🛰️ js8core-rs

Rebuilding the JS8Call protocol core in Rust — Make open source transmissible — over the air, across the world.

🌐 What is `js8core-rs`?

js8core-rs is a Rust reimplementation of the JS8Call protocol, designed for weak-signal, low-power, and off-grid communication over HF (shortwave) radio.
It focuses on environments where bandwidth is scarce, latency is high, and infrastructure is nonexistent — such as:

Emergency communications after disasters
Off-grid expeditions and field kits
Embedded devices in harsh environments
Simulated interplanetary networks (e.g., MarsNet)

📦 Project Origin

This project is a cleanroom reimplementation of the original JS8Call C++ codebase maintained by KN4CRD.
That legacy implementation is:

Built with Qt GUI bindings
Intertwined with desktop components
Challenging to modularize or embed

Our goal is to extract and modernize the protocol core into a standalone, testable, embeddable Rust library — fully open-source and suitable for headless operation.

🧭 Why Rust?

Rust provides:

✅ Memory safety with zero-cost abstractions
✅ no_std support for embedded and bare-metal
✅ Strong type system for protocol correctness
✅ First-class async + concurrency tooling
✅ Cross-compilation to WASM, CLI, Linux, and RTOS

With js8core-rs, we aim to produce a library that can run:

In a browser tab
On a microcontroller
Inside a planetary rover
Or inside your terminal

🛰️ Use Case: MarsNet

MarsNet is a conceptual example of how this protocol could be deployed in the future:

JS8-like messaging across isolated relay nodes
TTL-aware frames, timestamped packets, store-and-forward logic
Operable in solar-powered, delay-tolerant, disconnected mesh environments

Whether on Earth or elsewhere, js8core-rs supports signal-based messaging even when nothing else works.

🧱 Module Structure

js8core-rs
├── audio        # I/O abstraction (WAV/PCM)
├── modem        # Frame sync, symbol demod, SNR estimation
├── protocol     # JS8 message logic and framing
├── codec        # Huffman codec for compression
├── relay        # Store-and-forward with TTL logic
└── examples     # CLI usage, test vectors, integration

Each module is self-contained and exposed as a Rust crate. Future support includes:

WebAssembly bindings
no_std compatibility
CLI tooling + relay daemon (js8d)

📊 Protocol Layer Role

Layer	Purpose
Application	CLI, web frontend, headless services
Protocol	Framing, routing, relay logic
Modem	Baseband symbol-level decoding
Audio	Platform I/O bridge
Relay Engine	Offline store/forward messaging

🤝 Contributing

We're building a community of radio hackers, protocol engineers, and Rustaceans.

We welcome:

🔧 Rust devs interested in protocol-layer work
📡 JS8Call operators who can test real-world interactions
🔬 DSP/audio engineers with a passion for signal decoding
🛰️ Open source dreamers building the fallback internet

Pull requests and discussions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

🧩 License & Sharing

This project is licensed under GNU AGPL v3.

That means:

You can use, modify, and deploy freely
If you run a modified version over a network, you must share the source
All forks and adaptations remain part of the commons

We believe signal infrastructure should belong to everyone — especially in times of collapse.

📄 Read the LICENSE for full details.

📡 Project Links

Source: github.com/rectinajh/js8core-rs
Original: bitbucket.org/widefido/js8call
Contributors: See CONTRIBUTORS.md

Turn on the radio and receive the signal:

CQ CQ CQ DE JS8CORE-RS PSE QSY 14.078 RUSTCORE DE MARS
This isn’t just code. It’s how civilizations keep talking.

License

rectinajh/js8core-rs

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