Re: FT8 vs other modes - my numbers
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Ray Clements
If you have never worked FT8, it is hard to understand the mode.
With FT8, signals are sent at specific times, so clocks need to be accurate. Then once a received signal with CQ is decoded, you have precious few seconds to respond to that signal. If you are even 1 second late in responding, the chances of the other station decoding your response is greatly reduced. Thus, you have to pay close attention. Once you make contact with the other station, the software takes over and completes the QSO automatically, but you still have to log the QSO.
Some people have devised computer macros to respond automatically to a CQ and log the contact, but that is about like using EchoLink to make DX contacts.
Ray N9RWC
------ Original Message ------
Received: 11:42 AM CST, 02/03/2019 From: "Justin Mattes--KC2GIK" <kc2gik@...> To: 070Club@groups.io Subject: Re: [070Club] FT8 vs other modes - my numbers Can someone sit me down and EXPLAIN FT8 to me? Walk me through it because
it seems it's the mode with the LEAST operator participation? Phone and CW you need skill and a decent about of l uck. With PSK you need to focus. FT8 has the leat operator interaction of the modes Justin, KC2GIK > FWIW from another list… > > > -----Original Message----- > > Mike, you are buying into a myth that both supporters and detractors of > FT8 > perpetuate. The myth that FT8 is superior for DX'ing, to other modes. > > 2018 was my "year of FT8". I participated in several on-air WSJT new > feature > tests including DXpedition mode testing. I spent the vast majority of my > on-air hours, outside of contests, on FT8. I CQ'd a lot on FT8 and also > chased DX on FT8. > > You ask: " Productive in what way? To work new ones? ". I specifically > checked by 2018 log statistics for new band slots. I worked 4 new band > slots > on 160M in 2018 - zero on FT8. I worked 13 new ones on 80M in 2018 - none > on > FT8. I worked 5 new ones on 40M in 2018 - none on FT8. And so on. > > You also ask: "How many countries did you work on FT8 that you did not or > could not work on any other mode." My answer: I worked 4 ATNO's in 2018. > None did I need FT8 to confirm. > > Now, I did work 13 of DXpeditions in 2018 for new digital mode DXCC credit > in 2018. If I look at these stats, 8 of them I worked on RTTY, and 5 I > worked on FT8. But the ones I worked on FT8 completely neglected RTTY - > they > never did any RTTY at all or made only a handful of RTTY Q's. I'm sure I > could've completed a RTTY QSO with any of those 5 if they had made an > effort > on RTTY. > > No matter how I slice it or dice it, FT8 is not a superior mode. Both the > detractors and supporters of FT8 are suffering from the myth that FT8 > makes > DX'ing easier. It does not. I tried hard to max out FT8 using any > quantitative measure in 2018 - just look at the number of hours I invested > - and FT8 came up short in every single measure, including the > hard-DX-oriented measures you propose. > > Tim N3QE > > > > > > > -- Justin Mattes-KC2GIK http://www.justinmattes.com |
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