I’m really digging JS8Call and want to start sharing what JS8Call can do in a glossy brochure format.
- To use JS8 you use the free application named JS8Call.
- JS8Call can be installed Linux, MacOS, and Windows including on a Raspberry Pi.
- JS8 is built on top of FT8 which is also low signal to noise.
- If you can setup WSJT-X then setting up JS8Call is nearly identical.
- JS8Call application is built with queues from WSJT-X and fldigi so you’ll feel right at home.
- JS8 is great for QRP and DX.
- You can use your keyboard to chat and rag chew with 1 or more people at a time.
- You can communicate on MF, HF, and VHF frequencies (so Technicians can get in on some fun, too).
- JS8 can work on incredibly low signal to noise ratios.
- You can talk to a group of people like in a Net. There are some standard groups.
- You can send and get automatic heartbeats/signal reports from stations that you can hear.
- You can send messages to stations even if they’re offline by storing messages at other stations to forward to them when your friend’s station is available (running JS8Call). You can even relay a message the “Long Way” to another station.
- You can easily see what stations can hear your signal from right in the JS8Call application.
- Common English words are transmitted intelligently via a form of compression so you can and should use natural language instead of short abbreviations when you chat.
- You can use websites like PSKreporter to monitor JS8 signal propagation like you can with other modes.
- JS8 works great with weak signals (but is not necessarily a QRP mode if you’re trying to DX with a compromised antenna).
- You can send messages to APRS to spot/plot your location on a map
- You can use the APRS system to send text messages to non-licensed individuals
- You can have the last (garbled) message automatically retransmitted by the station you’re chatting with
- You can use standard abbreviations
- You can query stations for messages you have waiting for your station
- You can log QSOs in common formats like ADIF.
- Frequencies are usually in the low part of each band right next to FT8
- JS8Call has a spell checker
- JS8Call suggests words that are already compressed in its dictionary for more efficient transfer
- You can use slower or faster WPM’s/transmissions cycles based on band conditions.
- You don’t have to use the same speed settings as the other station to communicate with them.
- You can run multiple rigs and multiple instances of JSCall at the same time if you wanted.
- You can leave JS8Call running
- You can take part in JS8Call’s development if you’re into Open Source
- You can create Plugins for JS8Call in your own programming language, using its JSON API,
Overall, I think JS8Call is more interactive and requires your attention more than, say FT8. I like that you can see who can hear you because it makes it more difficult for me to lurk so I tend to more readily try to strike up a QSO. Because of that I think it’s more amenable to new hams that are used to rag-chewing with their keyboards.
I also think that its store-and-forward messaging system has the potential to be very powerful. In addition, I think it can be a great tool in emergencies due to its ability to have all its features be present in bad band conditions or compromised setups.
Nowadays, with people usually running some sort of computer at their station, I think JS8Call has the potential to replace all other text-based digital modes that require a computer. Of course CW will always be an exception since it enjoys being a weak-signal mode that doesn’t require a computer to communicate.
