From c829bcfe27a129d27bef03af8630257fb1b6b069 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Bill Somerville <bill@classdesign.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2021 20:42:31 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Description file updates
---
README | 6 ++--
package_description.txt | 76 ++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------------
2 files changed, 48 insertions(+), 34 deletions(-)
diff --git a/README b/README
index c5fb24495..093333290 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
Copyright (C) 2001 - 2021 by Joe Taylor, K1JT.
-WSJT-X Version 2.3 offers ten different protocols or modes: FT4, FT8,
-JT4, JT9, JT65, Q65, FST4, MSK144, WSPR, FST4W, and Echo. The first
-seven are designed for making reliable QSOs under weak-signal
+WSJT-X Version 2.5 offers eleven different protocols or modes: FT4,
+FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65, Q65, FST4, MSK144, WSPR, FST4W, and Echo. The
+first seven are designed for making reliable QSOs under weak-signal
conditions. They use nearly identical message structure and source
encoding. JT65 and Q65 were designed for EME (“moonbounce”), but not
limited to just that propagation path, on the VHF/UHF bands and JT65
diff --git a/package_description.txt b/package_description.txt
index 12aae6d6a..46c5a73d9 100644
--- a/package_description.txt
+++ b/package_description.txt
@@ -4,41 +4,50 @@ the program name stand for `(W)eak (S)ignal communication by K1(JT),`
while the suffix `-X` indicates that WSJT-X started as an extended and
experimental branch of the program WSJT.
.
-WSJT-X Version 2.0 offers twelve different protocols or modes: FST4,
-FST4W, FT4, FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65, QRA64, ISCAT, MSK144, WSPR, and Echo.
-The first eight are designed for making reliable QSOs under extreme
-weak-signal conditions. They use nearly identical message structure
-and source encoding. JT65 and QRA64 were designed for EME
-(`moonbounce`) on the VHF/UHF bands and have also proven very
-effective for worldwide QRP communication on the HF bands. QRA64 has
-a number of advantages over JT65, including better performance on the
-very weakest signals. We imagine that over time it may replace JT65
-for EME use. JT9 was originally designed for the LF, MF, and lower HF
-bands. Its submode JT9A is 2 dB more sensitive than JT65 while using
-less than 10% of the bandwidth. FST4, and its quasi-beacon companion
-mode FST4W (see below), are designed for LF and MF and offer
-significant advantages over JT9 and WSPR on those bands. JT4 offers a
-wide variety of tone spacings and has proven highly effective for EME
-on microwave bands up to 24 GHz. These four `slow` modes use
-one-minute timed sequences of alternating transmission and reception,
-so a minimal QSO takes four to six minutes — two or three
-transmissions by each station, one sending in odd UTC minutes and the
-other even. FT8 is operationally similar but four times faster
-(15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by a few dB. On the HF
-bands, world-wide QSOs are possible with any of these modes using
-power levels of a few watts (or even milliwatts) and compromise
-antennas. On VHF bands and higher, QSOs are possible (by EME and
-other propagation types) at signal levels 10 to 15 dB below those
-required for CW.
+WSJT-X Version 2.5 offers eleven different protocols or modes: FT4,
+FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65, Q65, FST4, MSK144, WSPR, FST4W, and Echo. The
+first seven are designed for making reliable QSOs under weak-signal
+conditions. They use nearly identical message structure and source
+encoding. JT65 and Q65 were designed for EME (“moonbounce”), but not
+limited to just that propagation path, on the VHF/UHF bands and JT65
+has also proven very effective for worldwide QRP communication on the
+HF bands. Q65 has a number of advantages over JT65, including better
+performance on the very weakest signals and variants with different
+T/R period lengths. We imagine that over time it may replace JT65 for
+EME use, it has also proved to be very effective for iono-scatter
+paths on 6m. JT9 was originally designed for the LF, MF, and lower HF
+bands. Its submode JT9A is 2 dB more sensitive than JT65 while using
+less than 10% of the bandwidth. JT4 offers a wide variety of tone
+spacings and has proven highly effective for EME on microwave bands up
+to 24 GHz. These four “slow” modes use one-minute timed sequences of
+alternating transmission and reception, so a minimal QSO takes four to
+six minutes — two or three transmissions by each station, one sending
+in odd UTC minutes and the other even. FT8 is operationally similar
+but four times faster (15-second T/R sequences) and less sensitive by
+a few dB. FT4 is faster still (7.5 s T/R sequences) and especially
+well suited for radio contesting. On the HF bands, world-wide QSOs are
+possible with any of these modes using power levels of a few watts (or
+even milliwatts) and compromise antennas. QSOs are possible at signal
+levels 10 to 15 dB below those required for CW. FST4 has similarities
+in use to JT9 but offers more flexibility as it offers different
+period lengths allowing QSO completion time to be traded off against
+sensitivity. In its base form of FST4-60A it has better sensitivity
+than JT9A and should be considered as an upgrade where JT9 has been
+the preferred slow QSO mode.
.
-ISCAT, MSK144, and optionally submodes JT9E-H are `fast` protocols
-designed to take advantage of brief signal enhancements from ionized
-meteor trails, aircraft scatter, and other types of scatter
+Note that even though their T/R sequences are short, FT4 and FT8 are
+classified as slow modes because their message frames are sent only
+once per transmission. All fast modes in WSJT-X send their message
+frames repeatedly, as many times as will fit into the Tx sequence
+length.
+.
+MSK144, and optionally submodes JT9E-H are `fast` protocols designed
+to take advantage of brief signal enhancements from ionized meteor
+trails, aircraft scatter, and other types of scatter
propagation. These modes use timed sequences of 5, 10, 15, or 30 s
duration. User messages are transmitted repeatedly at high rate (up
to 250 characters per second, for MSK144) to make good use of the
-shortest meteor-trail reflections or `pings`. ISCAT uses free-form
-messages up to 28 characters long, while MSK144 uses the same
+shortest meteor-trail reflections or `pings`. MSK144 uses the same
structured messages as the slow modes and optionally an abbreviated
format with hashed callsigns.
.
@@ -54,6 +63,11 @@ archival storage, and many other features. WSPR has a new companion
FST4W which has a similar message content but offers up to 30 minute
transmission periods for greater sensitivity on LF and MF.
.
+FST4W, like WSPR, is a quasi-beacon mode, it targets LF and MF bands
+and offers a number of T/R periods form 2 minutes up to 30 minutes for
+the most challenging weak signal paths. Similarly to WSPR reception
+reports can be automatically uploaded to the WSPRnet.org web service.
+.
Echo mode allows you to detect and measure your own station's echoes
from the moon, even if they are far below the audible threshold.
.