Digital Modes PSK
Phase shift keying (PSK) is a class of digital mode communications with many variations.
PSK31
PSK31 was originally developed by Pawel Jalocha (SP9VRC) and was called "SLOWBPSK". Peter Martinez (G3PLX) developed this idea further and came up with a very narrow (160 Hz) phase shift mode which uses a 31 bit/second data rate (hence the name).
While PSK31 is not an ARQ mode such as Pactor, it can correct errors using a mathematical construct called a Viterbi decoder. If your are interested in the mathematics behind this, Peter has published a paper which can be found (in PDF format) here. Peters' original program needed a Motorola DSP56002EVM board (this product has been discontinued ), but in December of 1998, he released a new version which can run on any computer with Windows95 or NT and a SoundBlaster 16 compatible sound card. This mode has become extremely popular, as it works very well with weak signals and is great for keyboard "chatting".
Programs such as DigiPan have greatly simplified operating PSK31. Get the software Version 2.0 here
| Band | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 160 m | 1.838 MHz |
| 80 m | 3.580 MHz |
| 40 m | 7.070 MHz (7.035 MHz[1]) |
| 30 m | 10.140 MHz |
| 20 m | 14.070 MHz |
| 17 m | 18.100 MHz |
| 15 m | 21.070 MHz (21.080 MHz[2]) |
| 10 m | 28.120 MHz |
[1] Region 1 (DX contacts)
[2] Official
| Band | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 6 m | 50.290 MHz |
| 2 m | 144.144 MHz |
| 1.25 m | 222.07 MHz |
| 70 cm | 432.2 MHz |
| 33 cm | 909 MHz |
