WSJT-X Candidate release 2.7.0-rc5 available. Introducing SuperFox mode

The WSJT Development Team has announced that WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5 Release Candidate (RC) is now available for free download from SourceForge. 

Candidate releases are intended for beta testers: individuals interested in testing the program’s new features and providing feedback to the WSJT Development Team.  The candidate release for WSJT-X 2.7 introduces a new program called QMAP, new Special Operating Activities Q65 Pileup and SuperFox mode, an option to Update Hamlib at the click of a button, and a number of other enhancements and bug fixes.  See the Release Notes for details.  Further details on QMAP and Q65 Pileup mode are available in a Quick-Start guide posted here. 

SuperFox mode behaves operationally like the old-style Fox and Hounds mode but uses a new constant envelope waveform for Fox’s transmissions. Messages can be transmitted simultaneously to as many as 9 Hounds with no signal-strength penalty, resulting in a system gain of about +10 dB compared to the older Fox-and-Hound operation with 5 slots. Further details on SuperFox mode can be found in the SuperFox User Guide. IMPORTANT: Hounds must use WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5 (or a later release, when available) to receive SuperFox messages.

An early version of the WSJT-X 2.7.0 User Guide is available online, but you should be aware that further work on the User Guide is still in progress.    

Please send feedback and bug reports on this release candidate to [email protected].  You will need to subscribe to the list in order to post there.

 Release: WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5
                             July 1, 2024
                      -------------------------

WSJT-X 2.7.0 Release Candidate 5 introduces "SuperFox" mode, a
powerful new tool designed to help DXpeditions make digital QSOs at
very high rates. RC5 also brings several other improvements and bug
fixes.

SuperFox mode:

 - The SuperFox mode behaves operationally like the present Fox and
   Hounds mode but uses a constant envelope waveform for Fox's
   transmissions rather than sending concurrent streams of up to five
   normal FT8 signals. This approach means that up to 9 messages can
   be transmitted simultaneously with no signal-strength penalty,
   resulting in a system gain of about +10 dB compared to the
   conventional Fox/Hound operation with 5 slots.

 - IMPORTANT: Older revisions of WSJT-X and derivative programs will
   not be able to decode SuperFox transmissions. Hounds must use
   WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5 (or a later release, when available) to receive
   SuperFox messages.

 - Hounds chasing the DX station will transmit normal FT8 signals, as
   in the old-style Fox and Hound mode.  QSOs will be logged as FT8
   mode.

 - When using SuperFox mode, Hound stations may call at any frequency
   in Fox's received passband, including the range 0 - 1000 Hz.
   Hounds do not QSY to a lower frequency for their final
   transmission.

 - SuperFox Operation requires the Fox operator to use a valid digital
   key.  Keys will be issued in advance to legitimate DXpeditions by
   the Northern California DX Foundation, and will be kept secret.

 - Every SuperFox transmission includes a unique digital signature.
   Hounds receiving a SuperFox message will see a "<callsign> verified"
   flag if the transmitted signature is valid, and the on-screen 
   "Super Hound" label will turn from red to green.

 - Hound operation should begin by selecting "Special operating
   activity", "Hound", and "SuperFox mode" on the Settings -> Advanced
   tab. Alternatively, right-clicking on the FT8 button toggles
   SuperFox mode on/off for either Fox or Hound, allowing quick
   transitions between SuperFox and old-style Fox and Hound operation.

 - SuperFox stations can send free text messages of up to 26 characters
   together with messages to as many as 4 Hounds.

Other enhancements:

 - Corrected a flaw that caused "Log automatically" to not work for
   the ARRL Digi Contest.

 - Control elements for special operating activities are now disabled
   (grayed out) if the respective function is not applicable.

 - Corrected a longstanding flaw that caused "Start new period
   decodes at top" to stop working properly after some time.

 - Right-click mouse press events are now less error-prone.

 - Improved the readability of the first line when "Start new period 
   decodes at top" is checked.

 - 4-digit grids are now logged for certain contest modes to ensure that 
   the log complies with contest rules.

 - The Fox Tx frequency is now saved and restored separately.

Macintosh macOS:  

Installation instructions for version 2.7.0-rc5 can be found here in the User Guide.   

• Version 2.7.0-rc5 for macOS 10.15 through 14: wsjtx-2.7.0-rc5-Darwin.dmg

Source Code:

WSJT-X is licensed under the terms of Version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL).  Development of this software is a cooperative project to which many amateur radio operators have contributed.  If you use our code, please have the courtesy to let us know about it.  If you find bugs or make improvements to the code, please report them to us in a timely fashion.
Build and installation instructions are in the INSTALL file inside the tarball.

• Source code and required resources for WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5:  wsjtx-2.7.0-rc5.tgz