Setting up Hamilton Auto FT8

1. Download and install Hamilton (STEP ONE · ABOUT 1 MINUTE)

On the main download page , click the big amber Download Now button. You’ll get a ZIP file called Hamilton_Auto_FT8_v1.0.33.zip .

Right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All (or just double-click to open). Inside you’ll find one file: Hamilton_Auto_FT8_Setup_1.0.33.exe . Double-click it to start the installer.

WARNING: Windows may warn you about the installer — this is normal Because Hamilton is a small independent project, Windows hasn’t yet learned that it’s safe. You may see a blue screen that says “Windows protected your PC” . Click the small More info link, then click the Run anyway button that appears. This warning is shown for every new program from a small publisher; it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with Hamilton.

Because Hamilton is a small independent project, Windows hasn’t yet learned that it’s safe. You may see a blue screen that says “Windows protected your PC” .

Click the small More info link, then click the Run anyway button that appears. This warning is shown for every new program from a small publisher; it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with Hamilton.

The installer is straightforward: click Next , accept the license, click Install . When it finishes, leave Launch Hamilton Auto FT8 ticked and click Finish .

Hamilton’s window will open. Leave it open — but do not click Start yet . We need to configure WSJT-X first so Hamilton and WSJT-X can talk to each other.

2. Configure WSJT-X to share with Hamilton (STEP TWO · ABOUT 2 MINUTES)

This is the most important step. Hamilton drives WSJT-X by sending it commands — and WSJT-X has to be told to accept those commands. There’s one critical checkbox; once it’s on, you’re set.

Open WSJT-X. From the top menu, click File , then Settings (or press F2 ).

In the Settings window, click the Reporting tab along the top row of tabs.

Match every value to what you see in the picture above. Written out:

WARNING: Without “Accept UDP requests” checked, Hamilton cannot work This is what lets Hamilton tell WSJT-X who to call and when to transmit. If you skip this single checkbox, Hamilton will start and look fine — but it will never make a contact. It’s the most common reason for support emails. Check it.

This is what lets Hamilton tell WSJT-X who to call and when to transmit. If you skip this single checkbox, Hamilton will start and look fine — but it will never make a contact. It’s the most common reason for support emails. Check it.

Click OK at the bottom of the Settings window.

Now restart WSJT-X. Close the program completely and reopen it. These settings don’t take effect until WSJT-X is restarted. This step is not optional.

3. Start everything in the right order (STEP THREE · ABOUT 1 MINUTE)

Order matters the first time. After that, it’s the same routine every session.

First, start WSJT-X and make sure your radio is connected. Two things must be working:

Second, click the START button in Hamilton’s window.

Hamilton’s activity feed should fill with status lines. Within about 5 seconds, you should see this:

The four signs that everything is working:

DONE: ✓ You’re done with setup From now on: WSJT-X first, Hamilton second, click Start. That’s the routine. Three actions, in that order, every time. The next section is about what happens while Hamilton operates.

From now on: WSJT-X first, Hamilton second, click Start.

That’s the routine. Three actions, in that order, every time. The next section is about what happens while Hamilton operates.

4. Hamilton makes contacts for you (ON THE AIR)

Hamilton is now running. The moment a callable station appears in WSJT-X’s decodes, Hamilton starts the contact. You watch the activity feed; the QSOs make themselves.

Hamilton works the FT8 band one contact at a time, in the same way you would by hand — but without you having to click anything. For each contact, it does five things in sequence:

The contact is saved in WSJT-X’s standard log file (the same one you’ve always used). It also gets exported to ADIF if you have that configured. If you use QSL World, contacts also appear in your operator panel automatically — but that’s optional and not required for Hamilton to work.

TIP: Tuning who Hamilton calls By default Hamilton calls anyone whose signal is between -18 and +3 dB. You can change this — restricting it to specific continents, only LoTW-registered operators, only stations needed for an award, or any callsign pattern — by editing the configuration file at %LOCALAPPDATA%HamiltonAutoFT8FT8Commanderft8ctrl.yaml . The Manual PDF has the full list of options.

By default Hamilton calls anyone whose signal is between -18 and +3 dB. You can change this — restricting it to specific continents, only LoTW-registered operators, only stations needed for an award, or any callsign pattern — by editing the configuration file at %LOCALAPPDATA%HamiltonAutoFT8FT8Commanderft8ctrl.yaml . The Manual PDF has the full list of options.

TIP: When you’re done operating Click Stop in Hamilton (the button is where Start used to be), then quit WSJT-X normally. Hamilton cleans up after itself — no leftover processes, no lingering connections.

Click Stop in Hamilton (the button is where Start used to be), then quit WSJT-X normally. Hamilton cleans up after itself — no leftover processes, no lingering connections.

5. Common issues, simple fixes (IF SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT)

Hamilton says “Address already in use” when I click Start

Another program is using port 2237. Most common culprits: JTAlert, GridTracker, or an old copy of Hamilton that didn’t shut down cleanly. Close those programs and try again. If you’re not sure which program is the problem, restart your PC and open Hamilton before anything else.

Hamilton says it’s running, but it never calls anyone

Three things to check in order:

Hamilton calls stations but the contacts never complete

This is almost always an audio or PTT issue, not a Hamilton issue. Confirm WSJT-X can complete a contact manually first — pick a CQing station, double-click to call them, see if the exchange works. If manual contacts don’t complete either, the problem is in your audio chain or radio interface, not in Hamilton.

Windows said the installer was unsafe

That’s the SmartScreen warning we mentioned in Step 1. Click More info → Run anyway . SmartScreen flags any installer that hasn’t been downloaded by enough people yet to build “reputation” — it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the file.

I see decodes in WSJT-X but Hamilton’s feed stays mostly quiet

Quiet between contacts is normal. Hamilton writes a line every time it makes a decision (sees a decode, picks a station to call, opens or closes a contact). Between contacts, when nothing interesting is happening, the feed stays still. The activity feed comes alive the moment a callable station appears.

Still stuck

Email support@qslworld.com with a screenshot of Hamilton’s activity feed showing the issue, plus a one-line description of what you were trying to do. We answer within a day.