WSJT-X IMPROVED is published by Uwe Risse, DG2YCB (https://www.qrz.com/db/DG2YCB). It is an enhanced edition of the excellent WSJT-X software by Joe Taylor K1JT, Steve Franke K9AN, Bill Somerville G4WJS, Uwe Risse, DG2YCB and others (https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt/) that provides several additional features and improvements, as well as more frequent updates and bug fixes. 

Notes: WSJT-X Improved is experimental and is licensed under GNU GPL v3 (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt). I am not aware of any adverse effects. However, use it at your own risk!

Mailing list: https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/lists/wsjt-x-improved-community

CHANGELOG

VERSIONS WSJT-X_v3.1.0

A new 3.1 version of WSJT-X Improved is currently under development. As with any new version
that introduces major changes, I recommend making backup copies of the files WSJT-X.ini and 
wsjtx_log.adi, and installing the program in a new directory (e.g., C:\WSJT\wsjtx-310).
You can find these two files in your log directory. 

Important: Always use the latest builds available before reporting any bugs!

New features of v3.1.0 260418 compared to v3.0.0 251212:

 - Introduction of a new open-source FT2 mode:
  - FT2 is an ultra-fast 77-bit mode with TR periods of 3.75 seconds (= 1/2 of FT4).
  - The history of FT2 goes back to experiments by Joe, Steve, and Bill (sk) which later
    became FT4. IU8LMC recently introduced an FT2 mode with modified parameters. The FT2
    mode introduced here is compatible with it, but is fully open-source. No code from
    IU8LMC was used.
  - Note that FT2 is still experimental. I haven't decided yet whether we'll keep it. Let's
    see if FT2 proves itself alongside FT4, or if it's just a short-lived hype.
 - Support of QSOs between two stations with non-standard or compound callsigns for the
   77-bit modes (FT8, FT4, FT2, MSK144, Q65, FST4). The following QSOs are now possible:
   - two non-standard callsigns (e.g. DG123YCB with W250USA) 
   - two compound callsigns (e.g. DG2YCB/QRP with W1XYZ/YOTA, or HB9/DG2YCB with KP5/W1XY)
   - non-standard callsign and compound callsign (e.g. DG123YCB with W1XYZ/QRP)
   - non-standard callsign and /P callsign (e.g. DG123YCB with W1XYZ/P)
   - two standard callsigns with /P, /M, /R or whatever (e.g. DG2YCB/MM with W1XYZ/P)
   Notes:
   - Both stations must use WSJT-X Improved v3.1 (or compatible software) for such QSOs.
     I noticed that some beta builds of JTDX and MSHV seem to be compatible with these
     message formats, however, the standard WSJT-X would get stuck in an endless autoseq
     loop.
   - All previous message types are still fully supported, making WSJT-X Improved 3.1 
     fully backward compatible.
   - These new QSO types cannot be used in special operating activities, as the available
     77 bits are not sufficient for this purpose.
 - Support of Worked All States or similar awards:
   - In addition to grid mapping, a new method has been added to map U.S. callsigns to U.S.
     states. It uses a database containing FCC data.
   - This allowed adding two new highlighting and alert categories: "New US States" and
     "New US States on Band".
   - At startup, the program reads any <STATE:2> tags in the wsjtx_log.adi file, and such
     tags are now written when logging a QSO with a station from U.S.A. Missing tags are
     automatically retrieved from the database.
   - Users can easily update the callsign_states database using the new function at
     Settings | Colors.
 - Slightly improved decoding performance:
   - Added a7 decoding technology, sub-sample DT refinement, and a 4th pass after a7 for
     both FT4 and FT2.
   - Optimized baseline calculation, effective for FT4, FT2 and FT8 (STD). The filter edges
     are now automatically optimized according to the actual passband of your transceiver.
     This results in better decoding performance and fewer false decodes when the Wide
     Graph limits are poorly set.
 - New technology for the MAP65 program, and for some FORTRAN files:
   - The map65.exe file is now less than 1/4 the size it was before. This new technology
     will (hopefully) also bring stability improvements.
   - It comes along with modernized FORTRAN code. 
 - Various minor improvements and fixes:
   - Added a new option to skip a8 decodes for the multithreaded FT8 decoder (MTD).
   - The band hopping interval can now be switched between 1 minute and 2 minutes. See 
     the new checkbox on the Settings | General tab.
   - The "Less button coloring" option has been removed because it was rarely used.
   - Fixed a flaw that caused FT4 decodes not to be displayed when the program was
     started with CQonly enabled.
   - Bugfix: Country names are no longer accidentally displayed when in FST4W mode.
   - Fixed an inconsistency regarding the highlighting of prefixes.
   - Transmissions above 5362 kHz on 60m are allowed for for UK stations again. Only
     Tx frequencies between 5358 and 5362 kHz are prevented now.
   - Better visibility of the Settings | Tx Macros tab when dark style is enabled.
   - Added an option to log the dial frequency instead of the actual Tx frequency.
   - WSPR messages are now also sent to PSK Reporter if both "Enable PSK Reporter
     Spotting" and "Upload spots"are enabled.
   - Added an option to clear the Band Activity window after changing mode.
   - The Settings window can now be minimized much further, which improves usability on
     small screens. If the window is too small to display all the controls, scroll bars
     will appear so you can still access all of them.
   - Echo mode: The estimated signal degradation in dB (Dgrd) is printed to screen and
     written to the "all_echo.txt" file.
   - QMAP and MAP65 are now included in the Linux installation packages.
   - Multilingual alert voices now work out of the box. The necessary files are included
     in the installation packages, so no additional language pack is required anymore.
   - The itone data is now added to the UDP status message packet. This feature is useful
     for DDS transceivers as they no longer need to rely on the AFP-FSK technique for
     direct digital synthesis of the correct messages.
   - Fixed "Test API key" button not working for Cloudlog/Wavelog.
 - Support of the new Hamlib 5 series.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v3.0.0

WSJT-X Improved v3.0.0, is a major revision offering many new features and capabilities.
Its focus is on further improved FT8 decoding performance.

Changes compared to WSJT-X Improved v2.8.0:

 - Introduction of a new multithreaded FT8 decoder (MTD).
 - Improvements to the existing, single-threaded FT8 Decoder (STD) to yield improved
   performance.
 - With the MTD options "2-stage" and "3-stage" both decoders can be intelligently
   combined, resulting in the best FT8 decoding performance to date.
 - Echo mode allows you to transmit your callsign (or any other 6-character group) to
   the Moon and decode its echo.
 - Quick Filter categories can highlight decoded transmissions from specified territories.
 - Right-click on the Band Hopping button to move you to the next specified band hopping
   frequency when Band Hopping is active.
 - MSK144 operation: "73" messages addressed to MyCall are now also displayed in the
   right pane. A bank line is inserted between decodes for different TR periods.
 - Q65 operation at VHF: A new option on the Decode menu disables mouse clicks on the
   waterfall unless ALT key is held down.
 - "Highlight orange" and "Highlight blue" features on the File | Settings | Colors tab
   can now be used to highlight directional calls (DX, SOTA, POTA, YOTA, etc.).
 - QMAP and MAP65: Improved handling of long compound messages in Q65 mode. Corrected
   a bug that could cause a crash when receiving a CQ message not containing a grid.
 - A variety of other minor improvements and bug fixes.
 - Update to Hamlib 4.7_2025-09-05_SHA=e762a8.

The "250924" update brings the following improvements:

 - Fixed a bug that caused AutoSeq to not log MSK144 QSOs and not send the final 73
   message in some cases when RRR was used instead of RR73.
 - Fixed some minor inconsistencies in the "MSK144/Q65: Tx until 73 is received" feature.
 - Fixed right-clicking on the Erase button not working with macOS (relevant when
   "Alternate Erase button behavior" is enabled).
 - MTD 3-Stage now (partially) supports the new 'a8' decoding technology. This has the
   advantage that, under certain conditions, messages from the station you are in QSO
   with can be displayed 0.5 to 1 second earlier.
 - Fixed a small bug regarding the highlighting of directional calls. Entries in Highlight
   orange/blue regarding directional calls must now always be preceded and followed by a
   comma (and without spaces). Highlighting of callsigns, grids ad directional calls can
   still be combined. So, e.g., ",YOTA,SOTA,POTA,DX,DG2YCB,JO42,".
 - A minor bug has been fixed that prevented the Calling You alert sound from playing
   when it was the only selected alert category.
 - Corrected a small inconsistency regarding very low SNR values for 'a8' decodes.
 - Right-clicking on the FT8 Mode button to toggle the last used contest mode on/off no
   longer resets the frequency to default values for band/mode. That's more intuitive.
 - Changed the download location for the "Update Hamlib" feature to a Hamlib mirror on my
   server, as https://n0nb.users.sourceforge.net/ may soon no longer be available. As a
   positive side effect, downloading Hamlib is now faster.
 - Fixed a compilation error with Qt6 when using GCC versions > 14.
 - Fixed a rare inconsistency when starting the program in MSK144 mode.
 - Update to Hamlib 4.7_2025-09-18_SHA=d44011, which brings us back the FLRig and GQRX
   entries.

The "251101" update brings the following improvements:

In programs QMAP and MAP65:
 - Stability improvements in QMAP and MAP65. This also prevents program crashes when
   receiving certain contest messages.
 - Added optional PSK Reporter spotting to MAP65.
 - QMAP now supports highDPI scaling. Useful when using high-resolution monitors.
 - Moon Ephemeris charts can be downloaded from the Help menu.

In program WSJT-X:
 - Added a new spin box to the Astronomical data window to set the sked frequency to kHz
   integer values. The existing methods, such as left- or right-clicking on the frequency
   display in the main program window, using the mouse wheel while hovering over the
   frequency display, manual entry of frequency values in the band combo box, or press
   and hold CRTL and dial the VFO on your rig, are still available. EME operators now
   have several options at their disposal.
 - "Highlight orange" and "Highlight blue" can now also highlight prefixes. Prefixes must
   be followed by a semicolon; callsigns and grids by a comma. Directional calls must be
   preceded and followed by a comma (e.g. ",DX,K1JT,DG2YCB,JO42,VK;ZL;T88;,POTA,SOTA,").
 - Added a new alert category "Wanted callsigns, grids, prefixes and directional calls".
   It uses the entries from "Highlight orange" and "Highlight blue", and can also be used,
   for example, to be notified when a POTA or SOTA station is on the air.
 - Stability improvements for MSK144: Saving and restoring individual TR values for 2m
   and 6m, as well as switching from MSK144 to FT8, FT4, Q65 or JT65 is now more
   reliable.
 - WSJT-X Improved now supports multilingual alert sounds. Additional voices can be
   installed from an optional language pack. Just copy the content of the zip file
   into the "sounds" folder of your installation; so on Windows usually to
   "c:\WSJT\wsjtx\bin\sounds\". The voices can then be selected in the new combo box
   under Settings | Alerts.
 - Further improvements to the multithreaded FT8 decoder (MTD):
   - The MTD now fully supports the 'a8' decoding technology.
   - Various MTD AP types ('a31', 'a35', etc.) are now summarized as 'a9', since more
     detailed information is not useful. Similar to 'a7' for the single-threaded
     decoder, 'a9' indicates that also certain information from previous Rx sequences
     has been used.
   - Fixed an issue with decoding of certain EU VHF contest messages with the MTD.
   - Corrected a flaw that caused the 'Rx All Freqs' checkbox to not work correctly
     when MTD was selected.
   - Fixed a bug where some FT8 messages were incorrectly spotted as FT4 by JTAlert.
   - Both decoders (MTD and STD) now use a shared hash table, further reducing the
   - Better communication between the hash tables of both decoders (MTD and STD),
     further reducing the likelihood of hash collisions.
 - Added an option to hide AP information in the Band Activity window.
 - Logged QSOs can now be uploaded to eQSL.cc.
 - Better handling of multiple sound cards with the same name. Note: Don't use "Sort
   alphabetically" in such a case.
 - Improved compatibility with macOS Tahoe. The progress bar should now be displayed
   reliably again with the M1 packages.
 - The Qt6 code is now compatible with Qt6.9 (relevant for Gentoo Linux, etc.).
 - Update to Hamlib-4.7_2025-10-10_SHA=23710c.

The "251212" update brings the following improvements:

 - Stability improvements for MSK144: Fixed an issue with restoring individual T/R 
   values for 2m and 6m when switching mode within a band.
 - It is now ensured that stations with callsigns from the United Kingdom transmit
   below 5358 kHz on 60m. This means: No special version required anymore!
 - Added a new "Highlight Whitelist entries" feature. It can be activated from the
   Filters menu, and is used to highlight all callsigns that contain specific
   character strings (for example, all stations with the suffix “EUDXF,” or all
   callsigns that contain “100”).
 - Changed the report time for PSKReporter to start time of decoded message (at the
   request of Philip, the owner of PSKReporter).
 - The “Show blank line with time stamp” feature now also works for WSPR.
 - AutoSeq for JT65/JT4 short messages is now only processed if Enable Tx is active.
 - Better font and scaling for some MAP65 widgets.
 - Numerous other minor code improvements.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.8.0

WSJT-X Improved v2.8.0 is a General Availability (GA) release that contains all the
"stable" developments that have been successfully tested and optimized in the various
2.7.1-devel versions, as well as several new features, bug fixes and other enhancements.
The most recent include:

 - Fixed an inconsistency where with all prior WSJT-X and WSJT-X Improved releases,
   incorrect frequencies could be logged and posted to PSK Reporter when non-band/mode
   default frequencies had been selected.
 - Fixed a long-standing flaw where the third callsign in combined messages was
   sometimes displayed as <> after clearing the DX Call box by right-clicking on 
   the DX Call button or pressing the Esc key. (The latter also applies to WSJT-X, 
   by the way.)
 - All program features now work on Windows out of the box, i.e. without having to 
   install OpenSSL manually. The latter is only necessary if another, incompatible
   OpenSSL version is already installed on the computer.
 - For EME operation, a new option has been added to the Astronomical Data window
   to enable Tx shift relative to an Rx sked frequency to enable wide in-band
   separation of Tx and Rx frequencies.
 - Q65 submodes 15A, 15B and 15C can now be decoded with EME delay, for experimental
   purposes. Additional submode buttons make operation easier.
 - Better readability of the green “goal post” when Dark Style is switched on.
 - Improvements for Fox operators: 
   - Inadvertent transmissions on frequencies overlapping the WSPR sub-bands is
     now prevented.
   - The Fox operator is notified if there is probably another Fox station on the
     frequency.
 - Better support of SuperFox mode for Wait and Call: It is now possible to activate
   Wait & Call also in SuperHound mode, even if the SuperFox has not yet been
   received. However, "blind calling" is still prevented to keep the bands clean!
 - Added a new Quick Filter category "Ignore stations worked before on band".
 - Playing of the alert sounds is now muted for callsigns from the "Ignore list", or
   from the three "Ignore …​" Quick Filter categories, unless you have checked the
   BP (bypass) checkbox.
 - Numerous other code improvements.
 - Furthermore, the “improved” features are now also described in the User Guide
   (see sections 1.2 and 16 in particular).

The following list summarizes the key features of WSJT-X Improved v2.8.0 especially
for those upgrading from WSJT-X v2.7.0:

 - Three different GUIs (WSJT-X layout, AL and widescreen).
 - Built-in Dark Style:
   - You can switch to dark style with one click.
   - The built-in Dark Style is more capable than just using the start parameter
     " --stylesheet :/qdarkstyle/style.qss". Don't use this parameter.
 - High DPI scaling, resulting in a better and proportionally correct display of
   the control elements for 2K, 4K, 8K, monitors.
 - Wait Features: 
   - Three different "Wait Features" are available: Wait and Reply, Wait and Call
     and Wait and Pounce.
   - All of them are provided to assist making QSOs more efficienctly by removing
     the need to constantly call a station who does not reply initially, or under
     difficult propagation conditions such as bad QSB. 
 - Audio Alerts:
   - Built-in audio alerts. 
   - A new technology is now used, resulting in fewer resources being required when
     playing the sound files, especially under Windows.
   - The sound files are now located in the bin directory of the installation. This 
     has the advantage that also on Linux and macOS you won't have to cope the sounds
     folder to your home directory anymore.
 - Filters:
   - WSJT-X Improved has a range of powerful filters.
   - Quick Filters are accessible via the new "Filters" menu directly from the main
     window.
   - Hide stations from certain continents or DXCC with one click.
   - Hide, ignore or highlight stations worked before on band, or worked today or
     yesterday. The latter is particularly useful for contests, or for time zones
     where 00:00 UTC is not at midnight but sometime in the middle of the day.
   - A new Ignore List allows you to either highlight unwanted stations, ignore them
     with CQ: XYZ, Wait&Pounce and Best S+P, or hide them completely. Click the new
     "Ignore" button to add a station to the list. You can delete the Ignore List via
     the new "Erase Ignore List" entry in the File menu.
   - Bypass your filter settings with one click with the BP checkbox.
 - Full Duplex Mode (FDM):
   - When enabled, wsjt-x_improved is able to transmit and receive at the same time. 
   - Very useful for satellite operation, where the audio source is normally set to
     the transponder downlink, and possibly also in some special situations where you
     want to monitor your own transmit signal (e.g. using a webSDR as audio source). 
   - FDM works for the slow modes (FT8, FT4, Q65, etc.) as well as for fast modes 
     like MSK144.
   - Several modifications to AutoSeq were made to prevent QSOs with the own callsign. 
   - Your own messages are highlighted in the Band Activity window in the color you 
     selected for "Transmitted message".
 - TCI support:
   - TCI – Transceiver Control Interface is a network interface for control, data 
     transfer and synchronization between a transceiver/receiver, logger, digital 
     software, skimmer, other software and external power amplifier, band filters, 
     antenna switch, radio station controller and other devices.
   - The TCI interface supports both TCI CAT control and TCI audio. Note that when 
     switching from non-TCI to TCI or TCI audio or back, a restart of the program 
     is required, or at least recommended.
   - A new Refresh button in Settings/Audio that can be used to reload the audio 
     device list.
 - Advanced functions for the 72-bit modes (JT65, JT9, JT4):
   - Introduction of AutoSeq also to JT65, JT9 and JT4, so that these modes can now 
     be operated (almost) as easily as the 77-bit modes (FT8, FT4, MSK144, Q65, FST4).
   - The Wait features and also Filters now also work for JT65, JT9 and JT4.
   - Also CQ: First, CQ: MaxDist, CQ: Max dB and CQ: Min dB are now operational for 
     these modes.
   - This makes especially the "good old" JT9 mode interesting for DX again, because 
     it is more than 3 dB more sensitive than FT8, and also very frequency-efficient.
 - Freely selectable FT8 frequencies for band hopping:
   - Several OMs wanted this.  
   - Now the user can define up to 8 FT8 frequencies himself by spinboxes, or simply 
     enter the QRG via the keypad. 
   - The default frequencies for the new spinboxes are set to the standard DXp QRGs. 
   - But now you can enter any frequency, and it is remembered, so you can monitor  
     for example you local QRG, or a DXpedition using other frequencies, or the like.
 - Display PWR and SWR, and Halt Tx when SWR > 2.5:
   - You can now stop the transmission automatically if the SWR exceeds 2.5, e.g. if 
     you have accidentally selected the wrong antenna. 
   - Also the transmit PWR is then displayed in realtime.
   - It works with most of the modern rigs. Important: Your transceiver must be  
     either connected via one of the hamlib rig drivers or via FLRig.
 - Band Buttons:
   - The band select buttons can be switched on/off via the View menu. 
   - Clicking on a band button causes the program to search the frequency table for 
     the band/mode "default" frequency. Users can define these "default" QRGs by 
     their own. Just set the "Pref" checkboxes in Settings/Frequencies according to 
     your needs.
   - Right-clicking the band buttons will take you directly to the main DXpedition 
     frequencies when in FT8 mode (or to the intercontinental QRG on 6m).
   - With the latest Hamlib version, ATU on/off status is now remembered per band 
     for Yaesu FT-991. Very useful together with the new band buttons! Support of this 
     function for more rigs may follow in the future. This feature is brand new!
 - New technology for the Band Hopping checkboxes:
   - Like with the band buttons, the static Band Hopping checkboxes for FT8, FT4 and
     MSK144 now also get their frequencies from the Settings / Frequencies list. This
     has the advantage that you can define yourself which QRGs should be hopped to. 
     Useful for contests, or when there are local frequencies (e.g. 160m in Japan).
 - New option to automatically remove saved audio files after 30 days. 
   - It can be activated in the "Save" menu and helps to keep the total size of the 
     saved data within reasonable limits. 
   - If active, such files are removed when the program is started.
 - Download CALL3.TXT master files with one click:
   - You can now download the latest CALL3.TXT file either for terrestrial use or EME.
   - Your previous CALL3.TXT file is backed up.
   - The CALL3.TXT file for terrestrial use contains grids for more than ten thousand
     frequently heard callsigns, most of them 6-digit grids.
 - Useful improvements for EME operation:
   - A new "kHz without k" checkbox allows setting of kHz frequency offsets without 'k' 
     suffix via the band select field. EME enthusiasts can now for example directly 
     enter something like "250", press the RETURN key, and it will bring them to 
     XXXX.250 MHz instead of 250 MHz. 
   - New option to enable Tx shift relative to an Rx sked frequency.
   - Buttons are now provided for quick selection of Echo mode, as well as six sub-modes
     of Q65. Submodes 15A, 15B and 15C can now be decoded with EME delay.
 - Download CALL3.TXT master files with one click: 
   - You can now download the latest CALL3.TXT file either for terrestrial use or EME.
     Your previous CALL3.TXT file is backed up.
   - The CALL3.TXT file for terrestrial use contains grids for more than ten thousand
     frequently heard callsigns, most of them 6-digit grids.
 - Improvements to the logging of QSOs:
   - New option to log the ADIF field <SAT_MODE>.
   - Log automatically is now also possible when not in contest mode. Use this only 
     when really needed (e.g. for remote operation).
   - Two new checkboxes in Settings/Reporting: “Fill missing grids with ‘ZZ00’” and 
     “Log 4-digit grids”. This is for better support of certain contests. Note that 
     the restriction to 4-digit grids already applies automatically for certain special 
     operating activities. The new checkbox only needs to be used if this should also 
     apply to normal modes.
 - Better support of SuperFox mode for Wait and Call: 
   - It is now possible to activate Wait & Call in SuperHound mode even if the 
     SuperFox has not yet been received. 
   - However, “blind calling” is still prevented to keep the bands clean!
 - File Saving Reminder: In both QMAP and WSJT-X the Monitor button changes colour
   if File saving is active.
 - Numerous other code improvements and fixes.
 - Update to the new hamlib_4.6.1, providing the latest rig driver technology.
 - Source code available for both Qt5 and Qt6 environments.  

 Read the User Guide for more information.

The "250501" update brings the following improvements:

In programs QMAP and MAP65:
 - Introduction of a new "LiveCQ" feature. It allows messages that you decode with 
   QMAP and/or MAP65 to be uploaded automatically via the internet to the new website:
   https://w3sz.com/livecq.html. The idea is to provide spots of active EME stations
   so that others will know where to look. Read section 16.14 of the User Guide for
   more information.
 - Fixed a long-standing flaw in QMAP which could cause the program to crash after a
   few hours of operation.

In program WSJT-X:
 - The dial frequency can now be controlled via mouse (useful for EME, or when a 
   DXpedition is not on the standard DXp QRGs). If you hover the mouse pointer over
   the frequency display, you have two new options:
    - Left-click to decrease the rig dial frequency by 1 kHz, or right-click to
      increase it by 1 kHz.
    - Turn the mouse wheel to scroll the kHz values.
 - You can now choose between “worked today” and “worked today or yesterday” for the
   three respective Hide/Ignore/Highlight Quick Filters. Switching is done via a new
   checkbox under Settings/Filters.
 - Fixed some inconsistencies around the Tx watchdog. The countdown now only starts
   when Enable Tx is active (important for Wait & Call).
 - Repeated use of the rig (ATU) tuning function now works more reliably.
 - Minor bug fixes and performance improvements.
 - Slightly more detailed explanations in the WSJT-X Improved User Guide.
 - Update to Hamlib 4.6.2.
 - Last not least: The Qt6 source code can now also be compiled with Qt 6.8.x
   (important for Linux Fedora, etc.).


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.7.1

Various experimental builds of wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel have been used to 
develop and carefully test a number of new program features for both WSJT-X and
wsjt-x_improved. Thanks to all who have contributed to the development, even if 
only as alpha or beta testers!

WSJT-X_IMPROVED 2.7.1-devel 250106-RC8:

Release candidate 8 introduces a new program feature Message System, and brings 
the following enhancements and bug fixes:

 - Introduction of the new WSJT-X Message System. It can be used to invite your 
   QSO partner to QSY to another frequency or mode (e.g. during contests), or to
   send some general short messages. It consists of the Message Creator and the 
   QSY Monitor. Received messages are displayed as popups. Read the new chapter 8
   of the User Guide for more information. 
 - A new alert category “Message received” has been added, which optionally announces
   "Message" when a message has arrived via the new message system.
 - Fixed a long-standing flaw on macOS that caused some audible alerts to not play
   correctly.
 - More intuitive navigation when WSJT-X is used together with QMAP. A single click
   in Active Stations window now selects a station to be called; a double-click also
   activates Enable Tx.
 - Added a download dialog for Hamlib Update and CALL3.TXT.
 - Avoided a potential program crash when Astronomical data window is not open.
 - Protection against some rare but possible bounds errors.
 - In WSJT-X and QMAP, the “Monitor” button now turns cyan when audio files are to 
   be saved. This is intended to prevent large amounts of data from accumulating 
   unnoticed.
 - Auto QSY (e.g. "CQ 104 A1BCD") is no longer allowed for FT8 messages, because 
   clicking on it had led to bad mistakes with some inexperienced OMs.
 - It is now ensured that a QSO is logged when "MSK 144/Q65: Tx until 73 is received" 
   is checked and a message with “73” is received.
 - Fixed an inconsistency with the Tx even/1st checkbox when switching from 
   SuperHound mode to any other mode.
 - The Help menu now provides a hyperlink to the file "How_to_deal_with_rig_
   control_errors.pdf".
 - Update to Hamlib_4.6_2024-12-04_SHA=be045d.


WSJT-X_IMPROVED 2.7.1-devel 241014-RC7:

With this update all the minor inconsistencies in our otherwise very well-functioning 
Release Candidate 7 should now be fixed. It brings the following enhancements:

 - Fixed the bug that "Enable Tx" was no longer stopped after double-clicking on a 
   message if TxFreq=RxFreq and the other station replied to someone else.
 - The GUI now prevents an incorrect Tx frequency from being set or displayed in 
   SuperFox mode when clicking on the waterfall or Tx Freq spin box.
 - Fixed an inconsistency that "Enable Tx" could not be activated in some cases when 
   SuperHound mode was previously set.
 - Better compatibility with certain MSHV multi-stream messages when your own 
   callsign is a compound call.
 - You can now use the Tab key on your keyboard to scroll through the various fields 
   in Settings/Filters.
 - Fixed a bug that caused the displayed names of Territories 1 to 4 to be retained 
   until the program was restarted, even if they had been deleted in Settings/Filters.
 - The status of the "CQ only" checkbox is now saved and restored.
 - Updated tooltip for the "BP" checkbox.


WSJT-X_IMPROVED 2.7.1-devel 241005-RC7:

This update brings some minor improvements:

 - Fixed an inconsistency when using "Rig" as your method for Split Operation. 
   This mainly affected some Elecraft rigs.
 - The program now prevents users in SuperHound mode from inadvertently setting 
   parameters that can lead to a subprocess error in the SF decoder. (For those 
   of you who don't want to update, don't set FTol greater than 100 and stay away 
   from the upper or lower limits of the waterfall with the Rx frequency. Such 
   settings make no sense in SF mode anyway.)
 - The text color of the “H” button is now white instead of red, which improves 
   readability when this button is activated.
 - When in SuperHound mode and "Special operating activity to comments" is
   checked,"SF/H mode" is now logged.
 - Another attempt to solve the audio issues with some macOS versions. 


WSJT-X_IMPROVED 2.7.1-devel 240930-RC7:

Release Candidate 7 brings for both WSJT-X and wsjt-x_improved significant 
improvements for the new SuperFox mode. It introduces a new verification 
system which replaces the previous one, and works for both the SuperFox mode 
and for old-style Fox and Hound operation. All code for SuperFox operation 
is now open source.
  
IMPORTANT: OpenSSL v1.1.1 or higher is required for the real-time
verification of Fox and SuperFox messages.

Enhancements to the SuperFox decoder:
 - Performance of the SuperFox decoder has been further improved.
 - You can now set individual FTol values and tune the decoder to
   the exact sync frequency of the SuperFox signal if it is not exactly
   750 Hz. Both result in a better decodability in certain situations.
 - Important: The Rx frequency must be set close to the sync frequency
   +/- FTol, for example 750 +/- 50 Hz.

Introduction of a new Fox verification system:
 - The new Fox verification system uses one time passwords (OTPs), and 
   works for the SuperFox mode as well as for old-style Fox and Hound 
   operation. It can be enabled by the new OTP checkbox on the Advanced
   tab of the Settings dialog.
 - Fox or SuperFox stations send individual OTPs via radio. Hounds 
   automatically check the validity of the received OTPs in real time 
   from a server when there is an internet connection. Otherwise, the 
   validity can also be queried manually later. OTP verifications can 
   only be retrieved once the transmission has already taken place.
 - You may optionally display the received OTP values by checking
   the box "Show OTP messages".
 - If the Fox or SuperFox callsign is verified by receipt of the
   correct OTP, the background color of the Hound or Super Hound label
   switches to green.
 - Theoretically, DXpeditions can set up their own OTP server, however, 
   we recommend using the server at https://www.9dx.cc. 
 - Use of the new Fox verification system requires an OTP key. The
   system uses open source code and standard encryption
   technology. For testing purposes, non-verified SuperFox
   transmissions are now possible without a key.

Improvements to SuperFox/Hound operation:
 - SuperHounds must now first decode the SuperFox before they can
   call, and a QSO must be started by double-clicking on a SuperFox
   decode. (Note that calling the Fox blindly not only leads to
   unnecessary band utilization, but can also significantly reduce the
   QSO rate due to unanswered (Super)Fox replies.)
 - Switching to SuperHound mode automatically sets the Rx frequency to
   750 Hz. The previously selected frequency is saved and restored 
   afterwards.
 - Right-clicking on the H button now activates/deactivates SuperFox mode.
 - A flaw resulting in sub-optimal SuperFox QSO rates has been
   corrected.
 - SuperFox decoder now does a more thorough job of rejecting QRM from
   non-SuperFox signals.
 - Fields in the SuperFox payload not otherwise used in a particular
   transmission are now set to known nonzero values. Do NOT use RC6 or
   earlier versions to decode SuperFox transmissions from RC7 or 
   later.
 - Old-style Fox stations can now transmit free text messages (up to
   13 characters) by using an available stream.
 - Some enhancements useful for Fox operators: Active Station Window now 
   shows band activity. Hound callsigns can be highlighted via UDP API, and 
   assigned a score for sorting via UDP API. Fox Tx frequency is preserved 
   when switching in/out of Fox mode.
 - UDP Status Update messages now include information on how many callsigns
   have highlighting applied, and how many callsigns have a score assigned.

Other enhancements and fixes:
 - In FT8 mode, the Settings dialog no longer resets the VFO frequency 
   to band/mode default unless really needed.
 - Several code improvements specifically for macOS.
 - Updated CTY.DAT and Hamlib.

Enhancements and fixes specific to wsjt-x_improved:
 - Better initialization of VFO B when using Split Operation "Rig". 
 - Allow 4-digit and 5-digit Cloudlog Station IDs .
 - A more robust code is now used for calculating distance and azimuth.
 - Prevented a program crash when compiled with Qt6 and in Fox mode.
 - Diagnostic Mode now also works with more than one instances. The individual
   instance names are added to the event log file path.


WSJT-X_IMPROVED 2.7.1-devel 240814:

 - Wait & Call no longer sets the Tx QRG to 2300 Hz when in Hound or Super Hound
   mode.
 - If using OmniRig, your rig should no longer stay at + 55 Hz after the program 
   starts. Activate "Monitor returns to last used frequency" if you want a complete 
   initialization of rig split, mode etc. at program start.
 - When transmitting in Hound mode with Tx3 and the Tx watchdog times out, the 
   program now always returns to Tx1. (Note that the special Hound watchdog is not 
   active while sending a Tx3 message. Thus, it cannot interrupt your QSO with the 
   Fox.)
 - It is now displayed in the watchdog label (bottom right) when the Hound watchdog
   (HWD) is about to time out (less than 2 minutes left). The background color 
   switches to yellow when the remaining time is less than 1 minute, and to red when
   the HWD has timed out.    
 - Inadvertently tuning on top of a SuperFox messages is now prevented.
 - When in Hound mode, AutoSeq now ignores stations calling in the wrong time lot.
 - Update to Hamlib_4.6_2024-08-09_SHA=1e54e2.


WSJT-X_IMPROVED 2.7.1-devel 240806:

 - A slightly clearer spectral display of the waterfall.
 - New options to sort the Audio device lists alphabetically, and on Linux to hide 
   the usually unusable ALSA CARD subdevices.
 - The drop-down list of COM ports is now also sorted alphabetically.
 - A more robust solution for saving and restoring the status of the “Hold Tx Freq” 
   checkbox when switching to/from Hound mode.
 - Fixed a bug that caused the program to crash on some macOS versions, especially 
   when in MSK144 mode.
 - 'Special operating activity to comments' should now work more reliably.
 - The SuperFox decoder has been further improved.
 - Some detail improvements to the Diagnostic Mode.
 - Update to hamlib_4.6_2024-08-02_SHA=fe43a6.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.7.0

Release Candidate 6 2024-07-19:

WSJT-X 2.7.0 Release Candidate 6 is a bug-fix release primarily affecting the new 
SuperFox mode. It brings significant performance enhancement to the SuperFox decoder. 
My 'improved' version with this code is wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel 240719-RC6. 

Other improvements introduced with the 240719-RC6 code:
 - Fixed a minor inconsistency in the Wait & Call function when in Hound (or Super 
   Hound) mode.
 - The Rx Frequency window shows now only messages for you when in Super Hound mode.
   (Hopefully) fixed this annoying "subprocess error at line 63 of sfox_demod.f90 ..." 
   bug that occurred on some operating systems. We took two slightly different 
   approaches to this, and we will see which one works best:
    - WSJT-X can now only be installed in a path that does not contain any blanks.
    - wsjt-x_improved uses a slightly more sophisticated approach, so that the program 
      can still be installed in a path that contains blanks on Windows.
 - Update to Hamlib_4.6_2024-07-13_SHA=fc8642.

Here are the original Release Notes for WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc6: (Note that as an "Improved" 
user, you have already received some of the mentioned bug fixes with the 240714 update)
 - Strong signals from Superfox too frequently failed to decode.
 - SuperFox sometimes sent incorrect signal reports and an invalid
   digital signature.
 - A Fortran bounds error could sometimes occur in the SuperFox
   decoder.
 - For SuperFox operator, the "age" displayed for Hound callers
   became garbled after the 0000 UTC date change.
 - Decodes of SuperFox transmissions were not posted to PSK Reporter.
 - Some SuperFox-related  messages were posted incorrectly to ALL.TXT.
 - Logic for turning the SuperHound label green was flawed in some
   circumstances.

Release Candidate 5 2024-07-01:

WSJT-X 2.7.0 Release Candidate 5 introduces "SuperFox" mode, a powerful new tool 
designed to help DXpeditions make digital QSOs at very high rates. RC5 also 
brings several other improvements and bug fixes.
The new wsjt-x_improved version with these features is wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel 
"240701-RC5".

Changes to both WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5 and wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel "240701-RC5":
  SuperFox mode:
   - The SuperFox mode behaves operationally like the present Fox and Hounds mode 
     but uses a constant envelope waveform for Fox's transmissions rather than 
     sending concurrent streams of up to five normal FT8 signals. This approach 
     means that up to 9 messages can be transmitted simultaneously with no 
     signal-strength penalty, resulting in a system gain of about +10 dB compared 
     to the conventional Fox/Hound operation with 5 slots.
   - IMPORTANT: Older revisions of WSJT-X and derivative programs will not be 
     able to decode SuperFox transmissions. Hounds must use either WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc5 
     wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel "240701-RC5" (or a later release, when available) 
     to receive SuperFox messages.
   - Hounds chasing the DX station will transmit normal FT8 signals, as in the 
     old-style Fox and Hound mode.  QSOs will be logged as FT8 mode.
   - When using SuperFox mode, Hound stations may call at any frequency in Fox's 
     received passband, including the range 0 - 1000 Hz. Hounds do not QSY to a 
     lower frequency for their final transmission.
   - SuperFox Operation requires the Fox operator to use a valid digital key.  
     Keys will be issued in advance to legitimate DXpeditions by the Northern 
     California DX Foundation, and will be kept secret.
   - Every SuperFox transmission includes a unique digital signature. Hounds 
     receiving a SuperFox message will see a "<callsign> verified" flag if the 
     transmitted signature is valid, and the on-screen "Super Hound" label will 
     turn from red to green.
   - Hound operation should begin by selecting "Special operating activity", 
     "Hound", and "SuperFox mode" on the Settings -> Advanced tab. Alternatively, 
     right-clicking on the FT8 button toggles SuperFox mode on/off for either 
     Fox or Hound, allowing quick transitions between SuperFox and old-style Fox 
     and Hound operation.
   - SuperFox stations can send free text messages of up to 26 characters together 
     with messages to as many as 4 Hounds.
  Other enhancements:
   - Corrected a flaw that caused "Log automatically" to not work for the ARRL 
     Digi Contest.
   - Control elements for special operating activities are now disabled (grayed 
     out) if the respective function is not applicable.
   - Corrected a longstanding flaw that caused "Start new period decodes at top" 
     to stop working properly after some time.
   - Right-click mouse press events are now less error-prone.
   - Improved the readability of the first line when "Start new period decodes at 
     top" is checked.
   - 4-digit grids are now logged for certain contest modes to ensure that the log 
     complies with contest rules.
   - The Fox Tx frequency is now saved and restored separately.

Changes exclusively to wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-RC5 "240701-RC5":
  - All versions of wsjt-x_improved now provide highDPI scaling (4K support). 
    This function is enabled by default, but can now be switched off via the 
    checkbox at Settings/Advanced. The highDPI scaling feature usually results in 
    a better and proportionally correct display of the control elements on 
    high-resolution monitors (2K, 4K, 8K, etc.). However, this applies primarily 
    to Windows. My code should theoretically also work on Linux, but this depends 
    on the distribution. MacOS offers its own 4K support out of the box.
  - The Advanced tab of the Settings dialog has now a new "GUI tweaks for 
    high-resolution monitors" group box. Besides highDPI scaling there is also a 
    new "Increased height of the tab widget" checkbox. This option is primarily 
    intended for the AL version.
  - Some minor improvements and bug fixes.
  - Update to hamlib 4.6_2024-06-27_SHA=745e72.

Release Candidate 4 2024-03-11:

WSJT-X v2.7.0 Release Candidate 4 brings two major improvements:
1. QMAP is now able to decode both 60-second and 30-second T/R sequence lengths at 
   the same time. This is a milestone for EME operation, and many users had wished 
   for this.
2. Some code changes to WSJT-X which significantly reduce problems experienced when 
   (contrary to our recommendations) messages with short (10-bit) callsign hashes 
   are used in standard FT4/FT8 sub-bands.
The new wsjt-x_improved version with these features is wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel 
"240311-rc4".

Enhancements for both WSJT-X v2.7.0-RC4 and wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1 "240311-rc4":
 - QMAP enhancements -- of particular interest to EME operators:
   - QMAP now decodes Q65 submodes with both 60-second and 30-second T/R sequence 
     lengths. Clicking on a resulting line in the WSJT-X Active Stations window 
     automatically sets dial frequency and working submode as needed to call that 
     station.
   - QMAP operates in 60-second receive sequences, and its Q65 decoder starts at 
     t=19.5, 30.0, 49.5, and 58.5 s into the sequence. Most decoded messages are 
     displayed well before the end of the relevant time slot.
   - A new, more compact file format is now used for wideband data files. A "Save 
     decoded" option has been added to the Save menu.
   - An option has been added to allow exporting a 3 kHz portion of a wideband data 
     file as a standard WSJT-X *.wav file.
   - CTRL+click on QMAP's upper waterfall sends an integer kHz dial frequency 
     request to WSJT-X.
   - With focus on the WSJT-X main window, hit Alt+A on the keyboard to clear the 
     Active Stations window.
   - Many minor enhancements to the User Interface.
 - WSJT-X:
   - Enable decoding of MSK144 from the jt9[.exe] executable.
   - Several changes to reduce problems experienced when (contrary to our 
     recommendations) messages with short (10-bit) callsign hashes are used in 
     standard FT4/FT8 sub-bands.
  - Update to hamlib 4.6_2024-03-05_SHA=b358cd.

Enhancements exclusively for wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1 "240311-rc4":
 - The 60m band button now uses the same technology as the others, meaning that  
   the target frequency is searched in the frequencies table. This fixes a bug 
   that prevented some OMs from switching to 60m with the band button.
 - This technology is now also used for Band Hopping, meaning that the target 
   frequencies for the FT8, FT4 and MSK144 checkboxes are now also searched in 
   the Working Frequencies table at Settings/Frequencies, and thus can be defined 
   by the user.
 - Set the OK button in the LogQSO dialogue window as the default.
 - Some detail improvements to the "Erase band Activity window after band change" 
   feature.
 - The text "Runaway Tx watchdog" is now displayed at the bottom left until the 
   next mouse or key press event, and the readability has been improved.
 - The ADIF tag  <my_gridsquare> is now only written when myGrid is not empty 
   (needed for some contest situations).
 - Right-clicking on the "Band Hopping" button now plays a sound file to test the 
   Audible Alerts.

Release Candidate 3 2024-01-01:

With WSJT-X v2.7.0-rc3 we have added a few more of my 'improved' features to the 
standard WSJT-X, as well as numerous detail improvements and bug fixes. Note that 
RC3 brings significant advantages compared to RC2, so you should all update to at 
least 2.7.0-rc3. Those of you who downloaded my recent wsjt-x_improved 2.7.1-devel 
versions already received most of these important and useful new features. 
However, I am also releasing a new 2.7.0-rc3 version for wsjt-x_improved so that 
OMs who do not want to install development versions can now also enjoy the great 
new features. For this, I took the latest stable snapshot of my 2.7.1 development 
code, because it makes no sense to downgrade this well-functioning code again. 
With this measure, it now has the status of a release candidate. 

Changes for WSJT-X and wsjt-x_improved compared to v2.7.0-rc2:
 - Added a new "Update Hamlib" function. On Windows, it allows the user to update 
   Hamlib directly from the program. The previously used version isbacked up, so 
   the user can easily revert a hamlib update. 
 - The Hamlib version in use is now displayed (also on Linux and macOS).
 - The FT Roundup Messages protocol has been enhanced. It now allows also the
   exchange of static 4-digit numbers instead of serial numbers. This extends the 
   usability of the FT RU protocol for other contest types.
 - Improved direct switching between modes. Submode, as well as the status of the 
   "Sh" and "Fast" checkboxes are now saved and restored by mode.
 - Some right-click events were made more intuitive and consistent. 
   - Right-clicking the Q65 button enables Q65 Pileup mode, a left-click brings 
     you back to the normal Q65 mode.
   - Right-click the JT65 button to switch to JT9 mode.
 - For Q65, all messages for us are now displayed in the right window.
 - Message averaging is now allowed only when VHF features are enabled, and label 
   texts are changed to "Single Period Decodes" and "Average Decodes" only if 
   averaging is enabled.
 - Some improvements to the Hamlib Transceiver code. Behavior is now more stable 
   when Rig Split has been selected.
 - Prevented redundant network communication between WSJT-X and DX Lab Suite 
   Commander.
 - Download of the LotW file now works without OpenSSL libraries.
 - Made the spot counter work for WSPR.
 - Prevented insertion of an individual contest name when in Fox mode.
 - WAE entities are now assigned to the correct DXCC when "Include extra WAE 
   entities" is not selected.
 - Added a utility program 'cablog' which can be used to convert the wsjtx.log 
   file to Cabrillo format for the ARRL EME contest.
 - Minor improvements to the Active Stations window.
 - The Rx/Tx frequency for Echo mode has been fixed at 1500 Hz.
 - Some corrections and updates to the INSTALL instructions for Linux.
 - Updated CTY.DAT file.

Changes exclusively for wsjt-x_improved:
 - Full Duplex Mode (FDM):
   - New optional feature. 
   - When FDM is enabled, wsjt-x_improved is able to transmit and receive at the 
     same time. This is very useful for satellite operation, where the audio source 
     is normally set to the transponder downlink, and possibly also in some special 
     situations where you want to monitor your own transmit signal (e.g. when using 
     a webSDR as audio source). 
   - FDM works for the slow modes (FT8, FT4, Q65, etc.) as well as for fast modes 
     like MSK144.
   - Several modifications to AutoSeq were made to prevent QSOs with the own callsign. 
   - Your own messages are highlighted in the Band Activity window in the color you 
     selected for "Transmitted message".
 - Freely selectable FT8 frequencies for band hopping:
   - Several OMs wanted this.  
   - Now the user can define up to 8 FT8 frequencies himself by spinboxes, or simply 
     enter the QRG via the keypad. 
   - The default frequencies for the new spinboxes are set to the standard DXp QRGs. 
   - But now you can enter any frequency, and it is remembered, so you can monitor  
     for example your local QRG, or a DXpedition using other frequencies, or the like.
 - Advanced functions for the 72-bit modes (JT65, JT9, JT4):
   - Introduction of AutoSeq also to JT65, JT9 and JT4, so that these modes can now 
     be operated (almost) as easily as the 77-bit modes (FT8, FT4, MSK144, Q65, FST4).
   - The Wait features and also Filters now also work for JT65, JT9 and JT4.
   - Also CQ: First, CQ: MaxDist, CQ: Max dB and CQ: Min dB are now operational for 
     these modes.
   - This makes especially the "good old" JT9 mode interesting for DX again, because 
     it is more than 3 dB more sensitive than FT8, and also very frequency-efficient.
 - Display PWR and SWR, and Halt Tx when SWR > 2.5:
   - You can now stop the transmission automatically if the SWR exceeds 2.5, e.g. if 
     you have accidentally selected the wrong antenna. 
   - Also the transmit PWR is then displayed in real-time.
   - It works with most of the modern rigs. Important: Your transceiver must be  
     either connected via one of the hamlib rig drivers or via FLRig.
 - New option to log the ADIF field <SAT_MODE>.
 - Several other improvements and fixes to make the code more stable, more reliable,
   and also a little faster.

Update 2023-08-01:
This intermediate update brings some important bug fixes as well as a number of
interesting new features. To remain compatible with the version numbering of 
WSJT-X, the name "v2.7.0-rc2" remains the same, only the revision ID has been 
changed to "230728". It brings the following changes:

 - The sensitivity and stability of the FT8 decoder has been further improved.
   Do not expect miracles, but occasionally one or two additional decodes.
 - New option to turn the progress bar red while transmitting. This feature is
   enabled by default, but you can switch it off in Settings > General via the 
   new "Turn progress bar red while transmitting" checkbox.
 - The FT Roundup Messages protocol has been enhanced. You can now exchange fixed 
   4-digit numbers instead of consecutive QSO numbers. This enables a whole new  
   range of contests or QSO parties in the future. For example, the 4-digit number
   can represent a POTA, COTA, SOTA designator, or a county, or something. 
   Note: This enhancement will also come for the original WSJT-X with v2.7.0-rc3.
 - New option to freeze the Tx5 text by right-clicking on the Tx5 button. Useful
   when some additional information (e.g. "73 FF4156") shall be transmitted as  
   free text message. Important: Any Tx5 message must contain "73".
 - Blank lines between decode periods are now suppressed when Filters are enabled
   and there are no other decodes than the filtered ones. 
 - Highlight DX Grid now also highlights the DX Grid in the messages if the 
   DX Grid text field contains a 6-digit locator.
 - A new "Auto-open/close Astronomical Data window" checkbox allows EME operators
   to automatically open the Astronomical Data window when switching to Q65, JT65,
   or Echo mode and "Decode after EME delay" is checked. It closes automatically
   when you switch to any other mode.
 - NCCC FT4 Sprint: Logging is now also triggered when "RR73" is received from the 
   other station. This happens when the other station is not in contest mode and 
   responds with a normal Tx2 message. An algorithm reduces duplicate log entries 
   to a minimum caused by stations being in NA VHF Contest mode but not having the 
   NCCC Sprint checkbox checked, or only using the original WSJT-X.
 - NCCC FT4 Sprint: Now also messages with " R " are highlighted when in FT4 mode,
   the NCCC Sprint submode is enabled, and you have the "Highlight also messages 
   with 73 or RR73" checkbox activated.  
 - Several important bug fixes:
   - "MSK144/Q65 Tx until 73 is received" works better now. A few inconsistencies
     have been fixed.
   - Fixed a flaw that in some cases caused transmissions to stop too early when
     anything other than "CQ: None" was selected.
   - Fixed a flaw that could cause the program to crash when the "Apply filters 
     only to the callsigns of the calling stations" checkbox was checked and then
     certain free text messages were received.
   - Q65 decodes directed to own callsign are now always displayed in the right 
     window again.
   - Minor improvements to the sat.dat file.
 - Update to hamlib_4.6_2023-07-21. 

Release Candidate 2 2023-07-07:

Release Candidate 2 introduces for the original WSJT-X primarily bug fixes. 
However, for wsjt-x_improved, there are some nice improvements, especially for the 
filters, as well as support of the new NCCC FT4 Sprint contest mode.

Changes for WSJT-X and wsjt-x_improved:
 - CTRL+SHIFT+F11/F12 now changes dial frequency by 1000 Hz instead of 2000 Hz.
 - Improved spotting to PSK Reporter for upcoming HamSCI Festivals of Eclipse 
   Ionospheric Science.
 - Added optional Hungarian translation of the user interface.
 - Fixed a flaw that could produce false decodes in Q65 submodes D and E.
 - Fixed a flaw with the QSO start time. It is now reset when the DX Call changes.
 - Fixed a flaw that prevented contest logging of the ARRL Digi Contest.
 - Right-clicking the Q65 mode button to toggle the Q65 Pileup mode on/off now 
   also works on macOS.
 - Fixed a compilation error on macOS Ventura.
 - WSPR and FST4W band hopping now works again.
 - It is now ensured that "U.S.A." is displayed when using certain cty.dat files.
 - Corrected the problem with duplicated FT8 entries in ActiveStations window.

Changes exclusively for wsjt-x_improved:
 - Advanced options for the Filters:
   - It is now possible to hide up to 4 DXCC countries. Specify the Territories via
     Settings > Filters, and then you are able to toggle these new filters on/off 
     directly from the View menu of the main program window.
   - New option to hide certain continents. These checkboxes are also available from
     the View menu of the main program window, so you can turn it off or on quickly.
   - New option to hide callsigns worked B4 on the band.
   - It is now shown in the Tx Status Label (bottom left) if any filters are switched 
     on, which can lead to not all decodes being displayed. Then, the label text 
     changes from "Receiving" to "Receiving, Filters On", and the background color 
     from green to cyan. (Note: This commit accidentally didn't make it into my 
     recent hotfix.)
 - Good news for contesters: 
   - All versions of wsjt-x_improved now support the NCCC Sprint FT4 short message
     protocol. Go to Settings > Advanced and enable both the NA VHF contest mode 
     and the new "NCCC Sprint" checkbox. This means, that from now on, no special 
     version is necessary when you want to participate in the weekly NCCC FT4 Sprint 
     contests.
   - Some improvements have been made to the NCCC Sprint algorithm, bringing better 
     compatibility with stations using only the normal NA VHF contest mode.
   - You can now toggle the last used contest mode on/off by simply right-clicking 
     the "H" button. This allows you to quickly reply to a station that is not in
     contest mode. 
 - wsjt-x_improved is now able to highlight individual callsigns or grids according 
   to your specifications. Callsigns and/or grids can be highlighted with orange or 
   blue background colors. The callsigns/grids must be separated by comma and can be 
   mixed (e.g. "K1JT, DG2YCB, JO33, JN58"). Important: There must be a comma behind 
   each callsign (i.e. also at the end of the line).
 - The built-in highlighting function has now two different default color schemes.
   You can choose between WSJT-X's default color scheme or the one I use with my own 
   wsjt-x_improved versions. Just go to Settings -> Colors and click one of the two
   "Reset" buttons. 
 - Some improvements to the False Decodes Reduction.
 - CQ: Max Dist is working better now. If no station answers with grid (i.e. Tx1), 
   a station sending Tx2 is now also selected. However, any Tx1 reply is preferred, 
   since a valid grid is required to calculate the distance.
 - New option to freeze the state of the Tx even/1st checkbox (e.g useful for SO2R). 
   Just set the right state and right-click the checkbox. Right-click either the 
   FT8 or MSK button to unfreeze.
 - Update to hamlib 4.6_2023-06-28, which is much faster than all previous hamlib 
   versions, at least on Windows.


Hotfix 2023-05-19:

This is primarily a bug fix release. It brings the following changes:
 - Downgrade to hamlib 4.5.5, which hopefully fixes the recent issues with some ICOM
   rigs.
 - Wait and Pounce as well as calling CQ with either CQ: Max Dist, or CQ: Max, db or
   CQ: Min dB enabled should work better now. There were some inconsistencies in the
   algorithms for these functions.
 - With CQ: Max Dist, or CQ: Max, db or CQ: Min dB enabled, the DX Call entry is no
   longer cleared after a QSO since it is not necessary anymore with my new code.
 - Some improvements to highlighting of callsigns for the slow modes (i.e. MSK144).
 - STRG + ALT + F11/F12 now moves the frequency +-1000 Hz instead of 2 kHz.

Release Candidate 1 2023-05-12:

WSJT-X 2.7.0 Release Candidate 1 introduces a new program called QMAP,
a new Special Operating Activity known as Q65 Pileup, and a number of
other enhancements and fixes.
 - QMAP and Q65 Pileup mode are of particular interest to those
   engaged in Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communication, but other
   applications may be found for them as well.
   - QMAP is derived from MAP65, an older program used since 2007 for
     EME, mainly on the 2 m band. QMAP provides single-polarization
     receive-only capabilities for any one of the 60-second submodes
     of Q65. It allows you to monitor all traffic in a 90 kHz subband
     while conducting EME QSOs in the usual way with WSJT-X.
   - Q65 Pileup mode is a new feature in WSJT-X that will assist DX
     operators using Q65 in pileup circumstances with many
     simultaneous callers and very weak signals, such as those
     experienced by 6-meter EME DXpeditions.
   - Further details on QMAP and Q65 Pileup mode are available in a
     Quick-Start guide posted here:
     https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/Quick_Start_WSJT-X_2.7_QMAP.pdf
 - WSJT-X now provides more efficient spotting to PSK Reporter.
   Redundant spots are omitted, and posting of spots is now spread
   more widely in time. (Temporarily, in support of the HamSCI
   Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science, spots will be transmitted
   more frequently during the upcoming solar eclipses.)
 - WSJT-X is now able to process more than 100 FT8 decodes in a single
   reception interval.
 - Improvements to the Fox mode:
   - More convenient and efficient handling of the two queues.
   - Fox Log window now displays statistical data on the QSO rate.
 - When the station locator is changed (e.g during portable
   operations), the new locator will be sent automatically to PSK
   Reporter.
 - The cty.dat file can now be updated by clicking a button on the
   Settings -> Colors tab.
 - A new status display appears when fetching a new LotW file.
 - Multi-streamed messages transmitted by MSHV are now handled
   properly when WSJT-X is in Hound mode.
 - Auto-sequencing now has better protection against unwanted effects
   caused by late FT8 decodes.
 - Fixed an inconsistency in which Contest Name was not correctly
   remembered.
 - Other minor bug fixes.
 - Updated hyperlinks to our homepage and to our new WSJT GROUP User
   Forum (https://groups.io/g/wsjtgroup/) can now also be found in the
   User Guide.
 - The build instructions for macOS have been clarified.

New features exclusively for wsjt-x_improved:
 - Introduction of a new "Wait and Pounce" feature. It allows you to respond 
   to incoming CQ messages from other stations according to certain criteria 
   (Max Dist, Max dB, Min dB), and can also be combined with filters. Right-click 
   on the "Enable Tx" button to activate Wait and Pounce. The "Enable Tx" button 
   then turns orange.
 - More options for the filters, and a better and faster algorithm for using them:
  - You now have 3 categories (Blacklist, Whitelist, Always Pass) and have a new
    option to use them for Wait and Pounce only. 
  - New option to apply the Whitelist and Always Pass filters only to the first
    4 characters of the second word of the messages (usually the prefix of the
    calling station).
 - Filters can now also be used for the fast modes (i.e. MSK144).
 - Highlight DX Call / Grid now also works for the fast modes (i.e. MSK144).
 - Improved algorithm for the CQ: Max Dist function. It works really well now, 
   both when calling CQ, or when you use it with the new Wait and Pounce feature.
 - Various improvements to the code to make it faster.
 - Update to hamlib 4.6_2023-05-05.

Note: Due to the politically unstable situation in the world, I offer you again a  
      time-unlimited version right away.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.6.2

Update 2023-4-20:

 - New "CQ: Min dB" feature: Call CQ and automatically reply to the station with the 
   weakest signal. Current limitation: Very late decodes may not always be considered. 
   However, this is probably not so bad, because very late decodes are sometimes of 
   doubtful quality. 
 - Some improvements also to the "CQ: Max dB" feature. It is now ensured that the dB 
   score used for the selection process is correctly reset after a QSO or any manual 
   user interaction. 
 - For both "CQ: Min dB" and "CQ: Max dB", each manual click on "Halt Tx" now resets 
   the dB score and also clears the DX Call field (which is required for the next QSO). 
   The same happens when the QSO is logged. Clicking "Enable Tx" when active also resets 
   the dB score, but does not clear the DX Call field. With these changes, the two 
   "CQ: ..." features can be used more intuitively.
 - The code for the Alerts feature has been optimized (PLUS versions only): 
   - Especially on Windows, playback of the sound files is now noticeable smoother 
     and requires fewer resources.
   - The alert sounds are now also played correctly for late decodes.

GA Release 2023-04-14:

WSJT-X_v2.6.2 is a General Availability (GA) release exclusively for wsjt-x_improved users.
It brings the following enhancements and bug fixes since v2.6.1:

 - Better compatibility with MSHV and Fox stations operating in the wrong time slot:
   - When in Hound mode, AutoSeq is now also able to correctly handle QSOs where the 
     other station uses MSHV multi-stream mode instead of F/H.
   - It is now possible to work Fox stations which are operating in the wrong time slot 
     without having to leave the Hound mode: After double-clicking on such a station,
     the program temporarily switches the time slot, so AutoSeq can finish the QSO. 
     After the QSO is finished and also in case of any manual intervention by the user, 
     wsjt-x_improved immediately resets the time slot to our F/H protocol. This makes it 
     impossible to accidentally call a real Fox station in the wrong time slot. 
   - Furthermore, Christo LZ2HV seems to have accepted my suggestion that in the future 
     MSHV also transmits only even (00/30) when multi-stream mode is enabled. With this, 
     we should finally overcome the incompatibilities. Thanks for the cooperation!
 - In the WideGraph, you can now choose whether you want the timestamp to be displayed or 
   not, and whether it should be on the left or right side.
 - New feature: Show distance and/or azimuth in messages with grid: If a station sends 
   a valid Maidenhead locator, wsjt-x_improved now automatically calculates the distance 
   and the great-circle azimuth and displays it in the Band Activity pane.
 - A new "Align DXCC / distance / azimuth" checkbox allows you to keep the DXCC names 
   (or principal prefixes) as well as distance/azimuth in an aligned table form. 
 - Two spin boxes allow further configuration of the preferred layout.
   - The first spin box sets the number of spaces between the decoded message and the 
     DXCC name (or the principal prefix). The default is set to "1", which means one 
     space more compared to the WSJT-X standard.
   - The second spin box sets the number of spaces between the DXCC and the distance/ 
     azimuth field. You can increase or decrease the default number. 
   - The first spin box works also when "Align DXCC / distance / azimuth" is not checked.
     It can be used to increase the spacing between the decoded messages and the DXCC 
     names. I programmed this because the number of stations with non-standard callsigns 
     has greatly increased, and a little more space might be appropriate.
 - The horizontal position of the Band Activity window is now remembered. This allows 
   on smaller screens scrolling to the distance/azimuth field and keeping this position 
   even when new decodes arrive.
 - In the help menu, hyperlinks to the wsjt-x_improved home page as well as to the pdf 
   file "The additional features of wsjt-x_improvd" have been added.
 - The checkbox "Show principal prefix instead of country name" now automatically appears
   dimmed when "Show DXCC ..." is not activated, so this function is not applicable.
 - New option: ALT + Double-click on a call adds the callsign to DX Call Box, but does NOT
   enable Tx, although "Double-click on call sets Tx enable" is checked. You can use this
   option if you want to monitor a station first before starting a QSO.
 - Repeated double-clicking on a callsign now updates its dB values in the Tx 2 and Tx3
   messages.
 - In Settings, some checkboxes have been repositioned to make it a bit more compact and 
   intuitive. The "Show country information for all messages" checkbox has been moved to 
   the General tab and renamed "Show DXCC for all messages" so that the three content-
   related checkboxes are now arranged directly next to each other.  
 - The cty.dat file has been upgraded to the "Big CTY" variant. This allows in particular 
   a much more correct mapping of the ITU zones. 
 - Some minor improvements to the code to make it faster and more robust.
 - Bugfix: Do not switch to Tx1 after double-clicking on a message unless Tx1 is needed.
 - The source code of the wsjt-x_improved PLUS version is now also compatible with macOS.
   Therefore, I am now able to provide you with Darwin installer packages with the PLUS
   features (i.e. audible alerts and Cloudlog support).


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.6.1

Update 2023-02-18:
This update is exclusive for wsjt-x_improved users, and brings some useful new features,
improvements and bug fixes. The program can now also be better customized:

 - New option: "MSK144/Q65: Tx until 73 is received". It does what the name promises.
   Quite useful on VHF/UHF/SHF, it increases the success rate for a difficult QSO. 
   A maximum of 10 attempts are made before it times out. Use Wait & Reply in case
   this is still not enough for you.
 - The "Wait features" (Wait & Reply and Wait and Call) can now be disabled. As there 
   is actually no reason why to disable them, they are enabled by default. But a few
   OMs have requested this option.
 - The "Enable Tx" and "DX Call" buttons are now colored yellow if theoretically certain 
   incoming messages could switch on the Tx. This is the case in Hound mode, but also 
   with Wait & Reply or Wait & Call enabled. Some OMs had requested this safety feature
   to remind them to keep their ATU or PA on. Right-click on the DX Call button to clear
   the DX Call box and thus completely disable Tx. Experienced users don't really need
   such yellow colorings, so they can be turned off with "Disable Tx warnings".
 - If the DX Call Box contains a callsign and then "Generate Std Msgs" is clicked, Tx1 
   is now automatically selected (or Tx2 if Tx1 is disabled). This saves one click and 
   you can start your QSO right away.
 - Minor stability improvements in the modules DXLabSuiteCommanderTransceiver and 
   HamlibTransceiver.
 - Some improvements to the tooltips. Some texts now change dynamically depending on 
   which functions are active, allowing a more intuitive operation. 
 - The minimum height of the Settings window has been reduced, making it easier to  
   use on smaller screens (relevant for Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc.). 
 - New option to add the Special Operating Activity mode/name to the comments field. 
   Note: Retained comments and "dB reports to comments" override this feature.
 - Fix a flaw that the Contest Name was not always remembered or incorrectly displayed.
 - Fix a flaw when "Log QSO" was clicked during special operating activities. 
 - Fix a long-standing inconsistency that under certain conditions "RU" or "TEST" was
   also displayed in Hound mode.

Update 2023-01-20:
This update fixes a minor bug in the "dB reports to comments" feature. No other changes.

GA Release 2023-01-16:

Merged with the official WSJT-X 2.6.1 source code which is mostly a bug fix release
for Q65.  It has the following changes since release 2.6.0:

 - Fix a flaw in Q65 mode that prevented proper display of the T/R period spinner.
   Note: I had fixed this already with my wsjt-x_improved 2.6.0 versions on January 7.
 - Make the initialization of the decoded text font more robust.
 - Better initialization when starting the program in FT8 Hound mode.
 - Fix a bug causing program crash with more than 100 decodes in a single FT8 sequence.
 - Fix a compiler warning on macOS.
 - Correct the reference to "ARRL International Digital Contest" in the Release Notes.
 - Update to hamlib 4.5.4.

No changes to the wsjt-x_improved features.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.6.0

GA Release 2023-01-06:

Merged with the official WSJT-X 2.6.0 source code. This is a General Availability 
(GA) release, which brings the following enhancements and bug fixes: 

Changes since 2.6.0-rc5 (both WSJT-X and wsjt-x_improved):
 - PSK Reporter spotting is now also possible for frequencies > 4 GHz. 
   This is required for QO-100, for example.
 - The minimum width of the main window has been further reduced, and such 
   small sizes are now remembered and properly restored.
 - Some further improvements for Fox operators.
 - Fix the long-standing flaw that "Start new period decodes at top" didn't
   work anymore after several hours.
 - Fix a flaw that could cause crashes by double-clicking messages with
   <...> in certain QSO situations.
 - Fix a flaw that prevented the rig from initializing correctly after 
   switching between configurations when connected via HRD.
 - Add tooltips to better explain the split operation options.
 - Add some additional FT roundup exchanges which can be used for local 
   contests or QSO parties:
    - Abbreviations for the 12 Dutch Provinces
    - 99 neutral exchanges (X01 ... X99)    
 - Update of some ARRL section abbreviations.

New features exclusively for wsjt-x_improved:
 - MSK144: Remember TR period for 6+4m, for 2m and for the other bands 
   separately. (Needed here in Europe as we use 15s on 6m, but 30s on 2m)
 - MSK144: Allow FTol up to 500.
 - MSK144: New option to freeze the Tx even/1st checkbox, so that one cannot 
   accidentally call a station in the same time slot.
 - Remember FTol values by mode. (Useful for MS and EME operation)

For full details on changes since wsjt-x_improved version 2.5.4, read the 
following sections of this changelog.


Update 2022-11-29: 
Merged with the official WSJT-X 2.6.0-rc5 source code, which brings a number 
of improvements as well as some bug fixes.

In program WSJT-X:
 - Better calibration for FST4/W SNR estimates.
 - Upload FST4W-900 spots to wsprnet with TR code 15 instead of 16.
 - Improved FT8 decoding on crowded bands. 
 - The Working frequency table now offers the following options:
    - Better handling of more than one frequency per band.
    - Set your preferred frequencies, WSJT-X always comes back to these QRGs 
      when changing band or mode.
    - You can label your frequencies with descriptions (e.g. DXp AB0YXZ).
    - Option to set Start and End Date/Time, so that the frequencies 
      automatically appear and disappear. Useful for contest or 
      DXpedition QRGs.
    - Load a frequency table from a file to easily get all such data 
 - In Fox mode, there are now a few additional functions that allow operators
   to react even better to different QSO situations:
    - A new two-column table in Tab 2 provides a better overview of the queue
      and of the callsigns with QSOs in progress.
    - Fox operator can now change the ordering of callsigns in the queue so
      that he can react if there is only a narrow time slot for a particular
      QSO due to propagation.
    - Fox now responds for another two cycles to stations whose report was
      not received, increasing the success rate for a difficult QSO.
 - Correct a flaw in Hound mode that sometimes prevented completion of QSOs
   with non-standard calls.
 - Improvements to EME Echo mode:
    - New control "Avg" sets the number of Echo cycles to be averaged.
    - New capability to display measurements of wideband noise power as a
      function of time.  This can be useful for measuring Sun noise, antenna
      tracking errors, and the like.
    - Several minor bug fixes
 - Correct a flaw that prevented WSJT-X from always initializing correctly
   when special operating activities were enabled.
 - Correct a flaw that caused wrong Tx frequencies to be written to ALL.TXT.
 - The GUI has been improved regarding some details. The controls now scale
   better at different font sizes and on different operating 
   systems.
 - When in Hound mode and click the "H" button again, the frequency 
   is now kept. This gives the user the following two options to return 
   to normal FT8 mode:
    - Click the "H" button again. Then you will stay on the QRG.
    - Click the "FT8" button (or use the Settings menu). It brings  
      you back to the default FT8 QRG.
 - Decodes flagged as 'a7' are now disabled when "Enable AP" is not checked,
   and during the first period after a band change.
 - The network address of the UDP server is now checked for errors before 
   being accepted.
 - Some improvements to the DX Lab Suite Commander interface. 
 - Correct some possible flaws that could cause segfault errors in certain
   unusual situations.
 - Warnings on dropped audio have been disabled for now, as detection has 
   turned out to be not reliable enough.
 - Correct a long-standing flaw which caused the "Transmit digital gain" 
   overlay to appear somewhere on the screen.
 - "Highlight DX Call" now also works when the other station is <...>.
 - CQ messages without a grid are now sent to PSK reporter.
 - Several other minor corrections (tool tips, etc.). 

In program MAP65 (Windows only):
 - an aid for measuring antenna pointing errors
 - an ability to read the file wsjtx.log (kept by WSJT-X) to recognize EME 
   contest dupes.

New features exclusively for wsjt-x_improved:
 - Right-clicking on the DX Call button now deletes the DX Call and DX Grid entries.
 - You can now let the Erase button behave like with JTDX:
    - Left-click --> Erase the Band Activity window
    - Right-click --> Erase the Rx Frequency window 
    - Double-click on left mouse button --> Erase both windows (unchanged)
   Enable this new "Alternate Erase button behavior" in the Settings menu, default
   is still like with WSJT-X. 
 - A new option has been added to show country names for all messages. It can be
   enabled on the Settings->Colors tab.
 - The countdown of the Tune watchdog is now displayed (like with JTDX). Remember
   that the Tune watchdog can be disabled when needed. But it protects your Rig!
 - To make it easier for you to get started with the new possibilities of the 
   Working frequency table, wsjt-x_improved already has a table, which for FT8 
   also contains the standard DXpedition QRGs, and the default QRGs are set as 
   preference. To upgrade to this table, right-click on the table and then on 
   "Reset".
 - When "Call with individual contest name" is checked, the Contest Name in now 
   automatically put in the Comments field when logging the QSO. 
 - You can now add your comments to a comments list and select the different entries
   from a combo box. Useful if you want to log your QSOs with recurring information
   like "Rig 1", "Antenna 2", "QRP", "Long path", etc.
 - DX-oriented adjustments of the FT4 decoder settings.
 - Adaptation of my 'improved' FT8 decoder settings to the updated WSJT-X FT8 decoder. 
   This brings a few more decodes and less false decodes in some situations.
 - The False Decodes Reduction (FDR) has been simplified. I made it purely optional 
   again, as it is now needed less often.
 - For the first time, I have created a special version for Fox operators. It has 
   an additional "F" button for switching the Fox mode on/off. In the future, new
   features that are especially useful for Fox operators will be implemented here.
 - With my wsjt-x_improved versions, the Fox operator is now notified when a second 
   DXpedition is operating on the same frequency.

Note: Due to the politically unstable situation in the world, I offer you again a  
      time-unlimited version right away.

Update 2022-10-07:
This update is exclusive for wsjt-x_improved users and brings some new features, 
performance enhancements as well as bug fixes:
- Dark Style: Now it is possible to switch the dark style on and off directly in  
  the main window. Just click on the new item "Use Dark Style" in the "View" menu.  
  This switch does more than restart of wsjtx.exe with the parameter --stylesheet
  :/qdarkstyle/style.qss. Additionally, it adjusts some internal settings and uses
  an optimized stylesheet for the dark style. If you have enabled the dark style,
  you should adjust the highlight color scheme towards pastel tones. Go at Settings
  to Colors and adjust the background colors according to your needs.
- Auto Sequence is now automatically enabled when you switch to a mode where it is 
  available (FT8, FT4, Q65, MSK144, and FST4).
- Wait and Reply: "Wait and Reply" and "Wait and Call" are nice little assistance 
  functions to help finish a QSO more intelligently than calling all the time when 
  the other station does not answer, or disappears temporarily due to QSB. As long 
  as you have the other station's callsign in the DX Call box, Wait and Call will 
  attempt to continue your QSO when the station finally answers your call. This  
  also ensures that a second RR73 is sent when the other station could not copy  
  your first. Wait and Reply is automatically enabled for modes where Auto Seq is 
  available.
- Wait and Call: In situations where the QSB is so strong that the other station 
  disappears for an extended period of time, Wait and Call can help you. When this 
  feature is enabled, the other station will be called up to three times as soon as 
  they reappear on the band with their message containing "CQ", "73" or "RRR". To 
  enable Wait and Call, click on the new DX Call button. Wait and Call requires a 
  valid callsign in the DX Call box (= the station where you are in QSO with) as well 
  as Auto Seq to be enabled. Any manual intervention, such as pressing the Halt Tx 
  or Stop button, will immediately disable Wait and Call, giving you full control 
  over your QSO in any case.
- "CQ: First" is now also available with MSK144.
- I found a way to further reduce the minimum GUI size of wsjt-x_improved_AL. So  
  the AL version should now work on small screens down to 640 pixels high.
- Auto-sizing of the AL GUI geometry optimized. The "AL" GUI works best with font
  sizes between 8 and 11 pt, and is now "the" GUI for small screens.
- Fixed a bug that could cause wrong Tx frequencies to be written to ALL.TXT.
- Optimization of some internal algorithms to increase performance.
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-10-02.
- Last but not least: There is a new wsjt-x-improved-community mailing list where all
  wsjt-x_improved topics can be discussed and where you/we can all try to help each 
  other. To subscribe, go to the following page:
  https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/lists/wsjt-x-improved-community
  In the future I plan to use this mailing list also to announce updates. 
Note: Due to the politically unstable situation in the world, I offer you again a  
      time-unlimited version right away.
Note: For technical reasons, updates to the Raspberry Pi installers must be made later. 
      Should one of you be able to provide me with installers for Raspberry Pi and/or 
      macOS, please contact me via private email.

Update 2022-09-08:
- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.6.0-rc4 source code, which provides further 
  improvements to Echo mode, a new File menu item, and several bug fixes.
   - New features and fixes for Echo mode:
      - Created a new simulator echosim[.exe].
      - Improved organization of output to text window.
      - Gain and Zero controls in Echo Graph now behave independently.
      - "Clear Avg" now erases the plot in Echo Graph.
      - Optional baseline for plots in Echo Graph.
   - New menu item "File | Copy main text window to WSJT-X.txt".
   - Doppler tracking checkbox is made sticky.
   - Fix an RC2 bug that prevented normal use of JT9.
   - Fix a rarely experienced failure when writing to decoded.txt.
   - Fix a hamlib bug caused by setting VFO B when Split is not used.
   - Rig control interface to Ham Radio deluxe made more robust. 
- New wsjt-x_improved feature: Display bars for the Tx and Rx audio frequencies
  on the Wide Graph (like JTDX). In Wide Graph Control, use the new "Bars" and
  "Freq" checkboxes to toggle bars and frequency lables ON / OFF.  

Update 2022-08-30:
- Fix a defect in the JT9 mode.
- Stability improvements when wsjt-x_improved is connected to Ham Radio Deluxe.
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-08-29.

PLUS Versions with Alerts and Cloudlog Support:
- To reduce the number of different versions, I have combined the functions Alerts 
  and Cloudlog Support in a so-called "PLUS Version". Future features that may not 
  be interesting for everyone will be integrated here as well.
- Cloudlog support: Optionally upload of your QSOs to Cloudlog. Cloudlog is an 
  open-source PHP & MySQL based amateur radio logging application. You can find it
  at https://www.magicbug.co.uk/cloudlog/. Many thanks to DF2ET for the patch!

Update 2022-08-22:
- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.6.0-rc3 source code, which brings the following 
  improvements:
   - Echo mode now allows audio-frequency corrections rather than CAT-controlled 
     resetting of dial frequency for Doppler corrections, when Doppler shift is 
     less than 750 Hz. Audio-frequency corrections are also used to correct any 
     remaining portion of Doppler shift caused by coarse CAT-controlled frequency
     setting.
   - Echo mode now saves .wav files when "Save all" is selected. When such files 
     are opened in Echo mode, the astronomical parameters at recording time are 
     restored and used for processing the Echo data.
   - A missing Leap Second (January 1, 2017) was added to the code that converts 
     UTC to UT1.  This detail might matter if you want full accuracy EME Doppler 
     corrections.
   - EME Doppler values are now rounded to nearest integer Hz.
   - For backward compatibility, "Special Operating Activity" enumerations for 
     Fox and Hound modes are reset to their previous values 6 and 7.
   - Allow FST4W transmissions on 30m band.  Ensure that correct frequency is 
     reported to WSPRnet for FST4W decodes with Rx Freq spinbox not set to 1500.
   - Fix a bug that could truncate WSPR transmissions early.
   - Fix a bug that occasionally caused a crash when 'decoded.txt'could not be 
     opened.
   - Fix a bug that could cause a crash if Astronomical Data window is not active 
     when needed.
   - Fix a bug that caused a crash when "Reset Cabrillo Log" is selected with 
     Active Stations window not active.  
- No changes to the wsjt-x_improved features.
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-08-20.
Note: Due to the politically unstable situation in the world I offer you again a  
      time-unlimited version right away.

Update 2022-07-26:
- Fixed a bug that could cause WSPR and FST4W transmissions to be truncated.

Update 2022-07-21:
- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.6.0-rc2 source code, which brings the following
  improvements:
   - The "Measure" function in Echo mode now uses the computed Doppler spread for 
     DX grid, when available.  This feature is especially helpful for microwave 
     EME tests, enabling accurate measurement of SNR for a DX station.
   - Settings for T/R period and Submode are now remembered by mode when you switch 
     directly between (for example) MSK144-15, Q65-60A, JT65C, or FST4-120.
   - Tx and Rx audio frequencies are remembered and restored when you return from a 
     mode that sets a default frequency of 1500 Hz (MSK144, FST4W, Echo, WSPR, FreqCal)
     and then switching back to FT4, FT8, Q65, JT65, or FST4.
   - QSOs in the Contest Log can now be displayed in increasing or decreasing order 
     of logged time. By default the log is scrolled to the latest logged QSO, ready 
     for insertion of a new contact. The total number of QSOs in the Contest Log is 
     displayed at bottom left of its window.
   - Default FT8 frequency for 4m band (Region 1) is set to 70.154 MHz.
   - Layout of mode buttons has been optimized for 4K screens.
   - Display of Keyboard Shortcuts has been updated.
   - The OK button now has default focus in the LogQSO dialog window. You may just 
     hit Enter to log the QSO.
   - Bug fix: The Tx Freq spinbox remained red when coming back from some Q65 submodes.
   - Hamlib bug fixes: make sure that VFOB is selected when required on some rigs 
     (e.g. IC7610, IC7100), and others.
- In addition, wsjt-x_improved also brings you a couple of nice new features exclusively:  
   - Doubleclick on the Lookup button searches on QRZ.com for the callsign from the 
     DX Call box.
   - Improved behavior of the mouse buttons when clicking on the waterfall display:
     - Left-click --> set Rx offset (unchanged)
     - Right-click --> set Tx offset (NEW, behaves now like with JTDX)
     - Double-click on right mouse button --> set Rx & Tx offset (Rx = Tx), (NEW feature)
     - Shift + left-click --> set Tx offset (unchanged) 
     - Ctrl + left-click --> set Rx & Tx offset (unchanged)
   - A so-called diagnostic mode has been added. It allows you to collect data to 
     troubleshoot problems with wsjt-x_improved, or its communication with your rig. 
     Also helps to find bugs in hamlib.
   - Add an option to disable event logging entirely (saves CPU load and disk space).
   - I fixed a few minor inconsistencies.
   - Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-07-17.
Note: Due to the politically unstable situation in the world I offer you again a  
      time-unlimited version right away.

Update 2022-06-30:
- Fix an inconsistency in the Lookup function.
- Optimize mode button layout on 4K screens.
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-06-21.

Release 2022-06-16:
- The source codes of WSJT-X and wsjt-x_improved now have a common core. This means 
  that the basic functions of both programs are now identical and maintenance is 
  easier and more effective for both.
- I have implemented some of my wsjt-x_improved features now also in the official 
  WSJT-X v2.6.0 version so that more users can benefit from it, but of course only 
  wsjt-x_improved has all the well known extra features.
- This new version of WSJT-X and wsjt-x_improved brings some performance enhancements 
  and several bug fixes:
  In program WSJT-X:
   - Improved decoding for FT8: additional messages are marked 'a7'.
   - Improved decoding for Q65 when AP is in use.
   - Optional new "Active Stations" window and other features supporting ARRL 
     International Digital Contest.
   - Accurate SNR measurements in Echo mode, including large Doppler spreads.
   - Add a "Clr Avg" button for Echo mode.
   - Add Russian to available translations of user interface.
   - Allow auto reply for non-CQ messages via UDP (JTAlert, etc.) when Hold Tx Freq 
     is enabled.
   - Suppress transmission of blank messages.
   - Suppress self-spotting when running multiple instances.
   - Correct the handling of messages starting with "CQ xxxx ...".
   - Correct a flaw that could cause Windows to drop audio samples.
   - Correct a flaw that could send incorrect frequencies to ALL.TXT and PSK Reporter 
     after a band change.
   - Correct the auto-sequencing logic in several specific circumstances.
   - Correct a flaw in WSPR mode when handling three-character callsigns.
   - Correct a flaw that could cause OmniRig 1.19 or later to set incorrect 
     frequencies after initialization.
  In program MAP65 (Windows only):
   - Send additional information to file azel.dat.
   - Allow optional scaling of digital I/Q data.
   - Suppress a bounds error caused by too-wide setting of displaybandwidth.
- New wsjt-x_improved features:
   - The False Decodes Reduction now works in two levels. Level 1 offers very 
     effective basic protection and is always activated, while level 2 is optional 
     as before and is automatically deactivated during special operating activities.
   - Fine-tuning of my DX-optimized FT8 and FT4 decoder settings.
   - Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-06-14.
   - No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.
Note: Due to the politically unstable situation in the world I refrain from limiting 
      my 'improved' rc1 version and offer you the time-unlimited full version right away.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.5.4

Update 2022-03-04:
- Lower CPU usage for versions with Alerts.
- Integration of DF2ET's sat patch to all my wsjt-x_improved v2.5.4 builds, meaning 
  that you don't need the special version anymore!
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-03-02.
- A few minor bug fixes.

Update 2022-02-11:
- Fixing a bug (U.S. States were not displayed in versions without alerts).
Version with SatPatch:
With this version you can log the satellite name and your RX frequency. Useful when 
working via Es'hail-2 / QO-100. Thanks to DF2ET for the patch!

Update 2022-01-28:
This update brings some bug fixes and performance enhancements:
- Improved algorithm to prevent spotting wrong bands to PSK Reporter when using Band 
  Hopping.
- Further improvement of the False Decodes Reduction (FDR).
- Fix of an inconsistency in Auto Seq. 

Update 2022-01-12:
This update brings you two new wsjt-x_improved features:
- The ALL.TXT file can now be automatically split yearly or monthly. Alternatively 
  you can disable writing of this file entirely. Find the new buttons on the 
  mainwindow under Save. 
- The Settings window has now a new Filters tab. There is a Blacklist and a Whitelist. 
  Filter criteria can be combined in any way. This gives you a powerful tool for 
  customization of what is being displayed at the Band Activity window. For more 
  information, see the Filters.pdf file.

Release 2021-12-28:
- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.5.4 source code (brings a bug fix for slashed 
  callsigns)
Note: My wsjt-x_improved versions were not affected by this bug, meaning that there 
      is no urgent need for you to update from v2.5.3 to v.2.5.4. 
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2022-01-02 (brings some more fixes for ICOM and YAESU rigs).
- I upgraded my wsjt-x_improved builds to using dynamic hamlib files. This makes it 
  much more easier for you to switch to another hamlib version in case of troubles 
  with your rig. It just needs one file to be replaced now (libhamlib-4.dll).
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.5.3

- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.5.3 source code ($DXCALL macro capability added). 
- Update to hamlib 4.5_2021-12-13 (brings a bug fix for ICOM rigs).
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.5.2

Update 2021-12-05:
- Update to hamlib 4.4_2021-12-02 files (brings some improvements for ICOM, YAESU
  and Elecraft rigs).
- Reduced minimum width of the main window (standard and widescreen versions).
- Implementation of the extra feature introduced by NJ0A. With that, you can map 
  grid locators to U.S. States (useful when working without JTAlert). 
  Current limitation: Sometimes the result is only a list of possible States.

Release 2021-11-04:
- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.5.2 source code (brings again some bug fixes, 
  and minor corrections to the main window GUI). 
- Since the current hamlib has a couple of not yet fixed issues, I stayed with 
  hamlib 4.4_2021-10-20.
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.5.1

- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.5.1 source code (brings mainly bug fixes, and 
  a slightly wider main window). 
- Update to hamlib 4.4_2021-10-20.
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.5.0

UPDATE 2021-10-14
Since I received a couple of suggestions for additional features I summarized all 
of them into a new release and upgraded all wsjt-x_improved v2.5.0 versions to that 
level. This includes:
- Highlight the call from the DX Call box. (Note: The colors may be overwritten 
  by JTAlert, GridTracker or some loggers.)
- Highlight the grid from the DX Grid box.
- Automatically clear the DX Call and/or DX Grid boxes after a QSO is logged 
  (useful when DX Call/Grid is highlighted).
- Automatically erase the Band Activity window after a band change.
- Automatically set the RX frequency to the TX frequency after a QSO is logged.
You can switch all these features on or off via new checkboxes on the General tab 
of the Settings window.

Release 2021-09-27:
- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.5.0 source code (brings a faster and more 
  robust decoder for Q65). 
- The official v2.5.0 comes as a bundle of WSJT-X and MAP65 v3.0.0 (now also 
  supporting Q65). Those who do not like this is recommended to use V2.4.0 instead. 
  If you are not interested in EME, you don't need MAP65.
- Also for v2.5.0, I have restored the combined JT9+JT65 mode.
- New: Better readability of the band select box entries.
- New: More checkboxes for wsjt-x_improved band hopping. Now, you can let the 
  program also scan over the main DXpedition frequencies.
- I kept the DX-optimized FT8 and FT4 decoders from previous version but further 
  improved the internal decoder settings. The FT8 Decoder has become a bit more 
  sensitive when "deep" or "normal" is selected (detects now down to -26) while 
  "fast" now works better on slow computers.
- New: False Decodes Reduction (FDR). When enabled, it reduces significantly the 
  number of FT8 false decodes without a reduction of the sensitivity. It only 
  increases the required confidence level for some unusual message formats. 
  FDR is automatically disabled for all Special Operating modes.
- New: It is now possible in contest mode to call CQ together with an individual 
 contest name (e.g. CQ PACC ... instead of CQ TEST ... or CQ RU ...).
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.

Note: wsjt-x_improved is now available both as 64-bit and 32-bit versions (as well 
      as 64-bit versions with Alerts). While the 64-bit versions are the best for 
      all modern computers with 64-bit Windows operating system, the 32-bit versions 
      also work on older computers with 32-bit operating systems (Windows 7, etc.).


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.4.0

- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.4.0 source code (introduction of the new Q65 mode). 
  Note: Joe dropped QRA64 as well as the combined JT9+JT65 mode. I have restored the
  latter.
- I kept the DX-optimized FT8 and FT4 decoders from previous version.
- The arrangement of the checkboxes for wsjt-x_improved band hopping has been 
  slightly optimized (addition of Q65 mode for 6m and 2m and FST4 for 160m, 2190m 
  and 630m FST4 removed due to low band activity).
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.
 

VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.3.1

- Merged with the official WSJT-X v2.3.1 source code (inverts the PTT serial port 
  sharing default behaviour, and re-enables sharing when non-Hamlib CAT control is 
  combined with direct serial port PTT control).
- I kept the DX-optimized FT8 and FT4 decoders from previous version.
- The arrangement of the checkboxes for wsjt-x_improved band hopping has been
  slightly optimized.
- Settings of the band hopping checkboxes are now stored.
- No changes to the other wsjt-x_improved features.
- New: Latest hamlib 4.2 files (supporting Malachite SDR, Yaesu FTDX10, etc.).


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.3.0

- Merged with WSJT-X v2.3.0 GA source code (introduction of the new FST4 and FST4W 
  modes, changed UDP multicast configuration, new internal system and data logging 
  facility). Note: Joe dropped the old tab2 because of inconsistencies with some 
  newer modes.
- I kept the DX-optimized FT8 and FT4 decoders from previous version 2.2.2.
- Optional Band Hopping for FT8, FT4, MSK144 (and now also for FST4) becomes a 
  standard feature of all wsjt-x_improved versions. At 2190 m and 630 m, the mode 
  now automatically changes to FST4.
- A watchdog has been added to the Tune button to prevent accidental transmissions 
  for minutes or hours. It's set to one minute.
- The time limit when transmitting in Hound mode has been increased to 300 seconds.
- In my wsjt-x_improved versions, the new internal system and data logging system 
  is unchanged but disabled by default, since in my opinion unnecessary writes to 
  the hard disk are generated. It is activated automatically when a 
  "wsjtx_log_config.ini" file is placed in the log directory. This means that all 
  new v2.3.0 diagnostic functions are still available, but unnecessary access to 
  your hard drive is prevented.
- New wsjt-x_improved feature: The continuous writing of the ALL.TXT file can now 
  be switched off. It significantly reduces the number of writes to your hard drive
  (extends the lifespan of your SSD, also useful for older computers). To disable 
  writing, create a "noALL.txt" file and place it in the log directory. 
- Note: My wsjt-x_improved_v2.3.0 versions have already been compiled using the 
  latest hamlib database. So I skipped rc4 and published the GA version directly. 
  In case further adjustments are needed, I will release an updated version.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For UDP multicast use either 224.0.0.x or 239.255.0.x addresses 
(x between 1 and 255). 


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.2.2

- Merged with WSJT-X v2.2.2 GA source code, except for Joe's/Steve's changes to the 
  FT8 decoder.
- FT8 and FT4 decoders kept from v.2.2.1, but further optimized for DX. Note: this 
  new feature is experimental. Sometimes even more decodes than with JTDX, however, 
  slightly more false decodes might occur when 'Deep' is selected in the 'Decode' 
  menu. If you don't like that, choose 'Normal' instead.

Versions ...+BandHopping:
- New wsjt-x_improved feature: Band Hopping for FT8, FT4 and MSK144! At the new 
  Tab4 you'll find checkboxes for the most relevant FT8, FT4 and MSK144 frequencies. 
  Select the bands/modes you want and push the "Band Hopping" button. Automatic 
  band hopping takes place every other full minute. (This feature is very useful in 
  combination with Philip's nice www.pskreporter.info tool to get an overview on 
  propagation.)

Versions ..._updateMay2021:
Since v2.2.2 is the last version that has Tab2, I decided to provide you with an 
update from my wsjt-x_improved v2.2.2. These updated versions are like the versions 
2.2.2+BandHopping, however, they also contain the following features of v2.3.1 and higher:
- Latest hamlib 4.2 files (supporting Malachite SDR, Yaesu FTDX10, etc.).
- Settings of the band hopping checkboxes are stored and remembered.
- The continuous writing of the ALL.TXT file can be switched off by a "noALL.txt" file.
- Minor corrections of the GUI.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.2.1

- WSJT-X v2.2.1 is Joe's/Bill's bug fix release that fixes regressions found in the 
  prior v2.2.0 GA release. However, it came with a new bug, relevant to YAESU FT-897D. 
  In my wsjt-x_improved versions, this new bug has already been fixed.
- No changes to the wsjt-x_improved features.


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.2.0

- Merged with WSJT-X v2.2.0 GA source code.
- "B" layout becomes now default.
- Layout of AL version has been slightly modified. 
- New: A bug fix relase for hams using YAESU rigs and having troubles with CAT control. 
  (The bug came with the official wsjt-x v2.2.0 GA release)


VERSIONS WSJT-X_v2.1.2

wsjt-x_improved includes the following additional functions:
- Highlighting of CQ and 73/RR73 messages.
- A new "H" button enables the FT8 DXpedition hound mode to be switched on and off 
  directly via the main program window. Simply set your rig's VFO to the correct DXp 
  frequency. When you hear the fox, just press the "H" button and make your QSO. Press 
  the "H" button again to return to normal FT8 mode.
- “FT8”, “FT4”, “MSK”, and “JT” buttons make it easy to switch between the frequently 
  used modes (useful when menus are hidden)
- Some bug fixes to wsjtx v2.1.2 (e.g. now “Hold Tx Freq” is always checked when
  coming back from FT8 Hound mode).

wsjt-x_improved_B has one more modification:
- In the Wide Graph window, text of the "Control" checkbox has been removed to prevent 
  accidental ticking when setting lower audio frequencies.

Widescreen versions:
The widescreen versions are optimized for laptops. They provide a larger Band Activity 
window, but require more horizontal space. Try it!

AL version:
The alternative layout (AL) version provides a larger Band Activity window even on 
narrow screens. 

