A New Feature by Bob W1RH!
To have your favorite QSL card featured in the Nugget, just email Bob W1RH an electronic copy or trust him with a hard copy and he will scan it and return it to you in the same condition he received it.
Raise your hand in you recognize the call, Kilo-1-Juliette-Tango. Something about that call sounds familiar!
Here’s a clue:
WSJT – WS-JULIETTE-TANGO
JTDX – JULIETTE-TANGO-DX
JT ALERT – JULIETTE-TANGO-ALERT
How about this clue:
FT8 – FOX-TANGO-8
So, by now, you should have figured out that K1JT has something to do with FT-8 and some of the software programs associated with FT-8.
FT-8 is now the most popular HF mode, and Joe Taylor had a lot to do with it. FT8 was developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT, and Steve Franke (THE “F” in “FT-8”), K9AN, and released in 2017 as part of the free software package, WSJT-X. The name stands for “Franke-Taylor design, 8-frequency shift keying” (8-FSK) modulation.
Per Wikipedia:
WSJT-X is a computer program used for weak-signal radio communication between amateur radio operators. The program was initially written by Joe Taylor, K1JT, but is now open source and is developed by a small team. The digital signal processing techniques in WSJT-X make it substantially easier for amateur radio operators to employ esoteric propagation modes, such as high-speed meteor scatter and moonbounce. Additionally WSJT is able to send signal reports to spotting networks such as PSK Reporter.
JTDX evolved from WSJT-X and, in my opinion, is a better program for DX’ing, especially when combined with JTAlert, which provides visual and audio alerts and text-messaging, to enhance the digital weak-signal modes like FT8/FT4. It also helps hams find needed callsigns, track award progress (WAS, DXCC), and automate logbook entries. It monitors band activity, flags desired stations or entities, and integrates with logging programs, reducing manual searching and improving the user experience for chasing contacts.
Joe Taylor also held the calls, K2ITP, WA1LXQ, W1HFV, and VK2BJX. In his career, Joe is an astrophysicist and Nobel Prize laureate in Physics for his discovery with Russell Alan Hulse of a “new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation.” (Wikipedia)
I found Joe’s QSL card the other day, in a pile of cards I was going through prior to throwing them out. I kept a few, and this was one of them. Frankly, I did a double-take when I saw the call. I knew the call sign, but I sure didn’t expect to see K1JT’s card in the stack. So, how did I get this QSL card? K1JT worked J37VG on 10, 15, and 20 Phone during the ARRL 1999 DX Contest. AA1IZ, K1EP and I were the J37VG team. I’ll have more to say about J37VG next month.
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