Hi John, Would love to be an alphatester but I have a lot to do for the moment and can not split in half ;-) Keep up the good work! 73 de SA6BQZ Gunnar _____ From: pskmail-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:pskmail-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Douyere Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 8:03 AM To: pskmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: w1hkj Subject: [pskmail] Alpha Testers for fast modes Hello Pskmail operators, I am ready to send, off list, a few copies of a special alpha Fldigi with new modes for testing. This first batch of new modes is targeted specifically at the fast FM (normally VHF/UHF) links as they require a clean bandwidth of up to 2400Hz and will suffer badly in the standard SSB passband. So please do not use the wider ones on HF. Also note that their baud rate is above the Amateur HF bands Baud limit in the USA for all but two of the PSK modes. Note that I am separately preparing a USA HF Amateur version with only modes below 300Baud and one for HF outside of the USA with faster Baud rates. In this version, the top speed provides 3200 words per minute or 19200 characters per minute (using the Fldigi definition). In tests I got a 17124 characters text file to be downloaded in just under one minute in compressed format, including repeats and ARQ overheads, so I think this could be interesting. Unfortunately as this point I have not been able to get my existing version of the Windows cross-compile to work, so it is for Linux only until I get this to work. Instead of creating new mode designations I have simply re-mapped the existing list of modes we use for Pskmail into a new set. That has the advantage of making the tests simple by just using the temporary Fldigi program on both sides without any change in Pskmail. All features will be the same including the configurable mode list. The only drawback is that the timeouts are still related to slower modes so will be in some cases way too long (like 30 seconds for the PSK63 -> PSK1000R mode). But the objective is to review the modes not the Pskmail performance itself. Of course these modes are usable with FLARQ of the NBEMS suite. I expect to have about 5 to 6 new modes from the list below retained in the final "FM implementation". They will then get their new designation and RSIDs. All these final modes will also be integrated in the Pskmail V2 (integrated Java modems) and in the Android version of Pskmail (they already run on my HTC Desire). I have arranged these test modes in a similar order of robustness as the ones they replace. Here is the mapping: Original mode New Temporary Mode Speed Bandwidth (-3dB) PSK63 1 Carrier PSK1000R 880WPM 1000Hz PSK125 1 Carrier PSK1000 1600WPM 1000Hz PSK250 6 Carriers PSK250 2400WPM 2000Hz PSK500 2 Carriers PSK1000 3200WPM 2400Hz PSK125R 2 Carriers PSK500 1600WPM 1200Hz PSK250R 2 Carriers PSK1000R 1760WPM 2400Hz PSK500R 14 Carriers PSK125 1540WPM 2400Hz I have also re-mapped the MFSK and THOR modes the following way: Original mode New Temporary Mode Speed Bandwidth (-3dB) MFSK16 MFSK64 240WPM 960Hz MFSK32 MFSK128 480WPM 1920Hz THOR8 THOR44-Double spaced 156WPM 1600Hz THOR11 THOR44 156WPM 800Hz THOR22 THOR88 312WPM 1600Hz The MFSK64 mode is the same as the current one but that way we get to have an RSID associated with it for our tests (the MFSK16 RSID). The double spaced THOR44 is targeted mostly at NVIS conditions (4 dBs better than the single spaced one) so I don't think it will provide a benefit for FM paths. The MFSK/THOR modes should be of most interest for poor FM links (where the noise is high). In some Pskmail tests I did over VHF, the THOR modes were virtually as sensitive in FM as in SSB (I think Skip Teller - KH6TY - has an article in QST about this). Due to the required bandwidth I would suggest a waterfall audio centre frequency of 1750 or 1800Hz for FM transmissions. These preliminary modes specifications are published in the Pskmail wiki to respect the regulation. See http://pskmail.wikispaces.com/newmodes I have not made the source code available yet as it is preliminary but of course it will be released under GPL in due course and I hope integrated in the mainstream Fldigi. Could you please feedback the following information which is of most interest to me: 1. Any issue with the software itself. 2. CPU load of the different modes on your computer (approximate average and peak value - use the "top" command in a terminal). 3. The modes that Pskmail mostly settle on, the ones it has problems with and what were the conditions of the test (signal strength, quieting etc...). 4. More advanced: when frames are damaged, does it tend to be in the beginning, the middle or at the end? From my Pathsim tests and initial field trials I would bet on the following set: PSK1000R, 2 x PSK1000R and 2 x PSK1000 as a useful mode list for FM transmissions, plus a couple of FSK modes, but let's see what you find out in the field. To get a copy, email me off list at <my callsign> at gmail dot com Have fun, All the best, 73, John