Let it rip.
Who cares any more as FT8 is about computers
talking to computers while the operator is doing
- or has his mind - on other things. Ham Heaven
is here according to the masses and apparently
statistics. RBN is all about computers anyway.
And we must make decisions based on statistics - right?
To be able to make use of the FT8 "Deep"
functionality the computer needs the info to
decode unknown callsigns that are "22 dB below the noise level".
So why not feed the computers with as much info
as possible to speed up the journey up the DXCC
ladder. Then, when the barn is full, some
operators might even return to real ham radio
again without concerns over what is fed to the RBN network.
73
Peter SM2CEW
At 13:35 2018-06-12, N4ZR wrote:
As some may be aware, weâ??ve been debating for
some time about whether the RBN should handle
FT8 spots. A few weeks, ago, several prolific
RBN nodes began spotting FT8 signals, using the
combination of WSJT-X and an unreleased
Aggregator, version 5. The purpose of this
limited Alpha test was to get a feel for the
load and other implications of carrying FT8
spots on the RBN; it has been very revealing.
The most striking characteristic of FT8 spots is
their sheer quantity. Here are some weekday
statistics from one of the US testers: *23-May*
CW 4294 14% RTTY 69 0.22% FT8 26318 86% Total
30681 *24-May* CW 4370 13% RTTY 46 0.14% FT8
29298 87% Total 33714 Whether due to the
startling popularity of the new mode, or to the
ability to spot stations at 22 dB below the
noise level, it seems obvious that adding FT8
spots to our spot flow could have a huge impact
on the infrastructure of the RBN. These
numbers suggest that if only 20-30 RBN nodes
added FT8 spots, those spots could outnumber the
total CW and RTTY spots being delivered by the
140-150 nodes currently active on the network,
doubling the total required throughput. We
frankly donâ??t know whether the RBN servers
will be up to the task, so we decided we had
better find out before the fall contest season
is upon us. Accordingly, we are taking the
following steps on a Beta test basis: 1.
Effective immediately, the RBNâ??s current spot
feed (telnet,reversebeacon.net port 7000)
will be repurposed to handle only CW and
RTTY spots. telnet.reversebeacon.net port 7001
will be set up for FT8 spots only. 2.
Operators of â??retailâ?? DX clusters are
encouraged to offer the option of RBN spots
with and without FT8 spots, as they now often
give users a choice between spot streams
with and without â??Skimmerâ?? spots, and to
advertise when they begin to carry FT8 spots 3.
A Beta test version of Aggregator Version 5 that
can handle FT8 spots received from WSJT-X
will be made available on the RBN web site,
along with instructions on how RBN node-ops can
configure their nodes to spot FT8 on one or
multiple bands. Note, please, that doing
so will not interfere with your ability to
continue spotting CW and RTTY. We will
closely monitor how the RBN servers handle this
new load, as more and more nodes begin sending
FT8 spots. We also reserve the right to take
steps as necessary to protect the core mission
of the RBN, including shutting off the FT8
stream on major CW and RTTY contest weekends or,
in an extreme case, discontinuing spotting of
FT8 altogether. Even in a worst case scenario,
FT8 spots will continue to be carried by
PSKReporter. We hope weâ??re not doing this in a
vacuum. The RBN team has been collecting the
views of contesters and DXers on this, and we
think that weâ??re headed in the right
direction. Feel free to let us know what you
think of this experiment. 73, The RBN Team
(KM3T, N4ZR, PY1NB, SV3SJ, W3OA)
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