New FT8 and MSK144 formats, please read

[VK5PJ]

Hello,
some of you may not know but there is to be a NEW release of the WSJT-X software in Dec 2018 that will include new version of the FT8 and MSK modes that are NOT backward compatible with the current FT8 and MSK144.

The big hit will be the new FT8 version 2 which has a longer transmitted payload (77 bits versus the old 72 bit) which is there to accommodate some of the longer and compound callsigns and contest formats.

Please Please Please go and have a read about version 2 of WSJT-X on the authors web site: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx.html and scroll down to the part of the page that talks about "WSJT-X version 2" as after mid December you may find you do not decode a lot of the new traffic on the FT8 sub bands once version 2 takes off.

The latest current 'gold' release of WSJT-X is 1.91 which is in use world wide, those of you using JTDX and MSHV for FT8 and MSK144 will find yourself out of step with those early adopters of version 2 of WSJT-x during December and may need to look at your options.

There are already beta testers of the new version 2 ( Release Candidate 4 ) out there on FT8 and they are trying to stick above 2,000 Hz in the baseband audio. I have been running it for a few weeks on HF only FT8 and does some new funky things, some I like and some not so good LOL.

Anyway, please do not say you were not told : -)

cross posted in another forum also..

[VK2KRR]

Peter, from what I can see WSJTX 2.0 wont work with Windows XP would that be correct?
If it is I will only be able to use WSJTX 1.9.1, which will work with XP.

[VK5PJ]

Hi Leigh,
hmm do not know why version 2 would exclude operation on XP but must admit I would have skipped over that as everything I have now is Win 10 or Linux. Maybe you could buy a Raspberry PI and use version 2 on Linux

Oh come to think of it I do have an old DELL laptop that is XP, will have to blow the dust off of it and try version 2 RC4 on it.

If you stick with a pre version 2 of WSJT-X you will very quickly stop getting FT8 & MSK144 decodes as it will not be able to decode or encode the new longer 77 bit messages.. JT65 and QRA64 plus WSPR are unchanged as far as I know.

Peter

[VK7HH]

So I gather Peter from what I read that V2 will not decode the older style either? i.e. it's not backwards compatible with v1.9.1 or earlier?

That's going to be an almighty pain for those that do change over...

[VK5PJ]

That's right Hayden, going to version 2 is a one way trip for FT8 and MSK 144 users, given the number of bugs still to be resolved in FT8 and the problems with JT4 and JT65 that seem to be ignored currently I am reluctant to embrace version 2 but if enough of Joe Public go there then we must consider it.

Now, version 2 RC3 (currently on RC5) can decode and encode BOTH so it is sort of a compromise but the dev team would not be keen to have out of date DEV versions being used commonly...

In short it will be an interesting Summer for us as Dec 10 is supposed to be VER 2 official release.

Peter

[VK2CSW]

As WSJT-X is freeware, is easy to install, doesn't appear to create much bloat on a PC, I struggle to rationalise why there would be resistance to doing the upgrade.

Am I missing something?

[VK4ADC]

WSJTX 2 appears to use the same registry entries as V1.9 because all of the settings transferred so, while I haven't yet run V2 in anger, I installed the new version in a separate folder and have two shortcuts on my desktop : V1.9 and V2.0.  Problem solved ??

[VK7HH]

[quote pid='2884' dateline='1543470172']
WSJTX 2 appears to use the same registry entries as V1.9 because all of the settings transferred so, while I haven't yet run V2 in anger, I installed the new version in a separate folder and have two shortcuts on my desktop : V1.9 and V2.0.  Problem solved ??
[/quote]

I guess there is still a problem Doug with knowing what everyone else is running. If you run version 2 and everyone else isn't, then there isn't going to be much decoding happening...

Convenient how they decide to release in the middle of their winter... 

[VK5BC]

Seems to me the easy way would have been to rename the new V2 FT8, maybe FT877.

[VK7HH]

https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html

"The current General Availability (GA) release is WSJT-X 2.0.0

The FT8 and MSK144 protocols have been enhanced in a way that is not backward compatible with older program versions. The new protocols become the world-wide standards starting on December 10, 2018, and all users should upgrade to WSJT-X 2.0 by January 1, 2019. After that date, only the new FT8 and MSK144 should be used on the air

[VK2CSW]

From the release notes:

"7. The UDP messages sent to companion programs have been expanded and
improved."

I wonder whether the 'companion' programs will also need to be updated. It would seem logical.

[VK5PJ]

Okay, so USA time, 10th of Dec, WSJT-X 2.0 was made available, the majority of the earlier bugs seem to have been killed off....

You NEED to read the release notes FIRST, please do not ask questions unless you have read them, there are a few prerequisites like an extra package for SSL that has to be put in place on your PC and a Microsoft C++ run time package.. its all in the release notes, PLEASE read them.

The DEV team want everyone to move to version 2.0 by 1st Jan 2019 so get a wiggle on people.

Yes there will be some mayhem and havic with stragglers who resist change and all I can say to them is get motivated

[VK4ADC]

I just downloaded the latest release of WSJTX V2, installed it and had a contact with a W5 on 14074. 

I did have to install the SSL support software from https://slproweb.com/download/Win32OpenS...1_0_2q.exe to get rid of the LOTW error message. If you see it then quit WSJTX-V2, install the SSL software package then re-start WSJTX-V2.

All went ok and - as far as I am concerned and what was even better - my LogViewer for WSJT-X software grabbed the QSO data from V2 properly and added it to it's log. Great, no software update required for it so no extra work before Christmas....

[VK4AQJ]

The only thing extra I had to do was to update JT-alert-x. I hadn't realised that it was this add-on that did most of the logging.