Radio and rails...

No, I'm not taking about clock synchronisation issues and digital modes in WSJT-X, though it has to be said that my PC clock is regularly synchronised via NTP and time.is always says it is 'exact' with some very small fraction of a second deviation. Bad timing in my case is the number of times I manage to find a good bit of DX, usually FT8 as I am concentrating on this right now, only to make contact but not complete because the band dies off from underneath my poor little bit of wet string in the loft. I had a US contact last night who gave up after 6 valiant attempts to exchange signal strengths. Oh well.

Interesting event yesterday caught me out. I'd been using the FT450D on 6m FM and had programmed and then selected a memory channel for the local repeater. But when I turned the PC on and ran WSJT-X it gave an error controlling the rig. So I killed WSJT-X and loaded flrig - it too could not control the rig. Then I noticed the rig said M-TUNE (memory tuning). One VFO was still set that way and I presume the program swapped VFOs then lost control and gave the error. I got it out of that and back in to VFO but still no CAT access. Something in the driver (Linux - dunno which driver, probably generic) had got screwed because rebooting the PC cured it all (thinking about it unloading and reloading the driver would probably have worked but by then I'd got into power-cycling mode). This dual VFO business has caught me out before when I had one set to AM and the other SSB. When WSJT-X loaded it switched VFOs but that remained set to AM. Not the programs fault of course but is something to remember. Not a fault of the rig either, just the operator!

They do say 'read the manual'... I had tried before to get into the local 6m FM repeater and failed. I tried again today, I'm sure the settings on the FT450D were all the same but I can now get in fine. Had a nice chat with someone too. I can also get into the co-located 70cm DMR repeater on the MD380. These are very roughly south from my QTH and a clear view - well there would be if the house next doors wasn't there.

Nice bit of fun tonight listening to the International Space Station on 145.8 - 2nd attempt by the ARISS guys and all credit to them and their excellent team for persevering for the YOTA17 event. Heard astronaut Paolo (IZ0JPA) here on NA1SS at 57 before it moved out of reach of my 2m horizontal dipole in the loft. Also nice streaming by the BATC. I hope the YOTA members there enjoyed it and glad it worked out after the troubles on the first pass earlier in the evening. Hopefully this will mean more radio amateurs - good for the hobby. (This reminds me that I once knew an astronaut - well ok before he became an astronaut - Piers Sellers R.I.P.)

A new mode (to me) - FT8, part of the latest WSJT-X package and widely discussed of late. Having been away from radio for a few weeks I've been keeping up on this via a Facebook group and e-mail and itching to get back home and grab the software. I did so late last night and managed to answer one CQ after reminding myself about the mode while watching the band activity. The auto sequence was a surprise the first time I saw it working. I had a 'proper' go today with several successful answers to CQs. It all happens very fast! I have also now started logging QSOs within the WSJT-X package. I had not done this previously because really I only dip in and out of this and other modes, and have plenty of time to log the few QSOs I actually make by hand. But as it's now rather frantic I decided to have a go and it all works nicely. Of course you will by now be questioning my sanity due to the fact that previously I had no indication of DXCC or callsign worked etc., resorting to my own lookup script that checks QRZ.com to…