freedv.orgFreeDV: Open Source Amateur Digital Voice – Where Amateur Radio Is Driving The State of the Art

FreeDV: Open Source Amateur Digital Voice Where Amateur Radio Is Driving The State of the Art Scroll down to content Introduction FreeDV is a Digital Voice mode for HF radio. You can run FreeDV using a free GUI application for Windows, Linux and OSX that allows any SSB radio to be used for low-bit-rate digital voice. If you are a hardware or software developer, you can integrate FreeDV into your project using the LGPL-licensed FreeDV API. FreeDV is being developed by an international team of radio amateurs working together on coding, design, user interface and testing. FreeDV is open source software, released under the GNU Lesser Public License version 2.1. The modems and Codec 2 speech codec used in FreeDV are also open source. News Check the GitHub Releases Page for the latest information on software releases. Mooneer’s FreeDV Update – April 2024 May 11, 2024 David’s FreeDV Update – April 2024 May 2, 2024 Mooneer’s FreeDV Update – March 2024 April 14, 2024 FreeDV v1.9.9.1 released April 13, 2024 David’s FreeDV Update – March 2024 March 31, 2024 Mooneer’s FreeDV Update – February 2024 March 9, 2024 David’s FreeDV Update Feb 2024 March 5, 2024 Mooneer’s FreeDV Update – January 2024 February 17, 2024 Another successful Orlando HamCation February 11, 2024 FreeDV is Hiring a DSP Engineer! February 8, 2024 October 2023 FreeDV 1.9.4 – Bug fixes and experimental OmniRig support September 2023 FreeDV 1.9.2 – FreeDV Reporter usability improvements and bugfixes August 2023 FreeDV 1.9.1 – TX monitoring support, various bugfixes July 2023 FreeDV 1.8.12 – Frequency change request support for FreeDV Reporter , various bugfixes June 2023 FreeDV 1.8.11 – FreeDV Reporter support, Hamlib improvements April 2023 FreeDV 1.8.9 – Quick Record, callsign history March 2023 FreeDV 1.8.8.1 – PSK Reporter and serial port usability improvements ARDC awards grant to FreeDV January 2023 FreeDV 1.8.7 – Easy Setup” to simplify first-time setup FreeDV is now on Discord Why FreeDV? Amateur Radio is transitioning from analog to digital, much as it transitioned from AM to SSB in the 1950s and 1960s. How would you feel if one or two companies owned the patents for SSB, then forced you to use their technology, made it illegal to experiment with or even understand the technology, and insisted you stay locked to it for the next 100 years? That’s exactly what was happening with digital voice. But now, hams are in control of their technology again! FreeDV is unique as it uses 100% Open Source Software, including the speech codec. No secrets, nothing proprietary! FreeDV represents a path for 21st-century Amateur Radio where Hams are free to experiment and innovate rather than a future locked into a single manufacturer’s closed technology. Controlled testing suggests FreeDV is comparable to and, in some cases, works better than SSB on low SNR channels. FreeDV 2020 is built around leading-edge neural net speech coding (LPCNet), putting Ham radio at the forefront of digital radio innovation. It provides 8 kHz wide audio bandwidth while using just 1600 Hz of RF bandwidth. Urban HF noise is a growing problem for SSB communications. Hams around the world are using the advanced FEC and modem technology in FreeDV to overcome urban HF noise in channels where SSB is unusable. FreeDV 1600 and 2020 is being used over the QO-100 satellite and for experimental combinations of Internet and HF radio to overcome poor propagation. Here is what you need: An SSB receiver or transceiver Either: FreeDV GUI software (download links are below, available for Linux, macOS and Windows), An SM1000 Digital Voice Adaptor, or An ezDV device Connecting Your Radio If you don’t have a built-in sound card for digital modes you can use the normal audio inputs and outputs of your radio. The same cables and hardware that you use for other digital modes that are based on PC programs will work with FreeDV, but you will need a second sound interface for the microphone and speaker connections to the FreeDV program. A USB headset of the sort used by gamers is all you need for the second sound interface. Configuring Your Radio Turn off as much processing as possible. In general, noise blankers, DSP band limit filtering and narrow bandpass filters are more likely to hurt than help, while compression, DSP noise or carrier elimination, and voice processing are definitely wrong for digital modes. FreeDV’s HF modem does its own DSP, and in general, this is true for other digital programs as well. You can see the received effect of different settings in the S/N (signal-to-noise ratio) display of FreeDV. A higher S/N is better. Download FreeDV GUI Installers for 32/64 bit Windows, macOS Have an idea for the FreeDV or Codec 2 developers? Please answer the questions in the FreeDV Feature Request Form , and submit via a GitHub Issue. Source Code FreeDV GUI Source Code Codec 2 Source Code FreeDV GUI Source Code Archive Codec2 Source Code Archive LPCNet (Experimental FreeDV version) Source Code Archive FreeDV Beacon Source Code Consolidated commit history across all projects , by developer and date Documentation Several guides are available: FreeDV User Manual in HTML or PDF – How to get started, notes on advanced and new features in the latest versions of FreeDV FreeDV Technology – An overview of the technology inside FreeDV digital modes SM1000 Manual – How to set up, use and reflash the SM1000 ezDV – A modern hardware device for FreeDV with Wi-Fi support Who can I Talk To? Login to FreeDV Reporter ( source ) to find other Hams using FreeDV. Worldwide Any Third weekend of every month (12AM Pacific Saturday to 11:59 PM Sunday) FreeDV Activity Day Argentina 7.045 MHz LSB Mon, Wed, Fri 1800 UTC Radio Club Coronel Pringles , listen on the LU4EEC KiwiSDR Australia 7.177 MHz Anytime Casual QSOs Netherlands 3.625 MHz LSB 700D Every Sunday 1000 UTC Net UK 3.640 MHz (primary) 3.643 MHz (secondary) LSB 700D Sundays mornings at 09:00 Local RSGB broadcast by Matt G6WPJ UK 5.3685 MHz USB, 3.693 or 3.697 MHz LSB (as conditions permit) 700D 1600 Local Daily Net USA 14.236 MHz USB Anytime Casual QSOs Getting Help If you need assistance with FreeDV, you can try the following: FreeDV Discord – Useful for chatting or for QSO coordination IRC: #freedv on irc.libera.chat port 6697 Chat tab in FreeDV Reporter (also links to #freedv-reporter channel on Discord) Walter K5WH’s Zoom channel (installing Zoom recommended, but not required) Post to the digitalvoice mailing list Developers, please subscribe to the Codec 2 Mailing List . For SM1000 support also use the Codec 2 Mailing List . Credits The FreeDV GUI program is being maintained and extended by Mooneer Salem K6AQ. David Rowe, VK5DGR, leads the signal processing aspects of the project (speech codec, modem waveforms, FreeDV protocol). The FreeDV Project is managed by the Project Leadership Team (PLT): David Rowe VK5DGR, Mooneer Salem K6AQ, Walter Holmes K5WH, Mel Whitten K0PFX, Brian Morrison G8SEZ. Our financial sponsor is the Software Freedom Conservancy . Current development is being generously funded by an ADRC grant . As development continues, many people are helping whom we have not credited on this website, but we appreciate all of their work. History In 2012 FreeDV was coded from scratch by David Witten (GUI, architecture) and David Rowe (Codec 2, modem implementation, integration). The FreeDV design and user interface is based on FDMDV , which was developed by Francesco Lanza, HB9TLK. Francesco received advice on modem design from Peter Martinez G3PLX, who also advised David on the FDMDV modem used the FreeDV 1600. Mel Whitten, K0PFX has contributed greatly to the design, testing and promotion of several Digital Voice systems, including FDMDV. This practical experience has led to the current design – a fast sync, no FEC, low latency system that gives a SSB” type feel for operators. Mel and a team of alpha testers (Gerry, N4DVR; Jim, K3DCC; Rick, WA6NUT; Tony, K2MO) provided feedback on the usability...