getontheairDigital mode software
Portable award operating is no longer phone-only. FT8 gets contacts when SSB is dead. PSK31 and RTTY still have loyal hunters. SSTV and satellites add variety. The programs below share a common pattern: rig control or audio interface → mode software → logger (Polo, N3FJP, or WSJT-X’s own ADIF) → upload.
Pick one primary logger per activation. Let everything else feed it. This hub is how the programs fit the activation day, not a rewrite of their manuals.
| Program | Role on activation day | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| WSJT-X | FT8, FT4, WSPR, and other WSJT modes | WSJT-X |
| JTAlert | Alerts, LoTW/QRZ forwarding, DXCC tracking | JTAlert |
| GridTracker | Map, worked-before, POTA spotting from FT8 | GridTracker |
| FLdigi + FLrig | PSK31, RTTY, Olivia, and legacy sound-card modes | FLdigi suite |
| SSTV apps | Slow-scan images on HF and VHF | SSTV |
| POTAPlus | Chrome extension for the spots page (pota.app + next.pota.app) | POTAPlus |
The UDP bus (WSJT-X family)
WSJT-X broadcasts QSO and status data on UDP port 2237 by default. JTAlert, GridTracker, N1MM, and Polo-adjacent tools all listen on that port. You can run several listeners at once — they are passive.
Typical field stack:
- WSJT-X tuned and decoding.
- GridTracker for map + POTA worked-today tracking.
- JTAlert or GridTracker for audio alerts — not both at full volume unless you enjoy chaos.
- Polo or N3FJP as the master log. At QRT, merge WSJT ADIF with the phone log in ADIF Doctor and Recap from Full.
Tip: In WSJT-X → Settings → Reporting, enable Accept UDP requests if a logger needs to push frequency changes back. Polo and some POTA tools use this path.
Time sync is not optional
FT8 and FT4 need your clock within about one second of UTC. At home, NTP is enough. In the field:
- GPS USB dongle + BktTimeSync or similar (recommended).
- Phone hotspot with automatic time — verify before you TX.
- No sync = decode failures that look like “the band is dead.”
Official POTA digital notes: docs.pota.app — Digital modes
Mode choice at a park
| Situation | Consider |
|---|---|
| Spotted SSB pileup already running | Stay on phone; do not split the audience |
| Zero answers after 10 minutes on SSB | Move band or try FT8 on a clear frequency |
| Need 10 QSOs before sunset | CW or FT8 often fastest; still spot every QSY |
| Hunter looking for one more park | GridTracker + spots page; FT8 if that is what the activator runs |
Digital modes count for POTA/SOTA/WWFF like any other mode — one QSO per hunter per band/mode per UTC day for activation credit. Dupes on the same band/mode do not add to the minimum count.
Fake it, split, merge
WSJT-X is a mode engine, not a POTA logger. Settings → Radio → Split Operation: Rig if the radio has two VFOs, Fake It if it does not (WSJT-X walks the VFO so TX audio stays ~1500–2000 Hz and harmonics stay in the filter). None is how you splatter. Hunters: Hold Tx Freq on a clear slot — never the activator’s RX tone. Detail: WSJT-X.
At QRT: archive wsjtx_log.adi, merge with Polo Full in ADIF Doctor, explode 2-fers, upload the POTA pack, Recap from Full. Two overlapping uploads to pota.app is how hunters see dupes.
Clock: GPS or hotspot NTP before the first TX. “The band is dead” is often a laptop that slept.
Related
- Calling CQ · Hunt · Pileups
- CW operating
- Satellites
- Polo · ADIF fields
- POTAPlus Chrome extension — download zip
Notes & edits
Comments and proposed markdown sit in a queue. Nothing is public until it is reviewed. How this works.