FT8 companions
GridTracker: the dynamic map of digital radio
GridTracker has, in just a few years, become one of the most appreciated tools among radio amateurs using FT8, FT4, and the other modes in the WSJT-X family. It is not a simple map viewer, nor an aesthetic add-on: it is a true “control center” that transforms the raw data coming from WSJT-X into an immediate, rich, and surprisingly intuitive visual representation of propagation, QSOs, and global HF activity.
Its strength lies in its ability to interpret in real time the information stream transmitted by WSJT-X over the network. Every decode, every QSO, every band or frequency change is immediately translated into a point on the map, into a link, into contextual information. The operator no longer has to “imagine” where the received stations are: they see them appear in front of their eyes, with locator, path, distance, and direction. It is a completely new way of perceiving propagation, no longer as an abstract concept but as a living, dynamic, almost tangible phenomenon.
GridTracker does not only display what is happening: it interprets it. It highlights band openings, emphasizes rare stations, signals potentially completable awards, and shows in real time which DXCC entities are active and which are missing from the operator’s log. It is a tool that transforms simple listening activity into a strategic experience, where the operator can decide where to focus attention with far greater awareness than in the past.
Its integration with logging software and online services also allows the log to remain constantly updated, to verify confirmed and pending QSOs, and to monitor activity with extreme precision. GridTracker does not replace WSJT-X, but complements it, providing a visual dimension that makes evident what Taylor and Franke’s software is doing behind the scenes. It is, in a sense, the “geographical consciousness” of digital amateur radio.
PSK Reporter: the global sensory network of HF
PSK Reporter is one of the most revolutionary projects ever created in the amateur radio world. It is a global network of distributed receivers, a continuous monitoring system that collects and aggregates decodes from thousands of stations around the world. Every time WSJT-X decodes a signal, it can automatically send the information to PSK Reporter, which integrates it into a worldwide propagation map updated every few seconds.
The result is a kind of “nervous system” of digital amateur radio: a network that perceives, records, and visualizes radio activity in real time. For the operator, PSK Reporter is an extremely powerful analysis tool. It allows immediate understanding of where one’s signal is reaching, with what strength, on which bands, and at what times of day. It is possible to verify antenna effectiveness, compare different configurations, study propagation trends, and identify sudden openings that would otherwise go unnoticed.
PSK Reporter has changed the way radio amateurs perceive propagation. Before the advent of digital modes, propagation was a phenomenon to be inferred, interpreted through experience and observation. Today it is possible to “see” it directly, as a network of lines that light up and disappear across the world map. This does not diminish the fascination of radio: on the contrary, it allows a deeper appreciation of the complexity of ionospheric phenomena and their unpredictability.
The role of PSK Reporter in the digital ecosystem is fundamental. It is not just a statistics service, but an infrastructure that allows WSJT-X, GridTracker, and logging software to operate in a more aware and informed way. It is a tool that has made radio more transparent, more measurable, and in a sense, more scientific.