Welcome to VBand, the internet Virtual CW Band.
Click a channel below to get started.
Check out our new stand-alone CW device: CW Hotline
Touch/Tap for Straight Key
Touch/Tap for Dits
Touch/Tap for Dahs
First set your channel from the Channel List
SendLog:
Learn more about CW Hotline
Contact Us
- We welcome all feedback from our users: questions, comments, suggestions, complaints, and praise.
- You can email us at support@hamradio.solutions.
- You can also reach us, along with many other vband users, on our Discord Server.
Quickstart
- Set your callsign and/or name, and any other options you prefer on the Settings tab.
- Click a channel on the Channels tab to connect to that channel.
- In paddle mode, use the [ key for dits and the ] key for dahs.
- In straight key mode, use either of those keys to send.
- Left and right control keys can be used in place of the [ key and the ] key.
- The text box in the second tab can be used as a scratch pad to copy what you hear.
- To interface an actual paddle or straight key, check out our USB Paddle Interface on the Store tab.
Notes
- Channel & Users - For all channels except the Practice Channel, the Channel tab shows all users connected to that channel, and code any user sends will be sent to all other users in that channel. You can mute other users by clicking the blue speaker icon in the upper right corner. On channels that allow decoding, you can show or hide the decoded text by clicking the blue "A" icon.
- Practice Channel - The practice channel does not send your code beyond your computer. It can be used to practice sending and see how well you are decoded.
- Words Per Minute - The WPM shown for each user consists of 2 numbers. The first is the speed of the characters sent. The second is the effective overall speed considering any additional Farnsworth delay between characters.
- Website focus - The VBand website must be in focus to send. If you click on a different tab or window, the adapter and your key presses will not be read.
- Recommned Browsers - We have had the most success with Chrome. Firefox is also known to work well. Internet Explorer is not recommended.
QSOBot
- Overview - QSOBot is a new feature of VBand. To enable it go to the settings menu and then click the "Enable QSOBot" checkbox. Once the checkbox is enabled, QSOBot will respond in the practice channel. Simply call CQ or send something to activate. QSOBot will respond and carry on a standard QSO. Please provide feedback to support@hamradio.solutions so that we can continue to improve it.
- Exchanges - QSOBot will react to the common exchanges used in a QSO. It will expect RST, Name (OP), and QTH. If you don't supply these, QSOBot will ask for them. Once these are completed you can feel free to engage QSOBot and tell it what Rig, Antenna, Weather, and temperature you have. It will respond to a 73 any time and close the QSO and reset. It will also initiate its own close if you provide all the aforementioned information. It is intended to be a practice exchange where you can hone your sending and receiving.
- Resetting - To reset QSOBot, simply call CQ with your callsign.
Troubleshooting
- No audio on Safari - When you are on the VBand site, select the menu item Safari > Settings for This Website... and change "Auto-Play: Stop Media with Sound" to "Allow All Auto-Play". Click on the background web page, and refresh the page with View > Reload Page or CMD + R. When the page is reloaded, it should play sounds.
- Latency Issues - On some systems, there can be a noticeable delay between pressing a key, and hearing the sound from the speaker. This delay is due to the press being sent over USB, the Javascript code processing the press in the browser, and the sound system buffering. If this delay is a problem, we recommend closing all other applications and browser tabs, and anything else that can reduce CPU load. Try disabling Bluetooth headphones. Try to avoid using HDMI for sound. If that doesn't help, you can use an external keyer with a sidetone generator, switch to straight key mode, and mute your own audio in VBand by clicking the blue speaker icon for your user.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I leave a channel? - Typically you leave a channel by selecting a new channel to join. You can also leave by refreshing the website.
Links to useful sites
VBand - Virtual CW Band by Ham Radio Solutions - Version Apr 19, 2023
This project was created by two friends who wanted to (re)learn CW, but didn't regularly have great propagation between them to practice, and were a bit embarrased to get on the air at their current skill level. While it allows code to be sent with a keyboard as either a paddle or straight key, it really shines using the USB paddle interface available in the Store tab.
The goal was to make a fun way to practice sending and receiving CW with a buddy, without worrying about a radio, an antenna, a license, good propagation, or RF noise.
Please send and comments, questions, or suggestions to support@hamradio.solutions.
