sampling (the interest of a 16 bits sampling being weak here). The Hell modes dispose of a 10 bits sampling but in fact, beyond 10 bits, there is no gain (bits 11 to 16 correspond to noise).

The panoramics (see, for example, Panoramic reception for PSK modes) also benefit from the 16 bits sampling.

* the button "Video ID" ("ID" for mode identifier) permits to manage all the options relative to the transmission in CMT Hell of the mode label (and/or other information) before the main transmission. . This identifier will be visible in the "waterfall" of the other Ham (see Use of the video identifier of mode).

* except for MT63, a general window "PC>=MHz" with three radio buttons:

- "450" (decoding on 200-2500, 200-3300 or 200-4300 Hz) to click if your PC is a 450 MHz or more,

- "166" (standard choice for decoding on 200-2500 Hz) to click if your PC is a 166 MHz or more,

- "66" (degraded mode) if your PC is in the scale 66 MHz to 166 MHz.

Note about "450" : according to the mode, the calling power is different: in PSKAM, PSK31 and CCW, a 350 MHz or 400 MHz will be sufficient, in the other modes a 230 MHz will be OK.

Note about "166" : the 166 MHz is at the frontier of the two low categories. If you have a 166 MHz, click first "166". If it is not enough fast, the pseudo-led "Problem" will light and you must click on "66".

Note about MT63 mode: this complex mode needs, as a minimum, a PC at 1000 MHz.

The selected choice is recorded.

* a general pseudo-led "Problem" lights if the PC is not powerful enough for this application. This led may also come on if, for example, the window is translated or when the window is open. It is switched off in standard conditions.

* Several small windows for controlling the sound card which differ according to the mixer control: by software or by the user (see Access to the configuration screen):

- If the mixer is controled by the software:

° the radio buttons to select the input level of the signal, with a factor: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, or 1, or to choose the AGC option (Automatic Control Gain).

Initially, this factor is selected with the Input level option.

° a window named "Level/Gain" gives pieces of information about the signal level and the gain in % (which may change is "AGC" is selected),

° a pseudo-led "Over" (for "Overload") shows that the signal is overloaded. In that case, the input level will be lowered.

-If the mixer is controled by the user:

° a button named “Input” allows the access to the recording manual control for the input signal, to choose between the line input and the microphone input, the level being selected to avoid overload,

° a button “Output“ allows the control of the output signal.

If necessary, see Manual control of the mixer by the user.

° a window named "Level" gives the level of the input signal.

° a pseudo-led "Overload" shows that the signal is overloaded. In that case, the input level will be lowered.

Description of the QSO recorder for the logbook

For all information about the logbook and its interface with other logbooks (DXKeeper...), the user will refer to the Use of the Multipsk logbook and logging of an external logbbook (DXKeeper...).

Description of the commands for choice of mode

Introduction: according to the selected RX mode, what is displayed may change.

* the pseudo-led "Transmission" lights up if transmission is in progress. The user cannot pass in decoding mode until all characters to be sent are transmitted.

* a button "Frequencies" shows a list of the frequencies used in the different modes,

* a button "Sound card" allows the user who wants to start another application needing a sound card to free the sound card resource without leaving Multipsk. At the return from the other application, he will "pull" the "Sound card" button to make Multipsk work again,

* a button "Mode" allows the user to choose the RX and TX modes (see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description). The selected RX and TX modes are displayed at each side of the button.

It is reminded that the transmission mode may be planned in the sequences (see Sequences 1 to 12 creation and Personal data and macros).

* a button "Video ID prefix"  ("ID" for mode identifier) allows the user to send the mode label and/or other information before the transmission. This identifier will be visible in the "waterfall" of the other Ham.

Click on "ID Video" for configuration (see Use of the video identifier of mode).

* a button "Auto mode" allows the user to detect automatically the BPSK transmission clicked on the spectrum. The choice can be one of the modes PSK10, BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK63F, PSK220F, PSKAM10/31/50 and PSKFEC31. This operation is done in cycles. In the first time (2 seconde), the speed is determined (0 if nothing is received, 10, 31, 50, 63 or 220 bauds). In the second period, the BPSK mode is determined. The detection duration depends on speed. The less the speed (in PSK10, for example) the more the duration (13 secondes at 10 bauds, 5 secondes at 31 bauds and 3 secondes at 63 bauds).

The previously detected mode is displayed in italic. When a mode is detected, display is done in bold and remains such for 2 seconds, which is necessary to determine the new speed in bauds.

A click on the spectrum starts a new cycle.

On noise, or an insufficient transmission time or a too weak signal, displayed speed and mode may be wrong.

If at 31 bauds, no mode is found, the program supposes that it is BPSK31.

IMPORTANT: detection is not done by tentative test decoding of the mode, which might be very complex but by taking into account the peculiarities of bits arrangements. This method is not 100 % sure (for example, from this point of view, the difference between BPSK63 and PSK63F is weak) and the more the Signal/Noise is small, the more the probability of exact detection is degraded.

Other commands are specific. They depend on the mode:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX    OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

Description of signal commands and indications

Commands are specific. They depend on the mode:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX    OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

Description of the spectrum and its commands

Introduction: according to the selected receive mode, what is displayed may change.

By default, the "real time" spectrum displays the AF frequencies from 200 to 2500 Hz (2.5 KHz).

* For PSK (with CHIP), THROB(X) MFSK, OLIVIA, DominoF, DominoEX, CCW, CCW-FSK modes. In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked (the receive frequency may change).

In PAX/PAX2 modes and in "slave" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band. The new central frequency corresponds to the biggest peak under the blue band.

Note: in PAX/PAX2, it is not given the possibility to switch to "master" mode, this to avoid the search of the new reception frequency when switching from transmission to reception.

The user may choose between a standard "spectrum" and a "waterfall". The second one is preferable because it displays also the time evolution (time axis). The cursor of the "waterfall" is a blue line.

* For all modes except FAX and SSTV: possibility to have a big "spectrum" or a big "waterfall" by pushing the button "High". Once done, re-start the program. This button is not available from Hell modes and DSP pseudo-modes.

* For CW mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band (if the spectrum has been selected). The new central frequency corresponds to the biggest peak under the blue band. Decoding starts immediately. In CW, it’s better to be in "spectrum" option rather than in "waterfall" to see the filtered band.

* For PACKET 300 bauds, PACTOR 1, RTTY, ASCII, fax HF or AMTOR mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, the right peak of the RTTY, fax HF or AMTOR transmission with the vertical blue band. The new Mark and Space (white and black for fax HF) frequencies correspond to the peak under the blue band and the other one at its left. Decoding starts immediately. For fax mode, the user must aim at a frequency closer to 2300 Hz (nominal), by adjusting the receive frequency .

The user may choose between a standard spectrum and a "waterfall".

* For SSTV mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum (special for SSTV), the peak correponding to the synchronization frequency. This one is normally of 1200 Hz. On the spectrum, two vertical lines appear, one at 1150 Hz and the other at 1400 Hz. These lines show the selection limits of the synchronization frequency. The user shall, if necessary, adjust the receive frequency .

Note: it will be noted, on the spectrum, that the 1150 - 1400 Hz band is amplified in such a way as to show the synchronization signal in a sharp peak shape.

The user may choose between a standard spectrum and a "waterfall".

* For the DSP mode (Filters and CW binaural receiver), the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, the selected band of frequencies  (see Description of the pseudo-mode FILTERS options or Description of the CW binaural reception options),

* For all modes, if the option "450" has been selected, the user may select a receive/transmit bandwidth of 200-2500Hz (2.5 KHz), 200-3300Hz (3.3 Khz) or 200-4300Hz (4.3 KHz). In fact, only the 200-3300 Hz and 200-4300 Hz bandwidths need a PC at 450 MHz.

* For all modes except MT63, Packet 1200 bauds, DSP modes, the user may select 2 frequencies with the buttons "Mar1" (Mark 1 or bookmarked frequency n°1) and "Mar2" (Mark 2 or bookmarked frequency n°2). It is then only necessary to click on the button "Go M1" (Go to the mark 1) ou "Go M2" (Go to the mark 2) to return to the frequencies defined before.

* For all modes except MT63, OLIVIA, PAX/PAX2, DominoF, DominoEX, Packet 1200 bauds, DSP modes, the user may search for transmissions in progress by using the buttons "<<" downwards low frequencies and ">>" upwards high frequencies. Each time the user click on either "<<" or ">>", the cursor goes and positions itself on the closest used frequency in the chosen direction.

* For all modes except MT63, Packet, DSP modes, with the button "Lock", the user may lock the cursor on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. This lock depends of the receive mode used. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

* For all modes except DSP modes and SSTV:

- with the two vertical arrows, the user may adjust the colors scale of the waterfall according to his/her taste. The standard value is 10.

- with the button "AGC", the user may put on or off the waterfall Automatic Gain Control. If all the signals are weak (28 Mhz band, for example), it is more convenient to switch on the AGC to give amplification so as to better see the signals. In the presence of a strong QRM on a weak signal, it is more convenient to swith off the AGC in order not to hide the QRP signal. This command has no influence on the decoding.

- with the button "Grey", the user may choose a waterfall displayed with a grey scale (less sensitive but more convenient for some hams gaving difficulty to distinguish colors).

* For all modes except Packet 1200 bauds, MT63, DSP modes and SSTV:

- with the buttons "< >", the user may change his receive/transmit nominal frequency in a very precise way.

* For PSK, CW, CCW, CCW-FSK and OLIVIA modes:

- the button "XIT" validates the possibity to force either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency from the waterfall.

If the option is validated, either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency may be imposed by clicking on the right button when the cursor is focused on the waterfall. If confirmed, the XIT (TX frequency - RX frequency) becomes different from 0. It can be imposed that the RX-TX gap be equal to 0 Hz (normal working).

Attention: the TX frequency is determined from the position of the mouse cursor on the waterfall.

Description of the edit and display windows, for all modes except SSTV, HF Fax and DSP modes

Introduction for PSK and MFSK modes: at the start-up of the editor and each time that no text is being transmitted, idle characters (">" in PSKAM, PSK10 and in PSKFEC31) are continuously transmitted. The last character before starting decoding is also an idle character.

Introduction for THROB(X), OLIVIA and DominoF modes: at the start-up of the editor and each time that no text is being transmitted, idle characters (">" on the receiver in THROB(X)) are continuously transmitted.

Note: in THROBX, the idle character sent is the Space.

Introduction for RTTY mode: at the start-up of the editor and each time that no text is being transmitted, idle caracters ("Letters") are being transmitted.

Introduction for ASCII mode: at the start-up of the editor and each time that no text is being transmitted, idle caracters (CHR(0)) are being transmitted.

Introduction for AMTOR FEC mode: at the start-up of the editor and each time that no text is being transmitted, idle caracters ("phasing signal 2"/"phasing signal 1")  are being transmitted.

Introduction for CCW and CCW-FSK: each time that no text is being transmitted, idle caracters (7 points) are being transmitted. To not lose the synchronization, it is not possible to type more than one space between two words.

Introduction for HELLSCHREIBER modes: the display window is graphical and no display is done by the software.

General description of the text editor

The text editor allows to edit the text to be transmitted (the preparation of the text to transmit may be done during receive).

Sequences 1 to 12  (key <CTRL> for the sequences 13 to 24) and UTC buttons may be used to write the text. Copy/paste function may also be used.

The text is limited to 40000 characters.

To go to the beginning of the text, <CTRL> <Start> (up arrow to the left) and to go to the end: <CTRL> <End>.

It is possible to delete the preceding characters  with the back correcting key ("Back-Space").

In decoding or in "STOP" position, when clicking the right button of the mouse, it appears a pop menu which proposes either selecting all the text or doing a copy of the selected text to the clipboard or pasting the content of the clipboard on the text editor.

The text of this window will be transmitted as soon as the user passes into transmit.

Description of the editor commands

* the buttons called "CQ", "ABCDEFH", "12345678", "SEQ. 4" to "SEQ. 10", "Cw end/fin", "Cw answer" send the 1 to 12 saved sequences respectively (see Settting up sequences (1 to 24)).

* on pushing the key <Ctrl> ("CONTROL"), it is obtained a new set of 12 sequences with the buttons called "SEQ 13" to "SEQ.24", which carries the total to 24 possible sequences.

After clicking one of these buttons, the sequence text is put on the text editor.

The selection of the sequences may be done, also, by the function keys <F1> to <F12>.

A sequence may be modified by clicking on the right button of the mouse. The user has, then, access to the text editor of this sequence.

* by the "File" button, a file may be selected and, then, transmitted.

There are, however, two restrictions :

- the file may not contain more than 40,000 characters,

- the text editor may not contain more than 40,000 characters.

If these limits are surpassed, an error is created.

* The button "Macros": Macros are also directly available and may be used either during reception or during transmission. See Personal data and macros for details.

* The button "Clear": to clear the editor window.

* The button "Repeat": to repeat the transmission of the text sitting in the editor text.

* the button "UTC/GMT" sends the date (day/month/year) and time UTC.

Description of the display window (does not concern HELLSCHREIBER modes)

This window displays:

* in red, the text sent to the transmitter,

* in black, the text received from the receiver.

At each passage change-over from transmit to receive or vice versa, a line to feed is added.

In decoding or in "STOP" position, when clicking the right button of the mouse, a pop menu appears which proposes either doing a copy of the selected text, or to write it on the chosen log field. For example, if, after having selected a word, the user clicks on "Notes", the word will be put on the log field "Notes".

By double-clicking on a call, this one is automatically loaded on the "Call" field.

Another option of the pop menu, available for RTTY and AMTOR modes, is to convert letters into figures or vice versa, according to the ITA2 character set. This function allows the user to correct a mistake on the character set related to several characters. The QSO file does not take into account these modifications. If the user wishes to keep them, that must be done in the QSO window.

Note: if a text is selected with the mouse, the receive display is stopped.

The maximum time in the receive window is limited to 10 sec, if characters.are being received.

Therefore it is better to click on "STOP" and to fill the log with all the necessary information.

Description of the RX, STOP and TX commands, for all modes except SSTV, HF Fax and DSP modes (Filters and CW binaural receiver)

* the buttons "TX, Stop and RX" allow the selection of the function required: transmit, stop and receive. They are useless in Packet mode.

The stop button may be used when necessary to block the receive window without being in edition mode or to stop transmission of the idle characters. It must be clicked to use "lift cursors” in the receive window, in order to be able to see a preceding QSO, for example.

The shortcut key <Esc> allows the user to switch from RX to TX. It permits also to switch from TX to RX immediately. When transmitting, if the user press in the same time on <Shift> and <Delete>, a <RX> macro will be inserted at the end of the text (of the editing window). So the transceiver will switch to RX just after the end of transmission of the text.

* the button "Clear" allows cleaning the display window.

* the button "Height" (for all modes except Hellschreiber) allows to dimension the editor and the display windows as desired by the user (33 is the default),

* the button "Double" allows the user, according to his/her taste, to separate the RX window from the TX window. A light flicker of the characters which appears on some rare computers may be avoided too.

* the button "Auto TX", if pushed, allows the operator to switch on transmission (TX) as soon as he types some text. Conversely (button "Auto TX" released), the switching to "TX" is done with the button "TX".

It is reminded that the shortcut key <Esc> allows the user to pass from RX to TX and vice versa.

* the button "Ø" allows the user to replace "0" by "Ø" in the received text, so as to avoid the confusion with the letter "O",

* the button "Fonts" allows the user to choose the display font for the transmitted and received characters display windows. One can choose:

- for all windows: the font name, the style and the characters size (by default: Ms Sans Serif, bold, 8),

- for the transmitted characters: the font color (by default: black),

- for the received characters: the font color (by default: red),

Note: a modification of the name, the style or the size of the font would be not taken into account here,

- for all windows: the background color (by default: white).

* the button "Snapshot" stores the screen on a .JPG file of the type is "Screen date time.JPG" in the sub-directory Screen (automatically created by MULTIPSK).

A short ring indicates the end of the operation.

* the button "Print" prints the screen,

* the UTC date and time are displayed for information.

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Use in reception

General control of the transceiver (RX/TX screen)

Use in reception

PRELIMINARY: it is reminded that the reception can be programmed (see Multipsk programming). One can, for example, sweeps alternatively the spectrum in one or several modes.

First, the input to the sound card is selected according to the hardware input (see Selection of the sound input).

Second, the level will have been adjusted by the AF gain control if connected to the transceiver speaker output. If connected to the auxiliary output, the level is normally sufficient and constant.

Moreover, it is possible to increase or decrease the Input level of the AF signal

Ideally, the level must be just below the level of overload.

If the level is in the input range of the sound card, the option "AGC" will allow solving this problem.

The user clicks on the RX/TX button.

For automatic reception and location, please refer for Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location

For each mode corresponds a specific use:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX    OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

Electromagnetic interference

Note: the PC radiates electromagnetic interference. It can happen taht this might provoke parasitic signals in the transceiver (receiver). In that case, the user must:

* if not yet done, shield the antenna cable close to the PC,

* move away the PC from the receiver,

* be sure that the cables between sound card and transceiver are shielded. The cables could be provided with ferrite beads which are very effective.

Thus, the inductance created cancels the RF returns on the cable shield because of strong impedance set against the RF (Z=jLw),

* be sure that the grounding (earthing) is correct and that the grounds of  the PC and the transceiver are connected,

* install a power filter on the power supplies of the PC and/or the transceiver.

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Use in transmission

General control of the transceiver (RX/TX screen)

Use in transmission

The following until "General observations" does not apply to HF Fax and SSTV.

INTRODUCTION: preparation of the text to be transmitted may be done, in the editor window, during the receive phase.

The user has now selected the Edition mode (by using, for example, the shortcut key <Esc>).

In the editor, the user will enter the text in the keyboard.

It is possible to delete the preceding characters with the back-space key on the keyboard.

However, in RTTY 45, 50 and 75 bauds and in CW, there is no possibility to delete characters still sent.

The user will use the buttons related to send sequences of characters (see Setting up sequences (1 to 24)).

Note: The second set of 12 sequences is obtained by pushing the key <Ctrl> ("CONTROL").

It is also possible to directly send macros……see Introduction and description of the windows and commands (Description of the text editor).

The sent and received characters are saved in the QSO <Date> <Time>.TXT file.

General observations

The transceiver is to be set to USB mode (except for some AMTOR FEC Ham transmissions) and that the VOX is in service to permit the transmission as soon as an audio signal is sent. If the VOX is not available see serial port.

In CW keyed by the serial port, the transceiver must be in CW (see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description).

The user should adjust the signal level at the output of the sound card to that required by the transceiver (see speaker out level).

Now it remains to verify that the transmitter is activated under transmission. If CW has been selected, change temporarily, to RTTY. Then, the user in receive, turns on the transceiver without power. As soon as the Edition mode is selected, the transmitter will be activated by the transmission of idle characters. If not, the VOX threshold must be adjusted or verify the interface PC/transceiver.

For this verication, the Tune may also be used.

The output power of the transmitter must be increased by adjusting the microphone gain control and controlling the ALC and the PWR levels (see Tune to know the mean power compared to the tune power for each mode).

Note: the SWR must be as good as possible to avoid RF return. The transmitter output to the antenna must be a coaxial feedline to avoid a powerful electromagnetic field around the cable between PC and transmitter.

To be sure that the transmitted signal is linear and does not cause any QRM, the best is to make a contact in BPSK31 and to ask for an IMD measure of your signal.

For more explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, quality signal and S/N ratio.

For each mode corresponds a specific use:

BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSKFEC31, QPSK31, QPSK63, PSK10, PSKAM10, 31, 50, PSK63F, PSK220F/DIGISSTV          MT63

CW (Morse)         CCW-FSK

PACKET/APRS/DIGISSTV      PACTOR 1      PAX/PAX2

RTTY, ASCII, SYNOP/SHIP

SITOR A, AMTOR ARQ, AMTOR FEC

THROB, THROBX  MFSK16/SSTV and MFSK8  DominoF/DominoEX    OLIVIA

FAX HF       SSTV

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80

FILTERS          CW binaurale

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Use of the video identifier of mode

Main use

This window permits to manage all the options relative to the transmission in CMT Hell of the mode label (and/or other information) before the main transmission. This identifier will be visible in the "waterfall" of the other Ham.

The identifier can be transmitted either in an horizontal shape (quick but little powerful) or in a vertical shape (slow but more powerful because more concentrated).

For example, just before the general call ("CQ") in PSKFEC31, it will be sent automatically "PSKFEC31" on CMT Hell. The other Ham will see "PSKFEC31" displaying on his "waterfall" and will switch immediately to PSKFEC31.

Principle

The initial idea is the Henri (F6BAZ) one, who advocated (in december 2005) that it be used the waterfall to receive the name of the mode in CMT Hell (http://f6baz.free.fr/windrm4.jpg).

Each character is transformed in capital letter, if necessary, then in pixels matrix according to the selected font (see herafter).

The transmission being done, in general at 11025 samples/second and the FFT being done on 2048 samples, between 2 pixels, il will be found an interval of:

* 11025/2048 = 5.383 Hz,

* 2048/11025 = 0.1858 second.

The pixels are transmitted in the CMT Hell mode (for mode détails, see the site of Murrayl ZL1BPU http://www.qsl.net/zl1bpu/FUZZY/MT_intro.htm).

The name is centered in the middle of the mode bandwidth.

If the mode is reversed (for FSK, MFSK and QPSK modulations), the name is also reversed (it will be written from right to left). It is reminded that normally, digimodes are transmitted in USB not reversed.

Modes will be transmitted in their standard name: "BPSK31" "BPSK63", "MFSK16", "PAX2", "FAX"..., if they are not ambiguous.

However, it exists several special cases:

* MT63 will be "MT63 bandwidth interleaving" type with for the bandwith: "500", "1K" (for "1000") or "2K" (for "2000"), for the interleaving "VST" ("Very short"), "ST" ("Short") and "LG" ("Long")...so a maximum of 12 characters for, for example: "MT63 500 VST"

* CHIP will be "CHIP 64" type or "CHIP 128" type,

* CW will be followed by the speed in wpm as, for example: "CW 20",

* CCW will be followed by the CCW type (OOK or FSK) and by the speed as, for example: "CCW OOK 12" or "CCW FSK 24",

*  Packet will be followed by the speed in bauds as, for example: "Packet 1200",

* Pactor 1 will be followed by the protocole type (ARQ (non present on Multipsk) or FEC) as, for example: "PACTOR1 FEC",

* RTTY will be followed by the speed in bauds as, for example: "RTTY 45",

 * ASCII will be followed by the number of used bits (7 or 8) as, for example: "ASCII 7",

* AMTOR will be followed by the protocole type (ARQ (non present on Multipsk) or FEC) as, for

example: "AMTOR FEC",

* THROB will be followed by the speed in bauds as, for example: "THROB 4",

* THROBX will be followed by the speed in bauds as, for example: "THROBX 2",

* DominoF (called also "Domino") will be followed by the speed in bauds as, for example: "DOMINO 11",

* DominoEX will be followed by the speed in bauds as, for example: "DOMINOEX 11",

* Olivia will be "OLIVIA number of tones bandwidth" type with the number of tones between 2 and 256 (not all present on Multipsk) and the bandwidth: 125, 250, 500, 1K (for "1000"), 2K (for "2000"), as, for example, "OLIVIA 32 1K" or "OLIVIA 256 500", so a maximum of 14 characters

* the other Olivia derived modes (as CONTESTIA or RTTYM, not present on Multipsk) will be transmitted as for OLIIVIA, as, for example,  "CONTESTIA 32 1K" or "CONTESTIA 256 500", so a maximum of 17 characters

* in SSTV, it will be added the used protocol to "SSTV" as, for example: "SSTV SCOTTIE DX".

Note: the mode will not be visible because the SSTV spectrum is not the result of a FFT.

It is reminded that, to the SSTV protocol, is associated a VIS CODE (FSK signature) directly decodable by the software.

* to the used Hell mode "FELD HELL" for example, it could be added the used speed if it is not the standard speed of 245 bauds,

Note: in Packet, PAX or PAX2 mode, the frame is prefixed by the name of the mode only for UI and SABM frames, so as not to slow down the exchange in connected mode.

Relatively to the transmitted mean power:

The transmitted mean power will be weak due to the fact that it is necessary not to saturate the signal to keep the text readable. Thus, the more there will be "horizontal" pixels to tranmit, the less the mean power will be important. However, the human capacity to read a very noisy text compensate for this weak power.

Proposed fonts

The characters can be sent in 3 different fonts:

* "Hell 80 double": it is a 9x7 font, double in height. The transmission duration is 3.3 sec. It is the default font and the quicker one,

* "FELD Hell double, normal": it is a 14x7 to 9 font, double in height. The transmission duration is 5.2 sec. It is not too wide and clearer than the "Hell 80 double" font,

* "FELD Hell double, bold": it is a 14x9 to 12 font, double in height. The transmission duration is 5.2 sec. It is large. It is the clearest font.

Between each character, it is added an empty column to improve readabilty.

Proposed orientation

The characters can be sent:

* either in an horizontal shape (quick but the power is weak due to the large bandwidth), for example: "BPSK31",
* or in a vertical shape (slow but the power is bigger due to a narrow bandwidth) , for example:

1

3

K

S

P

B

The first character to be displayed on the screen is "B" and the last is "1".

This last orientation must not be used in Packet, PAX or PAX2 (too long).

Transmitted informations and commands

It will be possible to transmit the mode, the name of this software ("MULTIPSK") and the WEB adress where this software can be downloaded.

It can also be transmitted: the Ham call, his name, his Locator and his QTH. These pieces of information are available by clicking on  the button "Personal". Of course, nothing prevents to put other text than the call, the name....

Transmission order: the selected pieces of information are transmitted in the following order: from top to bottom and from left to right.

IMPORTANT: it can't be transmitted more that 20 characters by piece of information.

The button "Standard parameters" selects the "Hell 80 double" font and the mode.

In the RX/TX window if the button "Vidéo ID prefix" is pushed, the information will be transmitted in CMT Hell at the beginning of the transmission (for example, when calling ("CQ")).

It can be used the <VIDEO ID> macro (see Personal data and macros) to send the information either at any moment of the QSO or inside a sequence (see Setting up sequences (long macros) 1 to 24).

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Frequencies used

The following is a list of recommended frequencies (in Khz) used by the modes of MULTIPSK, for the LF, HF, VHF bands (based on IARU region 1).

BPSK31, QPSK31 (USB)

1838, 3580, 7035, 10140, 14070, 18100, 21080, 24920, 28070, 28120, 50000, 144000 (144605 in France and 144144 in Italy).

PSK10, PSKFEC31, PSK63F + DIGISSTV "Run", PSKAM10/31/50 (USB)

Except PSK220F, These modes are QRP transmissions. They are used very little. I propose to focus calls at the following frequencies and times:

* 14075 Khz (AF around 1000 Hz) at 17h00 UTC,

* 10148 kHz (AF around 1000 Hz) at 22h00 UTC,

* 144620 hHz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 20h00 UTC.

A CW prefix, at 20 wpm, indicating mode, software and power used, for example: "VVV DE F6CTE / MODE PSKFEC31 / SOFT MULTIPSK / PWR: 5 WATTS" could be transmitted before the CQ call itself.

PSK220F + DIGISSTV "Run" (USB)

I propose to focus calls at the following frequencies and times:

* 14075 Khz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 17h00 UTC if few traffic,

* 10148 kHz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 22h00 UTC if few traffic.

* 144620 hHz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 20h00 UTC if few traffic.

BPSK63 and QPSK63 (USB)

14072.5 - 14080 Khz. It is recommended to use fixed frequencies multiple of 100 Hz: 14072.5, 14072.6, 14072.7... For that, the user sets his transceiver on 14072 Khz in USB and operates on 500, 600, 700,..., 2400 or 2500 Hz... on the spectrum indicator.

CHIP (64/128) (USB)

7090 (for USA), 14077 and 14110 KHz

CW

135.7-137.8, 1810-1838, 3500-3580, 7000-7035, 10100-10140, 14000-14070, 18068-18100, 21000-21080, 21120-21149, 24890-24920, 28000-28050, 28150-28190, 50000-50100, 144000-144150 (call on 144050 or 144060)

CCW (USB)

For CCW which is a mode close to CW, the following frequencies are suggested:

1844, 3561, 7031, 10107, 14061, 21061, 24907, 28061 Khz (QRP frequencies + 1KHz).

CCW-FSK (USB)

The following frequencies are suggested:

3590, 7043, 10143, 14075 Khz (CQ calls in 24 wpm).

For North America, it is proposed:

3575, 7075, 10137, 14075, 18105, 21075, 24905, 28075 Khz.

MFSK16, MFSK8, THROB, THROBX, DominoF, DominoEX (USB)

1838, 3580, 7037, 10147, 14080, 18105, 21080, 24929, 28080 Khz

Note: for SSTV in MFSK16, in general, it is not authorized to transmit a mix of text and pictures because the authorized frequencies, for these modes (MFSK16 / SSTV), are different.

The MFSK8, DominoF, DominoEX and THROBX modes are QRP transmissions. They are very little used. I propose to focus calls in the same conditions as for PSK10, PSKFEC31, PSK63F, PSKAM10/31/50 modes (see above).

OLIVIA (USB)

With an AF frequency of 1000 Hz, frequency displayed on the transceiver:

7038.5, 14104.5, 14105.5, 14106.5, 14107.5, 14108.5 (call frequency), 18102.5, 18103.5, 18104.5, 21129.5 KHz

See DK4ZC text: Commands and use of the Olivia modes

PAX (USB in HF, FM in VHF)

The following frequencies are suggested:

3590, 7043, 10148, 14075, 144620 Khz.

I propose to focus calls at the following frequencies and times:

* 14075 Khz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 17h00 UTC if few traffic,

* 10148 kHz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 22h00 UTC if few traffic.

* 144620 hHz (AF around 1000 Hz), at 20h00 UTC if few traffic.

PAX2 (USB in HF, FM in VHF)

The following frequencies are suggested:

3610, 7042, 14112, 18112, 21112, 24932, 28302, 144620 Khz.

MT63 (USB)

1822, 1838, 3580, 3590, 3635, 7035, 7037, 10140, 10145, 14106, 14109, 14114, 18100, 18105, 21130, 24925, 28130 Khz

RTTY 45 bauds (50 and 75 bauds) (Ham), ASCII 110 bauds (Ham) and PACTOR 1 (USB)

1838-1842, 3580-3600, 7035-7045, 10140-10150, 14070-14099, 18100-18109, 21080-21120, 24920-24929, 28050-28150, 50100-50500, 144600, 144800-144990

RTTY 50 bauds (commercial) (LSB, examples)

85 Hz shift: DDH47 (20 kW) on 147.3 KHz

with SYNOP/SHIP transmissions

450 Hz shift: DDK2 (1 kW) on 4583 KHz, DDH7 (1 kW) on 7646 KHz and DDK9 (10 kW) on 10100.8 KHz

RTTY 75 bauds (commercial) (LSB, example)

425 Hz shift: Bracknell meteo on 4489 KHz

AMTOR ARQ or FEC (Ham) (USB, sometimes LSB)

Same frequencies as for RTTY 45 bauds (Ham), in particular around 14075 KHz.

SITOR A (ARQ) or SITOR B (FEC) (commercial) (USB, examples)

4210-4218, 6314-6329, 12579-12646

NAVTEX (commercial) (USB, examples)

The NAVTEX frequencies are 518 et 490 Khz. The user will set his transceiver on USB at 517 or 489 Khz. The transmissions are done at fixed time, for example for NITON (GB): 7h00 and 19h00 UTC on 518 Khz in English, 5h20 and 17h20 on 490 Khz in English, 7h10 and 19h10 on 490 Khz in French.

PACKET 300 bauds + APRS  + DIGISSTV "Run" (USB)

3590-3600 (QSO), 10150 LSB (APRS), 14090-14099 (QSO), 14101-14112 (BBS), 14105 (APRS), 18102 (APRS), 21100-21120 (QSO), 21113 (APRS), 28120-28150 KHz (QSO)

For the pictures transmission in DIGISSTV, I propose to focus calls on 14090 Khz USB (AF around 1000 Hz), at 17h00 UTC if few traffic.

PACKET 1200 bauds + APRS  + DIGISSTV "Run" (FM)

29250 (APRS), 144800 (APRS)

BBS can be found around 145000 Khz (QRG examples: 144900, 144925 and 144950 KHz).

For the pictures transmission in DIGISSTV, I propose to focus calls on 144630 kHz at 20h00 UTC if few traffic.

FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL and HELL 80 (USB)

3580, 7035, 10135, 14063, 21063 and 28063 KHz

SSTV

3730 (LSB), 7035 (LSB), 14230 (USB), 21340 (USB), 28680 (USB), 144500 (FM)

HF Fax (Ham) (USB)

3730-3740, 7035-7045, 14230, 21340, 28680, 50550, 144700 KHz

U.S. hams are allowed image transmission on 80 m from 3750 kHz and up, 7150 kHz and up for 40 meters, and 21200 khz and up, commensurate with the license class:

Extra Class = 14150 kHz and up
Advance Class = 14175 kHz and up
General Clas = 14225 kHz and up
(Dave N4EF info).

HF Fax (commercial) (USB, 120 lpm, examples)

Hambourg Meteo on 3855, 7880, 13882.5 Khz

Bracknell Meteo on 2618.5, 3289.5, 4610, 4782, 8040, 9203, 11086.5, 14436, 14582.5 Khz

RN London on 2374, 4307, 6446, 8331.5, 12844.5, 16912 Khz

NMG New Orleans, LA 8503 kHz

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Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location

Search for a country by prefix or callsign

Introduction

1) The prefix is the part of the callsign that indicates the country. For example, in "F6CTE", the prefix "F" indicates that the country is "France").

2) Coutries can have one or more prefixes. Somtimes, one of the prefixe indicates a DXCC entity inside a country. For example, the prefix "FM" is a french prefix attributed to the Martinique (a French department in the Caribbean sea).

3) A DXCC country such as the Martinique should achieve certain criteria with the ARLL (for more informations, see Internet).

4) We have to remind the kind readers that this function is given as a demo function for 10 minutes for the limited un-licensed version of this software.

Search for DXCC countries

* The “Country” button allows finding the DXCC country together with latitude and longitude depending on the prefix or the callsign.  If, for example, the prefix is F, that will indicate that the country is France and the latitude is 47 degrees North and 2 degrees south. The country is given in English. The “Enter Key” can also be used.

For every prefix, one DXCC country is given For example FM is given as a prefix for the Martinique even if it is France.

The latitude and longitude are given for the center of the country approximately taking into account the denser population zones (for the northern countries).

Note: The determination of the country can be directly done from the receive window by making a right click on the prefix or callsign.

I shall be grateful for any corrections or suggestions.

The “WORLD” button is optional. When active, the DXCC country contacted will show as a red point on the world map.

* the button "Position the country or the locator on the world map" is an option. If it is active, the entity is immediately pointed by a spot on the world map.

Positioning of a Ham by his Locator

Introduction

1) The  Locator is defined by a sequence of 6 characters: 2 letters from A to R then 2 figures then 2 letters from A to X. It permits to give the geographic position of the Ham. For example, the author situated at 48° 41' 58" North latitude and 2° 09' 21" East longitude has the Locator: JN18CQ. It exists freewares which compute the Locator from the latitude and the longitude.

2) The locator, if well defined (ie rounded to the closest Locator), has a precision of 3 km.

Positioning of a Locator

The button "Lat/Long" permits to determine the latitude and the longitude of the Locator. Moreover, if the user Locator is valid, it will be given the distance between the 2 Hams and the azimuth to apply to a directive antenna to be aligned with the other Ham.

Note: The user Locator must be defined in the field <MY LOCATOR> of the personal data. Click on the button "Personal" to have access to it.

Positioning of a DXCC country on the world map

Introduction

1) The map is not complete as the un-inhabited parts near the poles (part of Greenland, South pole) are not shown (due to the used projection).

2) The very small countries are not shown because the scale of the map does not permit it.

3) The borders shown are those known to the author by 21th of april 2004.

4) The map can be adjusted according to the operator's requirements. These are saved by the program.

5) We have to remind the kind readers that this function is given as a demo function for 10 minutes for the limited un-licensed version of this software.

Offered possibilities

1) Manual positioning according to a prefix, a call or a Locator,

2) Automatic positioning during reception through the RX/TX screen when a callsign appears,

3) Automatic positioning during reception through the panoramic screen when a callsign is displayed (monitoring 23 channels at the same time).

4) Automatic decoding and positioning (red point) of received Locators and calculation of the distance and the azimuth if the user Locator is valid (see "Positioning of a Locator", below).

IMPORTANT: the moment the map is opened, reception and automatic positioning are started whether it is from the RX/TX screen or on the panoramic screen.

Manual positioning

If the operator wishes to position a country by using a prefix or a callsign, he can do so by using one of the two buttons "Country" (see above), using the option "Display on map".

Automatic reception and positioning on the RX/TX screen or the panoramic screen

The program monitors the received texts. If it detects a callsign, there will be two possibilities:

* either it is the callsign of a station already received in the last ten 10 minutes (which is the time considered that a QSO normally takes), then the call is displayed in the first white line (which sends the other two lines downwards),

* or it is a new callsign (or received after 10 minutes), then the callsign is displayed and saved to be used in "Reception report" ou "Received calls") and the country (DXCC entity) is immediately indicated by a point on the world map. The size of the point depends on the number of  positionings done on the map for the country and on the realtive area of this country.

Note: it is assumed that the callsign is 4 to 10 characters long. The 3 first must include 1 letter and 2 figures ou 1 figure and 2 letters. Other characters must be either letters or the character "/".

The callsign should be preceded by 'DE ' or 'de ', because only the callsign of operators who are actually transmitting are taken into account. Special calls are not taken into account.

The type of transmission going on is determined whether it is a: CQ, CQ DX or QSO with another Ham. The displayed "wkg" means "working" for "working with")

* the black rectangle over a given country expands as the number of stations worked in that country increases, that goes on until a maximum which depends  (in général) on the country's area (in order to not generate overlapping areas).

The program watches if a Locator has been received. If so, there are 2 possibilities:

* either it is a repetition of an already received Locator (from less than 10 minutes, this time being supposed the duration of a QSO), then the Locator is just displayed in the blue line,

* or it is a new Locator (or received more than 10 minutes ago), then the Locator is displayed, stored to be used in "Received calls" and it is immediatly pointed by a blue spot on the world map.

Note: the  Locator is defined by a sequence of 6 characters: 2 letters from A to R then 2 figures then 2 letters from A to X.

The Locator must preceded by '  ' or ': '  and the 6 characters must not be separated. A space must follow the 6 characters.

It will be calculated and displayed the distance between the 2 Hams and the azimuth to apply to a directive antenna to be aligned with the other Ham, if the user Locator is valid (see "Positioning of a Locator", below).

The peculiarities of automatic reception and location on the panoramic screen: the reception is, in this case, fully, automatic as the operator does not have to click on any signal on the waterfall display. 23 frequency channels are monitored at the same time. It is very interesting, here, to observe, after, for example, adjusting the receiver on a very used PSK31 band (as 14070 Khz USB), to observe the localizations of the signals received. The operator, after a certain time (say one half-hour, for example) can determine the propagation conditions or the antenna directivity, according to which stations is receiving.

Available commands

* "Print": the button [image] allows to print the map,

* "Record": the button [image]  permits saving the map in a "WORLD date time.BMP" file under the sub-directory WORLD created automatically by MULTIPSK),

* "Re-initialization": this button cancels all positioning points,

* "Report": this button permits editing a report listing all countries received, with information about each country: the number of demands for positioning (manual or automatic). The countries are listed in decreasing order of the number of demands for positioning. The total gives the number of prefixes handled.

With controls "Print", "Save", this report can be printed or saved in a fileof the type "REPORT date time.TXT" in the sub-directory WORLD created automatically by MULTIPSK. With the control "Stop updating", the updating can be stopped to allow the user to scroll the report. The report may be enlarged by the button "Large". The user can quit the report by clicking on "Exit".

* "Received calls": this button permits listing of approximatively the 100 last calls (or locators) received with each line containing, for a call:

- the time of reception,

- the callsign and its country,

- the AF frequency value on the spectrum analyser,

- the type of transmission ("wkg" for "working with") this Ham does (CQ, CQ DX or QSO with another Ham). If it is a QSO with a Ham, it is given his call and his country.

For each line and for a Locator:

- the time of reception,

- the Locator,

- the AF frequency (on the spectrum)

- if the user Locator is valid, the distance to the Ham and the azimuth in °,

With controls "Print", "Save", this list can be printed or saved in a file which type is "CALLS date time.TXT" in the sub-directory WORLD created automatically by MULTIPSK). With the command "Stop updating", the updating can be stopped to allow the user to scroll the list. The list may be enlarged by the button "Large". The user can quit the report by cliquing on "Exit".

Important: if only the 100 last calls (or Locators) are displayed, it's all the received calls (or Locators) which are stored in the limit of 10 Mo of data. The CALLS file may be read as a standard text file.

It is found, for a call, successively the fields: Time / Call / AF Frequency / Country

It is found, for a Locator, successively the fields: Time / Locator / AF Frequency / Distance and azimuth (if the user Locator is valid)

* "Alarm": this button permits to warn the operator of receiving a callsign. In case of alarm, it rings during a short time.

* "Stop": this button permits to stop the alarm.

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Transceiver control through the Commander software

General description

The operator has the possibility to control his transceiver from his PC using the Commander software as an interface between Multipsk and the transceiver.

The global control may be summarized according to the following diagram:

MULTIPSK (DDE TX)-->(DDE RX) COMMANDER-->COM-->"CAT SYSTEM"-->TRANSCEIVER

MULTIPSK (DDE RX)<--(DDE TX) COMMANDER<--COM<--"CAT SYSTEM"<--TRANSCEIVER

About the Commander software which belongs to the software suite "DXLAB"

This software (whom author is Dave AA6YQ) allows you to control your Kenwood, Icom, TenTec, Yeasu, FlexRadio or K2 radio from a PC running Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or XP. Commander is free, and contains no advertising. Commercial use is expressly forbidden.

It must be the version 5.1.7 minimum.

About the link between Multipsk and Commander

A DDE link ("Dynamic Data Exchange") allows the "client" program (here: Multipsk) to control a "server" program (here: Commander). The DDE is a Windows tool.

About the serial connection between Commander and the transceiver

The COM port will be selected in Commander (<Config> then <Com>).

If the operator already uses a serial port for Multipsk (see Selecting the serial port), he must possibly use an other COM port , available on the PC. However, as it is possible to switch the transceiver through the CAT-SYSTEM ("TX" and "RX" controls), it is only necessary to delete the serial port from the Multipsk configuration (see Selecting the serial port), which will allow to configure this one on Commander.

Note: the serial port parameters as configured in Commander are particular to each type of transceiver (for example for the Kenwood TS440S: 4800 bauds, 8 bits, 1 stop bit without parity). If parameters are not found in the transceiver documentation, the operator will direct to the users/developers Internet Yahoo group "DXLAB".

About the "CAT SYSTEM" interface between the serial port and the transceiver

It is necessary to dispose an interface ("CAT SYSTEM" with "CAT" for "Computer Aided Tuning") between the PC serial port and the transceiver because:

* the serial port output electrical levels are not "TTL" levels (see Selecting the serial port),

* the connection to the transceiver is particular to each transceiver.

It will be found different diagrams on Internet, almost based on MAX232 (but not always because it can be found interface based on simple transistors). For more information, direct to the users/developpers Internet Yahoo group "DXLAB".

About the transceiver

Unfortunately, this one is not always immediatly usable for control by "CAT SYSTEM". For example, it must be added to the Kenwood TS440S, 2 chips sold under the form of a package which name is "IC10".

Programs start up order

The Commander program must be started up before Multipsk.

IMPORTANT: if the frequency initially displayed on Multipsk (or Commander) is equal to 0.000 KHz (due to the non-taking into account of the transceiver VFO frequency), the user will begin to force a basis frequency thanks to one of the following controls "+Band", "+Band" or "Forward" of M1 or M2 (see further on).

Controls description

Introduction

The user will pass to the transceiver control window by clicking on the button "Transceiver" situated at the top of the "RX/TX" window. The "Commander" software has been started up imperatively before Multipsk.

It can be found two main parts:

* the window "From/to the transceiver": here are:

- either the pieces of information related to frequency and mode coming from the transceiver and transmitted by Commander (see further on the description of a return of information problem),

- or the pieces of information related to frequency and mode requested by the operator on the controls window,

Note: the displayed frequency is automatically exported to the field "Freq Mhz" of the logbook.

* the controls window (of green color), where are situated all the controls related to the frequency adjustment and selection of the reception mode.

Moreover, il will be found the UTC time and date (for operator information) and the last recorded wheel mouse step.

General working

When the operator asks for a new frequency, it is transmitted to Commander and displayed in the window "From/To the transceiver". After a fraction of second, Commander confirms the reception of the frequency and send it back to Multipsk which displays it in the window "From/to the transceiver".

Under "Carrier frequency" it is displayed the carrier frequency in Khz. It depends of the selected mode:

* in USB: HF frequency (controlled by Commander) + AF frequency (on the spectrum),

* in LSB: HF frequency  (controlled by Commander) - AF frequency (on the spectrum),

* in others modes, nothing is displayed.

The frequency or the mode may also be changed from "Commander". In that case, the new frequency or the new mode is transmitted to Multipsk and displayed in the window "From/to the transceiver".

Problem: in this last case, it can occur in some configurations that the information of frequency and mode coming from Commander be not received and displayed in the window "From/to the transceiver".

Controls

The buttons "+1", "-1", "+10", "-10", "+100" and "-100" correspond to an increment or a decrement of the frequency of 1, 10 or 100 Hz.

The buttons "+1 KHz", "-1 KHz", "+10 KHz", "-10 KHz", "+100 Khz" and "-100 KHz" correspond to an increment or a decrement of the frequency of 1, 10 or 100 KHz.

The buttons "+1 MHz", "-1 MHz", "+10 Mhz" and "-10 MHz" correspond to an increment or a decrement of the frequency of 1 or 10 MHz.

The buttons "+ Band" and "- Band" allow the user to go directly on the beginnings of radio-amateur band (3500, 7000, 10100, 14000 KHz...) either going up or going down.

The buttons "+5 KHz", "-5 KHz", "+12.5 KHz", "-12.5 KHz", "+25 Khz" and "-25 KHz" correspond to an increment or a decrement of the frequency of 5, 12,5 or 25 Khz, these frequency spaces corresponding possibly to the frequency spaces between channels, as used in VHF.

The frequency can be manually entered (window "Manual frequency"). The frequency must be expressed without decimals (example: "14075"). Once entered, it must be validated (hence sent to the transceiver through Commander) by typing on the key <Enter> or by clicking on "Forward").

The wheel mouse permits the same frequency changes as the ones presented just below. For this, it is enough to click with the right button of the mouse on an increment button or on one of the two buttons of band change to change the wheel step. The step is recorded. It is initially of 100 Hz.

The buttons "CW" ..."PKT" allow the user to select a reception mode used in HF or in VHF ("PKT" for  "Packet" in VHF, for example). The "R" after "CW" ou "RTTY" means "Reversed" and the "WB" of "WBFM" means "Wide Band".

it can be managed 2 memories called "M1" and "M2":

* the button "Store" permits to store the frequency and the mode as displayed on the window "To the transceiver".

Note: the x10 Hz and Hz are not taken into account when storing.

* the button "Forward" permits to forward the stored frequency and mode to the transceiver, these pieces of information being displayed in the windows "To the transceiver" and "From the transceiver" (for the frequency only).

Note: the 2 modes and frequencies initially proposed (in particular 14075 Khz USB) are the frequencies where I propose to use specific Multipsk modes or QRP modes (PSKFEC31, PSK63F+DIGISSTV or PSK220F+DIGISSTV, MFSK8, PSK10, PSKAM...).

The buttons "TX" and "RX" permit to switch to transmission or to reception through the CAT SYSTEM. It is, of course, always possible to use the buttons "TX" and "RX" of the RX/TX screen or the Escape key.

Note: the operator will refer to the comment "About the serial connection between Commander and the transceiver" given previously, for the management of the serial port.

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Tune function and opening of a repeater

This function is available for adjusting the transmitter power. "Tune" sends a pure carrier (a sinusoidal wave). The frequency is that which will be sent by the transmitter (= RX frequency + XIT) (see Access to the configuration screen). The maximum level of the RF sent is equal to the maximum level sent with the modulated signal in BPSK31, PSKAM...

Therefore, the tune carrier level is adjusted so that the transmitter is not saturated.

The power transmitted by the transmitter due to the Tune function is proportionate to the signal level at the output of the sound card (see speaker out level).

IMPORTANT: the mean power of BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK63F, PSKAM31 and PSK220F modes is about 79 % of the one obtained with Tune (in Tune, the mean power is the same as the peak power).

The one for QPSK31 and QPSK63 modes is about 38 % compared to Tune.

The one for PSK10, PSKAM10/50 and PSKFEC31 modes is about 86 % compared to Tune.

The one for THROB 4 bauds is 19 %.

The one for THROBX and THROB 1 and 2 bauds is 35 %.

The one for MT63 is 10 %.

The one for OLIVIA and PAX/PAX2 is 76 %.

The one for DominoF and DominoEX is 100 %.

The one for CCW-FSK is 100 %.

For example, in BPSK31, the transmitter is adjusted to 60 watts on Tune to obtain 47 watts on average, and in PSK10 to 55 watts to obtain 47 watts on average.

It is reminded that the mean power of RTTY, PACKET, ASCII, AMTOR, Pactor 1 FEC, MFSK16, MFSK8, HELL 80, FM HELL, SSTV and fax modes is 100 % of the one obtained with Tune, and only about 50 % for CW/CCW mode (still compared with Tune). Therefore, the transmitter power must be reduced in RTTY (useless in CW/CCW but useful in CCW-FSK). The mean power for FELD HELL is about 25 % and the one for PSK HELL about 62 %.

The buttons "67", "88.5", "1750" allows the user to open repeaters by transmitting a tone at the frequency displayed on the button (during about 2 seconds).

TUNE function, is stopped by clicking on the "End of tune" button.

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Description of the beacon commands

Introduction

Except PACKET, PAX/PAX2 and the graphical modes (fax and SSTV), the beacon function is related to all RX/TX modes: BPSK31, QPSK31, CHIP (64/128), BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F, PSK220F, PSK10, PSKAM10/31/50, PSKFEC31, MT63, CW, CCW, CCW-FSK, THROB(X), MFSK8, MFSK16, OLIVIA, DominoF, DominoEX, AMTOR FEC, Pactor 1 FEC, FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80, ASCII ou RTTY 45, 50 or 75 bauds.

The beacon allows the automatic operation of reception and transmission, in alternatively (one after the other) in any of the above-mentioned modes. The program works independently in a stand-alone way. Except for a particular need, the beacon does not work for more than one or two hours long. The transmitted message is prepared before hand. The reception duration is adjustable. An alarm (beeps and blinks) can be started on reception of the operator call.

Start-up

Beacon mode may be started from the "Configuration" screen (see below) or with the button "Beacon" located in the upper taskbar of  the "RX/TX" screen. Details are given hereafter.

Description of the "beacon mode" window (in the "Configuration" screen)

If the button "Yes" is clicked, then the user will have the possibility to program the beacon operation. For that, the user will have to choose:

* the total working duration of the beacon (transmission + pause): from 15 minutes to infinity,

* the pause duration after a message: from 5 seconds to 15 minutes (900 s). During this pause, the software passes to receive in the last mode transmitted by the beacon, to decode possible answers,

* the sequence (see sequence (1 to 24) ) to be transmitted for odd messages (the first, the third,...),

* the sequence (see sequence (1 to 24) ) to be transmitted for even messages (the second, the fourth,...),

An example of beacon programming:

* 4 hours (240 minutes) of total beacon duration,

* 2 minutes (120 secondes) of pause (after each message),

* sequence 1 in BPSK31 (+ heading in CW) for odd messages: <CW>....<BPSK31>...,

* sequence 2 in PSKFEC31 (+ heading in CW) for even messages: <CW>....<PSKFEC31>... .

Notes:

* as MT63, Pactor 1 FEC, FELD, PSK HELL, FM HELL and HELL 80 Hellschreiber modes are very particular, they must work alone, so both chosen sequences must be identical (or not provoke mode change) ,

* In PSK, the beacon works on master mode in order not to change the transmission frequency,

* the transmission and reception modes cannot be changed,

* the transmitted characters are saved only  once at the beginning of the QSO file,

* if the user wants only one transmission mode (compulsory for Hellschreiber and MT63 modes), it is sufficient to program the same sequences for the odd and for the even messages,

* a SSTV picture transmission in a MFSK16 sequence is not possible.

* in MT63, OLIVIA, DominoF and DominoEX one can transmit a prefix in CW using the macros <CW>...<PRECED>. The transmit frequency will be fixed but the receive frequency may change.

Description of the alarm on reception of the operator call

In the "RX/TX" screen, at the start-up of the beacon, the operator can use the button "Beeps on your call". The considered call is the one given in the personal data (<MY CALL> in Personal data and macros). In the pushed position, if the call is decoded during receive, beeps and blinking are started for the operator's benefit. The operator will not have to observe the screen, he will be automatically warned. The button "Stop" stops the beeps as long as it stays pushed.

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Panoramic reception for PSK modes (BPSK31, PSK63 and PSKFEC31)

Panoramic reception for PSK modes (BPSK31, BPSK63 and PSKFEC31)

Introduction

The user may, with "panoramic" reception, read BPSK31, BPSK 63 or PSKFEC31 QSO's in progress, on a 2.3 KHz band (from 200 to 2500 Hz). The maximum number of QSO's displayed is 23 (so one decoding channel every 100 Hz : 200 to 300 hz,..,2400 to 2500 Hz).

For example, by adjusting the receiver on 14070 KHz USB, the user will see all BPSK31 transmissions from 14070.2 to 14072.5 KHz.

Automatic reception and location is done in panoramic mode (PSK31 for example)...please see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

To deal with a PC at 166 MHz, used algorithms have been simplified:

* selectivity is weak, so a close powerful station may stop decoding of a QRP station,

* decoding is not perfect but sufficient to detect interesting calls or CQ,

* a transmission located between 2 decoding channels (at 301 Hz, for example) might be decoded on 2 adjacent channels (200-300 Hz and 300-400 Hz for the example).

The decoding is much better with a PC at 450 Mhz (but lower than the PSK decoding of the TX/RX screen).

IMPORTANT: the "panoramic" reception may be called either by the configuration screen or from the RX/TX screen after having choosen the same PSK mode that one expects for the panoramic. In this last case, by clicking on a channel, one will return in decoding to the selected transmission. Not to lose too many characters due to this passage, the 100 last received characters will be decoded from the clicked line of the panoramic to the RX/TX screen. However some characters will be lost during the passage (due to the absence of decoding during about 1 second).

Start up:

As soon as this option is started, a screen opens which contains:

* a real time spectrum ("waterfall") between 200 to 2500 Hz to be able to observe events in real time,

* 23 decoding lines. If the "panoramic" is called from the RX/TX screen, by clicking on one of these 23 lines, the user returns to the decoder keeping the selected channel frequency,

* the decoder controls (with display, for information, of UTC time and date).

Note: this screen can be positioned and resized by the user, with, however, a minimum size of resizing.

Decoder commands:

They are described below:

* If the mixer is controled by the software:

- the radio buttons to select the input level of the signal, with a factor: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, or 1, or to choose the AGC (Automatic Control Gain) option.

Initially, this factor is selected with the Input level option.

- a window named "Level/Gain (%)" gives pieces of information about the signal level and the gain (which may change is "AGC" is selected).

*If the mixer is controled by the user:

- a button named “Recording control” allows the access to the recording manual control for the input signal, to choose between the line input and the microphone input, the level being selected to avoid overload,

- a button “Output volume“ allows the control of the output signal.

If necessary, see Manual control of the mixer by the user.

- a window named "Level" gives the level of the input signal.

* a pseudo-led "Overload" shows that the signal is overloaded. In that case, the input level will be lowered.

* a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of random characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded). The following rule is taken: when the signal-to-noise ratio goesbelow "Squelch level/10", no characters will be displayed. For example, if the level is 10, only strong signals (S/N>1) are decoded.

* the button "Return" to return either to the configuration screen or to the decoder without having selected a channel.

* the button "STOP" may be used if the user want to block the decoding lines to see hiden , left moved, characters,

* the button "RX" to start up again decoding after a stop,

* the button "Clear all" to clear all the 23 decoding lines,

* the buttons "Country" and "World+ Automatic reception": for manual and automatic reception and location done in panoramic mode...see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

* the buttons ">=450Mhz" and ">=166Mhz" to choose the available PC processor power. Of course, the decoding with a PC at 450 Mhz (a PC at 350 MHz may be sufficient) will be much better.

* a general pseudo-led "Problem" alerts the user that the PC is not powerful enough for this application. This led may also come on if, for example, the window is translated.

It is reminded that a PC at 166 MHz or more is required.

* three buttons "BPSK31", "BPSK63" and "PSKFEC31" allows the user to pass from one mode to the other.

ALARM MANAGEMENT WINDOW

Generalities

The inferior window gives controls allowing the user to be warned in case of reception of a general call "CQ CQ ", of his/her call or one of the texts "Note 1" to "Note 4".

The call and the notes 1 to 4 are specified by clicking the button "Personal data" and filling the corresponding squares.

As all the frequencies on a 2300 Hz band are permanently examined, one can easily program an alarm on the reception of his/her call if, for example, the user is waiting a ham call for a "sked", or on the reception of  "CQ CQ" if the user wants to do a QSO.

At the time of the alarm, beeps and blinking are sent to the user. The frequency of the transmission is also given. The operator does not have any more to observe the screen, he will be warned automatically. The automatic return to the RX/TX screen at the received transmission frequency may be programmed. This will allow a precise decoding and will give to the operator the possibility to answer.

PSKFEC31 mode is preferred for the alarm use because this mode gives few errors due to its time diversity (repetition of each bit).

* the button "CQ CQ" allows the user to be warned in case of reception of a general call "CQ CQ "CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE...",

* the button "Call" allows the user to be warned in case of reception of his/her call,

* the buttons  "Note 1", "Note 2", "Note 3" and "Note4"  allow the user to be warned in case of reception of the text specified for Note x in the personal data,

* the button "Personal data" allows the user to specify his/her call and the text of the notes 1 to 4.

* the button "Stop beeps" stops the beeps as long as it stays pushed.

* the button "Return to RX/TX on alarm" allows the user to return automatically to the RX/TX screen at the received transmission frequency for a precise decoding. Of course, for this function, the panoramic should have been started from the RX/TX screen (and not from the configuration screen).

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Panoramic reception for CW (Morse)

Introduction

The CW panoramic is limited to 5 minutes for non-licencied versions.

The user may, with "panoramic" reception, read CW calls (CQ) or CW QSO's in progress, on a 2.3 KHz band (from 200 to 2500 Hz). The maximum number of QSO's displayed is 23 (so one decoding channel every 100 Hz : 200 to 300 hz,..,2400 to 2500 Hz). The simultaneous decoding of 23 channels is available for Pentium at 1800 Mhz or more poweful.

If the computer is not powerful enough (but at least a Pentium at 700 Mhz or more), it can be decoded 8 channels.

For example, by adjusting the receiver on 7000 KHz USB, the user will see all CW transmissions from 7000.2 to 7002.5 KHz.

Automatic reception and location is done in panoramic mode...please see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

The used algorithm is the one used for the CW decoding on the RX/TX screen, but with a different bandwidth. The channels central frequencies being fix, the decoding is not so good that the one obtained on the RX/TX screen, but keeps correct if the signal is not too much noisy. The decoding on 8 channel is not, of course, so good as the one on 23 channels, the filters being very broad.

IMPORTANT: the "panoramic" reception may be called either by the configuration screen or from the RX/TX screen. By clicking on a channel, one will return in decoding to the selected transmission (approximatively). Not to lose too many characters due to this passage, the 100 last received characters will be decoded from the clicked line of the panoramic to the RX/TX screen. However some characters will be lost during the passage (due to the absence of decoding during about 1 second).

Start up (it is supposed the 23 channels decoding):

As soon as this option is started, a screen opens which contains:

* a real time spectrum ("waterfall") between 200 to 2500 Hz to be able to observe events in real time,

* for each channel, it is displayed the estimated morse speed. If a signal is detected, the speed is displayed on a white background. On the contrary (noise), it is displayed on a green background,

* 23 decoding lines. If the "panoramic" is called from the RX/TX screen, by clicking on one of these 23 lines, the user returns to the decoder keeping the selected channel frequency (approximatively),

* the decoder controls (with display, for information, of UTC time and date).

Note: this screen can be positioned and resized by the user, with, however, a minimum size of resizing.

Decoder commands:

They are described below:

* If the mixer is controled by the software:

- the radio buttons to select the input level of the signal, with a factor: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, or 1, or to choose the AGC (Automatic Control Gain) option.

Initially, this factor is selected with the Input level option.

- a window named "Level/Gain (%)" gives pieces of information about the signal level and the gain (which may change is "AGC" is selected).

*If the mixer is controled by the user:

- a button named “Recording control” allows the access to the recording manual control for the input signal, to choose between the line input and the microphone input, the level being selected to avoid overload,

- a button “Output volume“ allows the control of the output signal.

If necessary, see Manual control of the mixer by the user.

- a window named "Level" gives the level of the input signal.

* a pseudo-led "Overload" shows that the signal is overloaded. In that case, the input level will be lowered.

* a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of random characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded). The following rule is taken: when the signal-to-noise ratio goesbelow "Squelch level/10", no characters will be displayed. For example, if the level is 10, only strong signals (S/N>1) are decoded.

* the button "Return" to return either to the configuration screen or to the decoder without having selected a channel.

* the button "STOP" may be used if the user want to block the decoding lines to see hiden , left moved, characters,

* the button "RX" to start up again decoding after a stop,

* the button "Clear all" to clear all the 23 decoding lines,

* the buttons "Country" and "World+ Automatic reception": for manual and automatic reception and location done in panoramic mode...see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

* the button "23 chan." permits to decode simultaneously 23 CW channels, with a Pentium 1800 MHz as a minimum. The decoding is better than in "8 chan." option.

* the button "8 chan." permits to decode simultaneously 8 CW channels, with a Pentium 700 MHz as a minimum.

* a general pseudo-led "Problem" alerts the user that the PC is not powerful enough for this application. This led may also come on if, for example, the window is translated.

ALARM MANAGEMENT WINDOW

Generalities

The inferior window gives controls allowing the user to be warned in case of reception of a general call "CQ CQ ", of his/her call or one of the texts "Note 1" to "Note 4".

The call and the notes 1 to 4 are specified by clicking the button "Personal data" and filling the corresponding squares.

As all the frequencies on a 2300 Hz band are permanently examined, one can easily program an alarm on the reception of his/her call if, for example, the user is waiting a ham call for a "sked", or on the reception of  "CQ CQ" if the user wants to do a QSO.

At the time of the alarm, beeps and blinking are sent to the user. The frequency of the transmission is also given. The operator does not have any more to observe the screen, he will be warned automatically. The automatic return to the RX/TX screen at the received transmission frequency may be programmed. This will allow a precise decoding and will give to the operator the possibility to answer.

* the button "CQ CQ" allows the user to be warned in case of reception of a general call "CQ CQ "CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE...",

* the button "Call" allows the user to be warned in case of reception of his/her call,

* the buttons  "Note 1", "Note 2", "Note 3" and "Note4"  allow the user to be warned in case of reception of the text specified for Note x in the personal data,

* the button "Personal data" allows the user to specify his/her call and the text of the notes 1 to 4.

* the button "Stop beeps" stops the beeps as long as it stays pushed.

* the button "Return to RX/TX on alarm" allows the user to return automatically to the RX/TX screen at the received transmission frequency for a precise decoding. Of course, for this function, the panoramic should have been started from the RX/TX screen (and not from the configuration screen).

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Panoramic reception for RTTY (45 bauds)

Introduction

The RTTY panoramic is limited to 5 minutes for non-licencied versions.

The user may, with "panoramic" reception, read RTTY calls (CQ) or RTTY QSO's in progress, on a 2.3 KHz band (from 200 to 2500 Hz). The maximum number of QSO's displayed is 8 (so one decoding  every 300 Hz). However, as it is not possible to know if a carrier is a "Mark" or a Space", 22 possibilities of decoding are tested (one every 100 Hz).

This decoding is available for Pentium at 700 Mhz or more poweful.

For example, by adjusting the receiver on 7035 KHz USB, the user will see all RTTY transmissions from 7035.2 to 7037.5 KHz.

Automatic reception and location is done in panoramic mode...please see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

The used algorithm is a simplified version of the one used for the RTTY decoding on the RX/TX screen, but without frequency search. The channels central frequencies being fix, the decoding is not so good that the one obtained on the RX/TX screen, but keeps correct if the signal is not too much noisy.

IMPORTANT: the "panoramic" reception may be called either by the configuration screen or from the RX/TX screen. By clicking on a channel, one will return in decoding to the selected transmission (approximatively). Not to lose too many characters due to this passage, the 100 last received characters will be decoded from the clicked line of the panoramic to the RX/TX screen. However some characters will be lost during the passage (due to the absence of decoding during about 1 second).

Start up (it is supposed the 23 channels decoding):

As soon as this option is started, a screen opens which contains:

* a real time spectrum ("waterfall") between 200 to 2500 Hz to be able to observe events in real time,

* for each channel (except the first), if a signal is detected, the speed is displayed on a white background. On the contrary (noise), it is displayed on a green background,

* 22 decoding lines. If the "panoramic" is called from the RX/TX screen, by clicking on one of these 22 lines, the user returns to the decoder keeping the selected channel frequency (approximatively),

* the decoder controls (with display, for information, of UTC time and date).

Note: this screen can be positioned and resized by the user, with, however, a minimum size of resizing.

Decoder commands:

They are described below:

* If the mixer is controled by the software:

- the radio buttons to select the input level of the signal, with a factor: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, or 1, or to choose the AGC (Automatic Control Gain) option.

Initially, this factor is selected with the Input level option.

- a window named "Level/Gain (%)" gives pieces of information about the signal level and the gain (which may change is "AGC" is selected).

*If the mixer is controled by the user:

- a button named “Recording control” allows the access to the recording manual control for the input signal, to choose between the line input and the microphone input, the level being selected to avoid overload,

- a button “Output volume“ allows the control of the output signal.

If necessary, see Manual control of the mixer by the user.

- a window named "Level" gives the level of the input signal.

* a pseudo-led "Overload" shows that the signal is overloaded. In that case, the input level will be lowered.

* a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of random characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded).

* the button "Return" to return either to the configuration screen or to the decoder without having selected a channel.

* the button "STOP" may be used if the user want to block the decoding lines to see hiden , left moved, characters,

* the button "RX" to start up again decoding after a stop,

* the button "Clear all" to clear all the 22 decoding lines,

* the buttons "Country" and "World+ Automatic reception": for manual and automatic reception and location done in panoramic mode...see Countries, world map, Locator, automatic reception and location.

* the button ">=1.8 GHz" permits to decode, with a Pentium 1800 MHz as a minimum. The decoding is a bit better than in ">=700MHz" option, due to a better filtering.

* the button ">=700MHz" permits to decode with a Pentium 700 MHz as a minimum.

* a general pseudo-led "Problem" alerts the user that the PC is not powerful enough for this application. This led may also come on if, for example, the window is translated.

ALARM MANAGEMENT WINDOW

Generalities

The inferior window gives controls allowing the user to be warned in case of reception of a general call "CQ CQ ", of his/her call or one of the texts "Note 1" to "Note 4".

The call and the notes 1 to 4 are specified by clicking the button "Personal data" and filling the corresponding squares.

As all the frequencies on a 2300 Hz band are permanently examined, one can easily program an alarm on the reception of his/her call if, for example, the user is waiting a ham call for a "sked", or on the reception of  "CQ CQ" if the user wants to do a QSO.

At the time of the alarm, beeps and blinking are sent to the user. The frequency of the transmission is also given. The operator does not have any more to observe the screen, he will be warned automatically. The automatic return to the RX/TX screen at the received transmission frequency may be programmed. This will allow a precise decoding and will give to the operator the possibility to answer.

* the button "CQ CQ" allows the user to be warned in case of reception of a general call "CQ CQ "CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE...",

* the button "Call" allows the user to be warned in case of reception of his/her call,

* the buttons  "Note 1", "Note 2", "Note 3" and "Note4"  allow the user to be warned in case of reception of the text specified for Note x in the personal data,

* the button "Personal data" allows the user to specify his/her call and the text of the notes 1 to 4.

* the button "Stop beeps" stops the beeps as long as it stays pushed.

* the button "Return to RX/TX on alarm" allows the user to return automatically to the RX/TX screen at the received transmission frequency for a precise decoding. Of course, for this function, the panoramic should have been started from the RX/TX screen (and not from the configuration screen).

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IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio

To characterize the signal of a digital transmission, three measures are proposed:

* the IMD (intermodulation distorsion) only for BPSK31, QPSK31, BPSK63 and QPSK63 modes,

* the signal quality for all BPSK modes (PSK10, BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK63F, PSK220F, PSKAM10/31/50 and PSKFEC31),

* the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio) for all modes except FILTERS.

Note: for all modes except SSTV, fax and DSP modes, are displayed a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

IMD

This measurement permits to know the linearity of the sound card and transmitter of the contacted station. In fact, in PSK31 and PSK63, when nothing is transmitted by the user, idling characters are nevertheless transmitted.

Explanation for PSK31 (same principles for PSK63)

This transmission is such that two frequencies appear clearly separated by a 31.25 Hz space. If the sound card or the transmitter is not linear, second or third order intermodulation products are going to appear at different frequencies. In particular, two third order products appear below and above the signal (+/- 46,875 Hz from the central frequency). Computing the ratio between the power of these intermodulation products and the power of the fondamental frequency, one deduce the IMD.

The IMD is significant only if the signal is strong (S/N ratio>10 dB) and if there is no QRM close to the signal.

A good IMD will be inferior or equal to -25 dB (note: the minimum, connected to measurement precision, is about -35 dB).

A bad IMD will be superior to -20 dB. In that case, QRM will be produced par the transmitter on different frequencies. For an example, play the file "EXAMPLE.WAV" where the IMD is very bad and where it can be found clearly the product at 1500 Hz correspondent to 3 times the signal frequency. In that case, the user will have to lower either the AF level (Output volume) or the transmitter microphone gain.

Note: it is préférable to measurer the IMD close to 500 Hz, the measurement precision seeming to be better.

Signal Quality (Q)

A BPSK signal generates 2 phases: 0 and 180 °. More the signal is pure, the more the decoded phase is close to one of these two preceding phases. The average distance to these phases is computed then filtered over 2 seconds. According to the obtained distance, it is given a note between 1 to 5:

* distance>30 °: 	Q=1 (very bad),

* distance between 16 and 30 °:	Q=2 (bad),

* distance between 8 and 16 °: 	Q=3 (medium),

* distance between 4 and 8 °: 	Q=4 (good),

* distance <4 °: 	Q=5 (very good).

Note: a random signal has an average distance of 45 °.

S/N ratio

This measure is obtained by the following manner: S/N ratio=signal power in a frequency band according to the used mode / noise power on 3 KHz.

The noise band really considered is, in general, 300 Hz (+/-150 Hz from the signal central frequency). The probable noise power on 300 Hz is, then, normalized on a 3 Khz noise band, multiplying it by 10.

The S/N ratio is situated between -30 and 15 dB. Beyond these values, il is displayed >15 dB or <-30 dB.

It can be considered that a strong signal has a S/N ratio superior to 0 dB and vice versa.

The S/N ratio is not only connected to the signal power and to noise stricly speaking but also to the IMD. In fact, if the IMD is high the intermodulation products will be seen as noise and will lower the S/N ratio.

The S/N ratio is not precise with modes transmitting no filtered signals (CW; CCW, CCW-FSK...).

In OLIVIA and in PAX/PAX2, the S/N ratio has a meaning only if there is no offset between the sampling frequencies of the sound cards.

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Commands and use of the PSK modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the PSK (including CHIP) modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

For DIGISSTV in PSK63F and PSK220F modes: see Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

-a button "Auto mode" allows the user to detect automatically the BPSK transmission clicked on the spectrum. The choice can be one of the modes PSK10, BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK63F, PSK220F, PSKAM10/31/50 and PSKFEC31. This operation is done in cycles. In the first time (2 seconde), the speed is determined (0 if nothing is received, 10, 31, 50, 63 or 220 bauds). In the second period, the BPSK mode is determined. The detection duration depends on speed. The less the speed (in PSK10, for example) the more the duration (13 secondes at 10 bauds, 5 secondes at 31 bauds and 3 secondes at 63 bauds).

The previously detected mode is displayed in italic. When a mode is detected, display is done in bold and remains such for 2 seconds, which is necessary to determine the new speed in bauds.

A click on the spectrum starts a new cycle.

On noise, or an insufficient transmission time or a too weak signal, displayed speed and mode may be wrong.

If at 31 bauds, no mode is found, the program supposes that it is BPSK31.

IMPORTANT: detection is not done by tentative test decoding of the mode, which might be very complex but by taking into account the peculiarities of bits arrangements. This method is not 100 % sure (for example, from this point of view, the difference between BPSK63 and PSK63F is weak) and the more the Signal/Noise is small, the more the probability of exact detection is degraded.

- For the QPSK31 and QPSK63 modes, a button "Reverse" allows the user to receive in USB a QPSK31 transmission transmitted in LSB, or vice versa. The inversion is also taken into account when transmitting.

- two radio buttons to pass from "master" mode to "slave" and vice versa.The choice is recorded.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked, but the reception frequency may change. In "slave" mode, the transmit frequency is equal to the reception frequency.

- For PSK63F and PSK220F modes: a button "DIGISSTV" is used for transmission and reception of digital pictures in "Run" protocol. See Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

For PSK63F and PSK220F modes: a button "Enabled" enable the working in (by default). If the user does not want any random start-up of the DIGISSTV window, he may wish to not enable it.

-  for CHIP mode: two buttons "CHIP 64" and "CHIP 128" permit to select the block length (64 or 128 bits). Although CHIP 128 be a little more robust than CHIP 64 for a speed twice lower, the standard mode is CHIP 64.

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. If the XIT is worth 0 Hz, the difference between these two frequencies is zero in "Slave" mode but may be not null in "Master" mode. If the XIT (as an offset) is different from 0 Hz, a difference equal to the XIT or slightly different in "master" mode will be found. For the XIT, see  Access to the configuration menu.

IMPORTANT: either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency may be imposed by clicking on the right button when the cursor is focused on the waterfall. If confirmed, the XIT (TX frequency - RX frequency) becomes different from 0. It can be imposed that the RX-TX gap be equal to 0 Hz (normal working).

Attention: the TX frequency is determined from the position of the mouse cursor on the waterfall.

This option is validated if the button "XIT" is pushed.

-  for PSKAM10/31/50 modes: a little window "Received " allows the user to read the last received character in PSKAM including the idle character(>) and the correction character (<). A pseudo-led "Synchro." lights if the received signal is PSKAM (the led stays ON).

- for PSK10 or PSKFEC31 modes: a little window "Received" allows the user to read the last received character in PSK10 or PSKFEC31 including the idle character(>) and the correction character (<).

- for PSKFEC31, a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise or due to a non PSKFEC31 transmission (the principle is not based on level but on a probability estimation of the PSKFEC31 presence). The normal position is on "1" ("0" for all characters displayed, "1" for a low squelch level and "2" for a high level),

- for the BPSK31 mode: the button "F" allows the operator to use a very narrow pass-band filter. It can be useful in case of QRM to select the minimum necessary band. Without QRM, it is not useful to keep it as it is not exactly the best under Signal to noise ratio criteria.

- for the PSK31 modes (BPSK31 or QPSK31), BPSK63, QPSK63, PSK63F, PSK220F, CHIP (64/128): a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded). The following rule is taken: when the signal-to-noise ratio goes below "Squelch level/10", no characters are displayed. For example, if the level is 10, only strong signals (S/N>1) are decoded. When the squelch is in progress, the text "On" is displayed.

In PSKAM, there are very few useless characters, so the squelch is of  no interest.

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- To characterize the signal quality of a digital transmission, three measurements are proposed:

* the IMD (intermodulation distorsion) only for BPSK31, QPSK31; BPSK63 and QPSK63 modes,

* the signal quality for all BPSK modes (BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK10, PSKFEC31 and PSKAM),

* the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio).

For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The transceiver is set for LSB or USB (the default is USB).

Note: for BPSK it does not matter whether the transceiver is set up for LSB or USB. However, it makes a difference for the case of QPSK31 and QPSK63 (a button "Reverse" is provided in these modes to permit the user to avoid touching the transceiver).

The user lets the transceiver warm up for one hour and a half to stabilize its frequency.

Note: it seems that for some very good transceivers the frequency stabilizes in less that 3 minutes...

As already mentionned in the "Use example", if the operator starts calling, he is either in "master" mode if he wishes to impose his frequency (1000 Hz initially) or in "slave" mode if he fears a too big frequency drift of his correspondent. If the operator answers, he selects the "slave" mode.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmission frequency which will remain locked. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, "1000 Hz" or the frequency selected on the spectrum. The transmission frequency is "1000 Hz" or the one selected on the spectrum. It is locked.

If the difference is superior to 3 Hz, there is a drift from the connected station and a risk of unlocking at the next turn-over.

Note : the initial receive frequency may be modified to be different from 1000 Hz…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the frequency corresponding to the selected peak on the spectrum, then, these corresponding to the locking of the PLL. The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The difference is null. Decoding begins almost immediately and the pseudo-led "Synchro." lights up (if it’s a PSKAM transmission). In PSKAM10, the decoding has some seconds of delay.

Note: the software will center itself on the peak (if "Lock" is clicked, which is the normal position in PSK). If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search: the user determines manually the frequency.

The program can follow a PSK transmission affected by a big frequency drift (as can happen in VHF).

For example, with a PC at 166 MHz and a S/N ratio superior or equal to 0,2, it is possible to decode with few errors (due to the drift) until a drift of 40 Hz/minute in both directions (and until 60 Hz/minute if S/N>1).

Note: an automatic detection of the mode is possible (button "Auto mode") but only for BPSK-like modes: PSK10, BPSK31, BPSK63, CHIP (64/128), PSK63F, PSK220F, PSKAM10/31/50, PSKFEC31.

Note: the chosen frequencies in amateur radio will be in the authorized portions of bands for digital modes, see Frequencies used. The chosen band should not be congested (the noise must be more or less a "white" noise in a 200 Hz band, at least).

BPSK31 is the standard way to make QSO's.

QPSK31 may be used in case of bad ionospheric conditions but it is delicate to tune.

BPSK63 is better for contests where it is important to go fast using the sequences (1 to 24). Indeed, it's no use if the user types because the majority of characters transmitted will be idle characters.

QPSK63 is rapid and may be used in case of bad ionospheric conditions but it is delicate to tune.

CHIP (64/128) is a Direct Sequence Spread Sequence (DSSS) mode, this through an original algorithm. This technique permits to achieve a very robust mode.

PSKFEC31 and PSK63F may be used in all cases as the speed is sufficient (28 wpm for PSKFEC31 and 42 wpm for PSK63F) and the errors rate is low. The synchronization does not pose a problem.

PSK220F is rapid (200 wpm in small letters), rather sensitive (S/N min=-7 dB).and, under not too bad contions (VHF for example), reliable (due to Viterbi decoder). It can support big drifts (up to 150 Hz/min) and is easy to tune. So it could, possibly, be useful for collective calls directed to hams and SWL.

DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) in PSK63F and PSK220F

In these modes, it is possible to transmit and receive digital pictures (button "DIGISSTV"). They are preceded by the reception of a prefix as, for example, "Run320x256C" for a color picture in 320x256.

The picture may be automaticaly decoded at any time because each line is transmitted individually (a start up line signal and the line number constituing the beginning of the line).

The picture format must be situated between 8x6 and 320x256 (classical format in analogic SSTV).

After reception of a picture, the program commutes automatically to text mode. The picture may still be stored or printed. However, if a new picture is received, the previous picture will be cleared and lost...

For more details about DIGISSTV, see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description

The controls to receive DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) are described in Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

PSK10 will be used if the propagation conditions are good (no Doppler) but the signal level is very weak.

PSKFEC31 mode is preferable to PSKAM50 and PSKAM31 modes which are powerful but have sometimes synchronization problems if the propagation conditions are bad.

In the opposite case (good conditions), these modes produce very few errors (still less than in PSKFEC31).

PSKAM10 will be used if the signal level is very weak and the QSO in PSK10 is done with a lot of errors.

In the PSK signal is transmitted correctly and no or few letters are displayed, then:

* either the AF signal amplification is not adequate: decrease or increase the input level,

* or the tuning is not correct.

One should note that, practically speaking, the Line in level must be adjusted just below the overload level of the signal (pseudo-led "Overload").

In PSK31, CHIP, PSK63, PSK63F and PSK220F, the squelch allows the user to reduce the number of random characters due to radio noise. The squelch may be used in the same way for PSKFEC31.

Please note that the quality of reception depends on:

* the accuracy and the stability of the set frequency, although the digital PLL may follow a small shift (<5 Hz) around the specified central frequency,

* the radio noise and the interference: the more the PSK signal is powerful compared to noise, the better is the reception.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

In "master" mode, with a XIT equal to 0 Hz, the displayed transmission frequency will be the initial reception frequency…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the displayed frequency will be the last displayed frequency on the "decoding" part if a PSK transmission has been detected, otherwise it will be the frequency issued by the automatic detection.

As explained previously, the normal PSK mode will be the one used during the reception (TX=RX) but the user may want to transmit in a different mode of the called ham (PSK10, for example for a QRP station, the reception being in BPSK31).

DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) in PSK63F and PSK220F

It has already been stated that in these modes, it is possible to transmit and to receive digital pictures with the button "DIGISSTV" and then, for example, "Send color picture". The picture size is limited to 320x256. A picture is displayed with a thick "I" (sort of bold "I").

After transmission of a picture, the program commutes automatically to text mode.

The controls to transmit DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) are described in Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

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Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" mode) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

Preliminary: for details about DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol), see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description

Introduction:

There are four tabs, from left to right:

* the one related to the picture reception ("RX"). It is the default tab,

* the one related to the RX historic pictures ("Historic RX"),

* the one related to the picture transmission ("TX"),

* the one related to the elaboration of personal pictures to transmit ("Picture"),

The used PC must be a PC at 166 MHz as a minimum and a PC at 300 MHz for Packet.

In Packet mode, options "Frame control by checksum active" and "Only the information on RX and TX frames" are automatically set on. DIGISSTV could not work if these options were off.

The commands of the "RX" (Reception) tab are:

Introduction: if the starting picture prefix "Run..." has been received, it is displayed the approximative expected total transmission duration ("d=..."). During the reception of a digital picture, it is displayed, in the white label, the level of reception (in %) of the picture (if the prefix has been received) and the number of the decoded line.

* "Complement": this button allows the user to complement the received picture where possible lines are missing or are erroneous due, for example, to fading.For this, the most likely line is deduced using the immediate lines above and below

Note: a "selective clear" (see further on) is done before the complement.

Just to the right of this button, a little window gives first the number of missing or erroneous lines and in second the most likely picture wdth.

* "Auto complement": this button allows the user to complement the picture (see below), in a standalone way, just before either the manual or the automatic recording (see further on). This function is reserved to licencied versions (click on button "Licence").

* a button "Clear" allows to clear the RX window,

* a button "Selective clear" allows to clear all the non--used or non-valid columns and lines,

Just below this button, a little window gives first the number of missing or erroneous lines and in second the most likely picture wdth.

* a button "Init" re-initialize the picture reception(equivalent to close/open this window),

* "Record automatically": the button [image] allows to store the picture in a file of the "DIGISSTV date time.BMP" type in the sub-directory SSTV_RX (automatically created by MULTIPSK),

* "Record manually": the button [image] allows storing a TX picture, according to the user choice (file name and directory free).

* "Complement and record": this button allows the user to complement and record the picture at the same time.

* an button "Auto recording" allows the software to work in a standalone way. This one listens to the frequency. Each time a picture is completly received, it is recorded in the format described in "Record automatically".

All other buttons are rendered inactive.

* "Print": the button [image] allows to print the screen,

* "Help": supplies a contextual help.

The commands of the "Historic RX" tab are:

* this tab allows displaying one of the last 9 received pictures (they are saved with the date/time of their file name storage). When the picture is displayed, by clicking on a mini-picture, it expands to the window size. A button "Return to historic RX" appears which allows to come back to the historic RX.

* "Print": the button [image] allows to print the screen,

The commands of the "TX" (Transmission) tab are:

Loading of a picture file

* The buttons "Send color picture" "Grey scale" and "B/W" allows the user to load a little color, grey scale or black and white picture under xyz.BMP or xyz.JPG file from the sub-directory SSTV_TX (initially). The picture appears under the shape of a thick "I" on the editor window. When transmitting, it will be generated a prefix: "Run100x80G", for example. The picture must be inserted in text.

In TX position, the picture is immediatly transmitted.

IMPORTANT: the picture format is not fixed as in classical SSTV but can be anything. The maximum  dimensions of the transmitted picture are 320x256.

* A little white label gives the number of available pictures to be transmitted. The maximum (initial) is 5. After programming the transmission of one picture, there will be 4 left, this goes on until 0 is left. The complete transmission of a picture increases this counter by one unity.

Transmission of the picture

After passed in transmission ("TX"), the picture is transmitted automatically. To follow the progress, the user disposes of the time left before the end of transmission of the picture on the blue label.

After transmission of a picture, the program returns automatically to text transmission mode.

Nota: if several pictures are transmitted, the return to 5 (on a white label) shows the end of transmission of all the pictures.

* the button "Immediate stop of the picture transmission" stops the transmission in progress and sends a end of transmission signal (to warn the correspondent Ham).

* "Print": the button [image] allows to print the screen,

The commands of the "Picture" tab (elaboration of personal pictures to transmit) are:

Introduction

This tab allows to modify, according to the user taste, a picture loaded from a file, adding text to it, this thanks to the functions of the "DIGISSTV TEXT" window. When opening this tab, the "Mini_Map.BMP" file (mini map of Europe), from the "Multipsk" directory, is loaded. This picture may serve as a picture test but can be replaced.

The picture size must be comprised between 8x6 and 320x256.

One may also simply displayed the received pictures.

The main commands (above the picture) are the following:

* "Print": the button [image] allows to print the screen,

* "Load": the button [image] allows the user to load a picture under xyz.BMP or xyz.JPG file from the sub-directory SSTV_TX (initially).

Note: this picture may have been realized under the Windows software "Paint",

* "Record manually": the button [image] allows storing a picture, according to the user choice (file name and directory free). It is advised to store the file in the sub-directory SSTV_TX (automatically created by MULTIPSK),

* the buttons "Color simulation", "B and W simulation" and "Grey scale simulation" permit to display the picture as it would be transmitted after having been passed through the "Run" protocol, according to the transmission mode used: colors, black and white or grey scale.

* the button "Original" permits to display the original picture, after a possible passage in simulation.

* the spinbuttons "Height" and "Width" permits to adjust the picture size (expressed in pixels).

The "DIGISSTV TEXT" window commands are the following:

* "Font": the button [image] allows the selection of a characters font,

Note: it has been observed, on a laptop, the necessity to press also on the "Alt" key (left one).

* "Size": a spinbutton allows the selection of the font size, directly, without passing by the Font button.

* "Horizontal scrollbar": the button "<==>" allows to add a horizontal scrollbar, if the texte becomes too long.

* "Cancel": the button [image] allows cancelling the last text "paste" operation.

* "Clear": to clear the text window.

* to paste the text, simply  click where you want to display it in the picture. As long as the left button is down, the text may be moved.

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Commands and use of MT63 modes

Generalities

1) This mode needs a minimum of PC at 1000 MHz.

2) In MT63, the frequency on the spectrum in the range 200 to 2800 Hz is fixed. Therefore, the receiver frequency must be adjusted.

The lower limit is fixed at 500 Hz and the width can be either: 500, 1000 or 2000 Hz.

3) The displayed S/N ratio (signal to noise ratio) is between -10 and 15 dB.

4) It is only possible to go to CW from MT63.

5) For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

Receive commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- the radio buttons allow the choice of  (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to allow reception for example, of LSB to a USB transmission.

- "Bandwidth (Khz)" and "Interleaving" fields

MT63 is defined by:

* its bandwidth: 500, 1000 or 2000 Hz: buttons "0.5", "1", "2" KHz,

* and by the interleaving: "Very st" for "Very short", "St" for "Short", "Lg" for "Long".

Refer to RX/TX mode selection and description) for more details.

The standard mode for calling is 1000 Hz one with long interleaving.

-  "Squelch" button

This button limits the random characters received in the presence of noise. However, weak signals can be affected by the squelch.

To be precise, this squelch is slow (10 sec to act)

- Buttons "< >" and "Co" (for "Correction") label

The RX sound card sampling frequency must be artifically modified to correct a systematic sampling frequency offset due to the sound card. For example, if the sampling average offset is "+ 1%", it must be set "- 1 %" to correct this offset.

IMPORTANT: it is very advised to do this operation in case of systematic offset, because it is easier to make up for a TX speed offset from a beforehand corrected sound card: the adaptation capacity varies from +/-0.5 % (correct or adjusted sound card) to +/0.2 % (bad sound card without adjustment).

The most simple and efficient for the operator is to systematically start, thanks to the button "Sampling freq.", the automatic determination of the MT63 sampling frequency (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies).

Note 1: a correction of "-1 %" means that the sound card has a real sampling frequency superior to 8000 samples/sec.

Note 2: the TX sampling frequency is also modified with the same amplitude as it is supposed that the TX and the RX sound card sampling frequencies are identical.

Note 3: in fact, the sampling frequency of 8000 samples/sec is standard, the effect of a speed different from 8000 is very variable. So, it is not modified. In reality, it is the reception or transmission speed of the signs done by the software which takes into account this correction, which is less good but more sure.

- "Offset Sf" field

Here the operator sees the offset of the sampling frequency as calculated by Multipsk. If the decoding is correct, the operator has an interest in locking the current value by clicking on "Lock". The calculation is done in about 14 seconds in 5 bauds, 7 seconds in 10 bauds and 4 seconds in 20 bauds. If the signal is too weak, then the delay will be longer. If the offset is systematic, the sound card has not the nominal speed and the user must correct its speed (see above " Buttons "< >" and "Co" (for "Correction") label").

Note: MT63 requires a precision of +/- 0.01 % for the sampling frequency. Many soundcards have an offset up to 0,7 % (and sometimes more) compared to the nominal frequency of 8000 samples/second, a thing that makes the decoding of MT63 impossible on many PC's. To correct this, Multipsk calculates automatically the offset between TX and RX sound cards sampling frequencies, up to a maximum of 1,5 % (with not too weak signals).

The most simple and efficient for the operator is to systematically start, thanks to the button "Sampling freq.", the automatic determination of the MT63 sampling frequency (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies).

- Label "RX Offset"

The reception frequency offset computed by Multipsk is displayed. If the translation is correct, the user would do well to lock the current value by clicking the button "Lock". The determination is done in about 14 sec in 5 bauds, 7 sec in 10 bauds and 4 sec in 20 bauds. If the signal is weak, the delay will be larger.

Nota: as the program reception frequency is fixed and the one of the receiver has, in general, a possibility to adjust from 10 to 10 Hz, in MT63 it is compulsory to correct the reception frequency until a frequencial distance equal to the half of the maximum Hamming distance recoverable by MT63 i.e 8 times the interval between two MT63 carriers.

So it is possible to correct the reception frequency up to: +/-62.5 Hz in 5 bauds, +/-125 Hz in 10 bauds and +/-250 Hz in 20 bauds.

- Buttons "Lock"

These buttons allow the user to lock either the sampling frequency offset or the reception frequency offset when the translation is correct. As the sampling frequency offset is a fixed value, it must be locked in priority.

Note: after the automatic determination of the MT63 sampling frequency (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies), if the obtained frequency is within the expected limits (standard +/- 1,5 %), the sampling frequency is automatically locked. In fact, if other Ham have also determined their sampling frequency, there is, normally, no use to ajust it. In the opposite case (the correspondent has a non corrected sampling frequency), it will be necessary to unlock.

- Buttons "< >"

If the sampling frequency offset is known by the user (due to a preceding QSO for example), he can lock it and adjust it to the right value.

The same principle applies to the reception frequency offset.

- Buttons "0"

As the reception frequency offset or the reception frequency offset may move randomly on noise, these buttons allow the user to bring back the offsets to 0 Hz (standard value).

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

Transmission commands

In transmission, the MT63 characteristics mode can't be modified.

- Button "Tune"

This control allows the user to transmit the 2 extreme frequencies of the considered MT63 band (500,

1000 or 2000 Hz), if no text is being transmitted. This can help a ham to adjust on the transmission.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The radio is set up for USB as default. It should be noted that MT63 cannot be received equally in USB and LSB, therefore the use of the "reverse" button helps to correct a wrong sideband setup.

At receive, the operator put the signal on the waterfall display between the two blue vertical lines. To do this the receiver frequency should be adjusted.

The software determines first the exact offset in Hz and, then, the difference in sampling frequencies of the two sound cards.

After a short period (1.6 seconds for 2000 Hz short and 12.8 seconds for 500 Hz long) due to interleaving, text can be read on the display.

As soon as the decoded text seems to be correct, it is preferable to lock the offset sampling frequency  by the "Lock" button. It is always better to start by correcting the sampling speed of the sound card with the buttons "< >".

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

"Tune" permits the opposite station to adjust his reception.

Because of the delay caused by interleaving (1.6 seconds in short 2000 Hz to 12.8 seconds in 500 Hz long), return to receive indicated by the activation of spectrum display takes some time. During this time a message shows that the buffers are being emptied ("Flushing buffers...").

The agreed to mode for a CQ call is  1000 Hz  with long interleaving.

In MT63, it is possible to transmit a CW call, thanks to the macro <CW> ....<PRECED>: <PRECED> allows the user the return to the preceding (previous) mode (MT63 in our case) after having transmitted in a given mode (CW in our case). Example: if the transmit mode is MT63, then "<CW> CQ DE F6CTE <PRECED>" will mean to transmit the text "CQ DE F6CTE" in CW and the go to  MT63".

It should be remembered that the display start time (due to offsets determination delays) is long.

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Commands and use of the CW (Morse) mode

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the CW mode as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- the radio buttons to enable or disable the signaling tone (at 800 Hz) of the keying such as «seen» by the program. It is one of the methods (with the led's and the decoding quality) to know if it is well adjusted. The tone is transmitted with a certain delay compared with the keying as heard at the speaker of the transceiver.

Note: in WINDOWS NT, this command is not available.

- the radio buttons to select the bandwidth. Two filters are available: bandwidth of 100 Hz (narrow) and 600 Hz (wide).

A narrow bandwidth filter is less sensitive to noise that a wide filter but it is more delicate to adjust the frequency.

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. For CW, the frequency difference corresponds to the XIT is taken into account. For the XIT, see  Access to the configuration menu.

IMPORTANT: either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency may be imposed by clicking on the right button when the cursor is focused on the waterfall. If confirmed, the XIT (TX frequency - RX frequency) becomes different from 0. It can be imposed that the RX-TX gap be equal to 0 Hz (normal working).

Attention: the TX frequency is determined from the position of the mouse cursor on the waterfall.

This option is validated if the button "XIT" is pushed.

- a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded). The following rule is taken: when the signal-to-noise ratio goes below "Squelch level/10", no characters are displayed. For example, if the level is 10, only strong signals (S/N>1) are decoded. When the squelch is in progress, the text "On" is displayed.

- the indication "CW S." informs of the decoding speed selected by the user (between 10 and 52 wpm) or detected by the program (in automatic mode).

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

First, the CW parameters are selected (see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description).

The user selects a Morse transmission by clicking on the AF spectrum. The software centers itself on the peak if the button "Lock" is pushed (normal position). If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search: the user determines manually the frequency.

Attention, it is useless to decode a CCW or CCW-FSK transmission in CW mode.

When we have a Morse signal, if none or very few letters are displayed,

* either the AF signal amplification is not adequate: decrease or increase the Line in level,

* or it may be a very bad CW (not a good hand) transmission and there is no solution...

It is reminded that, practically speaking, the input level must be adjusted just below the overload level of the signal (pseudo-led "Overload").

If the CW speed has been selected by the user (for example, 20 wpm) and not set in automatic (standard choice), then that will be considered as good when the decoded text appears normally.

Note: in reality, it’s not a speed but a range of speeds. The 20 wpm speed allows decoding keying from 14 to 27 wpm.

Note: the program determines the CW speed (displayed on "S. CW" button).

Please remember that:

* the higher the decoding speed, the more difficult it is to decode and the higher the errors,

* the less the keying quality, the more the decoding is difficult (an automatic keying is more readable than manual keying),

* the more the keying signal received from the transceiver is powerful compared with noise and interference, the better is the decoding. A Morse signal too weak compared with noise is not decodable by this program although it would be decoded by a human being.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

When typing, the Line feed is displayed but not sent (no Morse character for Line feed).

The Morse signal is transmitted at the same frequency as in reception.

The user must not answer a CCW or CCW-FSK transmission by a CW signal, because in CW there is no idling transmission, which may cause the operator to lose the synchronization.

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Commands and use of the CCW (Coherent CW) and CCW-FSK modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the CCW and CCW-FSK modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- a button "Morse sound" permits to, digitally, build the Morse signal, which strongly reduces radio noise and allows the selection of the only one signal clicked on the waterfall, this for the ones who want to decode "with hears". To listen to this Morse signal, it is compulsory to connect an amplified loud-speaker (high input impedance) to the output jack of the sound card. For a Ham, this amplified loud-speaker will be set in parallel to the connection between output of the sound card and the transceiver. However, the Morse signal becomes very difficult to decode "with hears" if the noise becomes very strong (even if the program keeps on decoding).

The frequency of the Morse signal will correspond to the higher of both frequencies (the one clicked on the waterfall). The level of this signal will be more or less proportionnal to the received signal level.

When transmitting, check that the transceiver output power does not vary. If it varies, it means that the input impedance of the amplified loud-speaker is too low for the sound-card ouput impedance and you must remove the loud-speaker.

- two radio buttons to pass from "master" mode to "slave" and vice versa.The choice is recorded.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked, but the reception frequency may change. In "slave" mode, the transmit frequency is equal to the reception frequency.

- three buttons permit to select between CCW at 12, 24 or 48 words per minute.

- two buttons to choose between the standard CCW mode, thanks to the button "CCW (OOK)" (OOK modulation, as in CW) and the CCW-FSK "CCW-FSK" (FSK modulation as in RTTY, with a "shift" of 160 Hz),

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. If the XIT is worth 0 Hz, the difference between these two frequencies is zero in "Slave" mode but may be not null in "Master" mode. If the XIT (as an offset) is different from 0 Hz, a difference equal to the XIT or slightly different in "master" mode will be found. For the XIT, see  Access to the configuration menu.

In CCW-FSK, the considered frequency is the Morse signal one.

IMPORTANT: either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency may be imposed by clicking on the right button when the cursor is focused on the waterfall. If confirmed, the XIT (TX frequency - RX frequency) becomes different from 0. It can be imposed that the RX-TX gap be equal to 0 Hz (normal working).

Attention: the TX frequency is determined from the position of the mouse cursor on the waterfall.

This option is validated if the button "XIT" is pushed.

- a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded).

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

First, the CCW or CCW-FSK parameters are selected (see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description).

The user selects a CCW transmission (detectable with the "CCW" prefix and their waiting character (-_---)) by clicking on the AF spectrum. The software centers itself on the peak if the button "Lock" is pushed (normal position). If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search: the user determines manually the frequency.

In CCW-FSK, the user clicks on the superior frequency (the on of the Morse signal). It is interesting to click on the button "Morse sound" for a control ("with hears") of the Morse signal as selected by the program.

Attention, it is useless to decode a CW transmission in CCW or CCW-FSK mode.

For the "master"/"slave" mode:

If the operator starts calling, he is either in "master" mode if he wishes to impose his frequency (1000 Hz initially) or in "slave" mode if he fears a too big frequency drift of his correspondent. If the operator answers, he selects the "slave" mode.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmission frequency which will remain locked. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

Note : the initial receive frequency may be modified to be different from 1000 Hz…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The difference is null.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

To choose the "master"/"slave" mode, see the previous paragraph.

The Morse signal is transmitted at the same frequency as in reception.

The user must not answer a CCW or CCW-FSK transmission by a CW signal, because in CW there is no idling transmission, which may cause the operator to lose the synchronization.

The user must be sure to hear a CCW or a CCW-FSK transmission before answering in CCW (or in CCW-FSK). CW has no idling characters.

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General commands and use of Packet modes, APRS and DIGISSTV

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the general commands used for the Packet modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

For the specific Packet commands: see Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

To use APRS on Packet: see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

To use DIGISSTV on Packet: see Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

General commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

General commands are given from left to right:

- a window "Mark/space frequencies" gives the frequencies of the Mark and the Space of the PACKET transmission, after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum in Packet 300 bauds. In Packet 1200 bauds, they are fixed and equal to 1200 and 2200 Hz.

Note:  the transmit frequencies (Mark/space) are the same as the receive frequencies.

- a button "DIGISSTV" is used for transmission and reception of digital pictures in "Run" protocol. See Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol)

* a button "APRS" (radio-location), see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

1200 bauds

On his VHF receiver in FM, the operator tunes his frequency on a BBS (station "Packet server") with the two fréquencies (1200 and 2200 Hz) on the waterfall fixed.

He connects to the BBS. Once done, using the BBS server commands, he has access to documentation. He can read or drop messages (as e-mails way). He will disconnect to the BBS.

The main APRS frequency is 144.800 MHz.

300 bauds

In HF, there is few BBS, communications must be done rather from a Ham to another Ham. There is also an APRS traffic.

As Packet signals have two peaks separated by a "shift" of 200 Hz on the spectrum display, the user, using the mouse, selects the right –hand peak.

Note: the receiver could be in USB or in LSB but, in fact, it does matter as bits are detected as passages or not from mark to space or reversely.

The CQ is done in "Unproto" mode and the connection can be done in response to the call.

The operator will connect, do his QSO and then deconnect.

The QSOs in Packet 300 bauds HF must be done with a very good signal, if not frames might be repeated without end.

It is important for the user to know the commands as they play a big role in this mode (see Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

The commands to receive/transmit in APRS protocol are described in Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol)

It is possible to transmit and receive digital pictures (button "DIGISSTV"). They are preceded by the reception of a prefix as, for example, "Run320x256C" for a color picture in 320x256.

The picture may be automaticaly decoded at any time because each line is transmitted individually (a start up line signal and the line number constituing the beginning of the line).

The picture format must be situated between 8x6 and 320x256 (classical format in analogic SSTV).

After reception of a picture, the program commutes automatically to text mode. The picture may still be stored or printed. However, if a new picture is received, the previous picture will be cleared and lost...

For more details about DIGISSTV, see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description

The controls to receive DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) are described in Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

The commands to receive/transmit Packet (Connect/Disconnect) are described in Description of the specific PACKET mode commands.

The commands to receive/transmit in APRS protocol are described in Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol)

It has already been stated that it is possible to transmit and to receive digital pictures with the button "DIGISSTV" and then, for example, "Send color picture". The picture size is limited to 320x256. A picture is displayed with a thick "I" (sort of bold "I").

After transmission of a picture, the program commutes automatically to text mode.

The controls to transmit DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) are described in Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

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Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

Introduction

0) For a more general description of the Packet and its associated protocols, see General commands and use of Packet modes, APRS and DIGISSTV

1) BBS means "Bulletin Board System". It is a "Packet server" Ham station. They exist in VHF for Packet in 1200 bauds, in UHF for Packet in 9600 bauds and less commonly in HF 300 bauds.

2) In Packet 300 bauds (HF), Mark and Space frequencies are adjustables and reversible, when in Packet 1200 bauds (VHF) they are fixed and equal to 1200 and 2200 Hz. Therefore, in 1200 bauds, the receiver frequency must be adjusted.

3) The S/N ratio (signal to noise ratio) in Packet cannot be calculated due to the too large bandwidth.

4) Packet may be used in a receive only in a receive/transmit way.

5) The "Packet beacon" and "AX25 responder" commands can be found at the end of this chapter. These functions are obtained by clicking on the button "Resp./beac.".

The "Radio mail" commands associated with the " AX25 responder" can be found at the end of this chapter. This function is obtained either by clicking on the button "Mail" from the "RX/TX" screen or by clicking on "Radio mail" from the AX25 responder.

6) In 300 bauds, in HF, there are few BBS, communications are rather done from a Ham to another Ham. There is also APRS traffic. The QSOs in this mode must be done with a very good signal, if not frames might be repeated without end. The CQ is done in "Unproto" mode and connection can be done in response to the call.

The receiver could be in USB or in LSB but, in fact, it does matter as bits are detected as passages or not from mark to space or reversely.

7) In 1200 bauds, in VHF (FM), the operator can connect to a BBS (Ham station used in "Packet server"). Once done, using the BBS server commands, he can access to documentation or to read or to drop messages (as e-mails way).

8) A PC at 166 Mhz is the minimum for doing Packet in good condition without too much delay in due to the building of frames during the transmission period.

9) For information about APRS commands see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

8) For information about the pictures transmission in DIGISSTV, see Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

General commands

Introduction: en Packet, there is 3 basic modes:

* the "'Monitor" mode: to decode all the frames,

* the "Unproto" mode: to communicate without making use of the numbered information frames, so without acknowledgment protocol,

* the "Connect/Disconnect" which is the standard communication Packet mode betweew a given "destination" station (him) and a given sender (you).

- buttons "300 b" and "1200 b"

The operator may choose between Packet 300 bauds in HF (USB) or Packet 1200 bauds in VHF (FM). For more details about these modes see RX/TX mode selection and description.

The standard mode is the 1200 bauds one.

- button "Options"

By clicking on this button it is opened the window "Packet parameters". This one gives access to several sub-windows which will be described further.

After modifying parameters, the operator may either keep them by clicking on "OK" or come back to the previous parameters by clicking on "Cancel" or see basic parameters by clicking on "Default parameters". "Help" supplies a contextual help.

- button "Monitor"

In this mode, the operator cannot do more than receiving. So, he will, particurarly, use the display options described herefater (chapter: Frames display and available display options).

The operator cannot pass in "Monitor" if he is connected or he is connecting. He must first disconnect (button "Disconnect")..

- button "Unproto"

In this mode all the received frames are displayed as in "Monitor" mode but the operator can also transmit numbered information frames (UI). So, there is neither acknowledgment nor exchange protocol. It is the same sort of QSO (key to key) as in PSK31 or RTTY.

On the other hand, on a connexion request, if you are concerned (you are the destination), it will have an automatic switching to the "Connect/Disconnect" mode, in the standard AX25 protocol.

About the way to send characters, see the paragraph "Use of the keyboard to send messages".

The operator cannot pass in "Unproto" if he is connected or he is connecting. He must first disconnect (button "Disconnect").

Adress formation

For about the sender, it will be used the call situated in the field "Sender". For the destination, it is taken what belongs to the field "Destination in Unproto" in the window "Various pieces of information" available by clicking in the button "Options" which opens the window "Packet parameters".

The destination (in 9 characters maximum) can be "CQ", "ALL" or "F6CTE-12", etc

"Conference"

If several Hams are in conference, it will be possible to put the subject "PACKET", for example, in "Destination" call and then filter (see option "Filter of frames on call (destination or source)" further on) on the call "PACKET", so as to have only frames about this subject..

- buttons "Connect" and "Disconnect" and fields "Destination" and "Sender": see further on, in the "Commands to connect and use a BBS (in 1200 bauds)" section.

- button "APRS" (radio-location), see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

- button "DIGISSTV" (transmission of digital pictures), see Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

In DIGISSTV, options "Frame control by checksum active" and "Only the information on RX and TX frames" are automatically set on. DIGISSTV could not work if these options were off.

RX and TX frames display and available display options

RX Frames display

Frames are displayed but more or less completly, according to the display options.

When receiving frames, a blue label situated to the right to "Sig" ("Signal") lights up on detection of a signal. It lights up also when transmitting frames.

Here after the standard display is described.

This is not the AX25 protocol description. For more information, please fetch it on Internet.

It can be found in a frame:

1) on the first line, the frame management information:

* destination amateur call sign,

* a dash followed by the destination SSID (Secondary Station Identifier from 0 to 15): "8" for a BBS.... The SSID=0 (standard Ham station) is not displayed,

* the string " de " after the destination call sign,

* the source amateur call sign,

* a dash followed by the source SSID (if the SSID is different from 0),

* the string "via" if there are repeaters,

* possible repeaters with their SSID (if the SSID is different from 0) followed by ".", by their H bit ("*" if set to 1 by repeaters and nothing if set to 0) and by a space,

Note: the last repeater with its bit H to "*" is the effectively received repeater.

* the string "Ctl " ("Control") as separation string for "comments just after",

* the procedure type: "C" for "Command" or "R" pour "Response" (information coming from the bits "C" of the 2 first SSID),

* a space,

* the frame type (for example: "SABM"), information coming from the control field,

* if it is a "I" frame, the value of the N(R) and then N(S) variable and if it is a supervisory frame ("RR", "RNR" and "REJ")  the value of the N(R) variable ((N(S) is the number of the sent frame modulo 8 beginning by 0 and N(R) the number of the next frame to receive (modulo 8) acknowledging the previous received frames),

* a dash followed by the bit P/F (Poll/Final) value. If it is requested an immediate reply to the other ham (bit P/F=1), it is displayed "p". If it is the answer to a request (bit P/F=1), it is displayed "f". If the bit P/F is equal to 0 (none answer is requested), there is no dash and it is displayed nothing,

* if the frame is an information one (I or UI), the PID value (which represents the routing protocol, for example " Pid=F0" for an abscence of routing protocole) is displayed in hexadecimal value,

* if the frame control is notched (see further on) and if the frame is a I or UI or FRMR one, the information length is displayed, for example " Len=25",

* the character ">",

2) on the second line, for I, UI and FRMR frames, the data ("My QTH is Bures-sur-Yvette", for example).

Available reception options

Option "800 Hz": in 1200 bauds mode, some Kantronics TNC don't work on the 1000 Hz standard shift but on a 800 Hz shift (1300 Hz / 2100 Hz). In these (rare) cases click on the button "800 Hz.

Available display options

These options are available by clicking on the button "Options" which opens the window "Packet parameters". In the sub-window "Frames display options", it is proposed:

* option "Frame control by check sum active": by default, this option is notched. If the option is unnotched, all frames, valid or not, will be displayed, but only in "Monitor" ou "Unproto" mode. In this case, the sign "#" will be displayed at the end of the frame if it is valid and "!" if it is not valid.

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been unnotched:

- option "Flags displayed by a "$" or a "£"": if notched, it is displayed $ for start flags and £ for the end flag,

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been notched:

- option "Only the information on RX and TX frames": by default, this option is notched. If this case, only the information part of the received and sent frames is displayed.

It is, then, recommended to be in "Double window" mode (windows RX/TX separated).

Note: to apply this function, the "Date/time displayed for each frame" option must not be notched.

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been notched (options only available for non-limited Multispk version (with user key)):

- option "Date/timedisplayed for each frame": by default, this option is unnotched. If the option is notched, all received and transmitted frames will be preceded by the reception date and time, according to the format: year-month-day hour-minute-second,

Note: to apply this function, the "Only the information on RX and TX frames" option must not be notched.

- option "Filter of frames on call (destination or source)": if notched, the "call sign on 6 characters maximum" must be fillled. In "Monitor" ou "Unproto" mode, if the comparison with the received destination call or to the received source call is positive, the frame will be displayed. If negative, the frame will not be displayed.

TX Frames display

Frames are displayed beginning by the adress on the form '->' destinatation 'de' source (sender).

The character "C" or "R" (for "Command" or "Response"), the frame type and the sign ">" are displayed behind.

It it is a I frame, the value of the variables N(R ) et N(S) ((N(S) is the number of the sent framey and N(R) the number of the next frame to receive) are displayed after the character "C" or "R".

If it is a I or UI frame, the information field is displayed just behind.

The repeaters are not displayed.

Available display options

These options are available by clicking on the button "Options" which opens the window "Packet parameters". In the sub-window "Frames display options", it is proposed:

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been notched:

- option "Only the information on RX and TX frames": by default, this option is unnotched. If the option is notched, only the information part of the received and sent frames is displayed.

Use of the keyboard to send messages

It is not, as with others modes (PSK31 for exemple), a character transmission occurring as soon as the characters are typed. Here, these ones are sent by packet, inside frames, in the information field.

IMPORTANT:

The program considers that the characters typed by the user must be transmitted if one of these two conditions is filled:

* a carriage return (line feed) with the key <---/ has been typed,

* the number of typed characters is superior to the maximum number of bytes of data per sending ("PACLEN" parameter described in the following chapter).

Text sending

If a text is sent by clicking on the sequence (long macro) button (1 to 24 possible sequences using the <Ctrl> key), it will be sent according to the previous conditions. If the text does not finished by a line feed, it will remain some no-sent characters. The user will not have more than typing on the key <---/  to finsh the sending. If the text finished by a line feed, all will be sent without user intervention.

Commands to connect and use a BBS (in 1200 bauds)

- buttons "Connect" and "Disconnect"

The operator may connect to a BBS (for frequencies see Frequencies used) by clicking on the button "Connect". The fields "Destination" (the BBS) and "Source" (your call sign) must be filled.

Once connected, using the BBS server commands, the operator can accede to documentation or to read or to drop messages (as e-mails way).

He will, then, disconnect from the BBS by clicking on the button "Disconnect".

- Fields "Destination" and "Sender"

The fields "Destination." (here, for example, the BBS) and "Sender" (your call sign) must be filled if the operator wishes to connect to a BBS or to do QSO with another Ham. Each of these fields is composed of 2 parts:

* the first one corresponds to the call and is 6 characters long maximum, composed of capitals and figures

* the second one corresponds to the SSID and must be composed of "-" followed by the SSID number (equipemnt number).The SSID must be written after the call, on the last positions.

For the operator, itself, and for the other operator if he is a Ham (and not a BBS), the SSID may be omitted which will be translated by '-0' (default SSID).

If there is no SSID and if the call sign is longer than 6 characters, only the 6 first characters will be taken into account. During connection, the fields are not enabled for modification.

Examples: "F6CTE-0" or "F6CTE", "F6C   -1", "F6CTEE-2'.

A BBS will have a SSID number almost equal to 1 or 8. A previous listening of the BBS will give information about the SSID number.

These call signs are stored in the file PACKET.TXT.

Available options

These options are available by clicking on the button "Options" which opens the window "Packet parameters".

In the sub-window "Possible use of one to 8 repeaters", it is proposed to use from one to 8 repeaters. This possibility must be used if there is no possibility to have directly access to the BBS. The operator must be sure that these repeaters are operational and that they are going to proceed your message towards the BBS. It is rare to use more than 2 repeaters, this according to the BBS density in your area.

A repeater is defined in the same way as for the destination and the sender. Hence, it is composed of 2 parts:

* the first one corresponds to the call and is 6 characters long maximum, composed of capitals and figures,

* the second one corresponds to the SSID and must be composed of "-" followed by the SSID number (equipemnt number).The SSID must be written after the call, on the last positions.

If the repeater is a basic station, the SSID may be omitted which will be translated by '-0' (default SSID).

If there is no SSID and if the call sign is longer than 6 characters, only the 6 first characters will be taken into account.

Examples for a repeater: "F6CTE-0" or "F6CTE", "F6C   -4", "F6CTEE-4'.

IMPORTANT: repeaters must be separated by commas.

Example for 8 repeaters:

"REPEA1-4,REPEA2-4,REPEA3-4,REPEA4-4,REPEA5-4,REPEA6-4,REPEA7-4,REPEA8-4".

Afterwards, the user will click on "To noch if one repeater is used, at least", to take into account this string of repeaters.

The repeater string is stored in the file PACKET.TXT.

It is not advisable to pass 2 repeaters because beyond the waiting time becomes prohibitive and the transmission uncertain.

In the sub-window "Connection / Disconnection", it is proposed several options which are explained hereafter:

* "Maximum acknowledgement time" ("FRACK" or "T1" parameter): shows the maximum time during which the acknowledgement from the BBS will be waited, after sending a connection demand to this BBS. FRACK must be between 2 and 60 seconds (default: 5).

Note: if the operator uses repeaters, to let time to repeat the message, FRACK is adjusted according to the number (N) of repeaters, with the formula:

Adjusted FRACK = FRACK x (2 x N +1).

* "Maximum number of retries" ("RETRY" or "N2" parameter): shows the maximum number of connection retries. A connection comprises the SABM frame sending and the maximum acknowledgement time FRACK. After RETRY retries, it is considered that it is not possible to link the BBS. This number must be between 1 and 200 (default: 10).

In the sub-window "Frames transmission options", it is proposed several options which are explained hereafter:

* "Maxi. number of frames by package" ("MAXFRAME" or "K" parameter): shows the maximum number of frames which can be grouped into one sending (in case of a long text, for example). This number must be between 1 and 7 (default: 3). It can be big only if the transmission conditions are very good,

IMPORTANT: at 300 bauds a MAXFRAME of 1 would be preferable.

* "Maximum number of "datas" per frame" ("PACLEN" or "N1" parameter): shows the maximum number of bytes of data into one frame. As for "MAXFRAME", this number must be between 1 and 255 (default: 128). It can be big only if the transmission conditions are very good,

IMPORTANT: at 300 bauds a PACLEN of 70 or less would be preferable.

* "Waiting time on channel clear before TX" ("DWAIT" parameter): shows the waiting time before passing in transmission. The waiting begins as soon as the channel is clear (no frames reception). If during DWAIT, the channel is still clear, it is given the order to pass in transmission. DWAIT must be between 20 and 250 (default: 20) hundredth of second.

IMPORTANT: at 300 bauds, this time must be rather bigger (for example 80), the short waves conditions being disturbed by fading (the signal being able to disappear).

Nota 1: if collisions in serie occured (each ham transmitting at the same moment), the user would have to modify the DWAIT parameter of 20 /100 of second, for example.

Note 2: the switch from reception to transmission is not instantaneous so the use of the following parameter (TXDELAY)...

Note 3: due to the Windows buffers management, this duration has, in fact, a random charateristic, which justify not to use the PERSIST and SLOTTIME...standard parameters. However, as a precaution, it has been introduced an additional delay of 300 ms which is randomly added to DWAIT, once over two on average.

* "XCVR RX-->TX turnaround time" ("TXDELAY" parameter): covers the switching time necessary to start really the transmitter. It is equal to the duration between the transmission order and the real transmission. Il is a delay only linked to your hardware. TXDELAY must be between 10 and 120 (default: 40) hundredth of second. It may be adjusted according to your hardware.

Note 1: the program sends idling flags during the TXDELAY time.

Note 2: the standard delay induced by TXDELAY+DWAIT = 0.6 sec gives a reasonable time for the other Ham to pass in reception (hardware and software).

* "Inactivity time before link test" ("CHECK" or "T3" parameter): to maintain the link integrity, after CHECK x 10 seconds of inactivity, the link is verified through the transmission of a RR frame. CHECK must be between 1 and 255 x10 seconds (30 by defaut, hence 300 seconds or five minutes). If the link is reliable, CHECK can be increased until 255 (42 minutes). At the contrary (very unreliable link), the link may be tested every 20 seconds.

Some general and message BBS commands

There are a lot of others commands that the operator will use as his needs dictate.

It is to note that this software does not allow file transfert (YAPP protocol).

IMPORTANT: any command (of one or several letters) must be followed by a carriage return.

* A (Abort)	Stop current action,

* B (Bye)	Disconnect BBS,

* H (Help)	Display summary of all BBS commands,

* ? S 	Display summary of command x ("S" in the example),

* I (Information)	Display information about BBS,

* K x (Kill)	Kill your message numbered x,

* KM (Kill Mine)	Kill all messages addressed to you that you have read,

* L (List)	List all messages entered since you last logged to BBS,

* LB (List Bulletins)	List all bulletin messages,

* LM (List Mine)	List all messages adressed to you,

* LN (List Not read)	List all new messages adressed to you,

* LL x (List Last)	List the last x messages (x is a number) stored on BBS,

* R x (Read)	Read message numbered x,

* RM (Read Mine)	Read all messages adressed to you,

* S [Call sign] (Send)	Send message to station whose call sign is "Call sign" at this BBS,

* S [Call sign] @ [call BBS]	Send message to station whose call sign is "Call sign" at BBS whose 	call sign is "call BBS ".

Reading a QSO

The mode changes TX->RX and RX->RX are not noted, so as not to complicate the text.

The frame sendings are preceded of "->" to facilitate the reading.

If the option "Only the information on RX and TX frames" is notched, the RX and TX adresses are not displayed (only the information fields are displayed).

In  "Responder" mode, only the received frames are recorded.

For information on this subject, see Reading a QSO in progress or a previous QSO

Packet beacon (available for licensed copies only)

General description

The Packet beacon allows the automatic operation of reception and transmission, alternatively. The program works independently in a stand-alone way. Except for a particular need, the beacon does not have to work for more than one or two hours long. The transmitted message is prepared before hand. The reception duration is adjustable.

The beacon can work in parallel with the responder.

Description of the "Packet beacon" window

The user will have the possibility to program the beacon operation. For that, the user will have to choose:

* the total working duration of the beacon (transmission + pause): from 15 minutes to infinity,

* the pause duration after a message: from 5 seconds to 15 minutes (900 s). During this pause, the software passes in reception, to decode possible answers,

An example of beacon programming:

* 4 hours (240 minutes) of total beacon duration,

* 2 minutes (120 secondes) of pause (after each message).

* button "Message transmitted by the beacon": when clicking one of this button, the corresponding message is loaded in the "Message text " window where it can be modified.

* button "Beacon enabled": when clicking on this button (for licensed copies only), the beacon is enabled. This option is recorded but after the end of the expected duration for the beacon, it is set off service (disabled).

Automatic AX25 individual responder

General description

When the responder is enabled, the working is completely automatic. On connection of another ham, the responder immediatly sends a reception message (programmed by the operator). It is proposed basically, as an example:

"Welcome to my automatic responder.

Type "L" to read the titles of the 8 messages.

Type "Rx" to read the message number x (x from 1 to 8).

Your message will be stored.

The transmitted power is 5 watts and my Locator is JN18CQ."

IMPORTANT: you must stay nearby the station (total automatic station needs extra-licence).

It is possible to manage 8 different messages (to be sent). Then, the connected Ham will be able, as indicated, either to read these 8 messages titles ("L" command) or to read one of the messages 1 to 8 by the Rx command ("R1" to "R8").

The message(s) written by the other Ham will be recorded.

So, the operator will be able to manage messages he want to send to other Hams and to read the received messages.

This responder has, hence, a function of "telephonic answering machine" and a function of "individual Internet page" with the difference that, here, only text can be stored and transmitted.

The beacon can work in parallel with the responder (for example, to signal the presence of the responder), but the beacon will not work when the responder will be connected.

Preliminaries

1) A message is composed of:

* a text ("Message text" window) of 65000 characters maximum,

* and a title ("Title") of 55 characters maximum.

2) There are 8 programmables messages with the connection message (the one which is automatically sent to the other Ham when he connects). The connection message title is not, in fact, sent (it is left for a possible management).

3) All the received messages during the cession are stored on the radio mail (see further).

Commands description

* buttons "Message 1" to "Message 8" and "Connection": when clicking one of these buttons, the corresponding message and its title are loaded in the "Message text and "Title" windows where they can be modified.

* button "Record the message": this button records the message in the main directory under the file label "Mx.SER" for the message text and "Tx.SER" for the title (x from 1 to 8 for messages 1 to 8 and 9 for the connection message).

* button "Archive Message 1" to "Archive Message 8" and "Archive "connexion"": when clicking on one of these buttons, the corresponding message text is archived in the sub-directory "Packet" under the model "date (year/month/day) time Title.TXT" file.

* button "Responder enabled": when clicking on this button (for the licensed copies only), the responder is enabled.

This option is recorded.

* button "Radio mail": when clicking on this button, it opens the radio mail where are managed the different messages received by the Packet and PAX/PAX2 responders (see description hereafter).

* button "Help" to get a contextual help.

Radio mail (common to PAX/PAX2 and Packet)

This radio mail permits to manage the mails received by the Packet or PAX/PAX2 responder.

The radio mail file storing the messages is called "RADIO_MAIL.TXT".

Only the 63 first characters of the messages are displayed. To have the complete message, click on "Message display".

The possibilities given by this radio mail to the user are the following:

* navigation in the radio mail either one (message) by one (message) or page (of 10 messages) by page (of 10 messages). The user may, also, go directly to the beginning or to the end of the radio mail. The total number of messages (after data filtering) and the number of the last message (for the user to know where he is located in the mail), are displayed.

* thanks to the button "From all datas", possibility to filter from either all data (each filter takes, initially, into account all records) or from the previous filtered records (so filters can be cascaded).

* call filter: the user writes the call in the filter editor and clicks on "Call filter". He may use the character “*” behind a letter or a group of letters. For example, to select all the French calls, he will write "F*" or "GM*" for Scottish amateurs,

* mode filter: the user writes the mode in the filter editor and clicks on "Mode filter". He may use the character “*” behind a letter or a group of letters. For example, to select all the PAX/PAX2 messages, he will write "PAX" or "PAX2",

* date filter: the user writes the date on the editor ("Day/month/year") and clicks on "=" (for example, to select all the messages of the 17/11/05). In the same way, he can select all the messages recorded at a date superior or equal to the edited date by clicking on ">=" or, reversely, all the messages recorded at a date equal or inferior to the edited date by clicking on "=<".

CAUTION: by default (button "From all datas" in "Off" position) the filters are voluntarily cumulative. For example, if the user wants to select all the received messages from French amateurs before 01/01/06, he will filter first on the call "F" ("F*") and then on the date ("=<" of the 31/12/05).

* with the button "|   ", one can read the beginning of the message and with the button "   |", the end of the message.

* display of all received messages (in the chronological order) by clicking on "Display all". This is useful if after having filtered, the user wants to do new data filtering starting with all records,

* removal of the message located under the cursor (button "Delete message") or removal of all present messages (obtained by possible data filtering) (button "Delete all"). Thus the user may, for example, after having done a data filtering on the messages of the year 2005, think useful to archive them and then to delete them (to avoid a too big mail),

* display of the message located under the cursor (button "Message display"). Clicking on the message makes it also display. It will be possible either to print it (button "Print message") or to export it under a text file (button "Export message").

* manual archiving of the present messages (and in the same order) to a text file whose name, proposed by the program, is composed of the word "Archive" and the date (button "Manual archiving"). The suffix is always ".TXT" (for text file). The name of the file may be modified by the user. The directory can also be chosen by the user (initially "RADIO_MAIL"). The file must be read in "Courier" or "Courier New" type font,

* automatic archiving of the radio mail file RADIO_MAIL.TXT to the archive file RADIO_MAIL date time.TXT (bouton "Automatic archiving"). This is a simple backup. If, for any reason, the user loses the radio mail, only rename RADIO_MAIL date time.TXT in RADIO_MAIL.TXT to start again.

Note in case of detection by Multipsk of an incorrect RADIO_MAIL.TXT file, this one is also archived in the " RADIO_MAIL date time.TXT" file for a possible repair.

NOTE: this radio mail allows, theoretically, to manage a maximum of 20,000 messages but it is recommended not to pass 5,000 messages, in order not to lengthen delays for loading or compressing etc…

*compression of the radio mail (button "Compression"). When a message is deleted, the file keeps its size. In the file, the program simply notes the removal of the message. To avoid a too big file containing only few "active” messages, it is useful to compress the file to let all the useless (deleted) messages. If no message has been deleted, this operation is of course useless. Before updating the radio mail file, an archiving is done, by security.

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Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected Packet or PAX/PAX2)

Introduction

1) The Packet and PAX/PAX2 APRS coding/decoding functions are available without time limit. Only several auxiliary functions  are not available to limited Multispk versions (without user key)).

2)From "What is APRS" in "APRS protocol reference version 1.0", it is explained that:

"APRS is short for Automatic Position Reporting System, which was designed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, and introduced by him at the 1992 TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference.

Fundamentally, APRS is a Packet communication protocol for disseminating live data to everyone on a network in real time. Its most visual feature is the combination of Packet radio with the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network, enabling radio amateurs to automatically display the positions of radio stations and other objects on maps on a PC.

Other features not directly related to position reporting are supported, such as weather station reporting, direction finding and messaging."

3) In a general way, Multipsk decodes all time, position and weather reports but only telemetry reports in Mic-E standard.

4) APRS is a protocol layer of a the non-connected Packet or PAX/PAX2 mode, so Packet or PAX/PAX2 must be selected in "Monitor" (RX) or in "Unproto" (RX/TX) (see Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail) or Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

To start APRS decoding, just click on the button "APRS", which opens the APRS window.

Note: the APRS frames are transmitted only in "Unproto" mode.

5) A PC at 166 Mhz (and a bit more in PAX/PAX2) is the minimum to decode APRS frames in good conditions.

6) The APRS messages are carried in UI frames in Packet and UI or I in PAX/PAX2.

It is reminded that in Packet mode, Signal-to-Noise ratio must be good.

7) All the user maps must be linear in latitude (following the vertical) and in longitude (following the horizontal) (projection called "équidistant"), i.e the unity of distance in the map along the same latitude or the same longitude does not vary (for example 1cm represents the same distance in km on the map either near the top or near the bottom of the map).

General description and standard use

General description of the window

When the APRS window is opened, it appears a first line of buttons allowing:

1) the management of the existing maps (button "Maps")...see further on for more details,

2) the determination of the co-ordinates of a new map from the co-ordinates of two points (two "clicks") on the map (button "New map definition")...see further on for more details,

3) the clearing of the map, i.e the clearing of all the position marks done on the map (button "Clear the map"),

3 bis) The clearing of the map can be done automatically, on reception of a valid APRS frame, by clicking on the button "Auto."

4) the choice of units in which the different magnitudes will be displayed (button "Units" for "User units"). The decimals separator is the ".". The initial units are km/h for speeds, °C for temperatures, mm for height of rainfall (and cm for snowfall), hPa for pressures and km for distances.

For information, it is remembered that:

* 1 knot=1.852 km/h,

* 1 mph=1.609 km/h,

* 1 m/s=3.6 km/h,

* F=(Cx1.8)+32

* C=(F-32)x5/8

* 1 inch=25.4 mm=2.54 cm

* 1 inch of Hg=33.864 hPa

* 1 mille =1.609 km

5) the button "Display" to choose what will be displayed after receiving a station: the call, the temperature (if available), the atmospheric pressure (if available) or nothing (only the dot will be displayed). It is proposed to display labels on the map in small characters,

6) the button "Ring" allows, if pushed, to shortly rings on reception of an APRS frame,

7) the button "Help",

8) the button "GPS" to manage the reception of GPS frames and the display of GPS positions...see further on for more details,

9) the button "Transmission" to transmit either a position frame or a weather frame...see further on for more details,

10) the abandon of the APRS window (button "Exit"),

11) the button "Print" prints the screen,

12) the button "Snapsh." (for "Snapshot") stores the screen on a .JPG file of the type is "Screen date time.JPG" in the sub-directory Screen (automatically created by MULTIPSK).

A short ring indicates the end of the operation.

It is found, next, 2 lines when appear, for information:

1) on the first line, the time of reception and the complete adress which contains the sender (source adress) and the destination adress (which is generic, not designing an operator) and all the repeaters used,

2) on the second line, the APRS frame text.

It is found, just below and to the right, for information, a window giving the different received pieces of information, on a text form. In this window, the number of calls is limited to 50. In fact, these pieces of data (non-limited to 50 calls) are stored in the DATA_APRS.TXT file for a possible use (with a worksheet, for example)...see further on Storage of the received pieces of data

To the left, it appears 2 scrolling lists which allow the user to select a call and, once the selection done, to display all the pieces of data relative to this call (position and pieces of information about the weather).

Next to the call, it can be found:

* the order number ("n:") which corresponds to the frames arrival order: the first frame has the number "0", the second "1" and so on until the maximum of "999",

* for information, the distance between the frame sender and your station ("d="), in km or in miles according to the chosen unit. To have this indication, you must have define your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission) or, in absence of theses ones, the Locator (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

The first list ("Stations in chronological order") is sorted by the received frames arrival order, the second one ("Stations in alphabetical order") by alphabetical order, this to make easy the search.

To the right of these 2 lists, it can be found controls relative to the recorded frames:

* "Display all": display all the recorded stations. For example, if the user want to display all the received stations on a new map, he just has to load the new map ("Maps") and click on "Display all",

* "UTC time": the user select the UTC time hour (between 0 to 23 o'clock) at which frames have been received (see example below),

* "Display hour": display all the stations recorded at the selected UTC time. For example, if the user want to display received stations from 20h00 to 20h59'59'' UTC, he selects the UTC time hour "20", he clears the map (button "Clear the map") and then clicks on the button "Display hour".

It is found, next, for information, indications corresponding to the position of the cursor on the map:

1) X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) correspond to the position of the cursor in terms of pixels, the position X=0 and Y=0 corresponding to the top left corner of the map,

2) "Lat" (for "Latitude") and "Long" (for "Longitude") correspond to the position of the cursor in terms of geographical co-ordinates. The calculation is done from the own co-ordinates of the map.

They are displayed first in degrees/minutes.decimals of minutes ("^" for "°" (degrees)) which is the APRS format.

3) The extent of the map in X ("E. X") so horizontally is variable. It depends of the latitude (maximum at the equator and minimum at the poles). The latitude considered is the one pointed by the mouse cursor.

The extent of the map in Y ("E. Y") so vertically is fixed.

Extents are expressed in km or in milles, according to the chosen unity.

4) The distance (in km or in miles) and the azimuth in degrees from your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission) or, in absence of theses ones, from the Locator as written in your personal data (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

It is found, next, the map, at the left side, and, at the right side, the information window where are located all the pieces of data extracted from the received frame.

1) Map: the map is displayed in a 480 pixels x 360 pixels format.

Multipsk accepts only the BMP files (BitMaP) 24 bits or JPG files. Hence, the format of the map on the .BMP file can be of any size, Multipsk automatically ajusting the map so as to adapt it to the proposed format (480x360).

It is, however, advised to stretch (or to reduce) a map using the Paint software from Windows, this software allowing a very good definition of the map (using the stretch function: for example 60 % to pass from a 800x600 picture to a 480x360 picture).

The best is, of course, that the map will be directly in 480x360 pixels. This is very easy with Paint using the selection function (the size of the selection being displayed at the bottom on the right side) and saving function.

The geographical North must be directed towards the top and must be vertical.

The red point corresponds to your location: from your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission) ou, in absence of theses ones, from the Locator as written in your personal data (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

2) Information window:each field has a label which allows identification of the data. For more information, the user will refer to the paragraph "Storage of the received pieces of data" further on or, for more precisions, to the the document "APRS protocol reference version 1.0" written by G3NRW (Ian) and the "APRS Working Group". This protocol is available on the TAPR Web site.

Degrees are displayed as "^" instead of "°" because this last character is not ASCII and can cause problems.

The last field (non-identified) is the "Comment" one, comment transmitted by the sender.

Standard use

Packet APRS: the operator tunes his receiver to 144.800 Mhz (one of the APRS frequencies) on FM. He must hear to 1200 bauds Packet frames transmission. He clicks on the button "PACKET+APRS" then on "1200b", "Monitor" and "APRS".

PAX/PAX2 APRS: the operator tunes his receiver to, for example, 14.075 Mhz on USB. He must hear (if a transmission is in progress) to PAX frames transmission. He clicks on the button "PAX/PAX2+APRS" then on  "Monitor" and "APRS".

On the map, he will observe the position of the radio stations and on the "information window" all the pieces of information extracted from the received frame. Action radius (as radio range or the radius of a hurricane, for example) are displayed under circle forms.

After being used to receive APRS frames, he will have the opportunity to send APRS frames (button "Transmission").

Precisions

Destination adress

In APRS, the destination adresses are generic (with, in general, the SSID to 0). Il can be found AIR*, ALL*, AP*, BEACON, CQ*, GPS*, DF*, DGPS*, DRILL*, DX*, ID*, JAVA*, MAIL*, MICE*, QST*, QTH*, RTCM*, SKY*, SPACE*, SPC*, SYM*, TEL*, TEST*, TLM*, WX*, ZIP*. Some adresses are specific to a hardware or a software. For example, the GPS* adress is used by the "trackers" (GPS apparatus transmitting their leur position), APKxxx corresponds to Icom radios but APWxxx corresponds to WINAPRS etc...

Multipsk does not filter, initially, adresses (the user is supposed to be tuned in an APRS frequency). However, it could be interesting to filter either the source adress or the generic destination adress. For this it is reminded that if the button "Options" (Packet or PAX/PAX2 parameters) is clicked, the option "Filter of frames on call (destination or source)" can be configured. If notched, the "call sign on 6 characters maximum" must be fillled (wildcard (*) are not accepted). In "Monitor" ou "Unproto" mode (hence for APRS), if the comparison with the received destination call or to the received source call is positive, the frame will be displayed. If negative, the frame will not be displayed.

Storage of the received pieces of data

All these received pieces of data are stored on the file DATA_APRS.TXT for a possible use (with a worksheet, for example) .

This file is also archived in the sub-directory "DATA_APRS" under the model " DATA_APRS date (year/month/day) time.TXT" file.

The pieces of data are separated by the character "|" (<ALT><6>) which will be used as a separator if the file is loaded under a worksheet. Fields can be or not filled, according to the received frame and can be in a different order.

The fields of the file, written on the user units, are the following ones:

* Time + date of the frame reception (field always present)

* "Source:" (the sender, always present)

* adress (field always present)

* Time + date (transmitted)

* "Lat="+Latitude ("^" for "°" (degrees))

* "Long="+Longititude ("^" for "°" (degrees))

* "Precis="+Precision (on longitude and latitude: 0.005 ', 0.05', 0.5', 5' or 0.5°)

* "Icone" or rather wording of the icone

* "Direc="+Direction in degrees (of the wind if it is a weather report or of the vehicle)

* "Speed="+Speed (of the wind if it is a weather report or of the vehicle)

* "Gust="+Speed of the gust

* "Temp="+Temperature

* "Rain_1="+Rainfall in the last hour

* "Rain_24="+Rainfall in the last 24 hours

* "Rain_0="+Rainfall since midnight

* "Hum="+Humidity

* "Pres="+Pressure (it can be the central pressure of a hurricane)

* "Lum="+Luminosity

* "Snow="+Snowfall in the last 24 hours

* "Software:"+Software

* "WX station:"+WX station

* "Type:" storm type

* Radius of the hurrican, the tropical storm, the whole gale in nautical miles and in km,

* "Altitude=" altitude in feet and in m

* "Radio range=" in milles and km

* "Compression type:" (of co-ordinates transmission)

* "DF" signal:"+ differents pieces of information

* "Rig:"+ differents pieces of information

* "Locator:"+ Locator in 4 or 6 characters

* "Beam Heading= " in degrees (in a status frame)

* "ER Power= " in watts (ER: "Effective Radiated", in a status frame)

* "Channel 1=" to "Channel 5=": Mic-E received telemetry values.

* "Distance" and "Azimuth", if the position is transmitted: the distance (in km or in miles) and the azimuth in degrees from your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission) ou, in absence of theses ones, from the Locator as written in your personal data (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

* "Comment:" (for information)

* "Frame:" (for information)

Points of the protocol 1.0 non taken into account by Multipsk

Compared to the APRS 1.0 protocol, Multipsk is not a professional software and does not claim to be exhaustive. Several points of this protocol are not taken into account. Particularly:

* § 4: "Maidenhead Grid Locator in Destination adress"

* § 6: "NMEA data",

* § 7: "APRS Data extensions": all extensions are taken into account except "Tyy/Cxx", the calculated range radio, the bearing and NRQ

* § 10: "Maidenhead Locator in the Mic-E status Text field", "Mic-E data in non-APRS Networks"

* §11: "Area Objects", "Signpost Objects/Items" and "Obsolète Object Format",

* § 12: "Raw Weather Reports"

* §12: "raw rain counter" (the protocol not being suffficiently precise)

* §13: "Telemetry data" all the chapter

* §14: messages and bulletins are only displayed and stored (no specific treatment)

* §15: "Station capabilities, queries and responses" all the chapter

* §17: "Network tunneling and third-party digipeating" all the chapter

* §18: "User-defined data format" all the chapter

* §19: "Other packets" all the chapter

Modifications of the protocol 1.0 for RX/TX application in PAX/PAX2

Preliminary: the APRS protocol used in PAX/PAX2 is limited to the unsed in transmission (see further on the paragraph "Transmission of position or weather APRS frames (button "Transmission")"

* the comment is limited to 35 characters (instead of 43) in "Position and DF report data formats"

* the zulu (UTC) time is expressed with "Z" instead of "z",

* the first letter for the wind direction is "C" instead of "c",

* the first letter for the snowfall is "Z" instead of "s",

* the first letter for the gust speed is "G" instead of "g",

* the first letter for the temperature is "T" instead of "t",

* the first letter for the rainfall in the last 24 hours is "Q" instead of "p",

* the first letter for the humidity is "H" instead of "h",

* the first letter for the barometric pressure is "B" instead of "b".

Management of the maps (button "Maps")

Goal

The user can choose the map to display, import new maps, modify or establish co-ordinates of a map associated to a BMP or JPG file, export the individual data of a map, check and/or store all the data board...

Description

When clicking on the button "Maps", it is opened a window which contains:

1) a first line with a box "World": it is the map which is called if the user selected map is erroneous. This map is internal to the program, in Mercator projection (so no linear in latitude) and cannot be either modified or deleted,

2) 10 lines composed of different fields: each line corresponds to a user map being able to be modified. The following maps are initially proposed:

- "EUROPE" (UI-VIEW map), it is the basic called map,

- "SMALL_EUROPE" (UI-VIEW map),

- "USA" (the USA, UI-VIEW map),

- "USACAN" (the USA and Canada, UI-VIEW map),

- "FRANCE" (France, IGN-Paris),

Note: this map has not been realized so that it be linear following a latitude (so the longitude is not always correct) but it is the only one I have. The user will re-determines the co-ordinates of the corners of the map according to his own location.

- "ILE-DE-FRANCE" (Alain HOUAUT and F6CTE),

Each line is composed of the following fields:

- "File": the mantissa of the BMP or JPG picture file (for example: "EUROPE" for the "EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG" file),

- "Upt": Up-to-date of the co-ordinates of the map, if they have been modified (see further on),

- "Imp": importation of data from a "Mantissa.TXT" file type. This file is not compulsory but it avoids to have to enter all the co-ordinates of the map "Mantissa.BMP" or "Mantissa.BMP" manually. All the supplied maps possess a data file (for example, to "EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG" is associated the file "EUROPE.TXT").

For information, a data file "Mantissa.TXT" is composed of:

* the latitude of the top left corner (9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude of the top left corner (10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

* the latitude of the bottom right corner (9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude of the bottom right corner (10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 minutes East,

* a  comment of  30 characters maximum.

Between each fied, a space is inserted.

- "Exp": exportation of the co-ordinates of the map and the displayed comment to a "Mantissa.TXT" file type. This exportation is not compulsory but allows exchange between Hams (with respect of the Copyright), a map being defined by its picture file ("EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG", for example) and its data file ("EUROPE.TXT", for example).

- "Comment": this comment is free, has a maximum length of 30 characters and, of course, is in relation with the map.

- "Top left corner (N/S) (W/E)": a map is defined by two opposite corners. By convention, it is chosen this corner and the opposite one (so the bottom right corner). The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

- "Bottom right corner (N/S) (W/E)": The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 East.

3) the last line supports the following commands:

- "Data checking": all the file names and all the co-ordinates are checked. Errors are displayed. If the user is not certain of the validity of a co-ordinate, he must click on this button,

- "Data storage": all the data on the board are stored in the file "APRS.SER" which is read and loaded on the board each time the APRS function is started.

Note: the file "APRS.SER" groups the different pieces of data of the board (one line per map).

- "Lock": lock all the data to avoid the involuntary modification of one of these pieces of data,

- "Close with storage": all the pieces of data of the board are stored in the file "APRS.SER" and the board is closed.

- "Close without storage ": the board is closed without storing it.

New map definition (button "New map definition")

Goal

If a map has been displayed thanks to the option "Maps" and if the co-ordinates of this map have not been determined, this option allows the calculation of these ones if the co-ordinates of two points on the map (two cities, for example) are known. To have a good precision on latitude and on longitude, it is necessary that these points be distant and be disposed on one of the two possible diagonals. The co-ordinates of the maps "France" and "Ile-de-France" have been determined by this way..

Once the co-ordinates of the map calculated, the user will export them to be able to import them (see the management of the maps (button "Maps")).

Description

When clicking on the button "New map definition", it is opened a window which contains:

1) a first line composed of different fields. Initially, the fields correspond to the chosen and displayed map (see "Maps" option). This line is composed of the following fields:

- "File": the mantissa of the BMP or JPG picture file (for example: "EUROPE" for the "EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG" file),

- "Cal": allows the calculation of the co-ordinates of the corners of the map, once the co-ordinates of the two points have been given (see further on),

- "Exp": exportation of the co-ordinates of the map and the displayed comment to the file "Mantissa.TXT" type. This exportation is here compulsory if the user want to store the co-ordinates found for the map. A map being defined by its picture file ("EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG", for example), its data file will be "EUROPE.TXT", for the example.

- "Comment": this comment is free, has a maximum length of 30 characters and, of course, is in relation with the map.

- "Top left corner (N/S) (W/E)": a map is defined by two opposite corners. By convention, it is chosen this corner and the opposite one (so the bottom right corner). The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

These co-ordinates are calculated by the program.

- "Bottom right corner (N/S) (W/E)": The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 East.

These co-ordinates are calculated by the program.

2) the second line is composed of the following fields and commands:

- "Close ": the board is closed.

- "1st point: click left": the first point is defined by clicking on the left button of the mouse. The point can be a city, for example. Once clicked, it is displayed the co-ordinates of the position in term of pixels (X and Y),

- "(N/S) (W/E)": these are the geographical co-ordinates of the clicked point (to determine with an atlas by the user):

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

- "2nd point: click right": the second point is defined by clicking on the right button of the mouse. The point can be a city, for example. Once clicked, it is displayed the co-ordinates of the position in term of pixels (X and Y),

- "(N/S) (W/E)": these are the geographical co-ordinates of the clicked point (to determine with an atlas by the user):

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 East.

It is reminded that after all these operations, the co-ordinates of the corners of the map must be calculated by clicking on the button "Cal" then the results must be exported by clicking on the button "Exp". Once exported, the user will import them (see the management of the maps (button "Maps")).

Reception of GPS frames and display of GPS positions (button "GPS")

Goal: this window permits to receive GPS positions and altitudes, then to display this information on the map.

Preliminaries

1) The GPS receiver transmits its data to the computer through the serial port (see Selecting the serial port for GPS), using the following parameters: 4800 bauds, 8 data bits, 2 stop bits, without parity, according to the NMEA 183 protocol.

2) The transmission of a GPS frame ("$GPRMC" for example), is very quick (about 0.1 second) and very frequent (about one time each 2 seconds). Three satellites are enough for position and four for altitude.

3) The position (latitude and longitude) is extracted from the "$GPRMC" frames, the number of satellites and the altitude from the "$GPGGA" frames

Description

- The button "Reception of GPS position frames": when this button is pushed, it is started a 4800 bauds opening test of the serial port. After this checking, the GPS frames reception begins. The text "On" replaces the text "Off" besides the "GPS" button.

As soon as 3 satellites are visible and a "$GPRMC" frame is received, the "led" "R" (for "Received') lights up and the following fields are displayed:

* number of visible satellites ("Sat"). The minimum is 3 for display,

* the UTC time transmitted in the GPS frame,

* the latitude and the longitude,

* the altitude in meters (if 4 satellites are visible). The altitude can be expressed in feet if the button "Altitude in feet" is pushed.

Note: for the GPS positions transmission (see hereafter), this GPS reception must be validated.

- The button "Display of the GPS positions on the map": when this button is pushed, it is displayed, on the map, the GPS positions under the shape of a red dot (if the button "Dot" is pushed) or under the shape of a red dot and a text giving the last received altitude (if the button "Altitude" is pushed),

- The button "Close" closes this window.

Transmission of position or weather APRS frames (button "Transmission")

Goal

The goal, here, is to transmit position information and weather data thanks to APRS frames. This Multipsk version permits to take into account a GPS apparatus giving position information and altitudes from, for example, a car.

It will be possible to transmit pieces of information from a fixed station. In that case, the co-ordinates and the altitude will be the ones of your QRA. The transmitted weather pieces of data will be the ones that can be easily obtained without special instrumentation (pressure, exterior temperature and humidity). It will be possible to add some additional data if you have them (wind direction, wind speed, gust speed, rainfall or snowfall in the last 24 hours).

From a mobile station, it will be possible to transmit GPS position (latitude and longitude) and, possibly, GPS altitude.

Description

Foreword:

1) only the co-ordinates of your QRA are compulsory data. The other data are optional. To transmit a data (altitude, temperature...), you have to click on the corresponding button.

2) some data may be supplied either on Anglo-Saxon unities (feet, knots, mph...) or in international unities (m, km/h...). The user will choose the unity he needs (finally, all is converted in Anglo-Saxon unities).

* "Your latitude/longitude": this is related to the co-ordinates of your QRA:

- the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

- the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

* "Frame type": it exists 2 cases:

- fixed station: you can choose between a "Position" frame (QRA co-ordinates + QRA altitude + comment) and a "Weather" frame (QRA co-ordinates + different meteorological pieces of information),

- mobile station: you can choose between a "GPS Position" frame (GPS co-ordinates + comment) and a "GPS Position + altitude" frame (GPS co-ordinates + GPS altitude + comment).

Note: if no GPS altitude is displayed, no altitude will be transmitted.

* "Altitude": the QRA altitude

* "Comment": is 43 characters maximum long except if the altitude is transmitted in which case it can only be permitted 34 characters as a maximum (respectively 35 and 26 characters in PAX/PAX2),

Note: comment is also taken into account for GPS frames.

* the weather data don't deserve explanation, except about "Rainfall (24h)" which is the rain height falled in the last 24 hours (with the same principle for "Snowfall (24h)"). A word, however, on the

"Pressure": in general it is spoken of mbar or in hPa (which are equal unities). Here it must be supplied tenths of (or 10 times more).

Note: these pieces of data don't concern GPS frames.

* "Data checking": all the data and co-ordinates are checked. Errors are displayed. If the user is not certain of the validity of a co-ordinate or a weather data, he must click on this button,

* "Data storage": all the data on the board are stored in the file "APRS_TX.SER" which is read and loaded on the board each time the APRS function is started.

* "Close with storage": all the pieces of data of the board are stored in the file "APRS_TX.SER" and the board is closed.

* "Close without storage ": the board is closed without storing it.

* "Only one transmission": send only one time the frame that you have prepared ("position" or "weather").

IMPORTANT: the sender is the call which can be found in the field "Sender" in the RX/TX window.

For the APRS destination in Unproto I put "APZMU3" for "experimental APRS generic adress" (APZ) Multipsk (MU) third version of the APRS Multipsk mode (3).

* "1/2 mn", "1 mn","3 mn","10 mn", "20 mn", "30 mn", "60 mn": they represent time intervals in minutes for the APRS beacon. The frame prepared by the user is sent each 0.5, 1, 3, 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes. This window can be closed without stopping the beacon. The beacon state is displayed closed to the button "Transmission".

For a fixed station, time intervals of "20 mn", "30 mn", "60 mn" are sufficient.

For a mobile station (GPS), time intervals of "1/2 mn", "1 mn", "3 mn", "10 mn" are more adapted.

In PAX/PAX2 with repeaters, the minimum interval is one minute.

* "Stop the beacon": this stops the beacon if it is on duty.

Use of Packet APRS "digipeaters"

The specific APRS digipeaters (digital repeaters) have the peculiarity to interpret "alias", which will allow a sender of an APRS frame to ignore the precise name of the repeater, the "alias" names being generic. For example, on reception of the alias "RELAY", the repeater "F9XYZ" will substitute to "RELAY" the call "F9XYZ".

It can be interesting to set the configuration: "RELAY" and "WIDE" (local repeater and then long distance repeater). For more details, please consult Internet documentation. In fact, it exists several type of repeaters: "RELAY", "ECHO" (in HF), "WIDE", "WIDEn-n", "TRACE", "TRACEn-n", "GATEWAY".

To define this string of repeaters, it can be used the same function as in standard Packet (see Description of the specific PACKET commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

For this, starting from the "RX/TX" window, click on the button "Options" which opens the window "Packet parameters".

In the sub-window "Possible use of one to 8 repeaters", it is proposed to use from one to 8 repeaters. It will be written, here, the string of repeaters.

IMPORTANT: repeaters must be separated by commas.

Example: "RELAY,WIDE".

Afterwards, the user will click on "To noch if one repeater is used, at least", to take into account this string of repeaters.

Use of PAX/PAX2 repeaters ("digipeaters")

The PAX/PAX2 digipeaters (digital repeaters) have the peculiarity to interpret "alias", which will allow a sender of an APRS frame to ignore the precise name of the repeater, the "alias" "ECHO" being generic. For example, on reception of the alias "ECHO", the repeater "F9XYZ" will substitute to "ECHO" the call "F9XYZ".

To define this string of repeaters, it can be used the same function as in standard PAX/PAX2 (see Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

For this, starting from the "RX/TX" window, click on the button "Options" which opens the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters".

In the sub-window "Possible use of one or two repeaters", it is proposed to use from one to 2 repeaters. It will be written, here, the string of repeaters.

IMPORTANT: repeaters must be separated by commas.

Examples: either "ECHO" or "ECHO,ECHO".

Afterwards, the user will click on "To noch if one repeater is used, at least", to take into account this string of repeaters.

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Commands and use of PACTOR 1 mode

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the general commands used for the PACTOR 1 mode as well as the operations to use for reception of Pactor ARQ and FEC and for transmission in Pactor1 FEC.

Generalities

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- a window "Space/Mark frequencies" gives the frequencies of the Mark and the Space of the PACTOR 1 transmission (after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum).

- on the blue label are displayed the received calls: only the Ham calls are taken into account..

- a button " RX without repetitions" allows the user not to display the repeated frames (following non-acknowledgments) with the minor risk to fail some ones (example: if frames 1, 2 and 3 are not decoded, the following frame 0 will be seen as a repetition when it is not one). If the user transmits in Pactor 1 FEC, this button must be "On" (pushed).

- on the lower label it is given information on received Pactor frames:

* speed (100 or 200 b(auds)),

* polarity (N(ormal) or R(everse)),

* characters coding (Ascii or Huffman),

* frame number (from N=0 to N=3).

- a button "TX with a repetition": each transmitted frame, in Pactor 1 FEC, will be repeated which will give the transmission much more robust.. It is the standard position. If the signal to noise ratio is very good, this repetition could be avoided.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The receiver is set to USB (it could be set in LSB as both polarities are verified).

The user selects a Pactor 1 transmission by clicking on the right peak of the transmission on the AF spectrum.

When frames are decoded, information about their configuration appears on the green label and the decoded text is displayed.

Important: if the user transmits in Pactor 1 FEC, the button "TX with a repetition" must be "On" (pushed).

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

It is reminded that:

- the button " RX without repetitions" must be "On"

- the button "TX with a repetition" must be "On" to allow a robust transmission.

If this button is "Off", the speed is doubled but the robustness is lost (it is no more a FEC mode). It can be done only if the  signal is strong.

A QSO in Pactor 1 FEC is conducted in the same way that a QSO in PSK31 or in RTTY.

Important: it must be precised in the call that the QSO will be done only in Pactor 1 FEC, this to prevent the other Ham to pass in Pactor 1 ARQ if he disposes of a Pactor modem.

Example: CQ CQ CQ CQ DE F6CTE F6CTE F6CTE F6CTE in Pactor 1 FEC only (PSE no switch to ARQ) +K

Multipsk transmits Pactor 1 FEC frames in the following fixed conditions:

* 100 bauds: to be the most sensitive in HF with a nominal shift of 200 Hz,

* ASCII 8 bauds: to be compatible with all national set of characters and, moreover in Huffman coding, the loss of a frame can lead to lose an indeterminate number of  valid characters,

* a minimum idle time between two frames equal to 0.04 sec (the cycle lasts 1 second): to keep the synchronization which leads of a speed of 40 wpm with one repetition,

* idling is done with the character CHR(21) when nothing must be transmitted: to simplify the exchanges between Hams.

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General commands and use of PAX/PAX2 mode and APRS

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the general commands used for the PAX/PAX2 mode as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Note: if the picture diseappears (in fact passes in background, due to a click somewhere on the RX/TX screen), click again on the APRS button to make it come back in foreground.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

For the specific PAX/PAX2 commands: see Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

To use APRS on PAX/PAX2: see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

IMPORTANT: an offset between sound cards sampling frequencies inferior or equal to 1 % is withstood, but it is hardly advised if not indispensable to determine the sound card sampling frequency (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies). In fact, if the speed offset is too high, the synchronization could be too long and if would be possible not to detect the start flags.

General commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

General commands are given from left to right:

* a button "APRS" (radio-location), see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

- a window "Frequency" gives the PAX/PAX2 central frequency in transmission or in reception, after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum.

With the button "Lock" "On", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest PAX/PAX2 transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

PAX/PAX2 is always in "Slave" mode (no RX/TX offset, the TX frequency being equal to the RX frequency)

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

For frequencies used in PAX or PAX2, see Frequencies used

It is strongly recommended, before the PAX/PAX2 mode use, to determine the sound card sampling frequency (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies).

The PAX/PAX2 has a particular sound due to its rapid change of frequency on its bandwith (500 Hz or 1000 Hz). It can be recognized on the "waterfall" by its large bandwidth.

The transmission begins with the transmission of the extreme low tone for one half of a second or one second, according to the value of the parameter TXDELAY, to be able to manually position the frequency, if needed,

The reception and the transmission can be done everywhere on the spectrum,

Receiver in USB, the user position the PAX/PAX2 transmission (multitones signal on a 500 Hz or 1000 Hz broad band), between the two blue vertical bars on the waterfall spectrum display and then clicks.

Automatic positioning (in the standard mode)

If the button "Lock" is pushed (recommended), the program looks during about 1 second for the exact PAX frequency transmission (with a precision of +/- 16 Hz) and about 0.5 second with a precision of+/-32 Hz in PAX2. A label "PAX frequency search" appears during this search.

Manual positioning

If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search. In this case, the user position the frequency by coinciding the blue left vertical bar with the extreme low tone transmitted just before the frame. This option may be used if the automatic positioning does not work due to a very weak signal.

It's better and recommended to let the "AFC" button unclicked, because small frames leads to erratic drifts. Thus, the transmission must be stable or done in FM (144 Mhz). However, the AFC button can be clicked if the transmission is not stable. In all cases, the Ham who initiates the connected transmission has his AFC not taken into account. In consequence, he fixes the frequency and the other Ham follows the drift.

It is recommended for those sending APRS positions to uncheck the AFC, so as to impose their frequency.

In PAX/PAX2 mode, the "slave" mode is forced: the displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC. The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The RX/TX offset is null.

The CQ is done in "Unproto" mode and the connection can be done in response to the call.

The operator will connect, do his QSO and then deconnect.

It is important for the user to know the commands as they play a big role in this mode (see Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)).

The commands to receive/transmit in APRS protocol are described in Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

The commands to receive/transmit PAX/PAX2 (Monitor/Unproto/Connect/Disconnect) are described in Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

The commands to receive/transmit in APRS protocol are described in Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

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Description of the specific PAX/PAX2 commands (+beacon/responder/radio mail)

Introduction

0) For a more general description of the Packet and its associated protocols, see General commands and use of PAX/PAX2 mode and APRS

1) The new mode PAX/PAX2 is capable to assure, through an original protocol transmissions:

In connected mode, communications are done from a Ham to another Ham (with possible individual APRS positions transmission), possibly through one or two repeaters. The connected PAX mode is an asynchronous ARQ mode type ("Automatic Repetition reQuest" by ACK/NACK). Transmissions are free-error.

In non-connected mode ("Unproto"), it can exist either an individual traffic (Ham to Ham) or a collective traffic in APRS (positions transmission), possibly through one or two repeaters. This mode is similar to the "Unproto" Packet mode.

2) The "PAX/PAX2 beacon" and "PAX/PAX2 responder" commands can be found at the end of this chapter. These functions are obtained by clicking on the button "Resp./beac.".

The "Radio mail" commands associated with the " PAX/PAX2 responder" can be found at the end of this chapter. This function is obtained either by clicking on the button "Mail" from the "RX/TX" screen or by clicking on "Radio mail" from the PAX/PAX2 responder.

3) In PAX/PAX2, there are no BBS (conversely to Packet).

In connected mode, communications are only done from a Ham to another Ham. In the other hand, on the same communication chanel, it could exist several available repeaters. The connected PAX/PAX2 mode is an asynchronous ARQ mode type ("Automatic Repetition reQuest" by ACK/NACK).

In non-connected mode ("Unproto"), it can exist either an individual traffic (Ham to Ham) or a collective traffic in APRS (positions transmission) through one or two repeaters, if required. This mode is similar to the "Unproto" Packet mode.

To pass in connected mode, the call is done in "Unproto" mode and connection can be done in automatic answer to the call.

4) The receiver must be in USB, the mode being side sensitive.

5) A PC at 450 Mhz is the minimum for doing PAX/PAX2 in good condition without too much delay due to the building of frames during the transmission period.

6) For information about APRS commands see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKETor PAX/PAX2)

General commands

Introduction: in PAX/PAX2, there is 3 basic modes:

* the "'Monitor" mode: to decode all the frames,

* the "Unproto" mode: to communicate without making use of the numbered information frames, so without acknowledgment protocol,

The "Repeater" configuration (see further on) is done in this mode.

* the "Connect/Disconnect" which is the standard communication PAX/PAX2 mode betweew a given "destination" station (him) and a given sender (you), through one or two repeaters.

- button "Repeater" and button "Presence"

The PAX/PAX2 protocol allows the use of two repeaters. Any Ham station can be a repeater. In this way, a big Ham station can, for example, repeat frames to allow a QSO between two QRP Ham stations. The button "Presence" allows the repeater to show its presence by a regular transmission of UI frames. For details, see "Working in PAX/PAX2 repeater" further on.

- bouton "small let": writing of received PAX/PAX2 characters is done in small letters instead of capital letters.

- button "Options"

By clicking on this button it is opened the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters". This one gives access to several sub-windows which will be described further.

After modifying parameters, the operator may either keep them by clicking on "OK" or come back to the previous parameters by clicking on "Cancel" or see basic parameters by clicking on "Default parameters". "Help" supplies a contextual help.

- button "Monitor"

In this mode, the operator cannot do more than receiving. So, he will, particurarly, use the display options described herefater (chapter: Frames display and available display options).

The operator cannot pass in "Monitor" if he is connected or he is connecting. He must first disconnect (button "Disconnect")..

- button "Unproto"

In this mode all the received frames are displayed as in "Monitor" mode but the operator can also transmit unnumbered information frames (UI). So, there is neither acknowledgment nor exchange protocol. It is the same sort of QSO (key to key) as in PSK31 or RTTY.

The Unproto mode must be used to repeat frames (see further on).

On the other hand, on a connexion request, if you are concerned (you are the destination), it will have an automatic switching to the "Connect/Disconnect" mode.

About the way to send characters, see the paragraph "Use of the keyboard to send messages".

The operator cannot pass in "Unproto" if he is connected or he is connecting. He must first disconnect (button "Disconnect").

Adress formation

For about the sender, it will be used the call situated in the field "Sender". For the destination, it is taken what belongs to the field "Destination in Unproto" in the window "Various pieces of information" available by clicking in the button "Options" which opens the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters".

The destination (in 6 characters maximum) can be "CQ", "ALL" or "F6CTE", etc

"Conference"

If several Hams are in conference, it will be possible to put the subject "PAX", for example, in "Destination in Unproto" call and then filter (see option "Filter of frames on call (destination or source)" further on) on the call "PAX", so as to have only frames about this subject..

Up to two repeaters can be used.

For more information, particulary for repeaters, see further on, in the "Commands to connect..." section.

- buttons "Connect" and "Disconnect" and fields "Destination" and "Sender": see further on, in the "Commands to connect..." section.

- button "APRS" (radio-location), see Description of the APRS commands (in non-connected PACKET or PAX/PAX2)

RX and TX frames display and available display options

RX Frames display

Frames are displayed but more or less completly, according to the display options.

When receiving frames, a blue label situated to the right to "Sig" ("Signal") lights up on detection of a signal. It lights up also when transmitting frames.

Here after the standard display is described.

It can be found in a U frame: U: UI, SABM, DISC and UA:

1) the frame management information:

* version of the protocol ("V1") then a dash,

* only for a UI frame, the type of data field ("T" for text and "A" for APRS), then a dash,

* the frame type (for example, "UI"), information coming from the control field,

* destination amateur call sign

* the string " de " after the destination call sign,

* the source amateur call sign, t

* the string "via" if there are repeaters,

* possible repeaters (up to two) followed by "-", by their H bit ("1" if set to 1 by repeaters and nothing if set to 0) and by a space,

* a space,

* only for a UI frame, the information length is displayed, for example " Len=25", followed by ">",

2) only for a UI frame, the data ("My QTH is Bures-sur-Yvette", for example).

It can be found in a I or RR frame:

1) the frame management information:

* the frame type ("I" or "RR"), information coming from the control field,

* if the P bit (command mode) is set in a RR frame, it is added "-p ",

* if it is a "I" frame, the value of the N(R) and then N(S) variable and if it is a supervisory frame ("RR")  the value of the N(R) variable ((N(S) is the number of the sent frame modulo 4 beginning by 0 and N(R) the number of the next frame to receive (modulo 4) acknowledging the previous received frames),

* the number of repeaters ("0R", "1R" or "2R"),

* for possible repeaters (up to two), the H bits ("1" if set to 1 by repeaters and nothing if set to 0) and by a space,

* only for a I frame, the information length is displayed, for example " Len=25", followed by ">",

2) only for a I frame, the data ("My QTH is Bures-sur-Yvette", for example).

Nota: une bande verte indique:

* en caractères noirs, la trame reçue, les numéros N(R) et N(S) et, après "E:", le numéro d'erreur lors de la transmission (E:0 indiquant qu'il n'y a pas d'erreur).

* en caractères bleus, la trame envoyée avec les numéros N(R) et N(S) suivie de '-->'.

Available display options

These options are available by clicking on the button "Options" which opens the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters". In the sub-window "Frames display options", it is proposed:

* option "Frame control by check sum active": by default, this option is notched. If the option is unnotched, all frames, valid or not, will be displayed, but only in "Monitor" ou "Unproto" mode. In this case, the sign "#" will be displayed at the end of the frame if it is valid and "!" if it is not valid.

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been unnotched:

- option "Flags displayed by a "$"": if notched, it is displayed $ for start flags,

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been notched:

- option "Only the information on RX and TX frames": by default, this option is notched. If this case, only the information part of the received and sent frames is displayed.

It is, then, recommended to be in "Double window" mode (windows RX/TX separated).

Note: to apply this function, the "Date/time displayed for each frame" option must not be notched.

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been notched (options only available for non-limited Multispk version (with user key)):

- option "Date/timedisplayed for each frame": by default, this option is unnotched. If the option is notched, all received and transmitted frames will be preceded by the reception date and time, according to the format: year-month-day hour-minute-second,

Note: to apply this function, the "Only the information on RX and TX frames" option must not be notched.

- option "Filter of frames on call (destination or source)": if notched, the "call sign on 6 characters maximum" must be fillled. In "Monitor" ou "Unproto" mode, if the comparison with the received destination call or to the received source call is positive, the frame will be displayed. If negative, the frame will not be displayed. This call will be stored in the PAX.TXT file.

TX Frames display

Frames are displayed beginning by the adress on the form '->' destinatation 'de' source (sender).

The frame type and the sign ">" are displayed behind.

It it is a RR frame, the value of the variables N(R ) (N(R) the number of the next frame to receive) is displayed before ">".

It it is a I frame, the value of the variables N(R ) et N(S) ((N(S) is the number of the sent frame and N(R) the number of the next frame to receive) are displayed before ">".

If it is a I or UI frame, the information field is displayed just behind.

The repeaters are not displayed.

Available display options

These options are available by clicking on the button "Options" which opens the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters". In the sub-window "Frames display options", it is proposed:

If the option "Frame control by check sum" has been notched:

- option "Only the information on RX and TX frames": by default, this option is unnotched. If the option is notched, only the information part of the received and sent frames is displayed.

Use of the keyboard to send messages

It is not, as with others modes (PSK31 for exemple), a character transmission occurring as soon as the characters are typed. Here, these ones are sent by packet, inside frames, in the information field.

IMPORTANT:

The program considers that the characters typed by the user must be transmitted if one of these two conditions is filled:

* a carriage return (line feed) with the key <---/ has been typed,

* the number of typed characters is superior to the maximum number of bytes of data per sending ("PACLEN" parameter described in the following chapter).

Text sending

If a text is sent by clicking on the sequence (long macro) button (1 to 24 possible sequences using the <Ctrl> key), it will be sent according to the previous conditions. If the text does not finished by a line feed, it will remain some no-sent characters. The user will not have more than typing on the key <---/  to finsh the sending. If the text finished by a line feed, all will be sent without user intervention.

Commands to use to connect another Ham (in "connected" mode) or to transmit "Unproto" frames

- buttons "Connect" and "Disconnect" (for "connected" mode)

The operator may connect to another Ham (for frequencies see Frequencies used) by clicking on the button "Connect". The fields "Destination" (his call sign) and "Source" (your call sign) must be filled.

The other Ham will be in "Unproto" mode. The connection will be done automatically:

* either  if the call signs are crossed in the fields "Destination" and "Sender" ("A" want connect "B" and "B" want connect "A"),

* or, simply, if the "Destination" field of the transmitting Ham (the one who initiates the connection) is equal to the "Sender" field of the receiving Ham.

Example of basis QSO (without use of PAX/PAX2 repeater(s))

To do a QSO with any Ham not known in advance, you will transmit a call in the form "CQ DE F6CTE FOR A CONNECTED QSO +K" in "Unproto" PAX (or PAX2) mode (and you will have, beforehand, written your call, "F6CTE" in the example, in the "Sender" field). If an other Ham (in "Unproto mode) decoding your frame wants to do the QSO, he will write "F6CTE" in the "Destination" field and will click on "Connect". After the automatic connection, the QSO will be done as usual. At the end of the QSO, the first Ham to click on "Disconnect" will end the QSO.

Note: it is reminded that in accordance with the good Ham practice and as required by Authorities, it is compulsory to regurarly transmit both call signs (at least once every 10 minutes).

Repeaters management at the connection

The Ham who initiates the connection imposes the number of repeaters (0 to 2), the numbers of repeaters in one direction and in the other direction being the same. The Ham who is "connected", independantly of his own list of repeaters, will consider only the repeaters for which the connection demand has been done.

If A passes through the repeater R1 to connect B, B will have also to pass through the R1 repeater to answer A. Thus, if B sees a frame as "SABM ...B de A via C", the program will consider the repeater C, independantly of the list of repeaters (obtained by clicking on the button <Options>)

The link will be this one:

A-->R1-->B

A<--R1<--B

The link cannot be one of the following ones:

A-->R1-->B

A<--R2<--B

or

A-->R1-->B

A<-------B

or

A-->R1------->B

A<--R1<--R2<--B

It is possible to pass through 2 repeaters. The link will be this one:

A-->R1-->R2-->B

A<--R1<--R2<--B

Important: the more repeaters are used, the more the throughput (data flowrate) is low.

Once connected, both operators can chat through this permanent virtual "link" which disappears only after disconnection.

The operator will, disconnect a the end of the chat by clicking on the button "Disconnect".

Communication types

Connection without repeater:

In this configuration, the communication could be "full-duplex" type , both Hams transmitting simultaneously, without waiting the answer of the other Ham. For example, each one, in the same time, could start a text transmission. There is no need to wait for the other Ham end of transmission to start his own transmission.

Connection with repeater(s):

In this configuration, the communication can only be "half-duplex" type. In fact, in case of simultaneous transmissions, due to the long acknowlegment durations and due to the many different situations possibly met, the risk is important that the link finishes with an automatic disconnection.

The ideal "half-duplex" configuration corresponds to the following situations:

* two hams transmitting their text, each one at turn (after a "+K"),

* a Ham communicates with the PAX/PAX2 automatic responder (see the description further on).

- Fields "Destination" and "Sender" (for "connected" and "Unproto" mode)

The fields "Destination." (his call sign) and "Sender" (your call sign) must be filled if the operator wishes to connect  another Ham. Each of these fields is composed of a call of 6 characters long maximum, composed of capitals and figures. Spaces can be used.

During connection, the fields are not enabled for modification.

Example: "F6CTE" or "F6CTE ".

These call signs are stored in the file PAX.TXT.

In "Unproto" mode, the sender field is used but the Destination field is replaced by the "Destination in Unproto" field in the window "Various pieces of information" available by clicking in the button "Options" which opens the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters".

Available options

These options are available by clicking on the button "Options" which opens the window "PAX/PAX2 parameters".

In the sub-window "Possible use of one or 2 repeaters" (for "connected" and "Unproto" mode), it is proposed to use from one to two repeaters but it is advised not to pass one repeater (the waiting time becomes prohibitive and the transmission uncertain). This possibility must be used if there is no possibility to have directly access to the other Ham. The operator must be sure that these repeaters are operational and that they are going to proceed your message towards the other Ham. In general, one repeater must be sufficient.

A repeater is defined in the same way as for the destination and the sender. Hence, it is composed of a call of 6 characters long maximum, composed of capitals and figures. Spaces can be used.

Example for a repeater: "F6CTE".

If 2 repeaters must be separated by commas.

Example for 2 repeaters: "F6CTE,FF6CTE".

Use of the alias "ECHO" as repeater

The alias "ECHO" can be used instead of a repeater call sign. Then, all the PAX/PAX2 stations can be repeaters.

It will be possible to use one or two alias repeaters "ECHO", if the sender does not want  to designate explicitly, as repeater, a Ham call sign or, simply, if he does not know any. The operating repeater station will repeat the frame by substituting his own call sign to the alias.

Example:

"F6CTE de DF9AZE via ECHO" will be repeated by II5RTY who will substitute his call sign:

"F6CTE de DF9AZE via II5RTY"

It will be found "ECHO" in the repeater string.

If there are two alias, the frame will be repeated twice, as for example:

"F6CTE de DF9AZE via ECHO ECHO" will be repeated by II5RTY and then II6UIO who will substitute their call signs.

"F6CTE de DF9AZE via II5RTY II6UIO"

It will be found "ECHO,ECHO " in the repeater string.

Attention: in the case where two repeaters will be specified, if only one alias repeater is subsituted by a call sign, the frame will be rejected by the correspondant Ham (destination), assuming that he receives it.

Afterwards, the user will click on "To noch if one repeater is used, at least", to take into account this string of repeaters.

The repeater string is stored in the file PAX.TXT.

In the sub-window "Frames transmission options", it is proposed several options which are explained hereafter:

* "Maximum number of "datas" per frame" ("PACLEN" or "N1" parameter): shows the maximum number of bytes of data into one frame. As for "MAXFRAME", this number must be between 1 and 63 (default: 40). It can be maximum (=63) only if the transmission conditions are very good,

* "Waiting time on channel clear before TX" ("DWAIT" parameter): shows the waiting time before passing in transmission. The waiting begins as soon as the channel is clear (no frames reception). If during DWAIT, the channel is still clear, it is given the order to pass in transmission. DWAIT must be between 50 and 150 (default: 50) hundredth of second.

This parameter can be increased (for example 100) if the short waves conditions are disturbed by fading (the signal being able to disappear).

Note 1: the switch from reception to transmission is not instantaneous so the use of the following parameter (TXDELAY)...

Note 2: due to the Windows buffers management, this duration has, in fact, a random charateristic, which justify not to use the PERSIST and SLOTTIME...standard parameters. However, as a precaution, it has been introduced an additional delay of 500 ms which is randomly added to DWAIT, once over two on average.

* "XCVR RX-->TX turnaround time" ("TXDELAY" parameter): covers the switching time necessary to start really the transmitter. It is equal to the duration between the transmission order and the real transmission. Il is a delay only linked to your hardware. TXDELAY must be equal to 1 or 2 halves of second (default: 1) hundredth of second. It may be adjusted according to your hardware (1 for standard or slow XCVR, 2 for very slow XCVR).

Note 1: the program sends flags during the TXDELAY time.

Note 2: the minimum delay induced by TXDELAY+DWAIT = 1 sec gives a reasonable time for the other Ham to pass in reception (hardware and software).

* "Inactivity time before link test" ("CHECK" or "T3" parameter): to maintain the link integrity, after CHECK x 10 seconds of inactivity, the link is verified through the transmission of a RR frame. CHECK must be between 6 and 255 x10 seconds (30 by defaut, hence 300 seconds or five minutes). If the link is reliable, CHECK can be increased until 255 (42 minutes). At the contrary (very unreliable link), the link may be tested every 60 seconds.

Working in PAX/PAX2 repeater

For a radio-amateur station to be a "PAX/PAX2 repeater", it must be necessary that it can be able to receive and transmit frames, without being connected. So, the PAX/PAX2 repeater must be in non-connected ("Unproto") mode, hence neither in "Connected" mode nor in "Monitor" mode. The working must be entirely managed by the program (no manual transmissions from the operator).

Once the station defined as "repeater" by the software (button "Repeater" On), the received frames, coming from connected or non-connected ("Unproto") transmissions, will be repeated, the working being entirely automatic. However, the call sign of the repeater must appear as "repeater" in the frame or substitute to an "alias" repeater (see above)

Note 1: the repetead frames will be displayed.

Note 2: it is not possible to connect and to repat in the same time.

Note 3: it is recommended that all the stations (Ham in connection and repeaters) be very stable so as to be able to work with the AFC unclicked. In fact, assuming 2 Hams and two repeaters, all instable, with AFC checked, it is certain that a frequency divergence is going to occur, each one tring to follow the other. In consequence, a transmission using repeaters must be done with very stable stations.

Signalling of the repeater presence: button"Presence" setting On, il will be given, to the repeater, the possibility to signal its presence to other Ham stations, by an automatic transmission, each 40 seconds, on a free frequency, of an UI frame composed of the word "REPEAT" followed by the call sign of the PAX/PAX2 repeater station and the message "<CALL SIGN> IS READY TO REPEAT PAX FRAMES.".

At the first reception or repetition of a PAX/PAX2 frame, the " Signalling of presence" state will be provisionally canceled. This state will take place only 5 minutes after the last reception or repetition of a PAX/PAX2 frame (which suppose that if a link exists, it is finished), at the same rhythm (one UI frame each 40 seconds).

Before starting the signalling, the frequency will be monitored. If during 5 minutes, no transmission has been received, it will be considered the frequency as free and the operateur could start the repeater in "signalling" mode (button"Presence").

Rules to display frames

1) If the option "Frame control by checksum active" is not checked, all the frames, correct or no, will be displayed

2) If the option "Frame control by checksum active" is checked:

2.1) If the option "Only the information on RX and TX frames" is not checked, all the frames with a correct FCS will be displayed,

2.2) If the option "Only the information on RX and TX frames" is checked, all the frames with a correct FCS non repeated or completely repeated will be displayed. The frames with a correct FCS, with a repeater field but not yet repeated will not be displayed.

Exception: the frames repeated by a PAX/PAX2 repeater will be displayed.

Reading a QSO

The mode changes TX->RX and RX->RX are not noted, so as not to complicate the text.

The frame sendings are preceded of "->" to facilitate the reading.

If the option "Only the information on RX and TX frames" is notched, the RX and TX adresses are not displayed (only the information fields are displayed).

In  "Responder" mode, only the received frames are recorded.

For information on this subject, see Reading a QSO in progress or a previous QSO

PAX/PAX2 beacon

General description

The PAX/PAX2 beacon (common with the Packet beacon) allows the automatic operation of reception and transmission, alternatively. The program works independently in a stand-alone way. The received messages are stored on the QSO file (click on the button <QSO> to reach it). Except for a particular need, the beacon does not have to work for more than one or two hours long. The transmitted message is prepared before hand. The reception duration is adjustable.

The beacon can work in parallel with the responder.

Description of the "PAX/PAX2 beacon" window

The user will have the possibility to program the beacon operation. For that, the user will have to choose:

* the total working duration of the beacon (transmission + pause): from 15 minutes to infinity,

* the pause duration after a message: from 5 seconds to 15 minutes (900 s). During this pause, the software passes in reception, to decode possible answers. For PAX/PAX2, a minimum pause of 20 seconds is advised.

An example of beacon programming:

* 4 hours (240 minutes) of total beacon duration,

* 2 minutes (120 secondes) of pause (after each message).

* button "Message transmitted by the beacon": when clicking one of this button, the corresponding message is loaded in the "Message text " window where it can be modified.

* button "Beacon enabled": when clicking on this button (for the licensed copies only), the beacon is enabled. This option is recorded but after the end of the expected duration for the beacon, it is set off service (disabled).

Important: in PAX/PAX2, messages must be short. Possibly, it could be used the maximum number of bytes of data into one frame: 63 ("PACLEN" or "N1" parameter in the sub-window "Frames transmission options").

Automatic PAX/PAX2 individual responder

General description

When the responder is enabled, the working is completely automatic. On connection of another ham, the responder immediatly sends a reception message (programmed by the operator). It is proposed basically, as an example:

"Welcome to my automatic responder.

Type "L" to read the titles of the 8 messages.

Type "Rx" to read the message number x (x from 1 to 8).

Your message will be stored.

The transmitted power is 5 watts and my Locator is JN18CQ."

However, it is advisable to reduce the text in:

"Welcome. "L" to read the titles. Rx to read the message x (1 to 8).

Your message will be stored." or simply

"Welcome. Your message will be stored."

IMPORTANT: you must stay nearby the station (total automatic station needs extra-licence).

It is possible to manage 8 different messages (to be sent). Then, the connected Ham will be able, as indicated, either to read these 8 messages titles ("L" command) or to read one of the messages 1 to 8 by the Rx command ("R1" to "R8").

The message(s) written by the other Ham will be recorded.

So, the operator will be able to manage messages he want to send to other Hams and to read the received messages.

This responder has, hence, a function of "telephonic answering machine" and a function of "individual Internet page" with the difference that, here, only text can be stored and transmitted.

The beacon can work in parallel with the responder (for example, to signal the presence of the responder), but the beacon will not work when the responder will be connected.

Preliminaries

1) A message is composed of:

* a text ("Message text" window) of 65000 characters maximum,

* and a title ("Title") of 55 characters maximum.

2) There are 8 programmables messages with the connection message (the one which is automatically sent to the other Ham when he connects). The connection message title is not, in fact, sent (it is left for a possible management).

3) All the received messages during the cession are stored on the radio mail (see further).

Commands description

* buttons "Message 1" to "Message 8" and "Connection": when clicking one of these buttons, the corresponding message and its title are loaded in the "Message text and "Title" windows where they can be modified.

* button "Record the message": this button records the message in the main directory under the file label "Mx.SER" for the message text and "Tx.SER" for the title (x from 1 to 8 for messages 1 to 8 and 9 for the connection message).

* button "Archive Message 1" to "Archive Message 8" and "Archive "connexion"": when clicking on one of these buttons, the corresponding message text is archived in the sub-directory "PAX" under the model "date (year/month/day) time Title.TXT" file.

* button "Responder enabled": when clicking on this button (for the licensed copies only), the responder is enabled.

This option is recorded.

* button "Radio mail": when clicking on this button, it opens the radio mail where are managed the different messages received by the Packet and PAX/PAX2 responders (see description hereafter).

* button "Help" to get a contextual help.

Important: in PAX/PAX2, messages must be short. Possibly, it could be used the maximum number of bytes of data into one frame: 63 ("PACLEN" or "N1" parameter in the sub-window "Frames transmission options").

Radio mail (common to PAX/PAX2 and Packet)

This radio mail permits to manage the mails received by the Packet or PAX/PAX2 responder.

The radio mail file storing the messages is called "RADIO_MAIL.TXT".

Only the 63 first characters of the messages are displayed. To have the complete message, click on "Message display".

The possibilities given by this radio mail to the user are the following:

* navigation in the radio mail either one (message) by one (message) or page (of 10 messages) by page (of 10 messages). The user may, also, go directly to the beginning or to the end of the radio mail. The total number of messages (after data filtering) and the number of the last message (for the user to know where he is located in the mail), are displayed.

* thanks to the button "From all datas", possibility to filter from either all data (each filter takes, initially, into account all records) or from the previous filtered records (so filters can be cascaded).

* call filter: the user writes the call in the filter editor and clicks on "Call filter". He may use the character “*” behind a letter or a group of letters. For example, to select all the French calls, he will write "F*" or "GM*" for Scottish amateurs,

* mode filter: the user writes the mode in the filter editor and clicks on "Mode filter". He may use the character “*” behind a letter or a group of letters. For example, to select all the PAX messages, he will write "PAX",

* date filter: the user writes the date on the editor ("Day/month/year") and clicks on "=" (for example, to select all the messages of the 17/11/05). In the same way, he can select all the messages recorded at a date superior or equal to the edited date by clicking on ">=" or, reversely, all the messages recorded at a date equal or inferior to the edited date by clicking on "=<".

CAUTION: by default (button "From all datas" in "Off" position) the filters are voluntarily cumulative. For example, if the user wants to select all the received messages from French amateurs before 01/01/06, he will filter first on the call "F" ("F*") and then on the date ("=<" of the 31/12/05).

* with the button "|   ", one can read the beginning of the message and with the button "   |", the end of the message.

* display of all received messages (in the chronological order) by clicking on "Display all". This is useful if after having filtered, the user wants to do new data filtering starting with all records,

* removal of the message located under the cursor (button "Delete message") or removal of all present messages (obtained by possible data filtering) (button "Delete all"). Thus the user may, for example, after having done a data filtering on the messages of the year 2005, think useful to archive them and then to delete them (to avoid a too big mail),

* display of the message located under the cursor (button "Message display"). Clicking on the message makes it also display. It will be possible either to print it (button "Print message") or to export it under a text file (button "Export message").

* manual archiving of the present messages (and in the same order) to a text file whose name, proposed by the program, is composed of the word "Archive" and the date (button "Manual archiving"). The suffix is always ".TXT" (for text file). The name of the file may be modified by the user. The directory can also be chosen by the user (initially "RADIO_MAIL"). The file must be read in "Courier" or "Courier New" type font,

* automatic archiving of the radio mail file RADIO_MAIL.TXT to the archive file RADIO_MAIL date time.TXT (bouton "Automatic archiving"). This is a simple backup. If, for any reason, the user loses the radio mail, only rename RADIO_MAIL date time.TXT in RADIO_MAIL.TXT to start again.

Note in case of detection by Multipsk of an incorrect RADIO_MAIL.TXT file, this one is also archived in the " RADIO_MAIL date time.TXT" file for a possible repair.

NOTE: this radio mail allows, theoretically, to manage a maximum of 20,000 messages but it is recommended not to pass 5,000 messages, in order not to lengthen delays for loading or compressing etc…

*compression of the radio mail (button "Compression"). When a message is deleted, the file keeps its size. In the file, the program simply notes the removal of the message. To avoid a too big file containing only few "active” messages, it is useful to compress the file to let all the useless (deleted) messages. If no message has been deleted, this operation is of course useless. Before updating the radio mail file, an archiving is done, by security.

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Commands and use of RTTY and ASCII modes and SYNOP/SHIP

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the general commands used for the RTTY, ASCII modes and the SYNOP/SHIP protocols as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

To use SYNOP in RTTY 50 bauds: see Description of the SYNOP/SHIP commands (in RTTY 50 bauds)

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- For RTTY 50 bauds: a button "SYNOP+SHIP" (WX information), see Description of the SYNOP/SHIP commands (in RTTY 50 bauds)

- the radio buttons allow the choice of the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») with a view of staying in USB to listen to RTTY commercial stations.

N.B.: the listening of commercial RTTY 50 bauds stations or higher stations is done in LSB because the transmission is done in a reverse mode (mark (bit 1) for the low frequency and space (bit 0) for the high frequency). The listening to amateur radio stations (RTTY 45 bauds (+ 50 and 75 bauds) and ASCII) is done in USB because the transmission is done in a non-reverse mode (mark (bit 1) for the high frequency and space (bit 0) for the low frequency).

To respect this convention, the reception must set in « Normal ». On the contrary (for example, listening in LSB in place of USB), the reception must set in « Reverse ».

- a window "Space/Mark frequencies" gives these ones for RTTY and ASCII after a click on the right hand peak in the AF spectrum.

Note:  the transmit frequencies (Mark/space) are the same as the receive frequencies.

- two pseudo-led's for "Mark" and "Space" start flashing in RTTY or ASCII.

- in RTTY 45 bauds and in ASCII, the "200 Hz" button allows the reception and transmission with a shift  of 200 Hz (difference between Mark and Space). This is not the standard shift used (170 Hz) but is used by some.

Note: the transmission is done with the shift selected in reception,

- in ASCII, the button «7/8 bits» permits when pressed, to receive the 8 bits format. The 7-bits more used format is for English text. For other languages (as French, for example), the 8 bits format allows to write text with accented characters.

- the "Squelch" button permits to reduce the rubbish characters due to noise.

- in RTTY, the button «Letters/Figures» is a toggle switch allowing to change between letters and figures (and signs). This toggle is principally used when, as a result of an decoding error (due to noise, in general) the «figures» set has been selected and, naturally, the user desires to come back in the «letters» set.

- in RTTY, the button "AFC" for "Automatic Frequency Control" permits to follow a drift of the RTTY transmission. This option can be stopped if the RTTY is frequency stable, so as to avoid possible drift of the receive frequency in case of momentary absence of signal and presence of QRM.

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The initial speed and the receive mode are selected, depending upon the expected transmission (see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description). For example, for amateur radio, RTTY 45, 50 and 75 or ASCII, « Normal reception » is selected if the transceiver is in USB mode.

The transceiver is set for USB for Ham 45, 50 and 75 bauds RTTY or ASCII and in LSB for RTTY speed higher than 45 bauds, in commercial.

For the SYNOP/SHIP (WX information, in RTTY 50 bauds), the controls are described in Description of the SYNOP/SHIP commands (in RTTY 50 bauds)

The user selects a RTTY or ASCII transmission by clicking on the right-hand peak of the spectrum The software adjusts itself automatically if the button "Lock" is pushed (normal position). If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search: the user determines manually the frequency.

He can, also, adjusts the station frequency so as to observe that the received RTTY signal is repeated faithfully by the pseudo-led's which must blink at a same rhythm. The received text will be seen on the display.

N.B. 1: the main RTTY frequencies in amateur radio are 14090 KHz +/- 10 KHz and

3590 KHz +/- 10 KHz. Keep in mind that on these frequencies, coexist other digital modes such as

AMTOR or PACKET.

N.B. 2 : the nominal frequencies (in Europe) for the Space and the Mark (in 45 bauds) are respectively 1275 and 1445 Hz in 45 bauds speed (170 Hz shift), and 1275 and 1700 Hz otherwise (425 Hz standard shift).

The shift is a mandatory specification.

In RTTY and ASCII, one can find a shift of 200 Hz. In that case the button "200 Hz" should be clicked.

If characters are received badly or not at all, the cause can be one of the following:

* either the AF signal amplification is not adequate: decrease or increase the input level,

* or, the selected RTTY speed is not the right one,

* or the tuning is not correct,

* or it’s not a RTTY or ASCII transmission (other digital modes exist: AMTOR,...).

It is reminded that, practically speaking, the input level must be adjusted just below the overload level of the signal (pseudo-led "Overload").

The button "Letters / Figures" will be used when as a result of a decoding error (due to noise, in general), the «figures» set has been selected and, naturally, the user desires to come back in the «letters» set.

It's better to let the "AFC" button clicked, except if the transmission is really very stable.

One should note that the quality of decoding depends on:

* the accuracy and the stability of the set frequency,

* the radio noise and the interference: more the RTTY signal is powerful compared to noise, the better is the decoding.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

When transmitted, the « carriage return » are transmitted as a <CR> and then a <LF>.

As mentioned previously, in RTTY, the user has no other choice than 45, 50 or 75 bauds speed.

The receive mode (« normal » or « reversed ») is also the one used in transmit. Thus, if the reception is « reversed », the transmission will also be the same (the mark and space frequencies must be the same on receive and transmit).

The signal is transmitted at the same mark and space frequencies that in decoding (the ones displayed on the "Mark/Space Frequencies" window).

It is reminded that USB must be used for amateurs transmissions in RTTY and ASCII.

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Description of the SYNOP/SHIP commands (in RTTY 50 bauds)

Introduction

1) The SYNOP and SHIP decoding functions are only available during 5 minutes for limited Multispk versions (without user key)):

2) The SYNOP message is a report of surface observation generated from a land station, manned or automatic.

The SHIP message is equivalent to the SYNOP message but generated from a sea station (ship).

All these pieces of information are exchanged between all meteorological services over the world. They are, afterwards, transmitted by HF stations in RTTY 50 bauds.

For example, from DDK2 on 4583 Kz or DDH7 on 7646 Khz or DDK9 on 10100.8 Khz (shift=450Hz):

* SYNOP messages are transmitted at 00h35, 06h10, 12h10 and 18h10 UTC,

* SHIP messages are transmitted at 02h00, 04h40, 07h35, 10h35, 13h35, 16h35, 19h35 and 22h35 UTC.

3) The main goal of Multipsk decoding is relative, of course, to the meteorogical aspects but also to the geographical and radio propagation aspects. So a selection of the meteorological pieces of information sufficient for an amateur (but not for a professional) has been done and then summarized.

4) To start SYNOP/SHIP decoding, just click on the button "SYNOP/SHIP", which opens the corresponding window.

5) A PC at 166 MHz is the minimum to decode SYNOP and SHIP messages in good conditions.

6) It is reminded that in RTTY 50 bauds, Signal-to-Noise ratio must be good.

7) All the user maps must be linear in latitude (following the vertical) and in longitude (following the horizontal) (projection called "équidistant"), i.e the unity of distance in the map along the same latitude or the same longitude does not vary (for example 1cm represents the same distance in km on the map either near the top or near the bottom of the map).

General description and standard use

General description of the window

When the APRS window is opened, it appears a first line of buttons allowing:

1) the management of the existing maps (button "Maps")...see further on for more details,

2) the determination of the co-ordinates of a new map from the co-ordinates of two points (two "clicks") on the map (button "New map definition")...see further on for more details,

3) the clearing of the map, i.e the clearing of all the position marks done on the map (button "Clear the map"),

3 bis) The clearing of the map can be done automatically, on reception of a valid SYNOP or SHIP message, by clicking on the button "Auto."

4) the choice of units in which the different magnitudes will be displayed (button "User units"). The decimals separator is the ".". The initial units are km/h for wind speeds, °C for temperatures, mm for height of rainfall, hPa for pressures and km for distances.

For information, it is remembered that:

* 1 knot=1.852 km/h,

* 1 mph=1.609 km/h,

* 1 m/s=3.6 km/h,

* F=(Cx1.8)+32

* C=(F-32)x5/8

* 1 inch=25.4 mm=2.54 cm

* 1 inch of Hg=33.864 hPa

* 1 mille =1.609 km

5) the button "Display" to choose what will be displayed after receiving a station:

* the call,

* the temperature (if available),

* the atmospheric pressure at see level (if available),

* the pressure evolution over 3 hours (if available),

* the wind speed,

* or nothing (only the dot will be displayed).

6) the button "Ring" allows, if pushed, to shortly rings on reception of SYNOP or SHIP message,

7) the button "File" permits to decode a text file containing one or several SYNOP/SHIP messages. This file must be, by default, a text file (*.TXT). This function is only available for non-limited Multipsk versions (with user key):

8) the button "Filter" permits to filter WX (meteorological) stations that the user wants to decode. The others are ignored. It will be possible to only display, for example, stations situated close to the user city.

By clicking on this button, it appears a little window in which it can be found a line with "STAT0,...,STAT9" displayed. STAT0,...,STAT9 represent meteorological stations. It will be written, instead of "STATx" the station(s) that the user wants to filter ("07149", for example, for a SYNOP station). The name must have between 1 to 5 characters long (normally 5). It can be filtered a maximum of 10 stations. They must separated by a comma.

By clicking on the button "Close with storage", the stations' string is automatically verified by the program. If the string is incorrect, an error message appears.

As long as the string is not correct, it can't be stored. Reversely, the string will be stored if it is correct.

By clicking on the button "Close without storage", this window is left and no stations string storage is done.

By notching on the filter ("Notch to make the filter "ON"), the filter is put in function. It will be active only if the string is correct.

The yellow label to the right of the button "Filter" confirms that the filter is in function and that the string is correct, if it is displayed "On". Reversely, if it is displayed "Off", the filter is not in function or the string is incorrect.

9) the button "Ship" to force the SHIP mode without waiting the reception of the "BBXX" prefix (it is not possible to force the SYNOP mode due to the necessary reception of the "YYGGiw" group),

10) the button "Help",

11) the abandon of the SYNOP/SHIP window (button "Exit"),

12) the button "Print" prints the screen,

13) the button "Snapsh." (for "Snapshot") stores the screen on a .JPG file of the type is "Screen date time.JPG" in the sub-directory Screen (automatically created by MULTIPSK).

A short ring indicates the end of the operation.

It is found, next, 2 lines when appear, for information:

1) on the first line, the time of reception, the type of station (land (SYNOP) or marine (SHIP), manned or automatic), the name of the station, its location and altitude in m (if SYNOP station) and the date and time of the observation,

2) on the second line, the SYNOP or SHIP message.

It is found, just below and to the right, for information, a window giving the different received pieces of information, on a text form. In this window, the number of calls is limited to 25. In fact, these pieces of data (non-limited to 25 calls) are stored in the DATA_SYNOP.TXT file for a possible use (with a worksheet, for example)...see further on Storage of the received pieces of data

To the left, it appears 2 scrolling lists which allow the user to select a station and, once the selection done, to display all the pieces of data relative to this station (position and pieces of information about the weather).

Next to the call, it can be found:

* the order number ("n:") which corresponds to the messages arrival order: the first message has the number "0", the second "1" and so on until the maximum of "999",

* for information, the distance between the message sender and your station ("d="), in km or in miles according to the chosen unit. To have this indication, you must have define your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission" in the window "APRS" obtained by clicking on the button "PACKET") or, in absence of theses ones, the Locator (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

The first list ("Stations in chronological order") is sorted by the received messages arrival order, the second one ("Stations in alphabetical order") by alphabetical order, this to make easy the search.

To the right of these 2 lists, it can be found controls relative to the recorded messages:

* "Display all": display all the recorded stations. For example, if the user want to display all the received stations on a new map, he just has to load the new map ("Maps") and click on "Display all",

* "UTC time": the user select the UTC time hour (between 0 to 23 o'clock) at which messages have been received (see example below),

* "Display hour": display all the stations recorded at the selected UTC time. For example, if the user want to display received stations from 20h00 to 20h59'59'' UTC, he selects the UTC time hour "20", he clears the map (button "Clear the map") and then clicks on the button "Display hour".

It is found, next, for information, indications corresponding to the position of the cursor on the map:

1) X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) correspond to the position of the cursor in terms of pixels, the position X=0 and Y=0 corresponding to the top left corner of the map,

2) "Lat" (for "Latitude") and "Long" (for "Longitude") correspond to the position of the cursor in terms of geographical co-ordinates. The calculation is done from the own co-ordinates of the map.

They are displayed first in degrees/minutes.decimals of minutes ("^" for "°" (degrees)).

3) The extent of the map in X ("E. X") so horizontally is variable. It depends of the latitude (maximum at the equator and minimum at the poles). The latitude considered is the one pointed by the mouse cursor.

The extent of the map in Y ("E. Y") so vertically is fixed.

Extents are expressed in km or in milles, according to the chosen unity.

4) The distance (in km or in miles) and the azimuth in degrees from your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission" in the window "APRS" obtained by clicking on the button "PACKET") or, in absence of theses ones, from the Locator as written in your personal data (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

It is found, next, the map, at the left side, and, at the right side, the information window where are located all the pieces of data extracted from the received frame.

1) Map: the map is displayed in a 480 pixels x 360 pixels format.

Multipsk accepts only the BMP files (BitMaP) 24 bits or JPG files. Hence, the format of the map on the .BMP file can be of any size, Multipsk automatically ajusting the map so as to adapt it to the proposed format (480x360).

It is, however, advised to stretch (or to reduce) a map using the Paint software from Windows, this software allowing a very good definition of the map (using the stretch function: for example 60 % to pass from a 800x600 picture to a 480x360 picture).

The best is, of course, that the map will be directly in 480x360 pixels. This is very easy with Paint using the selection function (the size of the selection being displayed at the bottom on the right side) and saving function.

The geographical North must be directed towards the top and must be vertical.

The red point corresponds to your location: from your personal co-ordinates (button "Transmission" in the window "APRS" obtained by clicking on the button "PACKET") ou, in absence of theses ones, from the Locator as written in your personal data (button "Personal" in the RX/TX window).

2) Information window:each field has a label which allows identification of the data. For more information, the user will refer to the paragraph "Storage of the received pieces of data" further on or, for more precisions, to the documents giving a precise description of the SYNOP and SHIP messages (available on the Web).

Degrees are displayed as "^" instead of "°" because this last character is not ASCII and can cause problems.

Standard use

The operator adjusts his receiver on 4584 Khz (one of the SYNOP/SHIP frequencies) in LSB. He must hear to RTTY 50 bauds transmission. He clicks on the button "50 + SYNOP" then on "SYNOP + SHIP". In the "Reception" box, the "normal" button is clicked.

On the map, he will observe the position of the stations and on the "information window" all the pieces of information extracted from the received frame. Action radius (as radio range or the radius of a hurricane, for example) are displayed under circle forms.

After being used to receive APRS frames, he will have the opportunity to send APRS frames (button "Transmission").

Precisions

Storage of the received pieces of data

All these received pieces of data are stored on the file DATA_SYNOP.TXT for a possible use (with a worksheet, for example) .

This file is also archived in the sub-directory "DATA_SYNOP" under the model " DATA_SYNOP date (year/month/day) time.TXT" file.

The pieces of data are separated by the character "|" (<ALT><6>) which will be used as a separator if the file is loaded under a worksheet. Fields can be or not filled, according to the received frame and can be in a different order.

The fields of the file, written on the user units, are the following ones:

* Time + date of the message reception (field always present)

* "Source:" (the type of meteorological station, its call, and if it is a SYNOP station, its location and altitude, field always present)

* Time +date (of the observation), field always present

* "Lat="+Latitude ("^" for "°" (degrees)), field always present

* "Long="+ Longititude ("^" for "°" (degrees)), field always present

* "Direc="+Direction of the wind in degrees, field always present

* "Speed="+Speed of the wind, field always present

* "Base:"+Cloud base in m, field always present

* "Vis:"+Visibility in m or km, field always present

* "Cover:"+Cloud cover (in fraction), field always present

* "Temp="+Temperature of the air

* "Dew="+Dewpoint Temperature or

  "Humidity="+humidity (%)

* "Loc Pres.="+local pressure at the station

* "Sea Pres.="+sea level pressure at the station

* "Evolution=' +pression change + tendancy over 3 hours preceding the observation

* "Rain="+Rainfall +duration over which precipitation amount is measured

* "Present WX:"+present weather+'...Past 1 WX:'+past weather n°1+'...Past 2 WX:'+past weather n°2 (n°1 before n°2)

* "Etat ciel:"+degré d'obscurité du ciel+'...nuages bas:'+description+'...nuages moyens:'+description+'...nuages hauts:'+description

* "Sky state:"+Sky darkness degree+'...low clouds:'+description+ '...middle clouds:' +description+ '...high clouds:'+description

* "Ship:"+Direction and speed of the ship

* "Sea temp="+Sea surface temperature

* "Waves:"+Height of waves in meters and, possibly, period of waves in seconds

* "Ice on ship"+Thickness in cm or inches + type of ice accretion + rate of ice accretion

* "Max temp.="+Maximum temperature over 24 hours

* "Min temp.="+ Minimum temperature over 24 hours

* "Snow:"+Snow height + type of snow

* "Rain="+Rainfall +duration over which precipitation amount is measured (section3)

* "Sky state:"+Sky darkness degree+'...clouds:'+description+ '...height:' +height of cloud base

* "Message:" (received message for information)

* "Distance=" from the WX station + "Az.=" azimuth of the WX station.

Points of the SYNOP and SHIP messages non taken into account by Multipsk

Multipsk is not a professional software and does not claim to be exhaustive. Several points of the SYNOP and SHIP protocols are not taken into account. Particularly:

* group 9gggg of section 1,

* groups 3dddd, 4PPHH, 5PPHH and 8aTTT of section 2

* groups 0jjjj, 3Ejjj, 5jjjj and 9SSss of section 3

Management of the maps (button "Maps")

Goal

The user can choose the map to display, import new maps, modify or establish co-ordinates of a map associated to a BMP or JPG file, export the individual data of a map, check and/or store all the data board...

Description

When clicking on the button "Maps", it is opened a window which contains:

1) a first line with a box "World": it is the map which is called if the user selected map is erroneous. This map is internal to the program, in Mercator projection (so not linear in latitude) and cannot be either modified or deleted,

2) 10 lines composed of different fields: each line corresponds to a user map being able to be modified. The following maps are initially proposed:

- "EUROPE" (UI-VIEW map), it is the basic called map,

- "SMALL_EUROPE" (UI-VIEW map),

- "USA" (the USA, UI-VIEW map),

- "USACAN" (the USA and Canada, UI-VIEW map),

- "FRANCE" (France, IGN-Paris),

Note: this map has not been realized in a projection which permits to be linear following a latitude (so the longitude is not always correct) but it is the only one I have. The user will re-determines the co-ordinates of the corners of the map according to his own location.

Each line is composed of the following fields:

- "File": the mantissa of the BMP or JPG picture file (for example: "EUROPE" for the "EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG" file),

- "Upt": Up-to-date of the co-ordinates of the map, if they have been modified (see further on),

- "Imp": importation of data from a "Mantissa.TXT" file type. This file is not compulsory but it avoids to have to enter all the co-ordinates of the map "Mantissa.BMP" or "Mantissa.BMP" manually. All the supplied maps possess a data file (for example, to "EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG" is associated the file "EUROPE.TXT").

For information, a data file "Mantissa.TXT" is composed of:

* the latitude of the top left corner (9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude of the top left corner (10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

* the latitude of the bottom right corner (9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude of the bottom right corner (10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 minutes East,

* a  comment of  30 characters maximum.

Between each fied, a space is inserted.

- "Exp": exportation of the co-ordinates of the map and the displayed comment to a "Mantissa.TXT" file type. This exportation is not compulsory but allows exchange between Hams (with respect of the Copyright), a map being defined by its picture file ("EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG", for example) and its data file ("EUROPE.TXT", for example).

- "Comment": this comment is free, has a maximum length of 30 characters and, of course, is in relation with the map.

- "Top left corner (N/S) (W/E)": a map is defined by two opposite corners. By convention, it is chosen this corner and the opposite one (so the bottom right corner). The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

- "Bottom right corner (N/S) (W/E)": The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 East.

3) the last line supports the following commands:

- "Data checking": all the file names and all the co-ordinates are checked. Errors are displayed. If the user is not certain of the validity of a co-ordinate, he must click on this button,

- "Data storage": all the data on the board are stored in the file "SYNOP.SER" which is read and loaded on the board each time the SYNOP + SHIP function is started.

Note: the file "SYNOP.SER" groups the different pieces of data of the board (one line per map).

- "Lock": lock all the data to avoid the involuntary modification of one of these pieces of data,

- "Close with storage": all the pieces of data of the board are stored in the file "SYNOP.SER" and the board is closed.

- "Close without storage ": the board is closed without storing it.

New map definition (button "New map definition")

Goal

If a map has been displayed thanks to the option "Maps" and if the co-ordinates of this map have not been determined, this option allows the calculation of these ones if the co-ordinates of two points on the map (two cities, for example) are known. To have a good precision on latitude and on longitude, it is necessary that these points be distant and be disposed on one of the two possible diagonals.

Once the co-ordinates of the map calculated, the user will export them to be able to import them (see the management of the maps (button "Maps")).

Description

When clicking on the button "New map definition", it is opened a window which contains:

1) a first line composed of different fields. Initially, the fields correspond to the chosen and displayed map (see "Maps" option). This line is composed of the following fields:

- "File": the mantissa of the BMP or JPG picture file (for example: "EUROPE" for the "EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG" file),

- "Cal": allows the calculation of the co-ordinates of the corners of the map, once the co-ordinates of the two points have been given (see further on),

- "Exp": exportation of the co-ordinates of the map and the displayed comment to the file "Mantissa.TXT" type. This exportation is here compulsory if the user want to store the co-ordinates found for the map. A map being defined by its picture file ("EUROPE.BMP" or "EUROPE.JPG", for example), its data file will be "EUROPE.TXT", for the example.

- "Comment": this comment is free, has a maximum length of 30 characters and, of course, is in relation with the map.

- "Top left corner (N/S) (W/E)": a map is defined by two opposite corners. By convention, it is chosen this corner and the opposite one (so the bottom right corner). The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

These co-ordinates are calculated by the program.

- "Bottom right corner (N/S) (W/E)": The co-ordinates of this corner are:

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 East.

These co-ordinates are calculated by the program.

2) the second line is composed of the following fields and commands:

- "Close ": the board is closed.

- "1st point: click left": the first point is defined by clicking on the left button of the mouse. The point can be a city, for example. Once clicked, it is displayed the co-ordinates of the position in term of pixels (X and Y),

- "(N/S) (W/E)": these are the geographical co-ordinates of the clicked point (to determine with an atlas by the user):

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 69-02.02N, i.e 69 degrees, 2.02 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 026-16.08W, i.e 26 degrees, 16.08 minutes West

- "2nd point: click right": the second point is defined by clicking on the right button of the mouse. The point can be a city, for example. Once clicked, it is displayed the co-ordinates of the position in term of pixels (X and Y),

- "(N/S) (W/E)": these are the geographical co-ordinates of the clicked point (to determine with an atlas by the user):

* the latitude (on 9 characters), for example: 31-06.00N, i.e 31 degrees, 6 minutes North,

* the longitude (on 10 characters), for example: 041-14.02E, i.e 41 degrees, 14.02 East.

It is reminded that after all these operations, the co-ordinates of the corners of the map must be calculated by clicking on the button "Cal" then the results must be exported by clicking on the button "Exp". Once exported, the user will import them (see the management of the maps (button "Maps")).

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Commands and use of AMTOR modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the general commands used for the AMTOR modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- radio buttons allows the choice of the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to allow reception of LSB to AMTOR commercial stations in USB.

N.B.: listening to AMTOR stations is normally done in USB with a non-reversed mode: mark (bit 1) for the low frequency and space (bit 0) for the high frequency.

To respect this convention, the reception must set in « Normal ». On the contrary (for example, listening in LSB in place of USB), the reception must set in « Reverse ».

- a window "Space/Mark frequencies" gives the frequencies of the Mark and the Space of the AMTOR transmission (after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum).

Note:  the transmit frequencies (Mark/space) are the same as the receive frequencies.

- two pseudo-led's blink if an AMTOR signal is present.

- a "Synchro" pseudo-led allows the user to know if the decoder has synchronized on the received AMTOR signal.

- in AMTOR FEC, the ""Shift"=200 Hz" button allows the reception and transmission with a shift  of 200 Hz (difference between Mark and Space). This is not the standard shift used (170 Hz) but is used by some Hams.

- the button «Letters/Figures» is a toggle switch allowing to change between letters and figures (and signs). This toggle is principally used when, as a result of an decoding error (due to noise, in general) the «figures» set has been selected and, naturally, the user desires to come back in the «letters» set.

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

A receive mode ("AMTOR ARQ", "SITOR A" or "AMTOR FEC") is selected (see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description).

The transceiver is set to USB for amateurs transmissions and LSB for professional transmissions.

The user selects AMTOR transmission by clicking on the right peak of the transmission on the AF spectrum. The software adjusts itself automatically if the button "Lock" is pushed (normal position). If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search: the user determines manually the frequency.

N.B. 1: the main AMTOR frequencies in amateur radio are around 14075 but now they are rare.

The NAVTEX frequencies are 518 et 490 Khz. The user will set his transceiver to LSB at 517 or 489 Khz. The transmissions are done at fixed time, for example for NITON (GB): 7h00 and 19h00 UTC on 518 Khz in English, 5h20 and 17h20 on 490 Khz in English, 7h10 and 19h10 on 490 Khz in French.

The SITOR A et B commercial frequencies are situated, for example, between 12579 and 12655 Khz.

When an AMTOR signal is present, the pseudo-led "Synchro" will light up.

It is reminded that, practically speaking, the input level must be adjusted just below the overload level of the signal (pseudo-led "Overload").

In AMTOR FEC, one can find a shift of 200 Hz (although the standard be 170 Hz). In that case the button ""Shift"=200 Hz" should be clicked.

The button "Letters / Figures" will be used when as a result of a decoding error (due to noise, in general), the «figures» set has been selected and, naturally, the user desires to come back in the «letters» set.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission (AMTOR FEC only)

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

When transmitted, the « carriage return » are transmitted as a <CR> and then a <LF>.

The receive mode (« normal » or « reversed ») is also the one used in transmit. Thus, if the reception is « reversed », the transmission will also be the same (the mark and space frequencies must be the same on receive and transmit).

The signal is transmitted at the same mark and space frequencies that in decoding (the ones displayed on the "Mark/Space Frequencies" window).

It is reminded that USB must be used for amateurs transmissions.

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Commands and use of the THROB and THROBX modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the THROB and THROBX modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- two radio buttons to pass from "master" mode to "slave" and vice versa.The choice is recorded.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked, but the reception frequency may change. In "slave" mode, the transmit frequency is equal to the reception frequency.

- two radio buttons to select the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to decode, for example, a transmission done in LSB instead of USB (the receiver being in USB).

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. The difference between these two frequencies is zero in "Slave" mode but may be not null in "Master" mode. The XIT is not taken into account in this mode.

- a little window "Received " allows the user ro read the last received character in THROB(X) including the idle character(>).

- in the window "Speed (bauds)" three buttons permit to select between THROB speed: 1, 2 or 4 bauds. In THROBX, only the 1 and 2 bauds modes exist,

- the button "AFC" for "Automatic Frequency Control" permits to follow a drift of the THROB(X) transmission. This option can be stopped if the THROB(X) transmission is frequency stable, so as to avoid possible drift of the receive frequency in case of momentary absence of signal and presence of QRM.

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

THROB and the THROBX have a very particular sound which sounds as palpitations ("throbs") due to the basic impulsion form. According to the speed and after some exercice, it will be determined if it's 4 bauds (4 throbs by sec), 2 or 1 bauds. THROBX and THROB in 1 or 2 bauds are not discernable. The user must try in one mode and then the other in case of failure.

In the window "Speed (bauds)", the user will click on the observed speed.

Then, the user will click, on the spectrum, the central THROB(X) tone (or supposed to be so), in other words in the middle of the covered band. The software will center itself on the peak (if "Lock" is clicked). The transmission band must be situated between the two vertival blue lines. If random characters appear, this means that it is not the right place on the display. The user will begin again. In THROBX, the idling character is the space, so characters or words may be separated by a long space as in FELD-HELL.

If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search. In this case, the user position the frequency by coinciding the blue vertical bars with the two extreme tones.

Note: the exact tuning is not so easy in THROB(X) as it is in PSK because there are several tones (up to 11 in THROBX) and not only one.

It's better to let the "AFC" button clicked, except if the transmission is really very stable.

For the "master"/"slave" mode:

If the operator starts calling, he is either in "master" mode if he wishes to impose his frequency (1000 Hz initially) or in "slave" mode if he fears a too big frequency drift of his correspondent. If the operator answers, he selects the "slave" mode.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmission frequency which will remain locked. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

Note : the initial receive frequency may be modified to be different from 1000 Hz…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The difference is null.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

To choose the "master"/"slave" mode, see the previous paragraph.

When typing, the Line feed is displayed but are not sent (it does not exist THROB(X) character for a Line feed).

Before answering a call, the user must make sure that the frequency is exactly the one of the caller. The tuning accuracy is about 3 Hz in THROBX. Possibly, the user will do better stop the AFC (button "AFC").

In THROB(X), the transceiver frequency must be very stable.

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Commands and use of the MFSK16 and MFSK8 modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the MFSK16 and MFSK8 modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- two littles labels (under the "Sound card" button) are used in case of transmission of pictures in MFSK16. The first one gives the percentage of the picture sent and the second one gives the number of available pictures to be transmitted. The maximum is 5. After one picture transmission programmed, 4 pictures remain and so on until 0. See Description of the SSTV commands in MFSK16 mode.

- two radio buttons to pass from "master" mode to "slave" and vice versa.The choice is recorded.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked, but the reception frequency may change. In "slave" mode, the transmit frequency is equal to the reception frequency.

- two radio buttons to select the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to decode, for example, a transmission done in LSB instead of USB (the receiver being in USB).

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. The difference between these two frequencies is zero in "Slave" mode but may be not null in "Master" mode. The XIT is not taken into account in this mode.

- a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded).

- the button "AFC" for "Automatic Frequency Control" permits to follow a drift of the MFSK16 or MFSK8 transmission. This option can be stopped if the transmission is frequency stable, so as to avoid possible drift of the receive frequency in case of momentary absence of signal and presence of QRM.

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- in MFSK16, the buttons Send color picture and B/W allows the user to load a little color or black and white picture. For the details, see Description of the SSTV commands in MFSK16 mode.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The MFSK16 and 8 modes have a particular sound due to quick (not so quick in MFSK8) changes of frequencies. These modes spread on about 260 Hz and can be recognized by the dotted lines shape of the modulated carriers.

Note: the MFSK8, due to its important number of carriers (32) works better with a good quality sound card, so as to have a nominal sample frequency (11025 samples/sec).

Then, the user select the MFSK transmission by positioning it between the two vertival blue lines, manually (by unclicking "Lock"). The automatic positionning (by clicking on "Lock") is not so good because at a given moment, it is not probable to have the two extreme frequencies; so, the mean frequency is wrong. The exact tuning is not so easy as it is in PSK because there are several tones (16 in MFSK16 and 32 in MFSK8) and not only one.

IMPORTANT: at the beginning of the MFSK transmission, a carrier can be heard a carrier (at the lowest frequency of the MFSK spectrum) during 2 seconds in MFSK16 and 3 seconds in MFSK8. Then, it is easy to adjust the vertical inferior bar on the carrier. This will tune automatically the MFSK reception.

During the idling periods (transmission without characters), an idle non-printable character is transmitted which produce some fixed lines on the display. To tune, the user has only to adjust the vertical inferior bar on the lowest line of the signal display (the most left one).

Due to interleaving and convolutional decoding, the user must wait about 3 seconds in MFSK16 or 5 à 6 seconds in MFSK8 before to know if the frequency is well adjusted. If random characters appear, the user must drift the reception frequency, so as to better center the transmission.

It's better to let the "AFC" button clicked, except if the transmission is really very stable.

For the "master"/"slave" mode:

If the operator starts calling, he is either in "master" mode if he wishes to impose his frequency (1000 Hz initially) or in "slave" mode if he fears a too big frequency drift of his correspondent. If the operator answers, he selects the "slave" mode.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmission frequency which will remain locked. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

Note : the initial receive frequency may be modified to be different from 1000 Hz…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The difference is null.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

SSTV in MFSK16

MFSK16 can be used to receive pictures. They start by the reception of "Pic:320x256C;" for a 320x256 color picture, for example.

The maximum size of the picture going to be decoded is 1600x1200. But the slant and shift correction functions are only available for pictures equal or smaller than 400x300 (except if the number of pixels is less than the one of a color picture in 400x300).

After reception of a picture, the program commutes automatically to MFSK16 mode. The picture may still be corrected or printed. However, if a new picture is received, the previous picture will be cleared and lost...

The controls to receive SSTV in MFSK16 mode are described in Description of the SSTV commands in MFSK16 mode

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

To choose the "master"/"slave" mode, see the previous paragraph.

In MFSK8 particularly, the transceiver frequency must be very stable.

SSTV in MFSK16

It has already been stated that in MFSK16, it is possible to transmit pictures with the buttons "Send color picture" and "B/W". The picture size is limited to 1600x1200. A picture is displayed with a thick "I" (sort of bold "I").

To take advantage of the slant and shift correction functions, the picture must not be bigger than 400x300 if in color (in fact, the duration of transmission must not be more than the one of a color picture in 400x300).

After transmission of a picture, the program commutes automatically to MFSK16 mode.

It must be noted that the sampling frequency taken into account is the one adjusted for SSTV transmission (see Description of the SSTV mode commands).

The commands to transmit SSTV in MFSK16 mode are described in Description of the SSTV commands in MFSK16 mode

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Description of the SSTV commands in MFSK16 mode

Transmit commands

Loading of a picture file

The buttons "Send color picture" and "B/W" of the RX/TX screen allows the user to load a little color or black and white picture under xyz.BMP or xyz.JPG file from the sub-directory SSTV_TX (initially). It appears under the shape of a thick "I". When transmitting, it will generate a prefix: "Pic:320x256C; for example. The picture must be inserted in text.

In TX position, the picture is immediatly transmitted.

IMPORTANT: the picture format is not fixed as in classical SSTV but can be anything. The maximum  dimensions of the transmitted picture are 1600x1200.  Multipsk proposes to use the standard "320x256" to take advantage of the SSTV facilities and the stored SSTV pictures...see Commands and use of the SSTV modes

It will be possible to use the DIGISSTV facilities to create small pictures, see Description of the DIGISSTV ("Run" protocol) commands in PSK63F/PSK220F/PACKET

To take advantage of the slant and shift correction functions, the picture must not be bigger than 400x300 in color mode (in fact, the duration of transmission must not exceed that for a color picture in 400x300).

A little label (below the "Sound card" button) gives the number of available pictures to be transmitted. The maximum (initial) is 5. After programming the transmission of one picture, there will be 4 left, this goes on until 0 is left. The transmission of a picture increases this counter by one unity.

Transmission of the picture

After passed in transmission ("TX"), the picture is transmitted automatically. To follow the progress, the user disposes of  the percentage of the picture sent given by a little white label (below the "Sound card" button).

After transmission of a picture, the program returns automatically to MFSK16 mode.

It must be noted that the sampling frequency taken into account is the one adjusted for SSTV transmission (see Commands and use of the SSTV modes). When adjusted, the classical SSTV and the SSTV in MFSK16 transmissions will be done at the adequate speed.

Nota: if several pictures are transmitted, the return to 5 (on the label below the "Sound card" button) shows the end of transmission of all the pictures.

Receive commands

Introduction

At the reception of a prefix labeled "Pic:320x256C;" for example for a color picture of 320x256 dimensions or "Pic:320x256;" for example for a black and white picture of 320x256 dimensions, a window appears at the top left corner "Reception of a SSTV picture in MFSK16 mode". The yellow label carries a title composed of the format ("320x256 color",  for example), of the date and the UTC time of the beginning of picture reception.

The maximum size of the picture that can be decoded is 1600x1200 (beyond this value, it is considered as a decoding mistake). But the slant and shift correction functions are only available for pictures equal or smaller than 400x300 (except if the number of pixels is less than the one of a color picture in 400x300).

After reception of a picture, the program switches automatically to MFSK16 mode. The picture may still be corrected or printed. However, if a new picture is received, the previous picture will be cleared and lost...

In the commands block, three parts can be found:

* at the left: the print and record buttons,

* in the middle: the shift and slant corrections buttons (for pictures smaller than 400x300),

* at right: the closing button.

The used PC must be a PC at 166 MHz as a minimum (PC at 450 MHz would be ideal).

The normal graphic format is a screen in 800x600 and 24 bits colors.

The commands are:

* "Record": the button [image] allows saving the picture in a file type "MFSK date time.BMP" in the sub-directory SSTV_RX (automatically created by MULTIPSK),

* "Print": the button [image] allows printing the screen,

* "Shift": a quadruple button (<<, < (left) / >, >> (right)) allows the user to shift the picture to left or to right. To be used after the completion of the picture reception, except if the PC is very powerful.

* "Slant": a set of buttons intended to correct the sound card sampling frequency and thus to correct the possible slant of the picture. According to the necessary correction, the user will click on one of the buttons //, /, \, \\ with / and \ for fine corrections and // and \\ for coarse corrections. The applied correction is indicated. To be used after the complete reception of the picture, except if the PC is very powerful.

Note: the corrected sampling frequency will be: 11025 + Correction/10 (it is the same as the one used to receive classical SSTV).

* "Close": to close the window if no more pictures will be received.

* a label indicates the percentage of the received picture or if it is finished (if so, the decoding is switched automatically to MFSK16).

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Commands and use of the DominoF and DominoEX modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the DominoF and DominoEX mode as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Note: it can be understood "DominoF" when it is spoken of "DOMINO" as it was the first version of the Domino's modes.

Generalities

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

DominoEX needs a PC at 450 Mhz, as a minimum.

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- In DominoEX, it appears a little "edit" window in which is displayed a scrolling text. It is the "secondary" channel which is received when the other ham has nothing to send (it is an intelligent "idling"). Are sent first the call, then the name of the operator, the Locator and at last the QTH, these pieces of information being the ones available on the personal data (button "Personal").

- two radio buttons to pass from "master" mode to "slave" and vice versa.The choice is recorded.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked, but the reception frequency may change. In "slave" mode, the transmit frequency is equal to the reception frequency.

- two radio buttons to select the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to decode, for example, a transmission done in LSB instead of USB (the receiver being in USB).

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. The difference between these two frequencies is zero in "Slave" mode but may be not null in "Master" mode. The XIT is not taken into account in this mode.

- a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded).

- the button "AFC" for "Automatic Frequency Control" permits to follow a drift of the Domino transmission. This control could be stopped if the transmission is frequency stable, so as to avoid possible drift of the receive frequency in case of momentary absence of signal and presence of QRM. However, it is advised to let always the AFC "On" (especially for the 4, 5 and 8 bauds modes).

- In DominoEX, six radio buttons to select the transmission speed. It can be chosen between "4" (4 bauds), "5" (5 bauds) and "8" (8 bauds), "11" (11 bauds, i.e the standard speed), "16" (16 bauds) and "22" (22 bauds).

- In DominoEX, it is possible to pass the DominoEX modulation through an error correction algorithm by clicking on the button "FEC" ("Forward error correction")...see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions for the specific specifications.

The transmission will be twice slower but much more reliable.

- In DominoEX, close to the button "FEC", there is a label in which it will be found an information relative to the received DominoEX transmission: either "RX: Standard" (for a "non-FEC" transmission), or "RX: FEC" (transmission with error correction). It is an indication based on the Viterbi decoder. It is necessary  to be on the right DominoEX speed (11 bauds by default) for the indication to be correct. On the displayed indication "RX: FEC", the user will click on the button "FEC" for the decoding.

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The DominoF and DominoEX have a particular sound due to its rapid change of frequency on its bandwith.

Receiver in USB, the user selects a DominoF or DominoEX mode (multitones signal on a 194 Hz broad band in 11 bauds, for example) by positioning it between the two blue vertical bars on the waterfall spectrum display.

Automatic positioning (in the standard mode)

If the button "Lock" is pushed, the program looks for the mean frequency. The automatic positionning is not very good because at a given moment, it is not probable to have the two extreme frequencies; so, the mean frequency is not very precise.

Manual positioning

If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search. In this case, the user position the frequency by coinciding the blue vertical bars with the two extreme tones.

In all cases, this mode has a large tolerance on tuning (for example, +/- 65 Hz in 11 bauds, +/-94 Hz in 16 bauds and +/-129 Hz in 22 bauds), which reduces the risk of mistuning.

Note: the yellow bars in the waterfall correspond to the maximum bandwidth inside which the transmission can be decoded without error (bandwidth equal to about 194 + 2 x 65 = 324 Hz in 11 bauds, 469 Hz in 16 bauds and 646 Hz in 22 bauds).

Almost immediatly after the positioning, the user can read the decoded text on the receive window.

It's better to let the "AFC" button clicked, except if the transmission is really very stable.

For the "master"/"slave" mode:

If the operator starts calling, he is either in "master" mode if he wishes to impose his frequency (1000 Hz initially) or in "slave" mode if he fears a too big frequency drift of his correspondent. If the operator answers, he selects the "slave" mode.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmission frequency which will remain locked. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

Note : the initial receive frequency may be modified to be different from 1000 Hz…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a peak with the vertical blue band. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The difference is null.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

IMPORTANT: the standard speed for calls is 11 bauds.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

To choose the "master"/"slave" mode, see the previous paragraph.

IMPORTANT: the standard speed for calls is 11 bauds.

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Commands and use of the Olivia modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the Olivia modes as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- the button "Fixed", when in "On" position, permits to fix (i.e lock) the current RX frequency. So there is neither frequency search nor AFC (correspondant buttons are locked). These last functions are released when the button "Fixed" is "Off".

- the button "Standa" (for "Standard"), when in "On" position, permits to position the Olivia frequency, according to the rule given hereafter, this to keep compatible with other Olivia programs:

Rule: the central AF frequency is equal to 1000 Hz, 750 or 625 Hz according to the initial Olivia mode chosen by the Ham so as to keep the inferior frequency of the Olivia band fix and equal to 500 Hz: for example, 1000 Hz for the 32 tones and 1000 Hz bandwidth mode (see about this the paragraph "How to use Multipsk-Olivia" lower down in the text).

Note: this rule will also apply when switching from an Olivia mode to another.

The button "Standa", when in "Off" position, don't allow any positioning of the Olivia frequency on the standard one. This "Off" position is the one that must be chosen by a SWL.

The button "Freq. search" permits the permanent Olivia transmission frequency search on +/-120 Hz around the RX Olivia frequency (standard or not standard).

For example, the search will be done from 880 to 1120 Hz for a 1000 Hz central frequency or from 1380 to 1620 Hz for a 1500 Hz central frequency... The search bandwidth is displayed at the left of the button.

- two radio buttons to pass from "master" mode to "slave" and vice versa.The choice is recorded.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmit frequency which will remain locked, but the reception frequency may change. In "slave" mode, the transmit frequency is equal to the reception frequency.

- two radio buttons to select the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to decode, for example, a transmission done in LSB instead of USB (the receiver being in USB).

- a window "TX frequency  RX frequency  Fr. difference" gives the TX/RX frequencies and their difference. The difference between these two frequencies is zero in "Slave" mode but may be not null in "Master" mode. If the XIT (as an offset) is different from 0 Hz, a difference equal to the XIT or slightly different in "master" mode will be found. For the XIT, see  Access to the configuration menu.

IMPORTANT: either the RX-TX gap or the TX frequency may be imposed by clicking on the right button when the cursor is focused on the waterfall. If confirmed, the XIT (TX frequency - RX frequency) becomes different from 0. It can be imposed that the RX-TX gap be equal to 0 Hz (normal working).

Attention: the TX frequency is determined from the position of the mouse cursor on the waterfall.

This option is validated if the button "XIT" is pushed.

- a window "Squelch" allows the user to reduce the number of incorrect characters due to radio noise. The squelch level is situated between 0 (standard) to decode QRPP signals and 10 (where only strong signals are decoded).

- the button "AFC" for "Automatic Frequency Control" permits to follow a drift of the Olivia transmission. This option can be stopped if the transmission is frequency stable, so as to avoid possible drift of the receive frequency in case of momentary absence of signal and presence of QRM. It is strongly advised to let the AFC "ON".

- a little window and a button "Reset n="8"": this is to count the number of  "8"'s received and "Reset" to put back the counter to 0. To test a radio link, one operator will send a known number of  "8"'s (for example, 500 "8") and  the other operator in reception will note, at the end, the number of  "8"'s received. The number of errors compared to the number of "8"'s sent will determine the quality of transmission.

- it is possible to choose among 6 Olivia modes (the "standard" ("32-1K") one being the "default" one):

* "8-250": "Slow" 8 tones, bandwidth=250 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 14.6 wpm, lowest S/N=-14 dB,

* "16-500": "Average" 16 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 19.5 wpm, lowest S/N =-13 dB,

* "32-1K" ("Standard" default mode): 32 tonalités, bandwidth=1000 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 24.4 wpm, lowest S/N =-12 dB,

* "8-500": "Normal" 8 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=62.5 bauds, 29.3 wpm, lowest S/N =-11 dB,

* "16-1K": "Fast" 16 tonalités, bandwidth=1000 Hz, speed=62.5 bauds, 39.1 wpm, lowest S/N =-10 dB,

* "4-500": "Fast 2" 4 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=125 bauds, 39.1 wpm, lowest S/N =-10 dB.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

Note: the "standard" Olivia mode, due to its important number of carriers (32) works better with a good quality sound card, so as to have a nominal sample frequency (11025 samples/sec).

The OLIVIA has a particular sound due to its rapid change of frequency on its bandwith (1000 Hz in the standard mode). It can be recognized on the "waterfall" by its large bandwidth.

There are 3 ways to adjust the Olivia transmission frequency:

* either by a stand-alone working using the button "Freq. search" permits the permanent Olivia transmission frequency search on +/-120 Hz around the RX Olivia frequency (see above). It is advised to click on the button "Standa" so to impose a standard Olivia frequency (to avoid QRM between adjacent transmissions). In this case, position the receiver according to the here after chapter ("How To Use Multipsk-Olivia (paragraph from Fred (DK4ZC))")

This way obliges the Ham to respect the expected AF frequency. Reversely, this can be a useless constraint for a SWL.

* or an automatic positionning by clicking on the spectrum (see here after),

* or a manual positionning (see here after).

Receiver in USB, the user position the Olivia transmission (multitones signal on a 1000 Hz broad band for the standard mode), between the two blue vertical bars on the waterfall spectrum display and then clicks.

Automatic positioning (in the standard mode)

If the button "Lock" is pushed (recommended), the program looks during about 4 seconds for the exact frequency Olivia transmission (with a precision of +/- 8 Hz in "Standard" mode). A label "Frequency search" appears during these 5 seconds of search.

Note: for the "Normal" (8-500) and "Fast" (16-1K) Olivia modes, the research time is 2 seconds long. The precision is about +/- 16 Hz for these modes.

Note: for the "Fast 2" (4-500) Olivia mode, the research time is 1 second long. The precision is about +/- 32 Hz for this mode.

Manual positioning

If the button "Lock" is pulled, there is no frequency search. In this case, the user position the frequency by coinciding the blue vertical bars with the two extreme tones transmitted during one second at the beginning of the transmission. This option may be used if the automatic positioning does not work due to a very weak signal.

Two seconds after the positioning, the user can read the decoded text on the receive window.

It's better to let the "AFC" button clicked, except if the transmission is really very stable.

For the "master"/"slave" mode:

If the operator starts calling, he is either in "master" mode if he wishes to impose his frequency (1000 Hz initially) or in "slave" mode if he fears a too big frequency drift of his correspondent. If the operator answers, he selects the "slave" mode.

In "master" mode, the user selects, by clicking on the spectrum, a transmission frequency which will remain locked. The displayed received frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

Note : the initial receive frequency may be modified to be different from 1000 Hz…see Access to the configuration menu.

In "slave" mode, the displayed reception frequency will be, at the beginning, the "initial receive frequency" then the frequency selected on the spectrum, then the one calculated by the AFC..

The transmit frequency is the same as the received frequency. The RX/TX offset is null.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Six Olivia modes are proposed (see the "Commands" paragraph). The most common is the "Standard" ("32-1K") one.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

To choose the "master"/"slave" mode, see the previous paragraph.

It is reminded that it is possible to choose among 6 Olivia modes (the standard one being the "default" one):

* "8-250": "Slow" 8 tones, bandwidth=250 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 14.6 wpm, lowest S/N=-14 dB,

* "16-500": "Average" 16 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 19.5 wpm, lowest S/N =-13 dB,

* "32-1K" ("Standard" default mode): 32 tonalités, bandwidth=1000 Hz, speed=31.25 bauds, 24.4 wpm, lowest S/N =-12 dB,

* "8-500": "Normal" 8 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=62.5 bauds, 29.3 wpm, lowest S/N =-11 dB,

* "16-1K": "Fast" 16 tonalités, bandwidth=1000 Hz, speed=62.5 bauds, 39.1 wpm, lowest S/N =-10 dB,

* "4-500": "Fast 2" 4 tonalités, bandwidth=500 Hz, speed=125 bauds, 39.1 wpm, lowest S/N =-10 dB.

Calls must be done first in "Standard" mode ("32-1K") before changing to an other Olivia mode.

How To Use Multipsk-Olivia (paragraph from Fred (DK4ZC))

F6CTE comment: this paragraphe applies after having selected the "Standard" mode (32-1K bandwidth), which is the "default" mode.

Olivia has been developed by SP9VRC, Dr. Pawel Jalocha, who also made mt63.

It is a mfsk mode designed for digital data transfer under very poor conditions and distortions from noise, fading, multipathing, flutter and aurora. But it works also in the presence of man made qrm

from other digital signals in the passband e.g. automatic stations.

For this purpose the receiver was equiped with two error correction techniques. As a result it is now possible to decode a signal that can no more be heard in the speaker and is not seen in the waterfall.

For technical details please see: http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/jalocha/mfsk.html

F6CTE comment: see also RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

To tune in a signal which is not detectable by ears and eyes we have to use other methods for tuning.

While for all other modes only the knowledge of a frequency band is needed to find a signal, we have to use well defined channels for Olivia. The calling channel is on 14108.50 kHz. Others channels are on 14104.50, 14105.50, 14106.50, 14107.50 USB.

F6CTE comment: these channels frequencies are given for an AF frequency of 1000 Hz.

To be exactly on a channel frequency the transceiver has to be calibrated.

At 14999.00 kHz a carrier is present which, when you have loaded Multipsk-Olivia should be seen on the 1000 Hz red mark in the waterfall. In case it is on a different tones frequency tune your transceiver so that the signal is at 1000 Hz exactly. Probably there will still be an offset of less than 10 Hz which can be tuned out automatically by the AFC feature of the Multipsk program.

– Example: You found out that your transceiver display shows 14999.02 kHz when on the 1000 Hz mark in the waterfall. Tune the transceiver on 14108.52 kHz to have the correct setting for the calling channel (14108.50 KHz).

F6CTE comment: the carrier on the 15000 Khz frequency is a WWV carrier, as the one on 10000 KHz...

As mentioned above, Olivia is not sensitive to qrm of any kind, but that is not true for another Olivia signal which is present in the passband of a channel. It can happen, that in this case you will not be able to decode your partners signal anymore but decode the CQ CALL of another station. For this reason it is good manner to first find out if the channel is free or in use, wait a minute before you start transmitting.

What to do when the transceiver is not stable or in the warming up period?

In this case you have to tune the transceiver to the correct frequency. Never use the AFC as you would travell over the band. Switch AFC off!

F6CTE comment: the normal position of the AFC is "On", this for "normal" drifts. In case of very big drifts, as said by Fred, (HF) tune the transceiver...but let the AFC "On" (automatic AF tune) except if the signal is very weak.

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Commands and use of the HF Fax mode

Generalities:

The used PC must be a PC at 166 MHz or more, preferably. If using the largest size (see "Wide pic."), a PC at 166 MHz is compulsory.

The normal graphic format is a screen in 800x600 or more and 16 or 24 bits colors.

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

General commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- radio buttons allow the choice of the reception mode (« Normal » or « Reverse ») to allow reception for example, of LSB to USB transmission,

- a window "Black/white frequencies" gives the frequencies of the black and the white after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum. The white frequency must be about 2300 Hz.

Note: many amateur rigs have SSB filters of 2.1 KHz or even 1.8 KHz. A 2300 Hz tone might be many dB down, so as proposed by G7TMG (Sholto), 1500 Hz could be chosen for the white frequency.

- the date and time.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

The fax decoder commands are:

* "Slant": a set of buttons intended to correct the sound card sampling frequency and thus to correct the possible slant of the picture. According to the necessary correction, the user will click on one of the buttons ///, //, /, \, \\, \\\, with / and \ for very light correction, // and \\ for light correction and /// and \\\ for strong correction. The applied correction is indicated.

The corrected sampling frequency will be equal to: "Your Sf" + Correction/10.

"Your Sf" is the sampling frequency determined for your sound card (at the first step of Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies).

Note: the correction applied will be equal to: (optimal Sf - "Your Sf") x 10.

Advise: it's much more practical to set up the slant in non "wide picture" (button "Wide pic." non clicked). This adjusting will be done one time but could be slightly modified afterwards, in case of drift of the sound-card clock.

* "LPM": a spin button allows the sweeping (scanning) speed choice (60, 90 or 120 lpm) with 120 lpm as a reference...see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description

* "IOC": a spin button allows the IOC choice (288 or 576) with 288 as a reference...see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description

* "Shift": a double button (< (left) / > (right)) allows the user to shift the picture to left or to right,

* a button "W/B" permits to display the picture only in black and white rather than in grey nuances...not recommended except for particular requirements,

* a button "Clear" allows cleaning what is present on the screen,

* "Print": the button [image] allows printing the fax,

Note: the complete picture is always sent in only one sheet. If the picture has been decoded in the sizes of the original picture (see "Wide pic."), to print details, it will be necessary to pass through the Paint software: one will select the detail, "cut" it then "paste" it on a new picture. The picture could be printed afterwards.

* "JPG": this button allows storing the picture either in a compressed JPG file ("On" position) or in a BMP file ("Off" position, by default). The JPG format takes much less room than the BMP format but has a lightly less good quality,

* "Record": the button [image] allows storing the picture in a file either of the type "FAX date time.BMP" or the type "FAX date time.JPG", according to the selection done previously (button "JPG"), in the sub-directory FAX (automatically created by MULTIPSK),

* "Record automatically": the button [image] allows the software to work in a standalone way. This one listen to the frequency. Each time a fax picture is detected, there is an automatic synchronization, reception and then saving of the picture (in the format described in "Record"). The button "1:1 (Normal)" is forced to "On" to have a picture in normal size.

Several buttons are rendered inactive. This function is only available to the non-limited versions (with licence).

* a button "Stop down" allows to automatically stop the reception when the picture reaches the screen bottom, which allows the user not to be present during reception,

* a button "Auto stop" allows to automatically stop the reception on reception of the stop signal (5 seconds of 450 Hz), which allows the user not to be present during reception. This stop often occurs before reaching the screen bottom,

* a button "RX stop" allows the user to manually stop the reception and, thus, the picture display,

* a button "Synchro" allows to synchronize the picture on the white band transmitted just before the picture itself. The transmitted IOC (288 or 576) just before the white band is also decoded, taken into account and displayed at the right of "Synchro". If the IOC is not decoded, it is taken into account the current IOC (the one displayed at the left of "IOC"),

* a button "1:1 (Normal)" allows to display the picture in normal size. In reality, the presented size is correct for a Ham transmission (120 lpm, IOC=288) but in 1:2 (in width and length) the size will be fit to a weather fax transmission in 120 lpm, IOC=576,

Note: the PC speed limits the performances of the decoder: with a PC at 66 MHz, the user will get fax in 640x480 format and 256 colors, with a PC at 166 MHz, he will get fax in 800x600 format and 65536 colors, with a bigger PC, he will use the 1024x768 format and 65536 colors. The bigger is the format, the more numerous are the colors and more the PC must be powerful, otherwise the "Problem" label will light...

* "Wide picture": on IOC 576, the picture width corresponds to the one of the sent picture (equally to the height). It is not limited to the screen width. The covered area is, hence, 4 times larger. The number of received pixels is equal to the number of sent pixels. This function is only available to the non-limited versions (with licence).

Commands in the inferior part located to the right of the text " Commands when Fax RX stopped: - Only for registered version"

These commands are only available to the non-limited versions (with licence).

* a set of buttons /// // / \ \\ \\\ (for slant) << < > >> (for shift) is intended to perfectly centered the received fax picture. To use these slant and shift functions, the picture reception must be stopped. For this, click on the button "RX Stop" or wait for the automatic stop at the end of picture reception (button "Stop down"). The displayed indication corresponds to a sound card sampling frequency pseudo-correction. It can be used to perfect the true correction (see "Slant" above).

* a button "Colorization" permits to display the satellite pictures in false colors (false colors of meteo pictures are without interest). By clicking on the button "Colors", the user accesses to an adjustment of the main colors and also to a color inversion: one passes from Blue (weak levels) Green (average levels) Red (strong levels) to Red (weak levels) Green (average levels) Blue (strong levels). This function is only available to the non-limited versions (with licence).

The fax transmission commands are:

* a button "Load" allows the user to load an picture under xyz.BMP file form,

If the picture is not a BMP format (but a JPG one, for example), the user must transform it to a 24 bits BMP format thanks to "Paint" software (or equivalent).

* a button "Transmit" allows the user to transmit the loaded picture.

Note: it is advised to transmit on the standard frequencies (white at about 2300 Hz).

The transmission in progress may be stopped by clicking again the button "Transmit".

*- a label indicates the percentage of the picture transmited if the transmission has been initiated.

Note: if the picture is in black and white or in grey scale, it will be transmited as it. If it is in colors (screen copy for example), the colors will be transformed in grey scale before transmission.

1) If the chosen type of PC is a PC at 450 MHz, then the display can be done in 200-2500 Hz, 200-3300 Hz or 200-4300 Hz. In the contrary case, the display will be only done in 200-2500 Hz.

For the following explanations, a 200-2500 Hz display will be considered.

2) The initial bandwith is 5512 Hz.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The user selects the speed in lpm (for example 120) and the IOC (for example 288)...see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description. The "Normal reception" is selected if the transceiver is in USB mode.

The receive frequency is adjusted so as to have the right peak of the fax HF transmission at 2300 Hz, then the user clicks on this peak. The picture will be displayed.

Note: if the PC is at 66 MHz, the user will click on "66" and will put the screen in the minimum format (640x480 and 256 colors). With a PC at 166 MHz, he will be able to use a 800x600 format and 65536 colors, clicking in "66" or "166" according to the real power of the PC. With a bigger PC, he will use the 1024x768 format and 65536 colors, clicking in "166" (better algorithm). The bigger is the format, the more numerous are the colors and more the PC must be powerful, if not the "Problem" window will light...

To straighten the picture, the user will set the appropriate correction.

If the user wants to see the complete picture, he will begin to click on "Stop down" then on "1:1", and afterwards he will synchronize on the picture at the beginning of the transmission ("Synchro." button).

If necessary, during transmission, the user will shift the picture to left or to right.

Once the picture has been transmitted, the user will have the possibilty to print it or to save it on a .BMP file.

In case of very strong reception, it can be necessary to decrease the reception level (to keep linear) by pressing the "Att" ("Attenuation") button of the receiver.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

The imposed format is the one used by amateurs (speed 120 and IOC 288).

The user must load the picture (.BMP file). If it’s too big, it will be compressed to fit into the expected frame.

The user will click on "Transmit". The picture will be transmitted. An APT signal is transmitted for 5 seconds at the beginning, then a 30 seconds synchronization signal (white band alone), then the picture, then 5 seconds of ending APT signal and, at last, 10 seconds of black. A label will indicate the transmitted percentage. At 100 %, the transceiver will automatically pass to receive.

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Commands and use of the SSTV modes

Generalities:

For the modes description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Avout specific SSTV commands, there are four command groups:

* on the left bottom: a window "SSTV TEXT" to process the text to pasted in the picture to transmitted,

* on the left: the commands of the transmission (TX),

* at the middle: the global commands (RX and TX),

* on the right: the receive commands (RX).

Below that, two windows can be found:

* on the left: the display window of:

- the picture to transmit,

- or the RX and TX historic pictures,

* on the right: the display window of the picture to receive.

The used PC must be a PC at 166 MHz as a minimum (PC at 450 MHz would be ideal).

The normal graphic format is a screen in 800x600 and 24 bits colors.

Thanks to James M. Ward (WA3AAJ) for taking a beautiful picture of the Moon with his telescope and authorizing me to use it.

Thanks to Antonio Sanchez Aldama (EA2AB) for taking a beautiful picture of the port of Bilbao and authorizing me to use it.

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

General commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- the SSTV mode must be chosen among those proposed by the author. In Europe, the MARTIN1 mode will be chosen and in USA, Japan and Australia the SCOTTIE1 mode. The PD180 mode (RX only) is used in England.

The choice concerns only the transmission because on receive, the SSTV mode (MARTIN1, SCOTTIE1..) is automatically recognized.

Notes relatives to the PD120, 180 et 240 modes:

These are modes normally displayed on a 640x480(+16) window. Multipsk displays the pictures of these modes on a standard 320x240(+16) window, which implies a picture area 4 times smaller but a better picture quality as all the information are taken. As the Multipsk transmission window is 320x256, these modes are not proposed for transmission. On pourra utiliser avantageusement le mode PD90.

- in SSTV, the « Normal » or « Reverse » option is not furnished. The reception must be done imperatively in USB.

- a window "Synchro/Black/white frequencies" gives the frequencies of the synchronization signal, the black and the white after clicking on the synchronization peak on the AF spectrum. The synchronization must be situated imperatively between 1150 and 1400 Hz (normal: 1200 Hz).

- the date and time.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

The SSTV decoder (RX) commands are:

* "Shift": four buttons (<<, < (for left shift) / >, >> (for right shift)) allows the user to shift the picture to left or to right. This is to be used after the complete reception of the picture.

* "Slant": a set of buttons intended to correct the sound card sampling frequency and thus to correct the possible slant of the picture. According to the necessary correction, the user will click on one of the buttons //, /, \, \\ with / and \ for slight (fine) correction and // and \\ for strong (coarse) correction. The applied correction is indicated. This is to be used after the complete reception of the picture.

The corrected sampling frequency will be equal to: "Your Sf" + Correction/10.

"Your Sf" is the sampling frequency determined for your sound card (at the first step of Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies).

Note: the correction applied will be equal to: (optimal Sf - "Your Sf") x 10.

* "Auto": this button allows doing automatically:

- the necessary shift to center the picture,

- the necessary correction to suppress the slant of the picture.

The correction is done 3 times during the reception of the picture.

It can be passed in "Auto" only before starting the picture reception or at its beginning (before the first correction).

The buttons "Shift" and "Slant" are, then, no more active except after the complete reception of the picture. This option is proposed by default.

* "RX historic": the button [image] allows displaying one of the last 9 received pictures (they are saved with the date/time of their file name storage). When the picture is displayed, by clicking on a mini-picture, it expands to the window size. It is then available for a possible processing before transmitting it.

* "Load": the button [image] allows the user to load a picture under xyz.BMP or xyz.JPG file form from the sub-directory SSTV_RX (initially).

To have a selection of files beginning by the most recent one, on the "Open" menu item, the user must click on the button "Details" and, then, click two times in the "Name" column.

* "Record": the button [image] allows to store the picture in a file of the type "SSTV_RX date time.BMP" in the sub-directory SSTV_RX (automatically created by MULTIPSK),

* an button "Auto Save" allows the software to work in a standalone way. This one listen to the frequency. Each time a picture is detected, there is an automatic synchronization, reception and then saving of the picture (in the format described in "Record").

All the buttons except "RX historic" and "Load" are rendered inactive.

* a button "RX stop" allows the user to manually stop the reception and, consequently, the picture display,

* a button "Synchro." allows to start the display of the picture once the synchronization signal is received (for example, 5 ms at 1200 Hz in Martin 1),

* a button "Clear" allows to clear the RX window,

The SSTV transmission (TX) commands are:

* "Correction": a spinbutton allows to choose the correction for the sound card output sampling frequency and thus to correct the possible slant which could be produced when the TX picture is transmitted. The applied correction is indicated.

The corrected sampling frequency will be equal to: "Your Sf" + Correction/10.

"Your Sf" is the sampling frequency determined for your sound card (at the first step of Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies).

Note: the correction applied will be equal to: (optimal Sf - "Your Sf") x 10.

Initially, this correction is equal to 0 if the sampling frequency has been determined.

* a button "Header" allows loading the Multipsk header (320 columns x 16 lines) at the beginning of the picture. This option is activated on the next loaded picture, not on the present one. For the reader's information, the file recorded in the Multipsk main directory has for file name 'header.bmp".

* a button "Clear" allows cleaning the TX window, loading the header if required (see the option "Header").

* "TX historic": the button [image] allows a display of the 9 last TX stored pictures (with their file name). When the display comes up,  clicking on a mini-picture makes it expand to full the window size. It is then available for a possible editing before transmitting.

* "Load": the button [image] allows the user to load a TX picture under xyz.BMP or xyz.JPG file form from the sub-directory SSTV_TX (initially).

Note 1: this picture may have been made under the Windows software "Paint", the only condition would be that the picture has 320 columns by 256 lines.

Note 2: initially the file "Port.bmp" (on "Multipsk" directory) is loaded. The user may initially load another picture but by keeping the same name "Port.BMP" and the same directory.

* "Record": the button [image] allows storing a TX picture in a file type "SSTV_TX date time.BMP" in the sub-directory SSTV_TX (automatically created by MULTIPSK),

* a button "Transmit" allows the user to transmit the loaded picture. A label indicates the percentage of the picture transmited if the transmission has been initiated.

The transmission in progress may be stopped by clicking again the button "Transmit".

* a button "1750 Hz" allows the user to open repeaters by transmitting a 1750 Hz tone (for a duration of approximately 2 seconds).

The global (RX and TX) commands are:

* "Print": the button [image] allows to print the screen,

* a label indicates if RX or TX is selected and if the reception is in progress or not.

The "SSTV TEXT" window commands are:

* "Font": the button [image] allows the selection of the characters font,

Note: it has been observed, on a laptop, the necessity to press also on the "Alt" key (left one).

* "Size": a spinbutton allows the selection of the font size. It's quicker than passing by the Font button.

* "Horizontal scrollbar": the button "<==>" allows to add a horizontal scrollbar, if the texte becomes too long.

* "Cancel": the button [image] allows cancelling the last text "paste" operation.

* "Paste": to paste the text, simply  click where you want to display it in the TX window. As long as the left button is down, the text may be moved.

* "Clear": to clear the window.

In BW24 and Robot 36 and 72 modes, a control of the text position is done. In fact, these modes are in 240 lines and not in 256 lines as for the other modes, so the 16 last lines are not sent. It is the reason for which if the bottom is below 240 lines, the user is warned. Moreover, in BW24 and in Robot 36 and 72, the 16 last mines are blackened.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

In reception, the user adjusts the reception on a SSTV transmission (for example, 14230 Khz in USB): the SSTV transmission is selected by clicking on the synchronization peak on the waterfall display (between 1150 and 1400 Hz). Normally, the band used to send the picture is comprised between 1500 and 2300 Hz and the synchronization signal is on 1200 Hz. So these frequencies or a bit above or below (-50 / + 200 Hz up or down) must be used. One may, then, observe and manage the produced picture on the screen.

Note: in Europe, the MARTIN1 mode is used and in USA, Japan and Australia the SCOTTIE1 mode.

Both modes are recognized.

The SSTV mode (MARTIN1, SCOTTIE1...) is automatically recognized with two different ways:

* by the mode VIS code preceding the picture,

* in case of failure, by the duration between synchronization signals (this way is more random because it is subject to QRM).

If the button "Auto" (in the "Commands" window) is clicked, the adjustment of the picture will be done automatically. After the complete reception of the picture, it can be precisely manually adjusted.

Synchronization on the picture is automatic with the "Synchro" button pushed. If released, the picture is decoded immediatly according to the SSTV mode selected in the selection mode window.

After receiving a picture, the user can either:

* print it (all the screen in fact),

* or save it (in an automatic way) in a .BMP file,

* or restart a new reception by clicking on "Synchro".

The button "RX historic" allows to see the 9 last received saved pictures,

The button "Auto Save" allows a standalone working of the software without Ham presence.

The normal graphic format is a screen in 800x600 and 24 bits colors. If the PC power (PC at 166 MHz as a minimum and 450 MHz as an ideal) does not allow to work in that format, the user will pass in 640x480 format, 16 bits colors or, if necessary, 8 bits colors or click on the "66" option, which needs less CPU power.

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

The chosen mode is selected in the mode window.

The user must first load the picture in a .BMP format. If it’s too big, it will be compressed to fit into the expected frame.

With the commands of the "SSTX TEXT", the user will write on the picture that has to be transmitted any desired text ("CQ CQ DE XYZ XYZ +K") before clicking on "Transmit". The picture will be transmitted. A label will indicate the transmitted percentage. At 100 %, it will automatically pass to receive.

If the user clicks on "Transmit" before the end of of the transmission, this radio will switch to receive  immediately.

To know how long it takes to transmit, see Selection of the RX/TX modes and description.

Note: the posssibilities offered by Multipsk for building SSTV pictures (picture of the port and text) are basic. The user may build his/her own pictures using, for example, "Paint" of Windows, by transforming the 320x256 pixels file "port.bmp" (for example) and using special fonts.

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Commands and use of Hellschreiber modes (Coherent CW) mode

Commands and use of the Hellschreiber modes

In this chapter, il will be found a description of the commands used for the Hellschreiber modes (FELD HELL, PSK HELL, FM HELL, HELL 80) as well as the operations to use for reception and for transmission.

Note: in Hell modes, the sampling frequency correction (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies) is taken only account for TX.

Generalities

For the mode description: see RX/TX modes selection and their descriptions

Commands

For more general commands, see Introduction and description of the windows and controls

Commands are given from left to right and from the top to the bottom:

- the radio buttons to select the reception mode (« normal » or « reversed ») to see black characters on white background or reversely.

- for FELD HELL and PSK HELL, a window "Frequency" gives the TX/RX frequency (TX and RX frequencies are equal).

- for FM HELL, a window "Black/White frequencies" gives the frequencies of the black and the white after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum. The shift between black and white frequencies is 122 Hz.

- for HELL 80, a window "White/black frequencies" gives the frequencies of the black and the white after clicking on the right peak on the AF spectrum. The shift between black and white frequencies is 300 Hz.

- a button "Save" allows to store the FELD HELL characters in the display window in a file which type is "F_H date time.BMP" ("P_H date time.BMP" format for PSK HELL, "FM_H date time.BMP" format for FM HELL and "H_80 date time.BMP" format for HELL 80) in the sub-directory Hellschreiber (automatically created by Multipsk),

- a button "Big" allows to display big characters. It is the default option. The small characters are less readable but permit to display more lines.

Note 1: big characters display needs more computing power, especially on laptops. In case of a problem, pass on to small characters.

Nota 2: the display of small characters in FM HELL forbids the slope correction (due to a strong degradation of the display).

- a button "DX" allows to double the number of columns. The characters are more readable for the listener but the character transmission speed is 2 times less.

- a button "Super DX" allows to quadruple the number of columns. The characters are even more readable for the listener but the character transmission speed is now 4 times less.

- a button "Bold" gives the posssibility to send characters in "Bold" style (DL8LE/F6CTE font). The speed is decreased by about 20% but the characters are much more readable.

- In FELD HELL, FM HELL (big characters) and HELL 80, a double button " [image] [image] " allows to correct the slope when writing is not horizontal in case of a sampling frequency difference between transmit and receive.

Note 1: in PSK HELL the synchronization is automatic.

Note 2: in FM HELL (big characters), the more the correction is important ("0" if no correction), the more the display of thin letters is degraded. So, it is advisable not too much correct in this mode.

The correction of small characters in this mode (FM HELL) is not proposed (due to a strong degradation of the display).

- four buttons "FELD HELL", "PSK HELL", "FM HELL" and "HELL 80" allows the user to pass from one mode to the other mode.

- the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio). For explanations, the user will refer to the chapter IMD, signal quality and S/N ratio.

- with the button "Lock", the cursor on the waterfall locks on the nearest transmission. It is the default option. Otherwise (no lock), the position of the cursor is fixed by the user.

Use in reception

For general considerations of the use in reception see Use in reception

The user may choose DX position if the transmission is very weak. In that case, the speed passes from 25 to 12,5 wpm in FELD, FM HELL and PSK HELL and 50 to 25 wpm in HELL 80,

In "Super DX", the speed passes from 25 to 6,25 wpm in in FELD, FM HELL and PSK HELL and 50 to 12.5 wpm in HELL 80.

Capital or small characters and normal/reversed reception depends of the wish of the user (by default, the reception is normal with capital characters).

In FELD HELL, FM HELL (big characters) and HELL 80, if the writing is not horizontal, correct it with the double button " [image] [image] ".

It is reminded that  the HELL 80 is an AFSK mode (2 frequencies as in RTTY, the one for the white being the most powerful). So the user must compulsory be in USB and must select the transmission by clicking the peak the most to the left (the white one).

For frequencies to used, see Frequencies used.

Use in transmission

For general considerations of the use in transmission, see Use in transmission

There is neither error reset character nor carriage return (and line feed).

Pass in "DX" or "Super Dx" position if the other operator has some difficulty to interpret your text.

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Description of the pseudo-mode FILTERS options

Introduction

1) The sound card must be a  "full-duplex" type and not a "simplex" one. This indication may be found in the configuration screen.

2) If the processor used in the PC is at least a PC at 450 MHz, then the display can be arranged as 200-2500 Hz, 200-3300 Hz or 200-4300 Hz. For a less PC processor, the display will be only done in 200-2500 Hz.

For the following explanations, it will be considered a 200-2500 Hz display.

3) The initial bandwith is 5512 Hz.

4) A window "Filtering frequencies (low, average and high)": gives the selected band of frequencies.

5) the sampling frequency correction (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies) is not taken only account for this pseudo-mode because it is useless.

Latency time in 1/10 s

The latency time in full-duplex is the delay of the output sound compared to the input sound. It is mainly due to the Windows buffering. This delay is initially of one second in WAVEFORM-AUDIO mode and about 0.4 second in DIRECTSOUND mode (see more further).

This latency time may be reduced if the used PC is sufficiently powerful.

With "No filter" option selected, adjust your receiver on a BLU or an AM transmission (people talking). Apply this signal to the sound card input plug. Connect louders or headphones to the sound card output plug. You will, easily,  observe the delay between the output and the input sounds.

You will try to reduce the delay down to the value where the speech becomes difficult to understand. One time determined, select the value just above the found value.

The modification of latency time is also applied to the DIRECTSOUND mode. Possibly, a too small latency time which does not work under WAVEFORM-AUDIO mode will work in DIRECTSOUND mode.

You will do some tests to determine the minimum delay.

N Order

It is the order of the lowpass, bandpass and rejection filters. The bigger the order is, the more powerful the filter is. The maximum is 1000. It is reached with a PC at 450 MHz.

No filter

The bandwidth is maximum between 0 and 5512 Hz.

Lowpass filter

The cut-off frequency is adjustable by clicking on the spectrum, between 200 and 2500 Hz.

At the beginning, the inital RX frequency configured in the configuration menu is chosen.

The selected bandwidth will be, for example, 1000 Hz for CW.

Noise reduction filters (weak or strong)

These filters apply to the whole AF spectrum (0 à 5512 Hz)

The reduction may be weak or strong.

With this noise attenuator, it may be possible to reduce the noise of the phone signals keeping their intelligibility (this will be limited when using the «strong attenuator»).

Noise reduction filter for CW

This filter gives to a reduced spectrum (400 à 1000 Hz). It is adapted by the user as he wishes.

Bandpass and rejection filters

The central frequency is adjustable by clicking on the spectrum, between 200 and 2500 Hz.

At the beginning, the inital RX frequency configured in the configuration menu is chosen.

The user can choose between 5 bandwidths: 60, 120, 250, 500 and 2500 Hz,

This bandwidth is that selected for the bandpass filter and the one for the rejection filter.

If the option "Carrier capture" is selected, then the filter by clicking will automatically be centered on the carrier (CW transmission for example).

If the option "Carrier pursuit" is selected, then the carrier will be followed as its drifts.

The choices about the bandwidth and two preceding options are stored.

With the bandpass filter, the user may, for example, separate two distinct CW transmissions.

With the rejection filter, an annoying carrier may be suppressed (in SSB, for example).

Choice of the full-duplex digital treatment

There are two possible options:

* either the standard multimedia API (programmation functions) of Windows called "Waveform-Audio Interface": these API are universal but between the captured sound and the reproduced sound, the latency time is about one second (see, above, "Latency time"),

* or the Microsoft DirectSound interface, part of DirecxtX® which is designed for games and others high-performance applications. This interface depends on a DLL (library) under the form of a file called DSOUND.DLL whose functions are variable from one release to another. The latency time in full-duplex is only about 0.4 second (see, above, "Latency time"). Moreover, two potentiometers are proposed: one for the balance and the other for the volume. They are located in series with the mixer so that the volume at the mixer level must be at the maximum. By experience, the DSOUND.DLL version of Windows 95 does not work while that of Windows 98 and beyond is good.

For information, are displayed the number of processed buffers (Nb tr).and the number of buffers which with problems (Nb pb) due to a transitory overload.

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Description of the CW binaural reception options

IMPORTANT

The binaural reception is, normally, obtained in an analogic receiver when passing from HF (direct receiver) or from MF (super-heterodyne receiver) to AF.

Please refer, on this subject, to the excellent paper "A Binaural I-Q Receiver" by Rick Campbell, KK7B, written in QST on march 1999.

In our case, from AF (obtained from the sound card), one can only obtain, on a binaural way, a narrow band corresponding at what is necessary for CW.

Hence, it is not , here, more that the experimentation of a concept.

Preliminaries

1) The sound card must be a  "full-duplex" type and not a "simplex" one. This indication may be found in the configuration screen.

2) If the chosen type of PC is a 450 MHz, then the display can be done in en 200-2500 Hz, 200-3300 Hz or 200-4300 Hz. In the contrary case, the display will be only done in 200-2500 Hz.

For the following explanations, it will be considered a 200-2500 Hz display.

3) A window "Filtering frequencies (low, average and high)": gives the selected band of frequencies.

4) the sampling frequency correction (see Determination of the sound card RX/TX sampling frequencies) is not taken only account for this pseudo-mode because without it is useless.

Latency time in 1/10 s

The latency time in full-duplex is the delay of the output sound compared to the input sound. It is mainly due to the Windows buffering. This delay is initially of one second in the mode used in binaural reception (WAVEFORM-AUDIO).

This latency time may be reduced if the used PC is sufficiently powerful.

With "MONO PASS-ALL" option selected, adjust your receiver on a BLU or an AM transmission (people talking). Apply this signal to the sound card input plug. Connect louders or headphones to the sound card output plug. You will, easily,  observe the delay between the output and the input sounds.

You will try to reduce the delay down to the value where the speech becomes difficult to understand. One time determined, select the value just above the found value.

You will do some tests to determine the minimum delay.

N Order

It is the order of the lowpass, bandpass and rejection filters. The bigger the order is, the more powerful the filter is. The maximum is 500. It is reached with a PC at 450 MHz.

Mono pass-all

The bandwidth is maximum beween 0 and 5512 Hz. The headphones receive the same signal (mono).

Mono Band-pass

The headphones receive the same signal (mono).

This option allows the user to do the difference between a mono reception (this one) and a binaural reception. This difference is sensitive in presence of noise.

The central frequency is adjustable by clicking on the spectrum, between 200 and 2500 Hz.

At the beginning, it is chosen the inital RX frequency configured in the configuration menu.

The user can choose between 3 bandwidths: 60, 120 and 250 Hz,

If the option "Carrier capture" is selected, the filter is automatically configured on the carrier when clicking.

If the option "Carrier pursuit" is selected, the carrier is followed on its drift.

The choices about the bandwidth and two preceding options are stored.

According to the bandwidth, the user may, for example, separate two distinct CW transmissions.

Binaural

The headphones receive two signals in quadrature.

The use is the same as for the option "Mono band-pass". The reception must be better in presence of noise (gain of 3 dB).

Noise reduction filter

This filter apply to the whole AF spectrum (0 à 5512 Hz)

With this noise attenuator, it may be possible to reduce the noise keeping the intelligibility of CW signals.

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