On 09/01/2019 00:37, DX Jami via wsjt-devel wrote:
Ver2 has a 77 bit message "payload" limitation and nonstandard calls
require more ... so there is no programming space for the grid.
Hi Phil and Danny,
we must be careful here to state the position correctly. The 75-bit
message formats, used before WSJT-X introduced the new 77-bit format for
MSK144 and FT8, had two schemes to try and support compound callsigns.
Each scheme had severe limitations, one had no space to include
gridsquares in standard messages, the other required base callsigns to
be used and some messages sent with one of the QSO participants callsign
omitted.
The new 77-bit payload introduces a more unified approach to
non-standard callsigns including both compound callsigns and long
callsign formats that could not be used at all in the 75-bit standard
messages. Overall the variety of callsigns than can participate in some
QSOs has greatly increased, there are still restrictions but we think
they are better balanced for real World usage. One restriction is that
all non-standard callsign users cannot send gridsquares in standard
messages, this is similar to the position for the bulk of compound
callsign holders with the 75-bit format.
Clearly in a major revision of a protocol, where there must be some
restrictions at the boundaries, there will be winners and losers. Our
aim is to allow the maximum number of operators to use WSJT-X within the
constraints that largely allow the application to achieve its goal of a
weak-signal communications tool.
Some of the restrictions make it impossible for non-standard callsigns
to work each other, others disallow standard callsigns from partaking in
the new contest modes supported by FT8 and MSK144 in WSJT-X v2.0.0.
These restrictions are non-negotiable now the protocol format is set
since changing them would make the protocol incompatible with the
current version.
The cases being cited here include two non-standard calls trying to work
each other, this may get some attention since it is possible to have
such a QSO if at least one station has a compound callsign where the
base callsign is a standard callsign. It is somewhat contrived and has
to use the base callsign in some messages and currently the logic to
generate the required messages for this edge case is not in WSJT-X, it
may be added.
Another case being cited is an HI callsign station who is located in the
lower 48 but still wants to operate from HI occasionally. This is a
small edge case and we can understand that being able to send a
gridsquare in standard messages as well as use a compound callsign to
indicate a location outside of HI. This is not possible using MSK144 or
FT8 since the 77-bit protocol does not allow both non-standard callsigns
and gridsquares to be sent. If you are in this situation then you must
either send you gridsquare post QSO in a free text message if you want
to give your QSO partner a chance to recognize you are not in HI, or use
a compound callsign that indicates your location like /W4. The latter
also disallows standard message QSOs with other non-standard callsign
holders.
What must be understood is that the protocols use in WSJT-X will never
support every possible callsign without restrictions, doing so would
require a greatly increased message payload that would compromise the
sensitivity, bandwidth, or speed that make the modes so popular in the
first place.
73
Bill
G4WJS.
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