FT8 in the browser

CloudHamSuite is an FT8 station that runs in Chrome or Edge. You connect your rig to the computer over USB, open the page and operate. There is no program to install, only the rig's USB driver if your operating system does not have it yet.

Open the station without an account

What you need

• Chrome or Edge on a computer. Firefox, Safari and browsers on a phone or tablet do not control a rig.
• A rig with USB CAT and USB audio. Verified on the rig are the Icom IC-7300 and IC-9700. More models can be selected through Hamlib but have not been tried on real hardware yet. See the list of supported rigs.
• An accurate clock. FT8 works in fixed periods of 15 seconds and tolerates little offset.
• Internet. The station is loaded from cloudhamsuite.de. It does not work offline.
• A licence to transmit. Receiving works with any callsign. The app derives the class from a German callsign; with any other callsign you confirm your licence yourself.

How this works without a program

The browser talks to the rig over Web Serial. Rig control is Hamlib, compiled to WebAssembly. Audio goes through Web Audio, and decoding runs in the browser on your computer too. The server never keys a rig. So the rig is always connected to the computer the browser runs on; remote operation over the internet is not intended.

What the station does

• QSOs: Pick a station in the list and “Reply”, or call CQ yourself. The station runs the exchange up to the logbook entry. “Stop TX” aborts a transmission.
• Waterfall and band activity: the decoded stations with country and distance.
• Logbook: ADIF import, export as ADIF and CSV.
• Map: “Who hears me?” and “Who do I hear?”.
• More than FT8: FT4 and WSPR run in the same station.

With an account, the station reports what you receive to PSKReporter. This cannot be switched off, and PSKReporter shows the reports publicly.

Try without an account

“Try without an account” on the start page opens the station right away. As a guest you receive and transmit FT8, your rig stays in this browser, and a logbook comes with an account. Before you transmit for the first time you enter your callsign and accept the terms of use.

Without a rig, “Try the demo” shows the station with sample data. Nothing is transmitted and nothing is saved.

Read on

• Your first QSO in the help
• WSJT-X alternative without installing anything: the comparison
• Study for the German amateur radio exam, if you have no licence yet