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- Written by: Maintenance Guy
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Ken G3WYN has decided to move the Sunday morning net back to 80m on the original frequency of 3.740 MHz plus or minus QRM.
I think several of the regular participants have been finding it increasingly difficult to both hear and be heard on 40m of late, as band conditions have become pretty disappointing.
Please call-in to the net if you get a chance. It's a good excuse to get out in the garden and create yourself a new 80m antenna at least.
Regards,
Berni M0XYF.
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- Written by: Chris G4ZCS
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Following on from last month, I have had a little luck and a little problem.
The problem was that the shack RF suppressor choke decided to stop working. So a quick check and I found an open circuit in the band selector switch circuit. So a temporary lash up using the 40m band choke selected for 12m. It will have to do for a while.
The month started off with 135 DXCCs in the log and a big one to chase, Bouvet Island down in the Antarctic sea. I was listening to see if I could hear them with nought for a couple of days. Then on the 3rd, 12m FT8 sprung into life. In spite of calling 3Y0K from his third CQ, no reply. On the 6th he was working NA but I thought I'd try anyway. He seems to have had a filter to lock EU out, but about tea-time I got a reply but no confirmation. However two days later I got a complete contact for another ATNO, and it's confirmed. Whoopie!
In the meantime, J51A kept popping up, so I worked him, again, 5 band slots!
So back to the RF suppressor problem. A careful inspection highlighted an un-soldered connection.
After finding the soldering iron, I re-made the joint and hey presto! It all works again.
With all this activity going on I discovered that I had qualified for another certificate. Over the years I have been working the Bulgarian Saints station, 75 in all to date. The colourful certificate is a bit religious (unlike me) but will look good on the shack wall.
As things were quiet, I decided to have a play with FT2. Thanks to Berni who got me off the starting blocks and then Steve GJ6WRI who helped by sending the latest version of one of the programs.
This still has bugs (loads of them) which I am sure will be sorted soon. So a quick look at the log and IK0QKN is safely logged as my first FT2 contact. On the evening of the 23rd I managed to work 14 quick-fire, using a paper log & search & pounce. I can now see why the auto CQ button has been included. More of this later.
Back to DX working and a longish list of ATNOs including XX9W, S21WD, and T88KH. The IOTA count is 25 including 3Y0K, CY0S and S21WD. My grand DXCC total now stands at 295, only 5 more to the magic 300!
This month was the CQ WW WPX contest on SSB. Unfortunately my voice was not up to much, so I just contacted a couple of rarer DXs for the points.
Perhaps it is a coincidence, but I haven't heard the interfering over the horizon radar this month, suggesting the source might have been in the middle east. Long may it remain silent.
So as we come to the end of the month with a clock change, not too bad a tally. Hopefully a few more next month.
PS. Can anyone help please. I worked a station call E97YNO/P in grid BL 84 (near Hawaii)
Any ideas what this is about?
Cheers & Good DX,
Chris, G4ZCS
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FT1: The Next Step in Weak-Signal Digital?
Following the recent FT2 implementation - covered in my recent Mid Sussex ARS news article - it was probably only a matter of time before someone asked: how much further can we push weak-signal decoding?
From FT8 to FT4 and now FT2 protocols, each step in the progression has traded bandwidth, timing precision and processing power for incremental gains in sensitivity and throughput.
Enter FT1.
Positioned as the next logical evolution, FT1 builds on those foundations but introduces something new: recursive decoding enhanced by lightweight AI-assisted weighting models.
Digital Signal Processing Loops (Utilising AI)
FT1’s headline innovation is the use of Digital Signal Processing Loops (DSPLs). Rather than making a single decode attempt per transmission window, FT1 captures the probabilistic state of the received signal and recursively refines it. Each loop:
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Re-evaluates timing offsets (per-tone Delta's)
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Reconstructs incomplete symbols
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Re-weights parity structures
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Applies AI-assisted confidence scoring
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Feeds the refined estimate back into the decoder
The embedded AI layer doesn’t 'guess' messages; instead, it dynamically adjusts statistical bias based on observed propagation behaviour, drift characteristics and noise profiles gathered over time.
The effect is cumulative. Instead of discarding frames at -28 dB, FT1 continues iterating, statistically compressing uncertainty with each pass.
In controlled tests, the results have been eye-opening: regularly reporting decodes down to -35 dB.
Designed for 24/7 Operation
Unlike FT2, FT1 is fully automated by default. It can run unattended around the clock, dynamically adjusting loop depth and decoder thresholds according to band conditions. Researchers report extremely stable medium-duration operation too.
During March’s WWDigi-Xtreme contest, one experimental FT1 station reportedly logged over 480,000 contacts, easily securing first place. A significant proportion were completed at signal levels all existing decoders would simply consider unrecoverable.
Whether that represents a fundamental shift in weak-signal capability - or simply the triumph of computational muscle - is still being debated.
The Hardware Reality
There is, of course, a cost.
FT1’s recursive and AI-assisted architecture is computationally intensive. The suggested minimum compute specification includes:
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256 GB RAM
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2 * 128-bit Nvidia GPUs
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Dedicated multi-core CPU resources
FT1 maintains layered probability maps across multiple loop generations, preserving statistical states rather than discarding them. However, if the system cannot sustain real-time recursion, the processing chain destabilises.
Developers refer to this rather delicately as Frail Loops - a condition in which insufficient memory bandwidth or GPU throughput causes recursion cycles to collapse, confidence weighting to drift, and performance to fall sharply back toward familiar limits.
Stable loops are essential. Frail ones, less so.
One Outstanding Limitation
There remains a practical constraint. After approximately six weeks of continuous 24/7 operation, accumulated state data begins to saturate storage and memory structures. Fragmentation increases, loop latency rises, and a controlled restart becomes necessary.
It’s not a fundamental flaw, merely an engineering refinement still in progress.
Whether FT1 proves to be the next accepted milestone in the FT8-FT4-FT2 lineage, or simply an ambitious exploration of what happens when AI meets recursive DSP, it certainly captures the imagination.
After all, progress in digital modes has always been about squeezing a little more signal from a little less noise.
Especially at this time of year.
Berni M0XYF
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Mills On The Air - Saturday 9th May 2026
This year, my Mills On The Air Special Event Station will be at Chailey Windmill.
At the moment, this is an 'unofficial' event as far as MSARS is concerned, but the committee is soon to discuss adopting it as a recognised club event. I do now have full event insurance regardless, so please feel free to come along and trip over whatever you like.
I'll be operating SES callsign GB6DGK in honour of our SK friend Gavin Keegan. It may not be registered on QRZ.com, as I'll be taking the callsign 'on tour' for the rest of the year to several locations, and it could get confusing.
Chailey Windmill was last activated in 2023 (see https://midsussexars.org.uk/news/350-drg-are-at-chailey-heritage-windmill-on-saturday) when I had the pleasure of spending the day with members of the Downland Radio Group, including Gavin, who made me feel very welcome. I shall be doing the same this year, so all are cordially invited to join me either to operate or just spend some quality time out. If any members of the DRG are reading this, please come along for the nostalgia and a cup of tea. It would be lovely to see you. Likewise anyone from the Worthing club that knew Gavin.
The Windmill
If you have never been to Chailey Windmill, it's a beautiful Grade II listed smock mill originally built in 1830. It's no longer functional, after having its internal workings removed, so there is plenty of room inside to operate comfortably (bring your own camping chair). Oh, and by the way, it's set in a stunning location on Chailey Red House Common (https://chaileycommons.org.uk/), so also a POTA site (GB-3219). I have full access to the windmill (with mains power, hopefully).
When
I'll probably be there from 10:00am 'till 4:00pm on Saturday, but I'm not committing to an exact schedule. It's just for fun, as always. Main operating band/mode will be 40m SSB, but also 30m FT8 and FT4, 17m SSB and FT8, maybe 20m, 15m and 10m. Conditions and time will ultimately dictate. I may even return on the Sunday morning for an encore.
Come and join me, or work me from home if you can't afford the petrol come May.
Huge thanks to Stefan and the crew at Nunsfield House ARG for making this event possible.
Location
Maidenhead Locator: IO90xx
WAB Square: TQ32
CQGMA Windmill Number: X91880
Lat: 50.975092, Long: -0.025218
What3Words: ///heads.glows.gentle
Google Maps: Mill Ln, North Chailey, Lewes BN8 4EG
Additional Info
More information on the windmill can be found here: https://chaileyparishcouncil.gov.uk/amenities/chailey-windmill-museum-of-local-artefacts
Full information on the current mills registration list can be found at the Nunsfield House ARG website here: https://www.nharg.org.uk/content/active-mota-stations-2026
Berni M0XYF
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Hi all.
A very quick update from this years Annual General Meeting last night (Friday 27th March 2026).
Firstly, apologies if anyone thought I was a bit too vocal. I just felt that there were a few things that needed either highlighting or moving along, but I realise that could come across as annoying.
For those not in attendance, a couple of points of note. Alan, Merv and Stella were all re-appointed unopposed in their respective committee positions (Hon. Secretary, General Committee and Hon. Program Secretary). We thank you all for your continued service.
Much discussion was had about finances, and it didn't really seem to be going anywhere, so I proposed a vote on raising the annual membership fee by £5 to £40 from 1st Jan 2027, and this was agreed by the vast majority of those present.
The committee took away several points for discussion, including the possible recognition and ratification of the various outdoor radio events that I have planned for this year as official MSARS events. That would formalise these and additionally allow them to be covered under the club's RSGB third party insurance.
Next, a couple of takeaways that I had from the meeting. Firstly, regarding filling in the Jotform membership form. I offered to complete the form on behalf of any member struggling to perform this themselves. You can request my help by simply confirming in writing that your information has not changed since the previous year (or by providing updated information) via the much simpler webmaster contact form here: https://form.jotform.com/252163376930357
However, if you ARE able to complete the membership form yourself, THEN PLEASE DO!
The membership form currently requires that you enter both the first and second line of your home address. It was noted that some addresses, particularly those in Wales, only have one 'street' line. I've checked this, and I cannot alter the individual validation of these lines, as they are paired in the widget logic in Jotform, and cannot be validated independently. Sorry Wales! Just enter a space or a dot or something in the second street line.
I'll look into the CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) issue too.
Finally, I said that I would remind everybody that all members are invited to book a slot with Phil G4UDU to put the famous G5RV callsign on the air again this year. You can see what other bookings have been made at the bottom of our calendar page here: https://midsussexars.org.uk/calendar
Tony M0WND has it booked for both days this weekend, so hunt him down amongst all the contest stations, and give him a call
Thanks and regards,
Berni M0XYF
