Re: Experimenting with FT8CN
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Thanks for sharing about the FT8CN and digirig. ? I also like the idea of skipping the laptop for POTA. Recently I discovered the DigiPi which is a WiFi Hotspot that supports all digital modes including FT8, js8call, and WinLink using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.? If you have a modern radio with a USB connector (IC-7300, 705, etc) you don¡¯t even need a sound card (or digirig).? Just a short USB cable from the $15 Raspberry Pi Zero to the radio and the web browser on your phone, tablet, or PC. ? The pieces for my DigiPi arrived today and I made my first FT8 contact with it about an hour ago. ? I¡¯m imagining we could setup a WinLink Radio Message Server near Scituate and use it to send WinLink Email for 200 bonus points during Field Day.? I expect to do more testing to confirm the details over the next few weeks. The 17 minute video linked below briefly introduces the DigiPi and how it can be used to send radio Email. Of course we could run WinLink Express on PC, but having a pre-configured pocket size appliance that lets you do everything from your phone and costs under $50 is kind of interesting.? It might eventually lead to a club project to make radio email coverage (and other digital modes) in our area more routine. 73 and enjoy!
On May 10, 2024 at 3:32:43?AM, Matthew Penttila NA1Q <mcpenttila@...> wrote:
Well I'm getting ready to do some POTA activations this month, I am not a CW guy due to hearing issues, but I do enjoy doing digital contacts via FT8 / FT4. Now I have done a few POTA activations with various radios, thr Icom IC-7300 and Yaesu FT-891, and my Elecraft KX2. And just about everyone is using WSJT-X, the standard program used by everyone. But I wanted to ditch the tablet or laptop, so I found this software program FT8CN by BG7YOZ. It works on Android phones, and using my Digirig I can hook my cellphone to the radio through the USB-C charging port of the phone, control the Elecraft KX2 and send / receive the audio through the soundcard of the Digirig. Only issue I found so far is downloading the logs. You need to go to a separate laptop or computer and connect to the IP address the phone is using for the app to download the log for uploading to Logbook of the World,? QRZ, and eQSL. |
Peter Sichel K1AV