Weird WSJT-X problem

[Frank Smith]

Hi:

I’m getting a weird problem on WSJT-X. I’m using a ICom 7300 and the latest version of WSJT-X for FT-8.

When the radio goes into transmit, I get about 1.5 seconds of voice audio on top of the beeps and boops of FT-8. I’m making contacts on of FT-8 and nobody has e-mailed me to report it’s going out over the air.

It’s a man’s voice and it repeats the same voice segment every time the radio goes into transmit.

The voice segment is not me.

I have no voice recordings or stored messages in the memory card.

Windows sounds are disabled.

I’ve done some search engine searches and did not come up with anything related to this.

Anyone have any idea what is going on? I’m stumped.

Regards,

Frank Smith, WS1MH

[Burns FISHER]

You aren’t by any chance using “Virtual Audio Cable” or something like that in your setup?  I know that particular one has some sort of voice speaking over the audio until you pay for it.  I guess this counts as “crippleware”.

I don’t think WSJT-X itself has anything like that though.

[Tom Mahon]

I’ve been getting conversations on 60M, usually in the morning, I also have been having problems tuning 10, 20 and 40 meters on FT8. My tuner sounds like its in extremis, clicking, then grinding then chattering. That has cut me off from computer control as I cannot stop the tuning process through ft8 button. shuts down my second monitor; unplugged the tuner from the radio,turned off the tune step and reload FT8. Finally substituted my Z11ProII and problem went away. At-200 now boxed and ready to return to LDG for service. Must be the week for FT8 excitement.

Tom Mahon
AN1NS

[Hamilton]

Hello Frank,

I know exactly what you are saying but have no idea where it is coming from.

It sounds like a man making an announcement during the first few seconds of FT-8 reception. It only happens occasionally.

I thought I had a station problem but gave up looking for a cause. Also I have a TS-590SG so it isn’t unique to the 7300.

I’ve wondered if it isn’t some lid having some “fun”.

Tom may be on to something. If someone had one of those $10 eBay USB/CODECs that make announcements they might not know what we are hearing. The next time I hear it I’ll switch to the opposite time slot to see if it goes away.

Maybe someone will tell us what it is.

73

 

[Anonymous]

What does the voice say?

– Charlie

W1CBD

[Nashua Area Radio Society]

Could it be a from a voice synthesizer? I’m still learning my ICOM 756 Pro3 and a few weeks ago I somehow inadvertently tapped into it and now I get a voice announcing the new mode and frequency every time I change one of them. I wish I could figure  out how to turn it off.

John Regan

KC1PRQ

[Hamilton]

Hello John,

That may well be the cause. I cannot tell what it is saying. As I wrote it does sound like an announcement. It is always at the start of the cycle and is only a few words. It fits with a radio’s announcement.

Most newer radios have a monitor function so you can hear your transmission.

73

Hamilton K1HMS

[Peter Wolczko]

It may be possible to email ARRL at [email protected]  , the Technical group at ARRL to get some answers or the designers of WSJT at https://www.physics.princeton.edu.

 

Just a thought.

 

Peter KC1FNF

[Frank Smith]

Hi:

I did just that. I called the ARRL and spoke with “Jack” in the ARRL lab. He thought I was getting RF in the computer. It turns out he was right.

I had already installed a Type 31 toroid with 8 turns on the USB cable, so I was not thinking along that line. In addition, any previous RF problems I’ve had caused a freeze-up not a weird splicing of a voice segment on top of my digital transmit. I turned down the power and the problem went intermittent .

So I’ve go through my station and up my game on grounding. The only portion currently not grounded was the computer. It’s a Intel NUC and the whole computer is the size of two bars of soap. I gotta find a way to connect a ground wire.

I’ve also ordered some more toroids.

HOWEVER, since I’ve stated playing with this, I’ve heard some other voice segments on receive just like Hamilton did. Maybe I’m not the only person having this problem.

Anyway, thanks to all who responded. I’ll update this reply after I make some updates to my station.

And I’ll be off FT8 until I get this cleared up 🙁

Regards,

Frank Smith, WS1MH

[Nashua Area Radio Society]

I, too, have been hearing voices every now and then on FT8. It happens when I least expect it, so it has been hard to catch what it is saying. But today I definitely heard “You’ve got mail”, and it came through my radio speaker.

My email program doesn’t say anything, and besides, it wasn’t open. In fact I didn’t have any programs running at that moment, not even WSJT-X.

I’m convinced the voice came in on someone’s FT8 transmission. I suspect there are some operators out there who don’t have their sound cards set up properly on their computer or maybe a software update changed them back to a default setting.

The instructions that came with my SignaLink USB went through the process of configuring a computer so that “system” sounds go through a computer’s normal sound devices and not through the SignaLink where they will be transmitted out to the world.

 

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