ZL2AFP WSQCall

Guided Tour

V1.00, 18.11.2017

In keeping with all ZL2AFP designs, the program is uncomplicated to use, clearly laid out, and devoid of unnecessary gimmicks. The software has been thoroughly tested using a team of intrepid enthusiasts, mostly on the 630 metre band, over 10km to 500km paths. Daytime QSOs are routine over 300 km paths!

In the default mode of the program, the Selective Calling or 'Directed' mode is used. Specific selective calling use is described separately in WSQCALL Help. Selective calling mode can be turned off, typically to speed up conversation between friends, but after the QSO the users should return to Directed mode. While it is faster to operate with Selective calling off, none of these transmissions are logged, no callsigns are sent, and no automated functions are available.


Screenshot of the ZL2AFP WSQCAL V1.00 software showing real 630 m traffic.
(Click on image for a bigger view)

Start the program, using the shortcut you made, and after checking the PTT/CAT dialog, you will be able to see each of the features described here. At the very top, under the banner, is a comprehensive menu system. It provides the various controls and setup options. Here is a description of each Menu item, display and control function.

Menu System

File

File/Open Heard station Log
Lets you view a list of the stations heard, in chronological order. This is the file Heardlog.txt. The file lists callsign, date, time and SNR. It is in the form of a CSV file, so you can open it as a spreadsheet if you wish. Logging only occurs while operating in Directed mode (i.e. with Selcall ON). This file is also used by the ZL1BPU WSQplot accessory program.

You can archive the Heard Log by changing its name (you can do this with the program running). The program will then start a new log called Heardlog.txt when required. This function (log keeping) is only relevant to Directed mode.

File/Clear Heard station Log
Renames the Heardlog.txt file, effectively removing it. The old file is archived. Helper programs that depend on Heardlog.txt (such as WSQPlot) should not be run until there are new entries in the log, i.e. when a new file has been made and the first station has been logged.

File/File to send
Allows you to open a text file to be sent. When you do so, the whole contents of the file is placed in the transmit buffer. Only part of it will be visible in the TX pane. The maximum file size is 20,000 bytes, and ONLY standard ASCII text files or HTML can be sent. You should not attempt to send extended ASCII files, word-processor files or any other file types. Once the file is loaded, press ENTER or the TX button to transmit the file. You can stop (abort) file transmission using the Esc key or by pressing the RX button. Clear the TX buffer by right-clicking in it, choosing 'Select All' then pressing the Delete key. Files from anywhere on your computer or network can be sent, so be circumspect about what you send to the world!

You may be able to send word-processor or other files by opening them in their normal application, then copying the text to the clip-board, and pasting directly into the TX pane. However, the file formatting will usually be lost, and some (unsupported) characters may be omitted on transmission. Many programs cannot be used in this way, as the pasted versions include control characters, binary data, and/or extended ASCII. For example, you cannot send a PDF document. You can however send .TXT, .CSV (comma separated spreadsheet) and .HTM (hypertext) files.

In Directed mode, you must type the file direction and optionally edit the file name to save in at the targeted station, (e.g. zl1xyz#[123.txt]) when you open the file with this function. Press Enter when ready to send.

Note: The file size restriction is purely academic! Use only very small files, and bear in mind that it will take at least 20 minutes to send a file containing just 100 words.

File/Launch WSQPlot
WSQPlot is a third-party program written by ZL1BPU, which makes use of the Heard Log to plot station activity and SNR on a 24-hour basis. It can be launched from here. The program and its setup file must reside in the WSQCall working folder, and should not be run if there are no entries in the log. You can normally leave it running, and it will show all the past activity on the working channel.

File/Refresh directories
User files that can be shared with other stations reside in a Shared folder. When a file comes in from another station, the directories (made available to other stations) are refreshed automatically, but if you move files into the Shared folder manually, you need to use this option, or the new files won't be visible to other stations.

Options

Options/Callsign
Sets the user callsign which prefaces each transmission in Directed mode. It is also the callsign which is used to filter incoming messages in Directed mode.

This callsign is free-form, so could be shortened to 'Ted' or 'Joe' if you wish, and it can be a mix of upper and lower case. For emergency and event communications use, convenient location or functional names can be used as callsigns. If the callsign used is not your licenced callsign, you will need to manually append the callsign to transmissions every now and again in the usual manner. ID requirements vary according to jurisdiction. Be aware that some countries do not accept in-mode digital ID, so you may need to add periodic voice or Morse ID. The program does not offer Morse ID.

Preferably, the callsign used and stored here will be in lower case. Not only is this simpler for other users addressing you to type, and faster to transmit, but lower case text has a lower error rate than upper case.

Note: Callsign extensions (such as g0pfg/3 or zl1ee_g) are permitted. Some separator characters may have undesired effects, especially when used in file transmission. For example "/" is not permitted in a file name. The safest character to use is underscore " _ ".

Options/Suppress callsign in non-directed mode
In non-directed mode (Selcall off) the station callsign is normally transmitted ahead of the sentence. This option permits sentences to be transmitted in this mode with no preamble at all. This significantly speeds up a conversation between friends. This option is on by default. It has no effect in Directed mode. Users will need to periodically send manual ID when this feature is in use.

Options/Location (QTH)
Allows you to set your location sentence. This is free-form text, and could be a GPS position, a geographical location, Maidenhead Locator, street address, or a mixture of all of these. The sentence can only be entered manually (i.e. not directly from a GPS receiver). This sentence forms the reply to the WSQCALL callsign@ request.

Options/Locator square and radiated power
This is where you set the sounding propagation message (see next item regarding the PROP option). The Locator must be six letters/numbers in standard Maidenhead format (e.g. RF72is), and the power is (on LF/MF) by convention expressed in dB mW EIRP (example, 100W transmitter, 1% efficient antenna = 1 W EIRP or 30 dBm). For example 'RF72is30'. When the message is transmitted as a sounding, a checksum is appended to ensure accuracy.

Options/Sounding message
This sets an optional short message that can be appended to a Sounding transmission. Please keep them short! When you change the message, you need to turn SOUND (blue button) off, then on again for the changes to register.

There is an addition feature offered in preparation for a web-based propagation database. On the Sounding message dialogue, if you check the PROP box, the sounding format will be a standardised one containing locator and transmitted power. See previous item about how to set the message.

Options/Sounding message ON
Starts the optional Sounding message that can be appended to a Sounding transmission. When you change the message, you need to turn SOUND (blue button) off, then on again for the changes to register, then select this option. It is not possible to transmit a free-form sounding message as well as the Propagation message, without writing your own 'smart sounding' application.

Options/SOUND interval
The SOUND function makes periodic brief transmissions (only in Directed mode). This menu item allows you to select 1, 10 or 30 minute sounding intervals. Under most circumstances you should leave this at the default (30 minute) setting. Sounding allows other stations in Directed mode to build a list of active stations, and record propagation and activity information in a log. All transmissions heard (and verified) are logged.

If you change the sounding message or the interval, turn sounding off and on again for the changes to register. Activate sounding by pressing the blue SOUND button.

TX reply retries
Sets the waiting time for the CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) protocol, which prevents stations from transmitting over each other, and assigns message priority according to message type. The default value is fine for most applications. Increasing the value may be useful when operating on a noisy or busy channel. This does not affect the turn-around time, only how long the software will hold a pending outgoing message or reply before it gives up and abandons the message.

TX inhibit
Normally in Directed mode, transmissions follow the CSMA rules and will not take place until the squelch has closed, indicating that the channel is free. If the channel is plagued with carrier interference or other noise which elevates the signal level above the squelch setting, no transmission can take place. When this option is disabled, the transmission will not wait until the channel is free. The default is ON, in order to meet the CSMA rules.

Options/AGC
Allows the automatic AGC in the receiving software to operate in an Off, Fast or Slow manner. 'Fast' should be better if there is fast fading. 'Fast' is the default mode, as this best suits rejection of lightning pulses. The AGC affects the brightness of the waterfall display (keeps it constant), and also enhances the reception process. 'Off' may be useful when there's ignition or other repetitive pulse noise.

Note: If you can, it is best to operate your transceiver with its AGC OFF or at least FAST, so that lightning pulses don't disable the receiver any longer than necessary. Don't worry - the software will reject the QRN.

Options/Symbol Averaging
Affects how quickly the FFT data in the receiver decoder is updated. The default is Fast, and that's probably best. Slow might be helpful when the band is noisy, but may make copy worse except at 0.25 baud.

Options/Tone spacing
The old WSQ2 mode used a tone spacing of four FFT bins (1.953125 Hz). The new WSQCall (WSQ3) operates with a three-bin spacing (1.46484375 Hz). This switch allows the user to receive from or transmit to a WSQ2 user. The new 3-bin spacing has several advantages, and is preferred.

Options/Peaks "hit parade" count
Selects 3 (default) or 6 FFT cycles over which the decoding algorithm decides whether there's a new symbol. The WSQ mode has no sync - 3 is the default value, suitable for most conditions, while 6 may help when it's particularly noisy or when receiving at 0.5 baud.

Display

Display/Symbol marker
This feature 'tags' the received signal symbols on the waterfall with a yellow line as they are detected. This makes seeing the signal easier when it is weak. The default state is ON, and you can select the markers ON or OFF. You may not see the markers when the signal is strong or the Brightness is high.

Display/Waterfall speed
Allows a choice of waterfall speed; fast or slow (default). More processor power is used by the receiver when this is at the Fast setting.

Display/Waterfall colour
Obvious! Cool blue (default) or bilious green waterfall display.

Display/Text colour
ON means RX text is green, Selcall received text blue, TX text is red, and timestamps are grey, as seen in the RX pane. Off means all text in the RX pane is black. In the TX pane, text is always dark blue.

Monitor pane text is always black, while timestamps are grey.

Display/10 minute timestamp
This feature is useful if you want to know when someone called or when some test stopped working, or propagation is lost. It puts a timestamp in the receive pane and the Monitor pane, every 10 minutes. If reception is happening at the time, it may appear in the middle of the text. If this feature annoys you, turn it off and check for the station in the log (Menu File/Open Heard station Log).

Soundcard

Soundcard/Audio devices
Allows you to set the audio resources (source, destination, levels) used for recording (RX) and playback (TX). If you change the audio source here, it is best to close the program and restart afterwards, as the program may not notice the change in the operating system.

To adjust your actual transmit power, use the little applet which pops up when you click on the speaker symbol on the Tool bar. You may need to enable this from the Windows Control Panel. Alternatively, use Soundcard/Audio devices, select the Playback tab, select the device you intend to use, click on Properties, select the Levels tab, and adjust the Speakers slider to set the level.

Soundcard/Select soundcard
Allows you to select which sound card is used for reception and transmission. You can change this OK while the program is running. These settings are remembered for the next session.

PTT/CAT

PTT/CAT
This dialog box sets the COM port used for PTT commands using the RTS and DTR lines, and also for CAT commands. The default value is that set in the WSQCALvnnn_setup.txt file. This dialog allows you to change port and control method.

For CAT operation, set the COM port to be used here, and select the appropriate transceiver definition. This software supports only a limited range of transceivers directly. If you have a newer unlisted rig with CAT, follow the instructions listed under 'Installation'.

Because the same COM port is used for hardware PTT and CAT, when you select CAT, the hardware PTT (RTS and DTR) continues to operate, but will (probably) be ignored by your transceiver.

Speed

Selects transmit symbol rate. The default is modest (0.5 baud), and under most circumstances this should be reliable. It achieves about 5 WPM. The slower speed (0.25 baud) will be more reliable under poor conditions. When signals are strong, try 1 baud. The lower speeds are also more sensitive and handle static much better. You can use 'Options/Peaks/At Least 6' to advantage at 0.25 baud. The typing speeds (WPM) in all modes are about 10x the symbol rate (baud).

By the way, the tone spacing is the same in all modes, three FFT bins or about 1.46 Hz. The transmission is about 50 Hz wide.

Note: Speed change does NOT need to be matched by any setting changes at the receiving station, which is a remarkable feature of this mode. Similarly, no changes are made to the receiver by this control. Thus each station can change speed independently.

In WSQCall Directed mode, the other station's transmit speed can be changed remotely.

Help

Help/WSQ Introduction
Help/Guided Tour
Help/WSQCall Selcall
Help/Syntax
Help/Rules
These menu items bring up a comprehensive set of Help files, using your default browser. Please read these carefully, as they answer just about every question you may have about WSQCall operation.

Help/About...
Displays information about the program, such as author, release date and version.

Text Panes

Receive Pane
Directly below the menu is a large yellow area - this is the Received Text Pane. When not in Directed mode (the blue SELCAL button/light is out), all received text, no matter whether directed to you or not, is displayed in green, and transmitted text in red. WSQCall has squelch based on signal-to-noise ratio, in order to remove most junk between transmissions.

In Directed mode (the blue SELCAL button/light is on), received directed text for your station is displayed here in blue, while transmitted text is again shown in red. In Directed mode there is a 'Smart' Squelch which copes with fades during transmission, but closes quickly when the end of transmission is detected. No rubbish or traffic not directed to you will appear in this pane in Directed mode.

You can also cut and paste text from this pane, and it has a right-click menu for this purpose.

Hint: You can change the size of the text in this pane by selecting all of it, then pressing CTRL+SHIFT+"<" or ">". If you want ongoing text to be in the new size, make sure you include the very last character in the selection.

Note: You MUST press PAUSE before attempting to select and copy from the Receive Pane, or change the text size.
Transmit Pane
This is a small pink area below the Receive pane, on the left. This is where you type what you want to transmit: callsigns, commands and text. While the transmitter is not running, you can also type ahead, and correct what you type with normal Windows editing functions. The slider on the right becomes active when there is more text in the transmit buffer than will fit on the screen. Being verbose is not encouraged, however, especially at slower speeds. It is unwise to try typing while a sentence is being transmitted. This can cause confusion and missed text. You cannot edit or insert text while transmitting.

In Directed mode, once you start typing in the TX buffer, the program will ignore incoming commands which require a response. This restriction is removed once the TX buffer is cleared. If you are expecting incoming commands, make sure your buffer is cleared.

Monitor Pane
This is a larger yellow area below the Receive pane, on the right. In both Directed and non-directed modes, all incoming sentences, whether directed to you or not, are displayed here. This is a good place to monitor other traffic, read messages that are not recognised due to errors, and to read messages that are incorrectly directed or formatted. This is the 'engineering' area. The 'Smart' Squelch does not operate in the Monitor pane, only the regular signal-to-noise ratio Squelch. If there is a fade during reception, the Receive Pane may display part of the sentence prematurely, and miss the rest, but you will be able to see any remaining text after the fade here.

Other Information and Controls

Heard List
There is a small white are to the right of the main Receive Pane. In this area you will find listed 'allcall', followed by the callsigns of all incoming (and verified) stations, whether sending text or simply Sounding. You can select stations in this list to be the default destination callsign for your Directed transmissions by left-clicking on one of them. You can also select a command to follow the Direction by right-clicking anywhere in this area.

The Heard List is chronological in order, and is cleared when you close the program. It has no connection to the Heard Log, which is saved as a file, complete with time stamps and signal readings. You can access this from the menu, File/Open Heard station log.

Waterfall Display
Below the TX buffer is the received audio waterfall display, which has frequency calibration below, and spans from about 1450 to 1600 Hz. It shows the received signals over time, as the waterfall moves down, with older signals toward the bottom. It moves quite quickly so individual tones can be seen. When the 'tagging' option is on, each recognised symbol is tagged here with a thin yellow line. Two full-height vertical yellow lines indicate the signal-focussed area of the decoding software - the received signals must be completely contained between these marks or copy will deteriorate markedly. Ideally the received signal will extend from 1500 to 1550 Hz.

Usually operation is channelised in 100 Hz steps, but if a station is off frequency, tune carefully to the signal. You should slowly tune the receiver so the whole of any incoming signal is between the yellow lines. As the signal steps back and forth quite a bit due to the way signalling occurs, you will need to watch it for a while to ensure it is all contained within the yellow lines. The lowest tone of any transmission is the reference frequency. This will be Dial Frequency + 1500Hz on an SSB transceiver in USB mode. All other tones are higher than this, by up to 50Hz. Tuning is so easy that with a modern transceiver you just set the dial to the net frequency, or a round 100 Hz step frequency, and forget about it. RIT is not usually necessary as the transmit and receive frequencies usually the same.

Note: Tuning needs to be within about ± 20 Hz: if ANY tones fall outside the yellow lines, copy will deteriorate quite quickly. It is not really practical to operate WSQ in a net situation with an older (less stable) VFO-tuned rig and transverter. The stability and accuracy of the transmitter and receiver should ideally be better than 1 ppm (1e-6).

Since WSQCall operation is generally 'channelized', there is never a need to tune in signals anyway. Just set the transceiver or transmitter and receiver to the known channel or calling frequency.

Signal Meter
To the left of the waterfall display is the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) meter, which has been calibrated against a simulator to indicate real signal to noise ratios in a 2.4 kHz bandwidth. There is a thin yellow line which indicates the level below which Squelch will close (printing stops). Left click here to change the Squelch level. The meter has averaging to remove the effect of impulse noise. The peak value reading is the true signal SNR estimated in a 2.4 kHz bandwidth. The reading is likely to be over-optimistic if a narrow receiver filter is used, and this also affects the squelch setting

There is generally no advantage in using a receiver filter narrower than 2.4 kHz, as the software is only looking at signals between the yellow lines (about 100 Hz bandwidth). The only reason to use a narrow filter is to prevent interfering carriers outside the signal from affecting receiver AGC.

Note: The transmitter will not operate while the Squelch is open! This helps prevent doubling. If the squelch level is set too low, you may not be able to transmit.

Note: If the Squelch is set too high you may miss some incoming text. When working weak stations, better to set the Squelch lower, and have a few spurious characters between overs, than lose valuable text.

User Controls
Below the waterfall are several button controls and the Bright (Brightness) control. This slider control adjusts waterfall brightness. Keep it to a minimum to avoid waterfall blurring, and even lower to allow the markers to be seen. The setting is remembered for the next session.

Also under the waterfall are the three Notch controls. Each one can turn on or off an individually controlled notch. Each notch can be dragged sideways (left mouse button) to suppress an unwanted carrier. The notch is turned off again by pressing the appropriate button again. By right-clicking in the waterfall, you activate a small box with three sliders, where you can adjust the width of each notch.

While notches effectively kill carrier interference that can derail reception completely, bear in mind that the more of the active area you notch out, the more real tones you might lose, which can lead to more errors.

Just to the right of the Notch controls are several dark blue buttons. The first two are QTC and QTH. When pressed they briefly flash bright blue, and place any preset text they provide in the TX buffer. You then need to press Enter as you would normally, to send the message. You can set this text using a right-mouse-click on the relevant button. You could use the QTC button to set a favourite station call or station details. A popular use is 'Out to lunch'!

In Directed mode, the messages behind these two buttons can be remotely queried by the & and @ commands respectively. The QTC (station message) button is normally set to a simple station description, but can be used for any purpose. The QTH (location) button should contain the station location, either GPS position, Locator or physical address, perhaps all three.

The next button, the SELCAL button, is normally light blue. When Directed mode is disabled (by pressing this button), the button is dark blue. In Directed mode, the button lights bright green when a verified directed message for your station is arriving. When SELCAL is disabled, none of the automatic WSQCall functions are available.

The SAVE button is generally used in conjunction with forward error correction and the FSE program, if the sender's callsign or the file name is corrupted. If you are quick enough, pressing this button will allow the incoming file to be saved as emergency.enc.RS, which FSE should be able to decode. You can also use this feature on any transmission, in order to study the prevailing propagation delay variation, using FSE's 'engineering' tools. This is outside the scope of the average user's interest. Those with an interest should contact the developers.

The SOUND button enables or disables the automatic Sounding feature. When not active, this button is dark blue. When active, transmitting or waiting to transmit, this button is light blue. Sounding features can be altered from the Options menu.

The MSG RX button has two functions. It is normally dark blue. When a file message has been received for your station, this button will be red, and clicking on it will bring up the latest file in Notepad. If you click on it when it is dark blue, the action depends on whether a file has been received within the last session. If it has, that file will be shown. If not, a Directory of the working folder for the program will be displayed.

Further to the right are three more buttons. They are the PAUSE button, the Transmit button (TX) and the Receive button (RX). Each of these is dark blue when not active, and bright blue when active. The program starts in Receive. PAUSE is used while editing the screen, as otherwise the cursor will jump around when you least expect it. It also stops reception and transmission until either RX or TX is pushed again.

Resizing the Window
You are able to resize the WSQCall program window by dragging the border sideways or downward. The default size will fit on the screen of a Netbook. It is not a good idea to shrink the window size much, as you'll lose some controls.

Transmitting and Receiving

Transmit
When you wish to transmit, simply place the cursor in the pink TX pane and start typing. You should type ahead (i.e. before you start transmitting, typically while the other guy is transmitting). When you've typed your sentence, and the channel is clear, press ENTER or the TX button, and your typed-ahead text will be sent.

In Directed mode, the callsign and checksum preamble will automatically be sent first. In non-directed mode, a callsign preamble will be sent only if the Options/Suppress callsign option is unchecked. No checksum is sent.

In Directed mode, if you start the transmitter with an empty buffer, it will send your callsign preamble, and then stop. This replicates the sounding message, and is useful as a 'ZL1XYZ listening on channel' prompt. As you transmit, the characters sent disappear from the TX pane and appear in the RX pane once they have been sent. This will let you see the progress of your transmission.

Note: If you forget to place the cursor in the TX pane, your typed text might not go anywhere useful!

Note: You should only type while receiving. If you continue to type after transmission has started, the transmitter may catch up with you, and if it does, the transmission will stop prematurely. Also some of your typed characters may be missed. Wait until the program has returned to receive before you type again.

Receive
The program starts in the Directed mode (SELCAL on), in the receive state. You can interrupt a transmission and return to receive by pressing the RX button or the Esc key on the keyboard. If you press either while text remains in the TX pane, this will not be sent until you press TX again, and at least one character may be lost. Normally you should complete typing the transmission text with an Enter key, and wait until all the text appears in the receive pane, including the new line caused by the Enter, before typing again. At this point the transmitter will stop automatically. Don't worry, you will quickly master the technique, and it will soon seem obvious.

Keep a close watch on the waterfall display during reception, and listen carefully before you transmit, to ensure that you don't double with someone else. It can still sometimes happen, even with the 'squelch lockout' feature, and if you sense that it has, immediately press the RX button, or hit the Esc key, so your transmission stops.

Watch the signal SNR on the meter (bottom left). You will probably find that the signal fades up and down by 10dB or more, and print may stop or become garbled during fades. Reduce the Squelch level if this happens.

The squelch level is set by clicking in the SNR meter with the mouse. It's better to have a few garbage characters than miss real text. Keep sentences short, and stick to lower case and CW-speak abbreviations to maximise typing speed.

Pause
The PAUSE button stops both transmission and reception.

It is best not to edit text during transmission, although you can delete typed characters (using Backspace), after and including the error, then retype. The problem is that this simple program does not remember cursor locations, and the transmit and receive panes share the same cursor control. Thus it happens that when you move the cursor manually (click in the text with the mouse), you may find the software promptly moves the cursor back to the end of the typed text. During transmission the program may miss your keyboard strokes, so again, typing while transmitting is not encouraged.

In WSQCall Directed mode it is bad practice to edit the text (or add further text) while transmitting, as this then messes up the other station's Smart Squelch, since the additional text removes the Smart Squelch hidden command character.

Another problem with editing while transmitting is that the transmission will stop when it catches up with your typing. The only way to reliably edit the transmit buffer text (i.e. edit by moving the cursor insert position) is to do so while receiving.

Note: You can copy and paste from the RX pane to the TX pane, so if you have a request to repeat what you've just sent, simply copy the text from the upper pane and repaste it in the lower pane.

Escape
It's not so convenient to move the mouse to the RX button if you need to stop transmission in a hurry, so the software provides a keyboard 'abort transmission' function via the Esc key, which has the same effect.

This feature is very useful if you sense, just after starting a transmission, that someone else has just done the same. If you are quick, you won't miss much of their transmission, and you will probably not lose many of your own transmitted characters either, and any that have already gone will be easily replaced by moving the cursor to the start of the TX buffer and typing them again (you don't need to retype the automatic preamble - and you should delete what's left of it before retransmitting).

Note that the Esc feature has no effect if the transmission was initiated by a 'Helper' program.


Copyright © Murray Greenman and Con Wassilieff 2013-2017. All rights reserved.