FT2 — The Fastest Digital Mode

FT2 NEWS

08MAR2026

⚡ Asynchronous TX — FT2 Breaks Free from the Clock

DECODIUM 3.0 Codename Raptor now features Asynchronous Transmission: FT2 transmits within 300ms of decoding — no period boundary, no NTP, no DT correction. The waveform duration is optimised to 2.47s (−34% vs standard). 378 lines of legacy DT/NTP code removed. Full backward compatibility with WSJT-X, JTDX and MSHV preserved.

⚡ ASYNC TX BUILD 2603080007

25FEB2026

ADIF Certification Confirmed for FT2!

The ADIF Development Group has officially accepted FT2 for inclusion in the ADIF Specification. Within two weeks, FT2 will be formally certified as a recognized digital mode, paving the way for full integration into ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTW).

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

19FEB2026

Decodium 3.0 Released!

Nuova versione con supporto completo FT2, miglioramenti decoder e interfaccia rinnovata. Download disponibile!

NEW RELEASE

16FEB2026

First FT2 QSO in History!

IU8LMC e IZ8VYF completano il primo QSO FT2 al mondo su 40m. SNR -12dB, tempo totale 11 secondi.

WORLD FIRST

15FEB2026

FT2 Protocol Announced

Annunciato il nuovo protocollo FT2: cicli da 3.8 secondi, 4x piu veloce di FT8, stesso codec LDPC.

ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT IS FT2

FT2 is a revolutionary digital mode for amateur radio, developed by IU8LMC with the support of ARI Caserta. It uses the same codec as FT8 and FT4 (77-bit payload, LDPC 174/91, 4-GFSK modulation) but compresses the transmission cycle to just 3.8 seconds.

⚡ EXTREME SPEED

Complete QSO in 7-11 seconds. Theoretical rate of ~240 QSO/hour, ideal for contests and DXpeditions.

🔗 SAME CODEC

77-bit payload, LDPC(174,91), 4-GFSK modulation. The protocol core is identical to FT8/FT4.

📡 TESTED ON-AIR

Verified on February 16, 2026 on 40m and 80m with decoding down to -12 dB SNR.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Parameter	FT8	FT4	FT2
T/R Cycle	15 s	7.5 s	3.8 s
Effective TX Time	12.64 s	5.04 s	1.89 s
Async TX Duration	—	—	2.47 s ⚡
Async TX Delay	—	—	~300 ms
DT/NTP System	Active	Active	Removed ⚡
Modulation	8-GFSK	4-GFSK	4-GFSK
Tones	8	4	4
Tone Spacing	6.25 Hz	20.83 Hz	41.75 Hz
Bandwidth	50 Hz	83 Hz	167 Hz
Symbols	79	105	79
Sensitivity (single)	−21 dB	−16.5 dB	−9.5 dB
Sensitivity (4× avg)	—	—	−14.5 dB
Payload	77 bit	77 bit	77 bit
FEC	LDPC(174,91)	LDPC(174,91)	LDPC(174,91)
Full QSO	~60 s	~30 s	~11 s
QSO Rate	~60/h	~120/h	~240/h
Clock Accuracy	±200 ms	±100 ms	±50 ms

FT2 SENSITIVITY & PERFORMANCE

167 Hz bandwidth · 4-GFSK modulation · 3.8-second cycles · ⚡ Async TX: 2.47s waveform, 300ms delay, no clock sync
With multi-period soft averaging (EMA): from −9.5 dB to −14.5 dB sensitivity — only 2 dB from FT4, at 4× the speed.

⚡

ASYNC TX — BUILD 2603080007

First digital mode in the FT family with asynchronous transmission

TX Delay

300 ms

from decode to PTT

Waveform

2.47 s

−34% vs standard 3.75s

Code removed

−378

lines of DT/NTP legacy code

Compatibility

100%

WSJT-X · JTDX · MSHV · DT ≈ +0.35s

      The sync lives in the Costas arrays inside the signal — not in the station's clock.  ·  73 de IU8LMC
    

🦅 FT2 Sensitivity with Multi-Period Averaging (EMA)

Mode	Averaging	Total Time	Sensitivity	Gain
FT2	Single period	3.8 s	−9.5 dB	—
FT2	2-period avg	7.6 s	−12.5 dB	+3 dB
FT2	3-period avg	11.4 s	−13.5 dB	+4 dB
FT2	4-period avg	15.2 s	−14.5 dB	+5 dB
FT4	Standard	5.04 s	−16.5 dB	ref
FT8	Standard	12.64 s	−21.0 dB	ref

📡

FT2 Protocol

Modulation4-GFSK

Bandwidth167 Hz

T/R Cycle3.8 s

Effective TX Time1.89 s

Symbols79

Payload77 bit

EncodingLDPC (174,91)

Tone Spacing41.75 Hz

⚡ Async TX2.47 s

Async Delay300 ms

DT/NTPRemoved

🎯

Sensitivity

Single Period−9.5 dB

2× Averaging−12.5 dB

3× Averaging−13.5 dB

4× Averaging−14.5 dB

Averaging TypeEMA Soft

Max Gain+5 dB

⚡

Performance

Complete QSO~11 s

QSO Rate~240/hr

vs FT84× faster

vs FT42× faster

Duty Cycle49.8%

First QSOFeb 16, 2026

⚡ Async ModeMar 8, 2026

Code removed−378 lines

DOWNLOAD

📦

Decodium 3.0 FT2 (64 bit) ⚡ ASYNC TX

Async TX build — 2.47s waveform, no DT/NTP, 300ms delay

Decodium_3.0_ASYMX Build 2603151607· Windows 64 bit

📦

Decodium 3.0 FT2 (32 bit) ⚡ ASYNC TX

Async TX build — 2.47s waveform, no DT/NTP, 300ms delay

Decodium_3.0_ASYMX Build 2603151607· Windows 32 bit

🐧

Decodium 3.0 FT2 (Linux)

Beta software for Linux x86_64

TAR.GZ • Linux x64 • GitHub

🍎

Decodium 3.0 FT2 (MacOs)

Beta software for Mac Os

BY 9H1SR Mac Os • GitHub

🍓

Decodium 3.0 FT2 (Raspberry Pi) NEW

Beta software for Raspberry Pi — compact & portable FT2 stations

BY LU7DZ • Raspberry Pi • GitHub

📄

Technical Documentation (IT)

Full specs, charts, analysis — Italian

PDF • 4 pages

📄

Technical Documentation (EN)

Full specifications, charts, analysis — English

PDF • 4 pages

🏅

FT2 Operator Badges

Printable badges for beta testers and operators

PDF • 2 pages

QSO GALLERY

Screenshots from the first FT2 QSOs in history — February 16, 2026

IZ8VYF

Campania — PIONEER #1

📻 40m — 7.077 MHz📊 SNR: -12 dB⏱ DT: 0.6s

QSO COMPLETED

IZ8XXE

Campania — PIONEER #2

📻 80m — 3.582 MHz📊 SNR: +11 dB⏱ QSO: 7 sec

QSO IN 7 SECONDS

IC8TEM

Capri — PIONEER #3

📻 80m — 3.582 MHz📊 SNR: +12 dB⏱ QSO: 11 sec

QSO IN 11 SECONDS

TEAM

IU8LMC

Developer & Creator

Concept, development, and on-air testing. Creator of DECODIUM 3.0.

SANTA MARIA CAPUA VETERE, CE

IZ8VYF

Pioneer #1

First FT2 QSO in history. 40m band, SNR -12 dB.

WORLD FIRST

IZ8XXE

Expert Advisor #2

Fastest QSO: 7 seconds on 80m band.

7 SEC QSO

IC8TEM

Pioneer #3

QSO from Capri island on 80m band.

CAPRI

Credits

Base software: Decodium 3 (open source, GPL)
Original protocol: Joe Taylor K1JT, Steve Franke K9AN
AI tools: Claude (Anthropic) — development assistance
Team: ARI Caserta
Decoder: DECODIUM 3.0 by IU8LMC IZ8XXE

JOIN THE BETA TEST

We are looking for beta testers to experiment with FT2 on-air. Join our Telegram group!

Join Telegram Group

CONTACT

For information, collaboration, or technical support:

📻 IU8LMC — Martino
🏢 ARI Caserta — Santa Maria Capua Vetere, CE, Italy
✈️ Telegram Beta Group
🌐 ft2.it

SPONSOR