From John, M0STQ:
If anyone would like to try out a basic QSO practice bot, just point your M32 to qsobot.online and give it a try.
Tommy has been very kind and patient, and helped me focus my attention on the QSO process, rather than doing an extended echo trainer. He already has the phrases trainer, and the M32 is pretty good at word training out of the box.
So, this server should help beginners (like me) practice a basic QSO, with both sending and receiving.
Thanks for any feedback. Instructions (in Markdown) below.
John
# QSObot instructions
## Background
This programme mimics a number of different people, each with a different callsign, name and home location.
It is meant to be used for beginners to practice a basic QSO. Getting more fluent with sending and head copying should allow a beginner to get ready to have practice QSOs with real people, or even go on air.
## Config
Set the Morserino-32 WiFi peer to be "qsobot.online".
That's it. Set the speed to something you can copy. The bot will answer at the same speed with which you send.
## Starting and Finishing
Once the M32 is connected to your local WiFi network, and ready to send, key in "qrl?".
This asks "Is this channel busy?". If the programme already has all slots busy with QSOs, it will answer "qrl". Try again in a few minutes.
If there's a spare slot - one of the bot personalities is available - then it will answer "k". You can now go on to the main QSO.
If you send an <SK> "...-.-" at any time, the bot will say goodbye and your QSO is finished. You need to ask "qrl?" if you want to start again.
If you send nothing for 4 minutes, the bot will time out and send you a goodbye transmission.
## Basics
You key in words, and end with a terminating prosign like k "-.-", <kn> "-.--.", <bk> "-...-.-", or <sk>/<va> "...-.-"
"kn" will be taken as a terminator, too, although kn "-.- -." isn't really correct to send at the end of a transmission. Try to make it a continuous <kn> with no space between the k and n.
Once you've sent your transmission, and ended with a prosign, the bot will send back a transmission, which will end with <kn> or <sk>. <kn> for all but the last transmission. <sk> for the last transmission.
When you've finished your transmission, the bot will think, and then send back its answer. While it is sending back to you, it is deaf. Anything you send before its final <kn> will be ignored.
If you make a mistake whilst sending, key in eight dits "........" and this will delete the eight dits and the previous word you sent. If you find you made a mistake two words ago, you can type in "........" "........" which will delete the previous two words. Then carry on with the transmission and send your terminating prosign.
## QSO format
Once you get your initial "k" from the bot, it will be waiting for you to transmit.
First thing to do is ask for a QSO: "cq de [your_callsign] k". If you want to practice a more realistic cq call, "cq cq cq de [your_callsign] [your_callsign] [your_callsign] k" will work. Any number of "cq"s and [your_callsign]s should work.
The bot you're connected with should respond. If it were q1bot, you'd get "[your_callsign] de q1bot <kn>"
Then transmissions ping pong between the user and the bot, with some essential bits of information being exchanged:
- RST report of the other side's transmission (readability, strength, tone)
- name of the person/bot
- location (QTH) of the person/bot
When these bits of information have been exchanged, the bot will just send messages showing that it knows who it's talking with.
This is the time to end the QSO. Say good bye and thanks, and end with <sk>. You are done. Congratulations!
## Formality of callsign usage
Formally, every transmission has four sections:
- starting callsigns "[receiver] de [sender]"
- actual text e.g. "ur rst 599 599 = how cpi?"
- ending callsigns "[receiver] de [sender]"
- terminating prosign e,g. <kn> or <sk>
The bot never sends <ar> or other prosigns, in this version.
When users prefer less formality, sometimes the starting callsigns or ending callsigns or both are omitted, apart from the first and last transmissions.
The bot will take its lead from the user. If you don't use starting callsigns, then it won't either. If you don't use ending callsigns, it won't either. When it says goodbye, it will use both starting and ending callsigns.
## Example QSO
qrl?
- k
cq cq de wibble wibble k
- wibble de q9bot <kn>
q9bot de wibble ur rst 579 579 <kn>
- wibble de q9bot ur rst 599 599 <kn>
q9bot de wibble gm es thanx fer call q9bot de wibble <kn>
- wibble de q9bot op hr mickey mickey = so ur name pse? wibble de q9bot <kn>
name/op and qth and rst have to be exchanged. When the bot has everything it needs it will say
- wibble de q9bot thnx bert from london fer 579 rpt wibble de q9bot <kn>
if you keep transmitting, the bot won't say anything new, in this version, so it's time to end...
q9bot de wibble thnx mickey = cuagn 73 73 q9bot de wibble <sk>
- wibble de q9bot ok cuagn 73 73 wibble de q9bot <sk>
and the bot has gone, and may now be talking to another user.
There are currently nine different names and locations to collect
## Feedback welcomed
Hard error/bug reports are very welcome. Please send to the sub-group, so if others are also testing the bot, they know that the error has been reported.
Advice where the bot's current behaviour is against proper amateur radio procedures would be welcomed. I don't want to help beginners learn incorrect procedure
I'm a beginner, so I only know from the internet.
Comments on bits that you like and don't like would be interesting. If there is general agreement that something would be better done a different way, then I'll change it.
Feature requests. If people want something new added, then I'll add it to the roadmap list, but I might not get it done very quickly, because there are other things already on that list, like connecting the bot to an iCW/Mumble chat room.
Thanks,
John (M0STQ)