That result, which got me to number 5 in the DX listening challenge, was using the latest version of WSJT-X, which is meant to have 'improved' WSPR sensitivity.
At just after midnight on 20/12/2018, I changed to using JTDX for WSPR reception over another 24 hours. So that I could tell the difference, I used plain MW1CFN as the call, rather than the MW1CFN/SDR used the previous day.
Was one software better than the other?
Well, I came in at number 6 with JTDX, four spots away from being number 5. Realistically, one can say this is an inconclusive result, especially as it only covers two full 24 hour periods. Those stations in the top 10 can move around a lot from day to day, mainly according to geomagnetic conditions.
Overall, the two softwares seem to be very similar. For general antenna performance checking, use of one over the other might be of no real consequence. For more critical work, the new WSJT-X may be preferable.
The weekend is now here, together with it's massive uptick in QRM. Therfore, SDR operations are given over to VLF reception, down at around 5kHz, with a new multi-turn wire loop (about 215m total wire!) that even got my daughter excited and busy winding last night! The flexibility of SDRs is really amazing, and opens up yet another lifetime of radio interest!
2 comments:
Hello John, I think it is difficult to compare 2 software packages over 2 days. Better record 1 hour of WSPR audio and put that into to software. And probabely you and I should do that to get a more reliable result. I've been doing this in 2017 I believe comparing WSJT-X and JTDX on JT65 mode. The result was astonishing! 73, Bas
Bas, it is indeed rather meaningless to compare over such a short period. But it gives a rough idea to start with. I know that on JT65A, JTDX is (or at least was) much better than WSJT-X, as I never saw several stations calling me being decoded on the latter software. But so far, I can't really see any obvious difference between them on WSPR (which includes numerous earlier tests, not just this one).
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