• WSJT-X Development Group

    From ARRL de WD1CKS@VERT/WLARB to QST on Mon Dec 6 16:22:00 2021
    12/06/2021

    A key member of the WSJT-X development group - where FT8 and other cutting-edge digital amateur radio technology has originated - has died. Bill Somerville, G4WJS, was reported to have passed away earlier this week. He was in his mid-60s, and his death was unexpected. The development group founder, Joe Taylor, K1JT, called Somerville "a dear friend and very close colleague." Taylor said that Somerville was the first to join with him in 2013 to form a core development group for WSJT-X, then in its digital infancy.

    "Bill has been closely involved with WSJT-X and related software projects ever since," Taylor said. "Our free, open-source software could not have achieved its extensive worldwide popularity and influence in ham radio without Bill's essential contributions."

    Somerville collaborated with Taylor and Steve Franke, K9AN - the third member of the WSJT-X development group - to author articles for QST and QEX about FT8 and other digital modes in the WSJT-X suite. The trio won the October 2017 QST Cover Plaque Award. They also received the Dayton Hamvention¨ Technical Achievement Award in 2020, and the ARRL Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award in 2021.

    Taylor said Somerville "devoted countless hours to program support, patiently answering user's questions on WSJT-related forums."

    "I have only started to think about the many ways in which I will miss Bill - not [to] mention how we all will miss his immense and positive impact on WSJT-X and related projects," Taylor said.

    Professionally, Somerville was a software engineer who worked mainly as a C++ system software developer, as he explained on his QRZ profile[1]. As an active radio amateur, he also applied his expertise to such projects as setting up an SO2R (single operator, two radio) station and enhancing his station's automated processes.ÿ


    [1] http://www.qrz.com/lookup/g4wjs

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  • From ARRL de WD1CKS@VERT/WLARB to QST on Wed Dec 22 13:02:00 2021
    12/22/2021

    The WSJT-X development group - Joe Taylor, K1JT; Steve Franke, K9AN; and new member Nico Palermo, IV3NWV - has announced the release of WSJT-X 2.5.3. This new release includes a feature of special interest to users participating in the ARRL January VHF Contest (January 15 - 17, 2022). This new feature is an enhanced macro facility for text messages that is aimed at making it easier to ask another station to move to another band. This feature is described briefly in the updated WSJT-X User Guide[1]. Installation packages for WSJT-X 2.5.3 are available on the WSJT-X website[2].ÿ


    [1] https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.5.2.html [2] https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.5.2.html

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