Calling all Olivia-mode operators with experience using the Olivia digital mode in all areas of the world:

Please join our Facebook group at the following link. We are discussing important operational changes!

If you are on Facebook, and interested in the Olivia HF radioteletype chat mode, please join the community group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/olivia.hf/

If you want to join our discussion by way of the Olivia group on Groups.io, please feel free to spread the news, and also to subscribe to that group email reflector. We’ll start discussions, soon. Here’s the link: https://groups.io/g/Olivia

OLIVIA (Also, Olivia MFSK) is an amateur digital radioteletype mode designed by Pawel Jalocha, SP9VRC, starting in 2003, and in use by 2005. The Olivia-mode goal was to be effective even in poor propagation conditions on the high frequencies (shortwave).

OLIVIA can decode well under noise, propagational fading (QSB), interference (QRM), flutter caused by polar path propagation and even auroral conditions and sporadic-E. Olivia uses a 7-bit ASCII alphabet. There were a handful of amateur digital modes that were derived from Olivia, including RTTYM and PAX.

Outside of amateur radio two-way communication, this mode is utilized during the tests run by the VoA every weekend. See the VoA RadioGram website, VoARadiogram.net, for the schedule.

The Olivia QSO between K4SOL and NW7US using 16/500 mode settings on shortwave, 2017-AUG-06 @1410UTC

The first on-the-air tests were performed by two radio amateurs, Fred OH/DK4ZC and Les VK2DSG on the Europe-Australia path in the 20-meter amateur band. The tests proved that the protocol works well and can allow regular intercontinental radio contacts with as little as one watt RF power. Since 2005 Olivia has become a standard for digital data transfer under white noise, fading and multipath, flutter (polar path) and auroral conditions.

Voluntary channelization

Since Olivia signals can be decoded even when received signals are extremely weak, (signal to noise ratio of -14 dB), signals strong enough to be decoded are sometimes below the noise floor and therefore impossible to search for manually.

As a result, amateur radio operators have voluntarily decided upon channelization for this mode. This channelization allows even imperceptibly weak signals to be properly tuned for reception and decoding. By common convention amateur stations initiate contacts utilizing either the 16/500 or 32/1000 modes and then switch to other modes to continue the conversation. The following table lists the common center frequencies used in the amateur radio bands.

The traditional channels are now under heavy use by newer modes. Thus, this Olivia group is working on refiguring the strategy for continued use and channelization. Please join us for discussion.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/olivia.hf/

Thank you,

Tomas / NW7US

The question I raised in my article about JT65’s success (“Who’s next?”) has already been answered: Joe Taylor. The same guy that brought us the JT mode of families has devised the mode FT-8, developed together with Steven Franke (K9AN). It’s basically turbo charged JT65, with a message length of only 12.64 seconds and transmission beginnings synced to the next 15 second interval. It’s not as sensitive as JT65, but that might change when a priori information is added at a later stage.

My version of WSJT-X was automatically updated to 1.8.0-rc1 on July 11th and just for fun I decided to check out if there was any FT-8 activity. There was: a couple of VKs and JAs. I was a bit surprised, because I had been monitoring FSQ which has been around for a while already and I couldn’t find any activity. FT-8 had only just been introduced so that was a good sign. It got even better when I noted some European stations popping up in the local evening. I tried my hand at making a QSO, but couldn’t get through, so my first ever FT-8 QSO was with HS7WMU from Thailand. The reason why I couldn’t get through became clear later: the delta loop for 6 meters was still hooked up to the rig! After switching to a proper antenna if became apparent that even my modest verticals didn’t have any problem in getting through to Europe. Even better, stations from the east coast of the US were also coming in fine early evening and I also had no problem working them. (Over here in Taiwan the eastern US is one of the more difficult regions of the world to work).

Over the course of the next few weeks I noticed a steady increase in the number of stations I could receive. The statistics page of pskreporter.info backs this up. As I write this the number of FT-8 spots over the last 2 hours outnumber the JT65 spots 2 to 1. JT9 has already been relegated to the margins, so it seems Amateur Radio’s new favourite mode has become FT-8.

I have always been critical of the JT modes, mainly because they reduce QSOs to a 599 exchange with no possibilities to engage in a more meaningful conversation. Plus, JT65 is boringly slow. So, how do I feel about FT-8? Well, it’s not slow at all. In fact, you don’t even have time to push the appropriate macro buttons on the screen, so let WSPR-X do all the work for you. Even answering a reply to your own CQ can be handled automatically, which frees your hands into doing something else (In my case practising guitar. I’m working on Lindsey Buckingham’s “Never Going Back Again“, but don’t expect any performance soon). Arm chair DXing but still no possibility to start a real conversation with the other party. Not great in my book.

Screen capture of WSJT-X with my first ever FT-8 QSO. Notice the checks with “Auto Seq” and “Call 1st”. Keep these on if you want smooth, automatically sequenced QSOs.

Screen capture of pskreporter with all the stations I received on August 8 in the span of 4.5 hours.

So apart from Antenna Summer, this has also become FT-8 Summer. Until the end of August (summer break) I will be active from 05 to 15 UTC most days, calling CQ a lot. I’m on 20 meters only, so if you see me on your waterfall there give me a call.

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With some unavoidable chores out of the way I finally went further on my quest to erect a better antenna for 20 meters. The question asked last time on why the rooftop vertical performed below par was solved pretty quickly: the ground connection to the coax lead had come loose and after I fixed that it performed better, but still not as well as the garden vertical (the garden vertical about 10 dB better than the rooftop vertical).

VK3DZ made an interesting remark in the comments on my last article: “keep VHF antennas at least 12 meters high to avoid short-range noise.” My antenna is for HF, but the more distance from noise sources the better and maybe more distance from the metal roof would also help. So I got my fiberglass poles out and put the garden vertical up on the roof, 4 meters above the metal roof.

From a distance they look very faint: one vertical in the middle, one on the left.

A good comparison could be made with the other vertical, but the difference was minimal: signals strengths were comparable and noise levels were the same. After a couple of days I put the garden vertical back in the garden and put my delta loop for 6 meters on the roof.

In a private e-mail exchange a while back Steve (VE7SL) wondered if tying the ground connection directly to the metal roof would have an effect. The question was related to long- and medium wave reception, however it would be a good experiment to see if it would have an effect on my rooftop vertical. Up till now my ground connection has been a single 90 cm ground rod, which did a good job of syphoning off some noise. When I bought that rod my local hardware store said that the longest one they had was 90 centimeters (3 foot), but when I went out to buy some more there recently they gave me 180 centimeter ones (6 foot). I got two for about US$15, so well within my budget. I connected them with twin solid core electrical copper wire and after an hour of pounding on them in 35 degree heat (Celsius, not Fahrenheit) they were in.

The two ground rods prepared and ready to go underground.

A lot of sweat swept from my forehead later…..they’re in!

Some dirt shoveled over it and nobody would even guess what’s there.

Unfortunately we had a typhoon coming through and it damaged the garden vertical. After fixing it I will have to make plans for the next antenna experiment.

Stories you’ll find in our August, 2017 issue:

Rocky Mountain Ham Radio Microwave Backbone and DMR Repeater Network
By Wayne Heinen N0POH

The Rocky Mountain Ham Radio deployed analog repeater sites all along the Front Range of Colorado and had been linking them via the Internet for years. Due to the cost and reliability factors of commercial Internet, the club had been looking for a ham radio spectrum-based transport method for their IP needs which have been steadily growing over the years. What was needed was a digital link that could be created between the various mountain top sites, an IP based network of their own design that would be controlled by the club. Wayne explains how they did it.

Intro to Scanning Today
By Bob Grove W8JHD

The requirements of scanner listeners have been changing since the very first radios capable of tuning the public service bands were manufactured. While some analog scanners available today are still useful, many listener in more urban areas need significant upgrades to their listening posts to continue listening. Bob explains which radios are best for each technology today.

TSM Reviews: W4OP Loop Antenna
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

Last year Thomas caught a bug: the National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) bug. He found NPOTA the perfect excuse to play radio outdoors. From August to December 2016, he activated ninety-one NPOTA National Parks running QRP (low power). To do so he needed a stand-alone antenna small enough to set up easily, rugged enough to do so many times and capable enough to make contacts from some very remote spots. The W4OP loop filled the bill.

Using Weak Signal Modes for Propagation, RFI, and Antenna Analysis
By Robert Gulley AK3Q

Digital mode operating has changed everything for many hams looking for a way around the disappearing solar cycle. WSJT-X weak-signal software, which includes JT65, JT9, MSK144, JT8 and other specialized transmission modes for moonbounce, meteor scatter and aircraft scatter has extended two-way amateur communications on bands that otherwise might not be used. Robert has also discovered that these programs are an excellent resource for identifying and studying propagation, Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) and antenna characteristics.

US TV Channel Assignments: Part 3
By Mike Kohl

This third installment in the series on the repacking of the TV band continues with the identification of significant communities within each designated marketing area (DMA). Markets numbering from 151 to 248 are covered this month.

Scanning America
By Dan Veeneman
Winnebago County (IL), Broward County (FL)

Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington

Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman
Watching the Eclipse with a Radio

Shortwave Utility Logs
By Hugh Stegman and Mike Chace-Ortiz

VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
Honey, I Shrunk the Loop

Digital Voice
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
Feels Like the First Time

Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
RG-6: It’s Still a Steel

Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Connection Complications: Troubleshooting 101

Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7US
Coronal Mass Ejection Science

World of Shortwave Listening
By Rob Wagner VK3BVW
The Use and Abuse of SINPO

The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
Radio from Four Continents via Shortwave and Internet

Amateur Radio Astronomy
By Stan Nelson KB5VL
New Callisto Devices

The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
630-Meter Band Plan Takes Shape

Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Heathkit HG-10B VFO

Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Stealth: A Philosophy and a Methodology

The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.

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