The program is build around 3 windows
- Receive window: Receive functions and configuration
- Transmit window: Transmit functions and camera control
- Gallery window: History of received images, transmit images and templates The program will remember the last position and the size of each window on restart.
Configuration
Before we can use QSSTV you need to do some configuration.
The configuration tool is accessed through the "Options" menu in the receive window. The following tabs are available
- Personal Settings
- Callsign
- First Name
- Last Name
- QTH
- Locator (GridSquare)
This information can be used in templates (see also Editor)
- General
- RX Images: directory for saving the received images
- TX Images: directory for images to transmit
- Templates: directory where the template files are stored
- Audio Records: directory for audio files
- Documentation: directory where the documentaton files are located
- Default Image Format: received images will be saved in this image format
- Interfaces
- RX Clock frequency : clock used to receive images,(see also Calibration:)
- TX Clock frequency : clock used to transmit images,(see also Calibration:)
- Audio Device : depending on your hardware (e.g. /dev/dsp)
- CW
- Tone: frequency of the CW tone
- Words per Minute: CW transmission speed
- Text To Send: this text will be send at the end of an image transmission if the option is enabled.
- CAT
You can select between two mutual exclusive options for the CAT interface. They can both be "off" but only one can be active. QSSTV uses the first option as its preferred interface, follow the documentation on http://www.hamlib.org. to get more information.
- Enable Hamlib Cat Interface
- Enable PTT serial Interface
- Radio Model: drop down list from the radio models
- CIV Address: only used for ICOM, default is 112 (hex: 0x70)
- Serial Port/host: either the serial port (e.g. /dev/ttyUSB0) or the host address (e.g. localhost:4532)
- Handshake, Parity, Data bits, Stop bits, Baudrate: serial port settings
- PTT Serial Port: serial port (e.g. /dev/ttyS0) only used if "Enable PTT serial Interface" is selected
- Repeater
- Enable repeater: enable repeater operation
- Image Interval (min): interval time before sending one of the Idle Images
- Repeater TX mode: the mode the repeater will use to send the images
- Idle Image[1-4]: images send by the repeater if there is no activity for more than the interval time
- Idle Template:template that will be super-imposed on the idle images
- Repeater Template: template that will be super-imposed on the repeated(received) images
- FTP
- Enable FTP: enable ftp operation
- FTP Port: default 21
- Default Image Format:
- Remote Hostname: hostname of the ftp server (e.g. myftp.home.net or 192.168.0.1)
- Remote directory:the ftp server directory where you'll store the images
- FTP Loginname: your login name on the server (can be anonymous)
- FTP Password: if you need one otherwise leave blank
- Camera
This interface is compatible with video4linux
- Video device: enter the driver name (e.g /dev/video0)
- Color Format: can be left blank
- Size: can be left blank
- Channel: can be left blank
Calibration:
All SSTV applications need an accurate and stable clock. The accuracy of a PC clock is not always correct. Therefore it's necessary to execute some sort of calibration. You need to synchronize your PC with an network time server via the ntp protocol. Every Linux distribution has some configuration tool that allows you to install the ntp client. Be sure it's active. You can check it with:
>ntpdc -p
The selected ntp server should have an asterix in the first column.
remote local st poll reach delay offset disp
=======================================================================
*stratum1dc1.bc 10.119.37.19 2 64 377 0.00386 0.036853 0.06850
You can now launch the Calibration.
When RX and TX calibration is finished, press the OK button to accept the new values.