Anyone who deals with digital modes knows MultiPSK. The program of the French author, who publishes the software under the brand name F6CTE on the site multipsk.fr, decodes and broadcasts dozens of modes. However, until now the full use of some functions was tied to a purchased user key. That is changing.
The author, who signs himself as Patrick, announced in the discussion group of the program that for personal reasons he decided to stop selling user keys effective January 1, 2027. The consequence is simple: Multipsk will be free from the beginning of 2027.
You will read in the article
What this means for users
According to the description on the project page, functions and modes limited by the license are marked in blue font. Limitations of the unlicensed version include, for example, decoding SYNOP and SHIP within 5 minutes only, some APRS functions within 10 minutes or keeping the first 65,500 characters instead of 10 million.
What exactly the full version will look like after January 1, 2027, the author does not state in the report. All we know so far is that the sale of keys is ending and the program will be free. So keep an eye on the official site and discussion group.
Why is Multipsk so popular?
Multipsk je jeden z najuniverzálnejších programov pre digitálne módy. Zvládne klasiku rádioamatérskej prevádzky, ako sú PSK31, PSK63, QPSK, RTTY, MFSK, Olivia, Contestia, THOR, MT63, JT65, FT8, CW a SSTV. Okrem toho dekóduje aj množstvo nerádioamatérskych signálov, napríklad NAVTEX, HFDL, ACARS, AIS, meteorologické faxy či družice.
Other functions include reception on 23 channels at once (panorama BPSK31, PSK63 and PSKFEC31), automatic reporting to PSK Reporter, RS ID and Call ID identifiers for mode and brand recognition, control via TCP/IP, direct reception from RTL-SDR keys and logging into DXKeeper or wxLogbook. The program also includes Clock, which can synchronize time from radio signals.
According to available information, version 4.46.1 together with the Clock 1.11.11 program can be downloaded from the project website. The site also contains a number of user guides, demonstration videos and articles.
Support remains
The good news is that the author is not leaving. As he writes, he will be a user pomáhať ako doteraz v diskusnej skupine na groups.io/g/multipsk. This is the one for questions about the program.
He took this opportunity to thank the group's administrators Andy (K3UK) and Gary (K7EK) for their leadership. Thanks also go to Terry Tankard (G90SWL), who created the Multipsk group many years ago.
What to watch out for
The use of the program, especially the decoding of professional modes (so-called Utilities), must be governed by the legislation of the country where you use it. The author explicitly points this out on his website. The fact that the program is free does not change that.
Conclusion
The news is more good than bad. A program with this range of features will be available to everyone at no charge, and community support continues. If you haven't used it yet, from January 2027 you will have no reason not to try it. You can find the official website at multipsk.fr. We thank Patrick for many years of work and wish you many nice connections in digital modes!