[wsjt-devel] Two program releases: WSJT-X 2.3.1 (GA) and WSJT-X 2.4.0-rc4

[Joe T. <jo...@pr...>]

We are pleased to announce two new releases of program WSJT-X: a General 
Availability (GA) release of version 2.3.1, and release candidate RC4 of 
version 2.4.0.  Please read this announcement and relevant sections of 
the Release Notes carefully.


1. WSJT-X 2.3.1 is a bug-fix release.  It includes updates to the User 
Guide covering new modes FST4 and FST4W, and repairs defects and 
regressions discovered since the v2.3.0 release.  Further details of 
changes since v2.3.0 can be found in the Release Notes:
https://physics.princeton.edu//pulsar/k1jt/Release_Notes.txt
Scroll down to the section titled "Release: WSJT-X 2.3.1" and dated
"Mar 26, 2021."

Links to WSJT-X 2.3.1 installation packages for Windows, Linux, and 
Macintosh are available here:
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html


2. Release candidate WSJT-X 2.4.0-rc4 includes the new digital mode Q65.
Q65 is designed for two-way QSOs over especially difficult propagation 
paths including ionospheric scatter, troposcatter, rain scatter, TEP, 
EME, and other types of fast-fading signals.  Details and 
recommendations concerning the Q65 submodes are provided in the 
"Quick-Start Guide to Q65", available here:
https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/Q65_Quick_Start.pdf

The WSJT-X User Guide now includes details about Q65 and is available 
here: 
https://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.4.0-rc4.html

Changes since WSJT-X 2.4.0-rc3 are summarized at the top of Release 
Notes: https://physics.princeton.edu//pulsar/k1jt/Release_Notes.txt

Links to WSJT-X 2.4.0-rc4 installation packages for Windows, Linux, and 
Macintosh are available here:
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html
Scroll down to find "Candidate release:  WSJT-X 2.4.0-rc4".

You can also download the packages from our SourceForge site:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt/files/
It may take a short time for the SourceForge site to be updated.


GENERAL ADVICE FOR UPGRADING:  If you are not currently interested in 
Q65 you should update to WSJT-X 2.3.1.  If you wish to participate in 
testing and reporting feedback on Q65, you should upgrade to WSJT-X 
2.4.0-rc4. Please remember that by using a release candidate you are 
joining a beta test group.  This brings a responsibility to report your 
experiences on one of the relevant user forums.


WSJT-X is licensed under the terms of Version 3 of the GNU General 
Public License (GPL).  Development of this software is a cooperative 
project to which many amateur radio operators have contributed.  If you 
use our code, please have the courtesy to let us know about it.  If you 
find bugs or make improvements to the code, please report them to us in 
a timely fashion.

The authors and Copyright holders of WSJT-X request that derivative 
works do not publish programs based on features in WSJT-X before those 
features are made available in a General Availability (GA) release of 
WSJT-X.  We will cease making public Release Candidate (RC) pre-releases 
for testing and user early access purposes if this request is ignored.

We hope you will enjoy using this candidate release of WSJT-X 2.4.0 and 
exercising the new mode Q65.  Please report on your Q65 experiences, 
successful and otherwise, on one of the WSJT forums.  Bugs should be 
reported by following instructions found here in the User Guide:

https://www.physics.princeton.edu//pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.4.0-rc4.html#_bug_reports

   -- 73 from Joe, K1JT; Bill, G4WJS; Steve, K9AN; and Nico, IV3NWV