Gotta do a bit of bragging tonight !!
For a year, I've had my FT8 setup software
running on one of the square black desktop PCs
like we have a the club. A year ago it was doing
fairly well with the FT8 load; but both WSJT-X
and JTAlert have been constantly adding more
and more features and still expecting everything
to be processed in less then 2 or 3 seconds at the
end of each FT8 cycle.
I was seeing a lot of receive cycles being DROPPED
and watching the waterfall I could actually see the
pauses, where the cpu choked and so nothing was
processed in that gulp. So it was becoming more and
more frustrating, especially while in a QSO and the
receive cycle blanked so another Tx of the same info
and eventually a good receive cycle.
And fairly recently I upgraded the PC I've been using
for my webinar recording gigs to one with better video
processing and a really good cpu -- which left the
previous recording PC, which is not so bad on processing,
open for new applications ... like maybe FT8!!
Long story, shortened a bit here ... after a few frustrations
like no audio to the Tx ... and JTalert not talking/receiving
with WSJT-X, etc. everything finally came together ...
and what a difference!!! Have not seen a receive cycle
skipped all night, and everything is perky sweet. ;))
Then I decided that since I have a monitor screen with
several different inputs, selectable by a menu, why not put
the big screen on FT8 along with the other two screens that
were already on the PC ... so now I have THREE monitors
and lots of room for all the FT8 windows -- including the
new experimental Callsign window in JTalert.
And here's what it looks like, except now I have
"Simon's Gray Line World Map" on the left half of the
upper screen, which is the 'hamapps' "my call spotted"
chart on the right.
And a really big, awesome load of thanks to the generous
hams who spend much of their life supporting and enhancing
these two software packages ... WSJT-X and JTalert ---
especially to Laurie in Australia who must have no other life
but helping users with their JTalert problems, while he is
constantly adding and improving features. THANKS Guys.
Jim W2JC
