JS8Call is a digital mode based on FT8, allowing for messaging with very weak signals. Whilst FT8 is a “QSO-only” protocol where only locations and signal reports are exchanged, JS8Call allows for arbitrary text-based messages to be exchanged. Does my radio support JS8Call? Many radios support JS8Call “out of the box”, such as my Yaesu …
This article covers setting up the DigiRig Mobile and WSJT-X for the Yaesu FT-857D, but if you’re completely new to FT8 you might want to check out my Introduction to FT8 article first, before digging into the configuration steps here. The Yaesu FT-857D does not have support for digital modes like FT8 out of the …
What is FT8? FT8 is a digital mode of operation for radio systems. One of the major benefits of FT8 is its ability to work with very weak signals. FT8 allows for 13 characters to be exchanged per message. This mode is most frequently used as part of a simple exchange of locations followed by …
This was my first Parks on the Air activation and whilst my primary goal was to successfully activate the park, my second goal was to do this activation entirely on data and to use no more power than my IC-705 couple produce itself (10 watts). I’ve been playing around a lot with FT8 and JS8Call …
This was a solo activation during a weekday so I wasn’t sure how easily I would pick up the required 4 QSOs on VHF, however it turned out to be a pretty simple and quick activation. I parked at Bowden Bridge Car Park – which holds about 28 cars, but when I returned I found …
This activation was one of those days where I unexpectedly had a free evening, so I messaged a friend who has their Foundation license and asked if they wanted to do a “Rapid SOTA”. This was met by confusion as they expected that this was a specific kind of activation, perhaps like a “60 Minute …
For this activation, we parked just off Rochdale Road (SD 81049 18201) although good parking spots on this side of the fell were very limited. The plan was to walk along the road to the start of the public footpath at SD 81388 17834 and then walk along the base of the hill in the …
To activate Fair Snape Fell we ascended via that Parlick side of the fell, parking near Fell Foot at SD 60158 44217. We took the “easy route” up Parlick via the west side of the fell, heading towards SD 59532 44661. Once at the summit we took a couple of photographs at the trig point …
We started the climb up to the activation of Winter Hill from the “Snack Shack” at SD 64878 13147. On the way up we took an indirect route, stopping by at the Two Lads point at SD 65545 13366 before making our way up to the actual activation zone. As Winter Hill has a very …
If a casualty requires handover to further care, then ensuring that the handover is efficient and complete is critical to ensure that the casualty can get on their way to further care quickly. One way to do this, is to use a well known standard format. Some organisations may simply follow the “ABCDE” of the primary survey and detail what was found during each stage, however a very common handover format is the “ATMIST”.