Beta testers wanted for WSJT-X add-on

[VK4ADC]

I recently developed a new 'add-on application' << BandView >> for WSJT-X for Windows (about a week or so ago) and am looking for just few people to try it out for me.   

It is not totally you-beaut but what it does is reverse-sort the band activity data from WSJT-X so that the newest is at the top but also allows the user to apply a 'filter' to the process across the 4 most important fields : (1) audio tone frequency, (2) callsign #1, (3) callsign #2,  (4) report/grid info.  
It definitely makes it easy to 'watch' specific callsigns (avoiding the clutter) to make it easier to work them.

Obviously, WSJT-X needs to be running processing incoming signals, for any data updates to occur within BandView. 

By default, the software is typically used with  * (ie a wildcard) in the search match box, and that means it will display all band activity.
Optionally, you can enter a single letter (eg W, for USA calls) that will list only callsigns that start with that letter.  More letters / numbers and the results list gets shorter.
Put in a grid square (eg QG62) and it will list only entries that match that grid area.  QG gives more results than QG62..
Alternatively, put in a tone frequency (you saw it flash by a few seconds ago) and list the activity on that tone freq. Here is a tip - if it was 1823 Hz you saw and you enter it as 182 then it will show all with tone frequencies from 1820 to 1829.. 
Now add a mix of 'filters' separated by commas eg W,K,N,XE,VE,VO,VA and you will see just a list of North American callsigns - eg USA, Canada and Mexico.  Ditto for EU area.
Remember to press the Enter key when finished entering the match criteria, comma separated (/delimited) for multiples...

CQ calls have green highlight, as per the typical WSJT-X scheme.

There are a few tick boxes to take note of :
The Auto box enables and disables automatic data updates as WSJT-X cycles.
The Active tickbox next to MyCall enables and disables specific matches to the entered callsign - highlights in red when your call appears.
The Active tickbox at the RHS of the search parameters box enables and disables specific matches to the search field.

The red numbers at top RHS is the current time in seconds - updates occur 6 seconds after the normal FT8 periods i.e. at 6, 21, 36 and 51 seconds past each minute. This delay is intentional to avoid data file crash error messages.

Hover the mouse over other things on screen and most will have a description of what it means or is for.

Settings are saved from one user session to the next..

https://www.vk4adc.com/web/images/UserFi...ndView.zip 
You will probably have to do a Run Anyway under Win10.


Your thoughts ??

Doug VK4ADC

Screenshots..
   
Wild card match ie * (asterisk)

   
Match only Call#2 calls starting with A

[VK5PJ]

Hi Doug,
downloaded the ZIP and tried to run it. then I get a "Invalid argument to date encode error"

no activity is displayed (blank white screen)

How exactly does this talk to WSJT-X ?  is this looking for UDP traffic on a port? if so what port and can that be changed as I regularly have many copies of WSJT-X running on a single PC..

the next error I see when I click on the process button is "Cannot open file 'c:\ham_radio\vk4adc\revall.txt' the system cannot find the file specified"  this is the path where the EXE is being run from, current user had Modify rights on that folder structure.

Any thoughts?

[VK4ADC]

Peter

The way it works is that it takes a copy of the WSJT-X ALL.TXT file into the local folder (eg c:\ham_radio\vk4adc\'  c:, then processes it back to a reverse-order equivalent named REVALL.TXT  (reverse all).  It is that file copy which the software then processes. It does not use UDP, simply a copy of the raw WSJT-X file. So provided the ALL.TXT file exists then it will create REVALL.TXT in the local folder.  You can check that using Windows Explorer : both files should exist !

The normal WSJT-X install places files into " C:\Users\xxx(username)\appdata\local\WSJT-X \ " where i everything up to the "\WSJT-X\" is retrieved from a Windows environment variable for LOCALAPPDATA  ( using GetEnvVarValue('LOCALAPPDATA') ), and that is where IT stores the ALL.TXT file, along with some other files.  You might check if that is actually where your WSJT-X files have been placed. I simply take a TXT copy of that to work with. 

The date encode error is surprising as the only place I use any date-based commands is in naming a sort-of-backup file, everything else is purely text-based (strings).. Actually just thought of something else : I do file-date checking to see when ALL.TXT is updated, but since it all happens within the same code block then it is hard to imagine why it should pop an error.

You should NOT have had to modify user or folder rights to make it run - a bit intrigued by that.

I will have a bit more of a look at my code in the coming days and try to establish answers / fixes.   (PS I just put the EXE into a fresh folder and got the same errors as you - so I will be able to test, find and fix the issue)

This is the reason I wanted a few people to try the code, my initial re-wander back into coding after my sudden 'disappearance' back at the end of June.

Doug

[VK5PJ]

okay Doug,
that program will never work for me then, I do not have any of my WSJT-X instances running in that folder you mentioned, I use '-R NAME' parameter when I start each instance of WSJT-X / JTDX here so each has a unique folder...

As an example, my folder structure looks like this: I have instances for each radio and special functions

28/04/2019  08:25 AM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - 275
20/08/2022  01:00 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - 910
12/06/2021  01:20 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - BASIC
15/09/2022  08:07 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - FLRIG
24/06/2022  04:26 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - impr
27/06/2022  01:01 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - IMPR-AL
24/06/2022  02:37 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - impr-wide
13/03/2022  08:42 AM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - NOCAT
17/06/2022  04:46 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - RC1
13/09/2022  08:28 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - REMOTEHAMS
28/12/2021  09:09 AM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - SDR
06/03/2022  07:55 AM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - TEST
06/09/2022  04:17 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - V2.7600
15/09/2022  07:53 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - V2.7610
17/10/2021  08:25 PM    <DIR>          WSJT-X - V2.Dual7600

[VK4ADC]

Peter

Quite correct, it won't work for you using that structure.  It should work for others though where they are using just one copy of WSJT-X.

The new ZIP file (at 8.45PM tonight) has V1.0.0.3 in it and the two errors noted before have been resolved (I think).

Cheers
Doug

[VK5PJ]

Hello Doug,
have created a file system 'symbolic link' from one of my active folders to the 'default' location for all.txt. I can now run it and it gathers data from the active instance I have chosen ( 18.1 MHz FT8 ). It initially seemed to be quite slow but that seems to have greatly improved.
the box that is supposed to give a flash of colour does not to my eyes alter from white at anytime on my system.

Unsure what the tick box next to the "MyCall" label does, as for me it makes no discernible difference if ticked or not.

I am trying a few of your suggested filters.

more later..

[VK4ADC]

Peter

The Auto tickbox must be ticked for screen updates to occur.  There is actually a very brief green flash, then 2 seconds later a yellow flash occurs.  The green flash is when it copies the WSJT-X all.txt file to the local folder - very quickly for SSDs. The yellow flash is while it processes the file into reverse order then puts the data-matching details to screen. 

The tickbox next to MyCall doesn't show anything different if you aren't making QSOs - so your callsign in Call#1 or Call#2 has not triggered a colour change to red for those lines.

I have had my copy with VK in the Search List box just observing the various QSOs and CQs from VK stations, then I noticed VJ6X on air (in WSJT-X) so added a ",VJ" and all of those QSOs and calls appeared too.

Note that with WSJT-X proper, you need to stop the 'Monitor' button to scroll back in history (up) else it refreshes every 15 seonds (FT8).  Unticking the BandView 'Auto' box achieves a similar effect but the QSOs update normally in the WSJT-X Band Activity window - so no other band history data is lost.

It might help someone somewhere make that elusive QSO !

Doug

PS Not sure what contest the guys using 2X1 calls are operating in but it seems to be almost every day !   
Just rechecked the AMC web site and it specifically says only for contest use.

[VK2AZ]

If the 2x1 calls are on HF (160m - 10m) then they are participating in the RASA 2022 contest :-)
https://vkradioamateurs.org/rasa-dx-contest-2022/

[VK5PJ]

Hi Doug,
definitely no colour flashes of any sort here in that box on my system. low end onboard graphics card with a M.2 solid state drive in the shack PC (Lenovo mini M710).

Will continue to see what value it gives me over the standard display but given my screen is crammed full as is, with rotator controls and other utilities it has stiff competition.

[VK5PJ]

Hey Doug,
today on a VERY busy 28 MHz FT8, with 30 to 35 per sequence, the green shows as the most briefest of a flash and the Yellow shows a much more pronounced flash, sorry I doubted you.

May I ask what the small "S" button next to the percentage field is meant for ?

[VK4ADC]

The little button with the S label is a "Snapshot" that saves the data as listed on screen into a file simply named YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.TXT, yes a text file but CSV format, in the application's folder.  Mainly implemented so that you can save a set of QSO exchanges for historical purposes.   Like when you see 2X1 calls and it isn't a formal contest - regardless of what RASA has set up (and not in the spirit of AR in Australia) !!

Doug

[VK4ADC]

I have just updated the BandView software to 1.0.0.5 and the changes relate to the font size and colour of the presented data list, the size changeable by a small up/down control near top RHS.  The font size range is intentionally limited but, even so, some fields like date/time will overflow the preset field width available at maximum.   The font size setting is retained from one session to the next, starts off at the minimum end value used previously (V1.0.0.1 to 1.0.0.4).

The font colour is blue for the period starting at either 00 seconds or 30 seconds (ie first period on FT8), black for the periods starting at 15 and 45 seconds (second period on FT8).   For FT4, the alternate colour is altered for the 7.5 second first/second period configuration.

A 'CQ' tickbox has been added so that BandView displays only CQ calls, the MyCall and Search List tickboxes being automatically deselected.

Latest changes are in a ZIP file date/time marked after 4.55PM on 24 Sept 2022, web link as provided in a previous post.

Doug VK4ADC

[VK4ADC]

Yet another update to BandView,  now to V1.0.0.6.    

There are a few changes mainly in the colours put to screen.
A callsign matching MyCall is red when in the Callsign#1 field.   I.E. You are being called
A callsign matching MyCall is yellow when in the Callsign#2 field.  I.E. You are calling 
A station calling CQ is green.

Alternate timing periods are either blue (first) or black (alternate) text, once the software figures out which mode is in use (eg FT8, FT4, MSK144..) so which is actually a first/evens period.

The previous percentage setting slider has been changed and an additional slider control added.  Percentage of data setting can now be changed by typing a new value in the box next to the % symbol, or can be defaulted back to 5% by pressing the '5%' button.

The two sliders set the received signal level at which highlighting colours are activated. 
The top slider has a range from +0dB to +40dB and signals above the setting value have a magenta-like background colour.  
The bottom slider has a range from -40 to +40dB and signals above the setting value have an aqua-like background colour.  
The default values are +6dB for the upper control, and -10dB for the lower slider control.   
These help you figure out which signals are above the "I can normally work them at this level" strength, or the "strewth, that's strong" point.

While this software is mainly for my own use, others may find it useful/helpful hence the "sharing".

Doug VK4ADC

Sample display  with the 'high' level set at +3dB, "low" at -10dB...
   


PS. to turn OFF the level highlighting, set both sliders to the RHS (ie +40dB) positions, exit to save these values and then restart.

[VK4ADC]

The BandView software is now detailed in an edited composite of the previous posts in this thread at a project web page at 
https://www.vk4adc.com/web/index.php/sof...or-windows

That page also contains the download link for the ZIP file in the footer area.

Any future updates/enhancements will only be detailed on that web page.

[VK4ADC]

For those interested in using my BandView software, the latest update now supports viewing ONE selection from multiple instances of WSJT-X.   Changing a selection from a drop-down box allows the user to select a different WSJT-X instance data file.

Download is from the same location/link as in previous posts.

V1.0.0.8 introduces an optional mode for when there are multiple instances of WSJT-X are running on the PC.  The normal mode is 'Default' and it sets BandView up so that if utilises the normal single-instance settings.  The 'Percentage' options are now set automatically in other code depending on the size of the ALL.TXT file so the previously-used screen space now displays a drop-down selector box which might contain some thing like  Default, OmniRig Rig 1, OmniRig Rig 2.    These definitions have to be set up manually by the user in a text file named 'rigs.txt' in the BandView executable's folder. For instance, my rigs.txt (pure text, eg Notepad) file contains these settings :

Default,C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\WSJT-X,WSJT-X.ini
OmniRig Rig 1,C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\WSJT-X - OmniRig Rig 1,WSJT-X - OmniRig Rig 1.ini
OmniRig Rig 2,C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\WSJT-X - OmniRig Rig 2,WSJT-X - OmniRig Rig 2.ini

* Note that the User text above (in italics) must be replaced bywhatever profile/account name you are using as your Windows logon name.

The first field contains the displayed label then a comma (,), the second field is the folder for the folder detail where that instance stores it's ALL.TXT file then a comma (,), the third field is the name of the WSJTX INI file for that instance.  The number of entries is not specifically limited but you MUST get the details accurate in the file as there are no bug-fixes to accommodate invalid configuration entries.  If you aren't proficient/confident then do NOT create the rigs.txt file.