ZL2AFP WYSIWYG MEPT Controller

Introduction

ZL2AFP WYSMEPT.exe is a simple but unusual application which uses the PC sound card to generate Visual Manned Experimental Propagation Transmissions (V-MEPT). The unique thing about it is that the script files used to transmit the message are made on-screen, so you see what will be transmitted. The program generates only one tone at a time, so is useful with non-linear transmitters. It provides transmitter control in addition to generating the sound for the transmitter.

Since it can be used at the same time as a Spectrogram receiver program such as ARGO, the periodic transmissions generated by Vmept.exe allow you to transmit and receive alternately and thus actively participate in the 'QRSS Knights' V-MEPT community. It will run both fast and slow - 12 WPM Morse, or QRSS60, and is useful on LF, MF, HF and VHF. Timing is very accurate - quite sufficient for receiver 'stacking' techniques.

Used in conjunction with a receiving program such as ARGO, you can set your transmission length to (for example) five minutes, then listen for five minutes, then repeat.

Download

ZL2AFP WYSMEPT Tool (130kb)

Installation

Simply unzip the archive into a suitable folder on your computer. It contains just one small file, the executable, along with this help file and associated images.

Create a shortcut to the WYSMEPT.exe executable, and drag it onto the desktop for easy use.

Setting Up

Unlike the VMEPT Controller, which requires considerable preparation, with WYSMEPT you can be in business and on air in minutes.

Run the executable. It will tell you there's no PTT port set up (every time it starts), so click on PTT in the menu, select PTT (no other choice!) and enter your PTT COM port. The connections required are much the same as any digital mode - it will work with RTS or DTR.

The program presents you with an empty graph field, with a series of setup controls below, and below that again, more real-time controls and finally a blue progress window.

WYSMEPT Control Center

In the example above, you can see that the graph field has already been filled in, in this case with dots for a QRSS30 DFCW transmission. Note the time scale (in number of dots) shown below the graph. It is important to keep track of the number of dots to be transmitted in order to control the message length and the delay until it is transmitted again.

All you do to get started, is to click on some of the squares in the graph to set a blue dot in each, working from left to right. The grey line down the middle represents the nominal transmission frequency, and this and seven frequency slots above and below it can be selected for transmission in any of the time slots. Click a few spots - you'll notice that you can't have more than one blue dot in each time slot. If you want a different frequency, just click in a different place, and if you want no transmission at that point (e.g. to erase the dot you've placed), right click on the dot.

If you want a single-frequency (CW) pattern, click only along the grey dotted line.

Once you are happy with your pattern (or even if you aren't, as it's easily changed, even while transmitting!), then set the transmission parameters in the setup controls.

• The Dot length (ms) sets the length of each element. For example use 3000ms for QRSS3, 100ms for hand-speed Morse. Press the OK button when done.
• Set the Number of dots to the same as or slightly more than the length of the message. Once this point has been reached, the program drops the transmitter PTT. Press the OK button when done.
• Set the Freq spacing (Hz) as appropriate for the mode intended, say 10Hz for QRSS3, 0.5Hz for QRSS30. For single-frequency Morse, the default 10Hz will do. Press the OK button when done.
• Set the Centre frequency (Hz). On upper sideband, this frequency, plus the 'dial frequency' of the SSB transceiver or transmitter will be the carrier frequency of dots on the centre line in the graph. Press the OK button when done.
• Set the Repeat (in dots), which defines the total time between transmissions. Once this time has expired, PTT is activated and the transmission starts again. For example, with 1000ms dots, a 50 dot message and a 'Number of dots' of say 60, setting 'Repeat' to 100 will result in the transmitter being deactivated for 10s, and a total message repeat every 60 seconds. Press the OK button when done.

It is important to press each appropriate OK button when done, in order for the new value to be remembered. If you wish to clear all the settings and start again, press the Reset button.

At any time, you can save the pattern you've made as a script file. This is a simple text file, and can be reloaded for next time. In addition to saving the pattern, all the other parameters (dot length, frequency spacing, centre frequency etc) are also saved. Use Menu/Save to File to save the pattern, and Menu/Open File to read in a saved file.

Operation

It is a good idea to run ARGO or similar, and set up for reception on the band of choice, to make some test transmissions to yourself, in order to belome familiar with the program, and to determine that your messages are readable. For checking read-by-ear Morse, just listen to the audio from the computer sound card.

There is no need to describe here how to set up for digital mode operation with an SSB transmitter - the process is the same as most other digital modes.

Set the SSB transmitter to the desired frequency (on USB, the transmission will be the sum of the dial frequency and the nominal audio centre frequency set above).

Check that in the menu you have set the PTT com port, and set the appropriate sound card selection. The menu also allows you to set the sound card and select the mixer levels. By the way, the PTT control works just as well with USB serial adaptors.

Start the transmission with the Turn On button, and check that the PTT is activated, and that tones are soon emitted by the transmitter.

A PTT status message appears at the bottom right of the window. As normal, you will need to set the sound card audio level for an appropriate transmitter power. This can be done with the Output level slider.

Once the program is running, the blue progress window, which shows all the message to be transmitted, has a small green progress bar above it, slowly moving along. At the far right a smaller window shows the total elapsed time in the message repeat interval, which may be much longer than the message, if desired.

If you change the dots while transmitting, or change any of the parameters, the changes are picked up at the start of the next message cycle. If you want to use the changed parameters RIGHT NOW, stop the transmission and restart it.

Once transmitting, the Turn On button now becomes the Turn Off button, and stops the transmission process; clicking the red 'X' close button in the top right corner of the program banner closes the program.

Hint:
If you set 5, 10 or 15 minutes as the message repeat period, by counting and calculating the number of dots, and then start the program on a 'round' minute (xx:30 UTC for example) the message will repeat in a tidy and predictable manner for days on end.

Advanced Features

There are some extra controls provided which will add interest to your message. The default output level is full power (0dB), which you set on the message graph with blue dots. While setting the message, if you click on one of the other buttons, -6dB, -12dB etc, the transmitter power will be reduced until you click on the blue button again. In this way you can make multiple power level transmissions, which is a great way to know what the reception margin is at the destination. For example, sending a series of diagonal lines in QRSS3 mode at different power levels can be very useful. Alternatively, draw numbers '0', '6', '12' etc as MT-Hell text!

If you wish to enter an extra-long message, you may need to use the slider control Move window in order to see what you are doing.

Here are some examples of reception of different patterns made using WYSMEPT. The first message is multi-mode, while the second is just graphics.

No limit to ingenuity with WYSIWYG MEPT!