WSJT-X v1.4 Installation Guide

WSJT-X v1.4 Installation Guide

Download WSJT-X from the WSJT Home Page. Click on the WSJT-X link located on the left margin and then select the desired download link. Here, I only deal with Windows, OS X and Ubunutu installations. If you’d like to install from source, you can find the relevant instructions in the WSJT-X User and Developers Guide.


Windows Installation:

Execute the downloaded file and follow the installation instructions below:

  • Install WSJT-X into its own directory rather than in the conventional location C:\Program Files\WSJTX. The suggested default directory is C:\WSJTX.
  • All program files relating to WSJT-X are stored in the chosen
    installation directory and its subdirectories. You can uninstall
    WSJT-X by removing the installation directory and its contents.
  • The built-in Windows facility for time synchronization is inadequate for WSJT-X. Instead, use Meinberg NTP: see Network Time Protocol Setup for downloading and installation instructions.
  • WSJT-X expects your sound card to do its raw sampling at 48000 Hz. To ensure this, open the system’s Sound control panel and select in turn the Recording and Playback tabs. Click on Properties, then Advanced, and select “16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality).”
  • Should you choose to use the integrated logger, you can locate your logs, and other writeable files, using the following path: %APPDATA%\..\Local\WSJT-X

OS X Installation:

Two different packages are available for WSJT-X: one for OS X
10.6 through 10.8, and one for OS X 10.9. The two packages are not
interchangeable.

  • Select the correct package for your version of OS X (if you are unsure about which version you should choose, you can find the necessary information by clicking on the Apple menu in the upper left hand corner of your desktop and selecting, “About This Mac,” which will display your OS version) and download it to your desktop.
  • Double-click on the desktop icon to create and view a new folder, WSJT-X. Double-click on this folder and locate the included Readme file. Review the file carefully, as it provides detailed instructions on how to configure your particular system for WSJT-X.
  • Remember to use the Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup utility as described in the Readme file to configure your sound card for 48000 Hz,
    single-channel, 16-bit format. Depending on your sound card you might have to change Audio In format to 48000 Hz two-channel, 16-bit.
  • Use System Preferences to select an external time source to keep
    your system clock synchronized to UTC.
  • Should you choose to use the integrated logger, you can locate your logs, and other writeable files, using the following path: $HOME/Library/ApplicationSupport/WSJT-X

Ubuntu Installation:

Installation packages for Ubuntu 12.04, 12.10, 13.04, 13.10 are
maintained by AC6SL and are made available from his WSJT-X Linux Packages page. If you are unsure about which version you should choose, you can find the necessary information by clicking on the “Gear” menu in the upper right hand corner of your desktop, select “About This Computer,” which will display your OS versionm, and select accordingly.

  • If you have not previously obtained packages from the Personal Package Archive (PPA) at the above link, open a terminal window and execute the following command:
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jnogatch/wsjtx
  • Accept the PPA Key, then issue these commands:
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install wsjtx
  • Download the soft-decision Reed Solomon decoder, kvasd, and put it in the same directory as the executable binaries wsjtx and
    jt9. Normally (after you have run the script /usr/bin/wsjtx at
    least once) this directory will be $HOME/.wsjtx.
  • Should you choose to use the integrated logger, you can locate your logs, and other writeable files, using the following path: $HOME/.local/share/WSJT-X