📻 RX-SSTV

What is RX-SSTV?

RX-SSTV is a receive-only Slow Scan Television program developed by Belgian radio amateur Guy Roels, ON6MU. It was designed as an easy, back-to-basics solution for shortwave listeners, radio amateurs and anyone who simply wants to monitor SSTV signals.

Unlike many traditional SSTV programs, RX-SSTV contains no transmit section. There are no PTT controls, transmitter interfaces or COM-port settings to configure.

This makes it especially suitable for listeners, beginners and young radio enthusiasts who want to discover SSTV without the risk of accidentally activating a transmitter.

Powered by the MMSSTV engine

At the heart of RX-SSTV is the powerful SSTV engine originally developed for MMSSTV by Makoto Mori, JE3HHT.

This gives RX-SSTV reliable automatic mode detection and support for a large collection of analogue SSTV modes. The program can recognise an incoming VIS signal, select the corresponding mode and begin decoding automatically.

Supported SSTV modes

RX-SSTV supports 37 different modes through the MMSSTV engine, including many of the modes commonly heard on HF, VHF, UHF and during special transmissions from the International Space Station.

Automatic reception and saving

One of the most useful features of RX-SSTV is its ability to work almost entirely automatically.

FSK identification

Some SSTV stations include an FSK-ID at the end of a transmission. This short digital signal can contain the sender’s callsign.

RX-SSTV can decode and record these identifiers. The received callsign may be added to the image filename, included in the image stamp and written to an FSK-ID log together with the reception date and time.

Improving difficult signals

SSTV signals are not always received under perfect conditions. Noise, interference, Doppler shift and soundcard timing errors can affect the resulting picture.

Connection to the receiver

RX-SSTV receives its audio through the computer soundcard. The receiver’s audio output is connected to the computer’s line input or microphone input.

A listening-only setup can be very simple:

1. Connect the receiver audio output to an isolated computer sound input.
2. Select the correct recording device in Windows.
3. Tune the receiver to an active SSTV frequency.
4. Adjust the audio level so that the signal is clear without overloading the sound input.
5. Enable automatic reception and wait for an SSTV signal.

Useful SSTV frequencies

Frequencies and local band usage can differ by country and IARU region. Always consult the current regional band plan.

Website and FTP possibilities

RX-SSTV can save the latest received picture using a fixed filename:

This file can be watched by an external FTP upload program and automatically transferred to a website whenever a new SSTV image has been received.

For SlowscanTV stations, the upload workflow may be adapted so the latest image is copied or renamed to the standard SlowscanTV filename:

A connection with PA3ADN

Dutch radio amateur Arno, PA3ADN, was involved with RX-SSTV as a beta tester. He is thanked in the manual and is again specifically mentioned in the development history of version 2.0.0.

His contribution is another example of how radio amateurs from different countries help test, improve and preserve specialist amateur-radio software.

Freeware with copyright

RX-SSTV was released as freeware. No registration or payment is required, but the program is not public domain. Copyright and all other rights remain with Guy Roels, ON6MU.

The program and its accompanying files must not be modified, patched, disassembled or distributed under another name. Anyone redistributing the original software package should respect the conditions included by the author.