JT65 1st impressions

[VK2VEL]

I've only just started playing with JT65 and I have some first impressions that might be of interest or worth comment.

I'm not new to digimodes, but I have a very strange feeling of disconnect when operating JT65. With any other mode, digital or traditional, there is a feeling of 'excitement' in making the contact, because you can copy the message as it is sent, either in your head or on the screen. You know immediately when you've made a contact. JT65 is odd in that regard. It's got something to do with the time lapse of each cycle in waiting for an acknowledgement. I can send CQ, get up put the kettle on, come back send a R, go pour the tea and let it brew, come back send a RRR, complete the tea, come back and send 73.

I can't complain though, the first contact was EA on 15w which is an impressionable first go. After the first night, the highlight was a GW on 25w, me on 20w, both using wire aerials, and several new countries in digital.

I found the hype about JT65 raised my expectations of the ease of making a contact. In reality of course, the same variables apply for any mode, but even so, I found this mode to be really impressive. I think it has a lot more potential as I get my head around operating techniques etc.

[VK7XX]

(in part).... JT65 is odd in that regard. It's got something to do with the time lapse of each cycle in waiting for an acknowledgement. I can send CQ, get up put the kettle on, come back send a R, go pour the tea and let it brew, come back send a RRR, complete the tea, come back and send 73.

I have been operating JT65 for a number of years and actually find this a benefit.... and of course, after the coffee you also have time to go take a leak.! It also gives you time to answer emails, fill out QSL cards etc etc. Hang in there Ed, I'm sure you will come to make use of the time between mouse clicks.

73
John
VK7XX

[VK2VEL]

I have been operating JT65 for a number of years and actually find this a benefit.... and of course, after the coffee you also have time to go take a leak.! It also gives you time to answer emails, fill out QSL cards etc etc. Hang in there Ed, I'm sure you will come to make use of the time between mouse clicks.

John, I have discovered at least one of those benefits already!

Having said that, I have already found that it is too easy to distract myself for long enough to miss an over. Being mostly a late night DXer, I have never nodded off with the VOX on phone, but I have found myself nodding off with headset on or in front of the PSK screen. The danger with JT65 is that you can nod off and have CQ or a report running.

[VK5IR]

Having said that, I have already found that it is too easy to distract myself for long enough to miss an over.

Installing JTAlert may help overcome this issue. It runs alongside the JT65-HF application and gives an audible notification whenever someone calls CQ, or sends a message to you etc... It's quite good. It also does other cool stuff like auto logging etc which I am yet to try.

http://hamapps.com/

[VK2VEL]

Great pointer, thanks Theo!

[VK3DXE]

I've only just started playing with JT65 and I have some first impressions that might be of interest or worth comment.

I'm not new to digimodes, but I have a very strange feeling of disconnect when operating JT65. With any other mode, digital or traditional, there is a feeling of 'excitement' in making the contact, .......

The excitement with JT65 comes from its original intention - EME and other weak signal propagation modes. There's a little more excitement decoding a signal coming back from the moon than there ever will be with an S9 HF signal, particularly when you know the other guy stopped TXing 2 seconds ago and you're still hearing his signal making its way back to Earth.

[VK2MUS]

I've only just started playing with JT65 and I have some first impressions that might be of interest or worth comment.

I'm not new to digimodes, but I have a very strange feeling of disconnect when operating JT65. With any other mode, digital or traditional, there is a feeling of 'excitement' in making the contact, because you can copy the message as it is sent, either in your head or on the screen. You know immediately when you've made a contact. JT65 is odd in that regard. It's got something to do with the time lapse of each cycle in waiting for an acknowledgement. I can send CQ, get up put the kettle on, come back send a R, go pour the tea and let it brew, come back send a RRR, complete the tea, come back and send 73.

.

actually between the elements of the jt65 call I update my ham radio deluxe log which also updates my eqsl and on the other terminal I check out the caller on qrz find out where he/she lives etc and update my qrz log - on the final 73 I hit return to the ham radio log which immediately send off a qsl card to the caller and I hit save on the qrz site to update my log - I forgot that on the other terminal I also run the psk reporter and hamspots sites to let me know who is receiving me and at what signal strength they are receiving me so I can adjust my wattage to that required to make the next contact I require or need. (actually a lot of hard yakka in such a short time period)
.
So I hardly get time to make the tea let alone drink it.
john

[VK2VEL]

The excitement with JT65 comes from its original intention - EME and other weak signal propagation modes. There's a little more excitement decoding a signal coming back from the moon than there ever will be with an S9 HF signal, particularly when you know the other guy stopped TXing 2 seconds ago and you're still hearing his signal making its way back to Earth.

Alan, that's the one of the inspirations for investigating this mode. While I am primarily a HF op doing it from a wire in the backyard (another attraction - low power & compromise antennas), my club is working up an EME and meteor scatter station. The club project team has a real space scientist, engineers and programmers to figure it out the science and technology; there are engineers, craftsmen and generally handy guys to knock up the hardware... which doesn't leave me a lot to do except learn how to push the buttons on the black box!

[VK3HJ]

Installing JTAlert ...
It also does other cool stuff like auto logging etc which I am yet to try.

Does this mean that the "operator" can be away from the station while the computer and software CQs and logs contacts?
I can't find the "smiley" that represents my emotion.
73,
Luke VK3HJ

[VK2VEL]

Does this mean that the "operator" can be away from the station while the computer and software CQs and logs contacts?
I can't find the "smiley" that represents my emotion.
73,
Luke VK3HJ

Isn't that what packet was about? (He asks innocently......)

[VK3HJ]

DOES NOT COMPUTE!

Not being physically at the controls of my station does not qualify in my world as "operating".
Another old-fashioned concept I have is that with Digital Modes, I want to actually type to communicate!
But that's just me.
I think I am turning, or have turned into a Grumpy!
Just remember to have fun.
73,
Luke VK3HJ

[VK3DXE]

DOES NOT COMPUTE!

Not being physically at the controls of my station does not qualify in my world as "operating".
Another old-fashioned concept I have is that with Digital Modes, I want to actually type to communicate!
But that's just me.
I think I am turning, or have turned into a Grumpy!
Just remember to have fun.
73,
Luke VK3HJ

There're a couple of ol' fellas down on 40m that'll gladly join you in your grumpiness and shunning of new fangled things Luke

[VK6OX]

<snip>
I think I am turning, or have turned into a Grumpy!
Just remember to have fun.
73,
Luke VK3HJ

Yep, you have!! And keep having fun!!

[VK2VEL]

Another old-fashioned concept I have is that with Digital Modes, I want to actually type to communicate!

At least JT65 isn't 'death by macro' like PSK can be. "My software is x, my PC is y, my CPU is z" is just completely unnecessary for me!

I've found actually that operating JT65-HF is a lot less automated than say the DM780 software. One I get going, that 1 min time lapse can get busy, importing logs, doing a QRZ.com capture and so on.