Back to Mac — WSJT-X and JT-Bridge

In my continuing adventure of getting back to Apple Mac in my ham shack, I’ve added WSJT-X and JT-Bridge as well as FLDIGI.

WSJT-X

This is the great weak signal digital software from Joe Taylor, K1JT. I’ve used it a great deal on 6 meters in both sporadic-E openings and with meteor scatter. I’ve installed version 1.6 on my Mac even though I’ve tried the beta 1.7 on the PC. I decided to wait until 1.7 is out of beta before I install it.

JT-Bridge

This was new software to me, but I really like how it works. It interfaces with WSJT-X finding CQ calls and then examines MacLoggerDX (and other Mac logging software) to provide status on whether you’ve worked them before or need the country. It also shows state and Logbook of the World use by the caller.

Nearby you can see the screen shot from my shack. Click on the image for a larger version. It shows JOT-Bridge in the upper left corner with all the detail it provides outside of WSJT-X. The other windows are WSJT-X and MacLoggerDX.

The other nifty thing is that as you log the QSO, JT-Bridge automatically adds the QSO to MacLoggerDX. How cool is that? It saves me all the trouble of finding the WSJT ADIF and importing it into the logbook. Very nice touch.

FLDIGI

I’ve also added FLDIGI to handle the various digital modes, from PSK to Olivia to Hellschreiber and more. Installation and operation went fine. But one of the nicer touches is to directly link it to MacLoggerDX. This avoids the finding the log and importing it process.

Within the MacLoggerDX Extras folder is the Auto Import setup created by Dave, K3DCW. I followed the detailed directions that Dave provided but it didn’t work the first time around. Tried again and then contacted Dave by email. He responded promptly and helped me sort through the snag. In fact, he responded that same afternoon and by early evening we had it resolved. What wonderful support from a guy that just volunteered this solution.

Integrated

Integrated is the word I’ll use to describe my ham shack transition back to Mac. Everything works together, all pouring their information into MacLoggerDX, which is a superb logging program. If you’re looking for Mac amateur radio software, these are perfect starting points for bringing it all together.