I make FT8/FT4 QSOs every day. Very easy to set up remote operation using
the shack computer and my cellphone so I can make QSOs from work, while
walking around the neighborhood, etc. It is still exciting to work a DX
station, especially if it is a new one for the CQ DX Marathon for that
year, or a new prefix for the digital modes. Not a whole lot different
that pushing the voice recorder button to say "59 Oklahoma" several hundred
times in a SSB contest.
73 John W5TD
On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 12:57 PM <k5zd@charter.net> wrote:
> Yes, it was fun. For two reasons. 1) The video game nature of FT* and
> trying to see who you could make an exchange with. In many ways no
> different than any other contest. 2) It was new. A whole new set of
> situations and operating scenarios to experience. There is more to it than
> just clicking (if you want to make rate or score).
>
> Randy K5ZD
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+k5zd=charter.net@contesting.com> On
> Behalf Of Edward Sawyer
> Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2020 5:38 PM
> To: Stanley Zawrotny <k4sbz.stan@gmail.com>
> Cc: David Gilbert <xdavid@cis-broadband.com>; CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] World Wide Digi DX Contest Results
>
> Stanley. Thanks for this detailed explanation. I agree that Digital
> running, whether its RTTY or FT-X, just consisting of mouse clicking while
> watching a screen sounds pretty boring.
>
> Interestingly, not one person has answered my question, was the 20 – 40
> hour rate screen watching and mouse clicking for 24 hours fun? Anyone?
>
> Despite claims to the contrary, I am not afraid of it nor bashing it.
> Just asking a simple question. And no one wants to answer.
>
> Ed N1UR
>
> From: Stanley Zawrotny [mailto:k4sbz.stan@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2020 3:56 PM
> To: Edward Sawyer
> Cc: David Gilbert; cq-contest@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] World Wide Digi DX Contest Results
>
> Ed,
>
> I am both a RTTY contester and a digital contester. I operated in the ARRL
> RTTY Contest using FT4. I found that FT4 was faster than RTTY using S&P
> because I didn’t have to wait as long at the pileups. I did try RTTY S&P
> and got bored watching the screen while the station gave his report to a
> contact, the contact replied and finally the station sent a TU QRZ. Then I
> had a chance to.....wait for it....MOUSE CLICK on the macro that sends my
> callsign. If he replied to someone else, I had to.....yep......WATCH THE
> SCREEN while he finished that QSO. Then I would jump up and press F4 again
> to send my call.
>
> Oh, you don’t do S&P, you run. That means that you MOUSE CLICK (or press a
> function key) to send CQ, MOUSE CLICK on a call, MOUSE CLICK on the
> Exchange macro, watch the screen, execute the TU QRZ macro and watch the
> screen to see who is next. Or do you use call stacking to make that step
> more automatic? Since you are running, the calls all come to you. You
> don’t have to SEARCH for them or time your call to them to try to beat out
> the other guys. Tell me, Ed, how much fun it that?
>
> When I use FT8/FT4, I use a combination of running and S&P. I constantly
> watch the decoding panel, looking for someone who is saying 73 so I can
> call him before he needs to send a CQ. That beats out the guys who only
> call someone who is calling CQ. I watch for others who are giving their
> exchange to see if I need their multiplier and call them when they send
> their 73.
>
> WSJT-X has a check box so that you can only see stations calling CQ.
> Anyone that uses it is a fool. Whether you are contesting or DXing, there
> is much more to be gained by watching exchanges being made and taking
> advantage of the information revealed.
>
> No, I don’t sit blankly watching the screen. I actively go after my Qs,
> running only when there are no new gems for me to work.
>
> Anyone who makes comments about how boring digital is has not learned how
> to skillfully operate in that mode.
>
> BTW, FT8/FT4 were designed using RTTY contesting as a template. Hearing
> such comments for a RTTY contester amazes me.
>
> Stan, K4SBZ
>
> "Real radio bounces off the sky."
>
>
> On Jan 12, 2020, at 8:59 AM, Edward Sawyer <EdwardS@sbelectronics.com>
> wrote:
> Hello David. Froom everything observed in real practice with the
> typically unsophisticated masses of FT8 users, its dreaming to think that
> such rates will ever be achieved. All current data points to the rates
> experienced. The question was about "how was it" nit "what you hope it to
> be". So "how was it, actually?"
>
> As someone who is running most of the time, and not bandmap clicking, the
> experience is a world to actually be engaged with the participants, with my
> ears and brain. I guess if someone's world in contesting is clicking on
> the bandmap, never actually verifying the call, and hitting a few function
> keys, then its not much different. Thankfully, that's not my world of
> contesting. IS it yours?
>
> Ed N1UR
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces+edwards=
> sbelectronics.com@contesting.com] On Behalf Of David Gilbert
> Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2020 9:07 PM
> To: cq-contest@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] World Wide Digi DX Contest Results
>
>
> The rates would be considerably higher, and the operating somewhat less
> confusing, if everyone operated FT4 instead of being spread across FT4 and
> FT8. If you have a steady string of callers on FT4 the theoretical maximum
> rate is 240 per hour, at least until you have to call CQ again.
>
> And I'm not sure that mouse clicks on a WSJT-X screen are any different
> than mouse clicks on a CW or RTTY bandmap together with macro key presses
> on a keyboard. Possibly you can explain what you see being the difference.
>
> 73,
> Dave AB7E
>
>
> On 1/11/2020 5:26 PM, Edward Sawyer wrote:
>
> With the results in, I am curious as to the answer to this question.
>
> With 30 - 40 an hour rates over 24 hours and just looking at a computer
> screen and clicking mouses, was it fun?
>
> Ed N1UR
>
>
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