So SOTA Activation #1996 on The Cloud G/SP-015, Monday 19th June 2017, was my very first attempt at JT65 mode.
I read a couple of articles at home, and downloaded the JT65android app - the only one I could find to support doing JT65 with a mobile phone. I sure hope there is another one out there somewhere…!
Anyway, I was getting nowhere fast, even though I was able to receive, and, seemingly transmit - using the Wolphi-Link interface and cables between the Samsung Galaxy S2 and FT-817. When I popped onto 2m FM with the handheld, it transpired that Dave M6RUG - one of the stations I had been trying to work on 20m JT65 - had been trying to call me on S20 for half-an-hour!
Dave then provided excellent real-time support as we made the contact happen. As Dave was able to tell me what was coming out on his side (somewhat different to what I was putting in on my side), the lessons were learned quickly. Ultimately, chopping the “/P” off my callsign in the JT65android app, and also the last two letters of the Maidenhead locator, then made it all work, and a few QSOs were made on the mode.
Tell you what though, with taking it in turns at strictly 43 seconds each (with then 17 seconds gap) and a QSO being 3/4 overs each, each contact was taking 8 minutes or so. This mode ain’t for anyone in a hurry! So far, I’m not quite sure what all the clamour for JT65 is about - PSK31 seems much better, even for /P operations. I’ll stick at it for a bit though, and maybe try to persuade Wolfgang to make a DroidJT app.
Things I don’t like about JT65android:
Doesn’t appear to receive everything! An unsolicited email advised that I was receiving far more replies to my CQs than I was aware of!
No waterfall! (Ridiculous, but true)
No way to edit/customise the macros.
BUT - I’m only a few hours into my JT65 journey, so these observations might not be valid and may cause me acute embarrassment if I look back at them in a few weeks!
Also one contact made on 20m CW and a couple on 2m FM.