FT8 Roundup
Call: AB1J
Operator(s): AB1J
Station: AB1J
Class: SO Unlimited LP
QTH: MA
Operating Time (hrs): 20:00
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
80: 78
40: 149
20: 128
15: 37
10: 0
------------
Total: 392 State/Prov = 47 Countries = 29 Total Score = 29,792
Club:
Comments:
This was something new and different under the sun. It will be interesting to
see where it goes in the long run.
The most important characteristic of FT8, its weak signal performance, isn't of
much importance in an HF contest, especially one with a large domestic content
and lots of strong signals. It moves along more slowly than CW, SSB and RTTY.
What FT8 has going for it in contests is its great popularity. Besides standing
on its own, it might be a gateway into contesting for a new generation.
Some observations:
Everyone should use as much automation as possible. The short cycles leave
little time for contemplation. Click ON "Auto Seq", "Call
1st" and set a bright color for new calls/band, white otherwise. Work with
your computer.
It's fun to see realistic signal reports. I saw only one RST 599, from NS9I to
me. Obviously a fluke.
I ran much of the contest with no headphones, no speakers, in total silence,
just watching the monitor. Full VFR. It gave new meaning to the term
"eyeball QSO."
Occasionally there's discussion of commonality between ham radio contesting and
computer gaming. Maybe there's not much, which is too bad. But as I sat there
working stations totally visually I was reminded of playing Space Invaders way
back in the day and I thought that with some cheesy sound effects I could treat
the contest as a computer game, blasting green lines into white ones.
But it's a long way from Space Invaders to modern computer games, so contesting
has decades to go. It would be fun to brainstorm about ways to bridge that gap.
And then there's virtual reality.
Thanks for the QSOs. And thanks to the sponsors, W0YK and AA5AU.
73,
Ken, AB1J
Flex 6500
WSJT-X v2.0.0-rc5
N1MM Logger+
20m-15m attic dipoles
80m-40m outdoor 66' stealth wire, Dentron manual tuner and indoor counterpoise
LoTW eQSL ClubLog
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