App tour

Inside OpenJSQ.

Conversations, net controls, shared information, and a station setup for the way you operate.

App screenshots show example or idle stations, not a recorded on-air exchange. Select a screenshot for full size.

Setting up for the first time? Follow the first-contact checklist →

chats

Start a conversation.

Choose a station, Allcall, or a group, then compose your message. The status beneath it shows the available delivery evidence.

The OpenJSQ Chats page: a conversation list at left, and a conversation with N4UZZ at right. The header says what N4UZZ's station can do (chat with receipts, files, station actions). Below an italic line recording that you asked what it supports, an answer bubble reads OpenJSQ 1.0.7, Supports: chat with receipts, files, station actions, and Works on JG25. Incoming messages show their signal-to-noise ratio, and outgoing messages are marked Sent.
The capability line describes the peer; incoming messages carry signal details. Sent alone does not confirm reception. Open full-size screenshot
Controls and operating notes
  • Choose a conversationSelect a station, Allcall or a group you have joined. Packet stations are listed by their full call, SSID included: W4IJG-1 and W4IJG-2 are separate conversations.
  • Send and watchUse Send, then read the status beneath your message. Verified packet chat adds acknowledgements and retries for supported direct exchanges.
  • See the cost before SendPacket chat shows the bytes, packet count, delivery mode, and estimated airtime beneath the message box. An FSQ message too long for one transmission is refused with an explanation before it goes out.
  • Keep radio context closeThe modem and signal evidence stay beside your messages.

Read the operator guide →

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Automatic station actions

Stations that work together, unattended.

In a station's chat, open Actions, choose a request, then press Enter to send it. If the other station is on air and permits the action, it can handle the request without its operator typing a reply.

Actual OpenJSQ Actions menu in a demo N4UZZ chat: ask for a signal report, QTH, QTC, heard list, last message or delayed resend, repeat supplied text now or later, ask what they support, wake, and send an alert. Mailbox, relay, files and ICS-213 actions also appear below. The menu says nothing transmits until Enter is pressed.
Actual app menu from a demo station. Available actions depend on the peer's capabilities and settings. Open full-size screenshot →

Explore a station action

A station that works with yours.

Illustrative exchange
W4IJGYour station
Request to W4AP

Who can you hear?

Automatic reply

W4IJG, 2m ago, 12 dB K4ABC, 5m ago, -3 dB

W4APAutomatic servicesAs its settings permit
W4AP broadcasts to everyone on the channel

W4IJG checking in.

Listener AListener BListener C
Heard list

W4AP shares its heard list, revealing observations beyond your own receiver.

Choose an action to see an example. Last-message and repeat-my-words actions also offer a 0–60 second delay. Net mode and automatic-traffic settings can hold replies.

Station info opens a local card without transmitting. The menu also opens mail, relay, file, and form services shown elsewhere in this tour. Actions and automatic answers in the operator guide →

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Groups · for a club, net, or field team

One shared destination.
One conversation.

Use a name such as @CLUB to address the group rather than each operator separately. A group is a local subscription to a shared address; no central membership server is required.

Send to the group

KK4IB

@CLUBGroup conversation

Net starts at 19:00 UTC.

One message.
One group address.

N4UZZ

Subscribed to @CLUB

In this station’s @CLUB conversation

KK4IB

Net starts at 19:00 UTC.

K4ABC

Subscribed to @CLUB

In this station’s @CLUB conversation

KK4IB

Net starts at 19:00 UTC.

Any member can reply to @CLUB. Each station keeps its own group conversation. No central membership server is needed.

Illustrated exchange: both receiving stations are subscribed and decode this example. Group messages are Live broadcasts; sending does not confirm that every member received them.
  1. Agree on a name and radio channel. Members need a usable radio path. They do not need matching transmit modes: each recipient needs an enabled receiver that can decode the sender.
  2. Join locally. In Chats, use New conversation and enter @CLUB; opening it also joins it. Or add the name in Settings → Chats & groups → Subscribed groups. One subscription list serves every waveform.
  3. Send to the group. Subscribed stations that decode the transmission see it in that group’s conversation. Other members can answer there using their selected transmit waveform. Audio multi-receive can hear enabled waveforms; a KISS-only link receives AX1200 only.

Check who hears the net

In the group’s Actions menu, choose Ask for a signal report. Stations that permit group answers reply after staggered delays, and the answers appear in the group conversation. Requests are rate-limited—once per group every five minutes by default.

Group traffic is broadcast and always Live: it does not prove every member received the message. Group conversations do not offer file attachments; send or retrieve files directly with a capable station. Group controls in the operator guide →

Keep a directed net quiet.

Turn on Net mode in the top bar to hold automatic traffic on every waveform while leaving messages you deliberately type and send available. Presence announcements, automatic answers, mail delivery, file traffic, and chat acknowledgements wait. Turn it off when the net ends; it also resets off when the app restarts.

Other stations may retry while acknowledgements are held. Use Ctrl + Space for Stop TX when a transmission must stop. Net mode and transmit controls →

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ICS-213 · from the keyboard to the paper copy

Compose. Exchange. Print.

A structured message at your keyboard. A readable form at the other station, ready to keep or print.

Fill in the sheet.

In Chats, choose Actions → Send an ICS-213 form…. Enter To, From, Subject, Message, and Signature. OpenJSQ adds the date and time in UTC.

Actual OpenJSQ ICS-213 compose dialog: To N4UZZ, From KK4IB, subject Roster, message Slot confirmed, signature Tom. The mailbox receipt option is selected; the counter reads 132 of 136 bytes, above Send form and Cancel.
Actual app dialog with example traffic from the operator guide. Select for full size.

The mailbox option asks for a filing receipt; it does not confirm a human has read the form. Form controls in the operator guide →

Sending a form to a group?

One form for the net.

Open the group conversation and choose the same ICS-213 action. The form goes as one Live group message, with no mailbox filing or acknowledgements.

Keep it within the displayed group-message limit. If it is too long, shorten it or send it directly to individual stations. Forms cannot be sent to Allcall.

Actual group ICS-213 dialog addressed to @DRILLNET. There is no mailbox checkbox; a note says the form goes as one message and will not be acknowledged.
Actual group dialog from the operator guide, using example traffic.

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mail

Leave a letter for later.

Use Inbox for letters waiting for you and Holding for mail your station is keeping for others.

The OpenJSQ Inbox page: Inbox and Sent folders, a search box, three letters waiting in the list with the selected one open beside them, a toolbar with New mail, Check mail, Reply, Approve, Save, Delete, Mark unread and Mark all read, and a Holding button for mail kept for other stations.
Choose a letter in the list to read it alongside the Inbox and Sent folders. Open full-size screenshot

Two ways to deliver a letter.

The recipient can be off the air when you write it.

Direct delivery

New mail → Leave with: This station

Your station

Holds the letter until the recipient answers.

Held here
Announce · fetch · confirm
Recipient

Fetches the letter into Inbox and confirms receipt.

Delivery confirmed

Your station does the waiting. Keep its radio and mail service running to deliver the letter.

Custodial delivery

New mail → Leave with: a mailbox station

Your station

Deposits the letter with a willing custodian.

Awaiting custody
Deposit
Custodian

Stores the letter until the recipient is heard.

Custody accepted
Recipient
heard later
Recipient

Fetches the letter into Inbox and confirms receipt.

Delivery confirmed

The custodian does the waiting. After custody is acknowledged, you can go offline; the custodian stays on air. If it declines, you keep the letter.

Custody accepted is not final delivery. Confirmation means stored at the recipient's station, not read by the operator. Radio paths and mail-service settings must allow the exchange.
Controls and operating notes
  • New mail → composeAddress a letter and choose the appropriate delivery option.
  • Check mail → pick a stationCheck for mail offers the stations you have recently heard in a list; choose one to ask it for letters waiting for you.
  • Reply → continueSelect an incoming letter and use Reply to continue the exchange. Reply quotes the previous conversation into the body under a “----- previous conversation -----” divider, so you can trim what you do not need to send again.
  • Holding → inspect custodyReview mail your station is keeping for others. Holding is not final delivery.

Read the operator guide →

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files

Send it. Finish it. Share it.

Send a file or browse a peer’s advertised folder. The transfer list separates your files from background service transfers.

The OpenJSQ Files page scrolled down to its sharing controls: a Browse a station card with an empty listing and a Download button, and a Your shared files card with Sharing on, the shared folder, Who may browse set to Everyone, Publish files received from set to These stations with N4UZZ and K4ABC listed, and When a station asks set to Serve automatically, followed by a note that one file is over the size limit and that five files are offered.
Sharing controls set the offered folder, access policy, and which received files can be published. Open full-size screenshot
Controls and operating notes
  • Send file → track progressChoose a station and file, then use Send file. Progress and State show the transfer evidence.
  • Pause / Resume → continueControl the transfer with the row actions. Recovery can request missing pieces instead of repeating the whole file.
  • Sharing on → offer a folderChoose folder and Who may browse control your offer. Publish files received from can put files that listed stations send you straight into it, so list only stations you trust. Browse files requests a capable peer’s listing directly.

Read the operator guide →

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A file library over radio

A library other stations can use.

A club station can offer a roster, instructions, or other useful documents for compatible stations to fetch directly, without someone selecting each file to send.

The library station

N4UZZ

  • net-roster.txt
  • antenna-plan.png
  • repeater-list.csv

Sharing on
Allowed stations · your limits
Automatic service or Ask me first

  1. KK4IB → N4UZZAsk for the file list.
  2. N4UZZ → KK4IBReturn names and sizes.
  3. KK4IB → N4UZZRequest one entry.
  4. N4UZZ → KK4IBTransfer the selected file.

The requesting station

KK4IB

Browse N4UZZ’s files.
Select net-roster.txt,
then choose Download.

net-roster.txtOnly the chosen file travels.

Follow progress on Files.

Illustrated direct exchange between example stations. Browsing retrieves a list, not the whole folder. A download follows only when the library station’s policy and limits allow it.
  1. Choose what you offer. On Files, choose a folder, turn Sharing on, and set Who may browse.
  2. Choose how you serve. Serve automatically within your limits, or use Ask me first. Other stations use Browse files to request the list and download an entry.
  3. Accept contributions if you choose. Publish files received from can make completed files from selected stations available in your library. Publishing received files is off by default; callsign filters do not authenticate the sender.

Browsing and retrieval need a direct connection and a capable peer. Transfers recover missing pieces and verify the complete file; retained partial data can be reused when the same file is offered again. Sharing controls and limits →

Need a structured message? Explore ICS-213 forms →

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relay

Choose a station to carry it.

Use Route in a direct conversation to choose a willing station to carry the message.

The OpenJSQ Chats page at demo station KK4IB, with N4UZZ's conversation open. Route: via K4ABC appears in the header, via K4ABC is checked in the route menu, and the compose hint says Goes to K4ABC, who passes it to N4UZZ. The radio is off.
Demo chat with via K4ABC selected for N4UZZ. The compose hint reads back the route. The radio is stopped; this shows the setup, not a recorded exchange. Open full-size screenshot

One conversation. A station in between.

In this example, KK4IB and N4UZZ cannot hear each other directly.

Your station

KK4IB

In N4UZZ's chat, choose Route → via K4ABC.

“Signal report please.”

Message
Reply

Your chosen relay

K4ABC

Receives, then forwards your message to N4UZZ.

Carries the reply back, too.

Message
Reply

Your recipient

N4UZZ

Receives your message. Choose Reply via K4ABC to answer through the same relay.

A route to one recipient. The repeat feature below asks a station to broadcast your words to the channel.

Illustrated two-way route. Each hop depends on radio conditions and the relay's policy. A returned reply is evidence of an exchange; sending Live chat alone does not confirm delivery.
Controls and operating notes
  • Route → via a stationChoose a heard station in the conversation’s Route control. Each hop depends on it being available and willing.
  • Relay activity → inspectFrom, To and State describe carried traffic when rows are present. It stays separate from your own conversations.

Read the operator guide →

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A check-in carried to the channel

Ask another station to repeat your words.

These listeners cannot hear your station directly.

1 · Your request

Your station

“Checking in from the valley.”

Supply the words you want repeated.

2 · If repeats are allowed

Hilltop station

“Checking in from the valley.”

Repeats your words to the channel.
Now, or after a 0–60 s pause.

3 · Within its radio reach

Listening stations

  • Station A
  • Station B
  • Station C

One broadcast for everyone listening.

Illustrative radio paths. You ask one station; it broadcasts your supplied text to the channel. Actual reception depends on the radio path.

A better-positioned station may reach operators who cannot hear you. In its chat, choose Actions → Ask them to repeat my message…, type your check-in, and send. If it permits repeats, that station transmits your supplied text to everyone. The later option adds a pause of 0–60 seconds.

This asks for a broadcast repeat, separate from routing a conversation to one destination. It depends on the other station’s policy and radio path. Repeat actions and relay controls →

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network

See who hears whom.

Map network requests peers’ heard lists. Each link records an observation, not a guaranteed route.

The OpenJSQ Network page: a map with this station at the centre and three stations it has heard, links labelled with signal figures, each station marked with the waveform it works on; the Stations Heard list beside it with a Last RX column; and an empty Relay activity table below.
Blue links are direct observations; the grey curve reports what another station heard. Open full-size screenshot
Controls and operating notes
  • Map network → ask peersRequest heard lists to add observations beyond your own receiver.
  • Stations Heard → check evidenceCompare Signal, Link and Heard. A recent reception does not guarantee the return path.
  • Read the line legendDirect observations and paths reported by another station use different markings. Keep the source and direction in mind.

Read the operator guide →

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channel

Inspect what was decoded.

Filter the reception history, inspect a decoded message, or save a diagnostic bundle.

The OpenJSQ Channel page: a feed of received and sent messages, newest at the bottom, each with who sent it to whom, the time, the waveform it used and a Received or Sent label, with filters for All, Received, Sent and waveform.
Received and sent traffic appears in time order, with filters above it. Open full-size screenshot
Controls and operating notes
  • Select a reception → inspectChoose a history row to populate its admission and decoder details.
  • Save bundle → reportCollect diagnostic evidence for troubleshooting with Save bundle.

Read the operator guide → · Report a bug with diagnostic details →

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radio

Connect the station you have.

Connect radio audio or an AX.25 KISS TNC over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), serial COM, or TCP/IP, including Dire Wolf. Add optional CAT control through flrig or Hamlib rigctld for frequency, mode, and supported radio controls.

The OpenJSQ Radio page on its Setup tab. Five tabs run across the top: Setup, Transmit, Receive, Rig control and Live status. The Radio & audio card shows the Waveform buttons with FSQ selected, a Station identity line reading KK4IB on FSQ with an Edit station identity button, the Audio input and Audio output lists, a collapsed More options line and the Channel mode. Below it, a footer pinned to the page holds Start radio, a status line and a strip reading Stopped, PTT VOX, RX, dropouts.
Radio Setup, stopped, with no real device chosen. Start radio and the status strip stay below the tabs. Open full-size screenshot
Controls and operating notes
  • Audio → OpenJSQ modemSelect SignaLink, DigiRig or radio USB audio input/output and supported VOX or serial PTT.
  • KISS → packet TNCChoose BLE KISS with compatible hardware and build support, a serial COM port (USB or Bluetooth serial), or TCP/IP KISS such as Dire Wolf. Existing AX.25 digipeaters can repeat the packets using a supported path. Packet paths and APRS coexistence →
  • Optional CAT → controlflrig or Hamlib rigctld provides frequency/control and optional CAT PTT alongside the audio or packet path.
  • Live status → what each waveform is doingThe last tab has a row for FSQ, AX1200, and JG25. The selected waveform carries what you type, including manual replies. On an audio link, enabled other waveforms listen alongside it; permitted automatic replies use the incoming waveform. Settings and band policy can hold those replies. A KISS-only link receives AX1200 only. Waiting to send lists what has not gone out yet, with Review… (each item with its own Cancel) and Cancel all waiting, which asks first; the footer repeats the count while anything waits.
  • Station identity → read it hereThe line under the Waveform buttons is read-only: it shows the identity this waveform sends. Edit station identity… takes you to Settings, the one place it is entered.
  • Restart indicator → running old settingsA few settings are read only when the radio starts. Change one while the radio runs and the status bar says Running old settings · Restart until a restart applies it.

Read the operator guide →

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settings

Decide how your station behaves.

Set station identity, automatic behavior, and appearance. Find a setting searches all seven sections.

The OpenJSQ Settings page on its Automatic traffic section. The seven sections are listed at the left: Station, Automatic traffic, Mail and files, Stations heard, Chats and groups, Alerts and appearance, and About and storage. A Find a setting box and a Show all advanced options tick sit at the top right. The Automatic replies card shows answer choices with a collapsed More options line, with the Relaying card, marked Applies at once, below it. A bar pinned at the foot reads 2 unsaved changes, saving restarts the radio so they take effect immediately, with Discard and Save and restart radio buttons.
The unsaved-changes bar offers Discard and Save & restart radio. Cards marked Applies at once take effect immediately. Open full-size screenshot
Controls and operating notes
  • Station style → choose how much you transmitCareful answers questions but carries and repeats nothing for others; Community, the default, also carries and repeats within an airtime budget; Performance is Community with larger allowances. A style never changes your identity or hardware, and the setup wizard offers the same choice on its third page.
  • Station → identify yourself onceEnter Callsign and an AX1200 SSID, then choose FSQ / JG25 name: the same as AX1200, or the callsign with a suffix. Two lines read back what each waveform sends, so changing modem never means editing your identity. Location and Station message answer requests from other stations.
  • Known callsigns → maintainUnder Stations heard, use Add or Import to build the roster. A roster match is supporting information, not proof of operator identity.
  • More options → consult the guideEach card’s More options line holds what the defaults already handle; Show all advanced options opens every one. Read the guide before changing optional integrity and compatibility settings.

Read the operator guide →

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profiles & field operation

From the shack to the field.

Keep the shack, portable kit, and deployment setup organized, with the instructions available when you need them.

Generated illustration of a field operator using OpenJSQ beside a radio and map under a woodland shelter.

A profile for each situation.

Use the profile button in the top bar to switch between separate station identities, radio settings, conversations, mail, and file histories. Stop the radio before switching. Manage profiles lets you create, rename, or duplicate a working setup.

How profiles keep setups separate →

Bring your configuration along.

For portable mode, place openjsq-portable.txt beside the executable in a writable folder. Settings and history then live beside the program. Check Files & configuration for the separate received/shared-files location before moving the setup.

Portable mode and data locations →

The guide travels with you.

Press F1 or Help to open the guide included with your build, even without internet access. A card’s ? button opens the relevant section. Dark and light themes and three text sizes help make it readable at your operating position.

Help in the application →

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everyday operation

Keep the right things in view.

Watch the channel, keep a conversation open, and follow transfers without repeatedly switching pages.

Separate windows · one station

Your station.
More room to operate.

Give each view its own space. Keep a chat open while you watch the channel, follow a file transfer, or check the network.

Chats, Inbox, Files, Network, and Channel can each open in a standalone window. Arrange several on one screen, or move them onto different monitors.

  1. Open a page. Right-click its sidebar button. For Channel, choose Open Channel in its own window.
  2. Arrange your workspace. Move and resize the windows to keep the views you need visible together.
  3. Bring it back. Choose Back to main window, or close the separate window to return the page.

Prefer the keyboard? Use Ctrl + Shift + 1–5 for Chats, Inbox, Files, Network, and Channel, respectively. The same shortcut brings a page back.

Window controls in the operator guide →
Channel running in its own OpenJSQ window, with station identity, listening status, receive filters, and a Back to main window button.
A standalone Channel window, shown listening with no received messages. Open full-size screenshot →

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A way back after Delete.

Deleted items wait in Deleted for 30 days before removal. Open it to restore an item you removed by mistake. Delete forever is permanent. From any application window, Ctrl + Space reaches Stop TX.

Deleted and the window controls →

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Ready for your station?

Follow the operator guide from setup to daily operation.

Open operator guideDownload