JS8 in the browser
CloudHamSuite receives and sends JS8 in Chrome or Edge: heartbeats, CQ, directed queries and free text. The rig is connected to the computer over USB, and there is no program to install. The app is free. It is not JS8Call and does not come from the JS8Call team; it only uses the same on-air format.
JS8 is an experiment and not part of guest mode. You need a free account and switch JS8 on under Settings › Experiments; it then gets its own tab. The link here opens the station without an account, where only FT8 works.
See the station without an account
What you need
- A free account. You can create one on the start page.
- 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. Like FT8, JS8 works in fixed time periods.
- Internet. The station is loaded from cloudhamsuite.de. It does not work offline.
- A licence to transmit. The app derives the class from a German callsign; with any other callsign you confirm your licence yourself.
What works
- Speeds: Normal (15 s, the default), Fast (10 s), Turbo (6 s), Slow (30 s) and Ultra (4 s).
- Receiving: A list shows heartbeats, CQ, directed commands and free text. It keeps 30 minutes while the page is open.
- Sending on a click: heartbeat (not in Turbo and Ultra), CQ, the queries SNR?, GRID?, HEARING?, INFO?, STATUS? and AGN?, plus SNR, ACK and 73.
- Free text: up to 8 frames per transmission. The dictionary from JS8Call 2.3.1 ships as a separate GPL module. If it does not load, free text is off.
- Frequencies for German class E (USB-D): 160 m 1.842 MHz, 80 m 3.578 MHz, 15 m 21.078 MHz, 10 m 28.078 MHz, 2 m 144.178 MHz. 40 m and 20 m are receive only with class E.
What does not work
- Nothing runs by itself. The station never replies on its own and sends no automatic heartbeats; you trigger every transmission. The reason is the German amateur radio ordinance (AFuV) and its rules for automatic stations.
- So no relay, no inbox and no store and forward as in JS8Call.
- Callsigns: Directed commands only work with calls without a prefix or suffix; the one exception is /P.
What has been tested on the air
Real frames were received on 40 m. A heartbeat at 20 W on 80 m was reported by several other stations with the correct callsign DO5ALO. Directed commands and free text have not been checked with a JS8Call station at the other end yet. Free text has only been tested offline so far and has not been on the air.