Quick-Start Guide to WSJT-X 2.5.0 and MAP65 3.0
Joe Taylor, K1JT –June 1, 2021

WSJT-X 2.5.0 offers automatic compensation for linear frequency drifts of Q65 signals, andinstalling it on Windows automatically includes the program MAP65 3.0. Used with suitable
RF hardware, MAP65 provides wideband (up to 90 kHz) reception of Q65 and JT65 signals
with optional adaptive polarization. MAP65 3.0 is similar to earlier versions but has full
support of the new protocol Q65, replacing the deprecated QRA64. Other features ofWSJT-X and MAP65 remain as in earlier versions.
Installation: MAP65 keeps its log and various other files in the directory from which it isexecuted. Therefore, if you wish to use MAP65 be sure to install the package to a directory
where you have write permission: for example C:\WSJT-X. For convenient startup you willprobably want to create desktop shortcuts for the files C:\WSJT-X\bin\wsjtx.exe and
C:\WSJT-X\bin\map65.exe. Be sure that the shortcut for MAP65 has its “Start in” directory set
to the directory containing map65.exe. When you first start MAP65, be sure to enter suitable
paths for the Save Directory and AzEl Directory on the Setup | Options | Station tab.
MAP65 Operation: MAP65 supports only 60-second T/R sequences. Select active
submodes for Q65 and JT65 from the Mode menu. We recommend using Q65-60A for EME
at 50 and 144 MHz, Q65-60B at 432 MHz, Q65-60C at 1296 MHz, and Q65-60D at 10 GHz.
Your Tx mode (Q65 or JT65) is determined by the status of a button just below the Tx firstcheckbox. Decoded messages in the main window are flagged with a special modedependent character, # for JT65 and : for Q65. The screen shot below shows reception ofnine EME signals in Q65-60A and three in JT65B, decoded from three successive Rxsequences.

It’s easy to distinguish between Q65 and JT65 signals on the waterfall. The Q65 sync tone issomewhat less prominent, and the bandwidth of a Q65-60A signal is only 108 Hz — less than
1/3 the bandwidth of a JT65B signal. Q65 messages use numerical signal reports and do not
use two-tone shorthands for RO, RRR, and 73.
Drift Compensation: A Q65 user control Max Drift appears on the main windows of both
WSJT-X and MAP65. The Q65 decoder measures and compensates for signal drift up to(symbol rate) × (Max Drift) per transmission. The Q65-60x submodes have symbol rate
1.667 Hz, so setting Max Drift to 15 accommodates drifts up to 25 Hz per transmission.
Similarly, Q65-15x submodes have symbol rate 6.667 Hz, so Max Drift = 40 accommodates
drifts up to 267 Hz per transmission (as might be required for 10 GHz aircraft scatter). It’s
best to keep Max Drift set to 0 unless drift compensation is actually required, and otherwise
set it no higher than necessary. Drift compensation is active in MAP65 only for signals within± FTol of the selected QSO frequency.
Soundcard drivers: If you have a dual polarization (Xpol) system and used ASIO soundcard
drivers with MAP65 2.7, use the WDM/KS drivers with MAP65 3.0.
FUNcube Dongle: With the original FUNcube Dongle, install the dongle control program into
the MAP65 bin directory. Use the first download listed here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/qthid/files/3.0/ and extract the whole archive into the bindirectory. With the FUNcube Pro+, install the control program from here:
http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/FCHid2.002.zip You might want to write a simple
batch file called qthid.bat in the bin directory so that FCHID2.002.exe can be launched fromthe MAP65 menu.
IQ+: The PE0FKO libusb-w32 driver is obsolete and incompatible with the latest USB library.
To upgrade your driver without losing compatibility with applications using older USB libraries,
download the Zadig tool from https://zadig.akeo.ie/, run the tool, scan for all appropriate USB
devices (check the Menu | Options | List All Devices option), select the device called
DG8SAQ-I2C from the top drop-down list, then with libusbK listed as the replacement driverto right of the green arrow, double-click the Replace driver button. After a few seconds thedriver will be replaced. Quit the utility and you are done. Upgrading in this way should allow
direct control of the IQ+ from MAP65 and also via Linrad running on Windows.
Testing and Reporting: Release candidates of WSJT-X 2.5.0 and MAP65 3.0 are intendedfor beta testers willing to provide feedback to the developers. Please do your testing with
Save all enabled, so that recorded *.wav, *.iq, and *.tf2 files can be sent to us for testing
purposes. The .iq and .tf2 files are large – nearly 20 and 40 MB each, respectively – but you
can always delete unwanted ones later. We consider Q65 to be the best digital mode for
EME, tropospheric scatter, rain scatter, ionospheric scatter, aircraft scatter, and TEP on VHF
and higher bands, as well as other types of fast-fading signals. We are especially interested
in optimizing Q65 performance for all of these propagation modes, in both WSJT-X andMAP65. Please promote the use of Q65 for EME on all bands, encouraging others to switchfrom JT65 to Q65. If you find program bugs, be sure to tell us any relevant details of yoursetup, and if possible provide a complete recipe for reproducing the problem.
Future Development: As always, we welcome suggestions for improvements in the way
WSJT-X and MAP65 operate. Please note, however, that we do not currently envision largechanges or additions to MAP65 capabilities. Instead, we plan to implement the mostimportant MAP65 capabilities in WSJT-X, including wideband reception with polarization
diversity.