GridTracker, WSJT-X, and Smart SDR

Steve W6SDM

Since the bands have been less than optimal lately, I've been running FT-8. It was a lot of fun re-earning WAS, DXCC, etc., plus the challenge of collecting grids. I am using about 30 watts and a ground-mounted trap vertical.

What took things from just being fun to outright Disneyland theme park fun was my discovery of GridTracker. This program gives a whole new dimension to working FT-8. First off, everything's visible. Who's working who, which areas are active, all visible in map overlays. You can see not only what's happening but what's happened. A list of entities you need for an award is only a click away. There are even propagation and weather overlays.

Logging couldn't be easier. I automatically update Log4OM but the program is compatible with most major loggers. It works with multiple slices on your Flex.

GridTracker is free with optional donations easily made with PayPal. It's under active development with frequent updates being published. There is an active help and live discussion forum on the Discord app. The developer, Tag, N0TTL, is very willing to work with users to solve configuration issues.

If you're running WSJT-X and you haven't tried GridTracker yet, you're missing out.

Steve, W6SDM

DH2ID

GridTracker makes working FT8 and FT4 really easy, as the stations pop up on a map.

I have been using the program for quite a long time with Hamradio Deluxe Log and JTAlertX. Frequency and mode are transmitted via UDP from JTAlertX, which retransmits UDP. Loggging is almost automatic this way.

Alex DH2ID