DX-Pounce for FT8 QSOs (Wait, search, and pounce)

About

This repository contains the source code used to handle FT8 QSO automation for WSJT-X or JTDX. This type of automation is not recommended but remains usefull to avoid to spend your entire life waiting in front of your screen because listening to audio alone does not allow you to decode anything in FT8 (or SuperFox). This did not prevent me from having to make many iterations to this program to make it work. Basically, it will read your ALL.TXT log files, check for some sequences, and will Enable or Disable TX on your JTDX or WSJT-X instance. It does support SuperFox Mode (S/F).

Please check the TODO.

Think about a donation to let me find time to improve this program. I hope you will enjoy using this program, and you will get fun to search and pounce for DX.

Works For Windows Platform only for now.

How to use it

• pip install -r requirements.txt
• Get a correct version working for Super/Fox mode with WSJT-X or JTDX and installed
• Make sure to update wait_and_pounce.py around line 710

# Update window tile
wsjt_window_title = "WSJT-X   v2.7.1-devel   by K1JT et al."
jtdx_window_title = "JTDX - FT5000  by HF community                                         v2.2.160-rc7 , derivative work based on WSJT-X by K1JT"

• Launch GUI using command line with Python. Ex: python3 pounce_gui.pyw

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Version

• 1.1 Handle Wildcard (use "*" as Wildcard)
• 1.0 Show status on GUI
• 0.9 Handle multiple calls
• 0.8 Set mode to start on Normalor Fox/Hound or SuperFox
• 0.7 Change for odd or even JTDX
• 0.6 Force your_call and call_selected to be uppercase
• 0.5 Handle Super/Fox Mode from JTDX v2.2.160-rc7
• 0.4 Use latest modified *ALL.TXT files <== You are here
• 0.3 Allow to set your call instead of editing configuration `wait_and_pounce.
• 0.2 Handle frequency change (frequency_hopping) and close once finished
• 0.1 Initial version, reading logs

Known bugs

WSJT-X (S/F)

• Issue while handle output sequence
• Logging QSO remains an issue due to variable size of the log window

JTDX (Regular Mode, F/H and S/F)

• When focus after reading for the first time log file, doesn't Enable TX immediately
• When JTDX does not have a callsign set at DX Call, can't set any new callsign and generate message
• Sometime, replace_input_field_content method can't set number for a callsign

TODO

• Let end user set his own filepath
• Set mode Hound or Super Fox to JTDX
• Add clean button for output Widget
• Allow use of Wildcard for Wanted callsigns
• Add Widget to GUI when focus on callsign
• Add scrollbar to output Widget
• Find clear QRG for TXing
• Let end user set his own JTDX and WSJT-X window title and position
• Make binary for Windows
• Check wsjtx_log.adi to get confirmation of awaited QSO
• Add internationalization I18N and localization L10N
• Use Packet UDP instead of reading log files
• Fix Log Analysis Count
• Disable Run button unless user set your_callsign and wanted_callsigns
• Set JTDX to SHound Mode
• Change for odd or even JTDX
• Output within a TXT log file
• Show status on GUI
• Handle multiple calls
• Handle latest known ALL log files
• Setting caller
• GUI
• Band hoping
• Wait for sequence, if found in the last 10 minutes then call otherwise return monitoring
• Frequency update and support with JTDX
• Compare log time UTC with local machine time

Make binary for Windows

pyinstaller --windowed --onefile --debug all C:\Users\YourDirectory]\pounce_on_ft8\pounce_gui.pyw

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Need to read UDP packets coming from either WSJT-X or JTDX

• https://github.com/takgr/JTDX-controller
• https://github.com/takgr/JTDX-controller/blob/main/call_alert.py
• https://github.com/rstagers/WSJT-X
• https://github.com/bmo/py-wsjtx
• https://github.com/stephenhouser/node-red-contrib-wsjt-x
• https://github.com/jtdx-project/jtdx/blob/master/NetworkMessage.hpp
• https://github.com/josh3io/jtman
• https://github.com/jf1kkm/getqrz