FT8 was not created to be a rate mode. It is a weak signal mode. For
those of us a long way from the East Coast and salt it allows us to work
stations that we probably had very little shot of working without FT8.
Productive in what way? To work new ones? Check! DXing is not
necessarily about rate, I thought that is what contests were for.
How many countries did you work on FT8 that you did not or could not
work on any other mode. That would be my definition of productive.
Productive to me is working new ones with the least amount of time expended.
W0MU
On 2/1/2019 9:12 AM, Tim Shoppa wrote:
There are some untrue things being assumed here, as if they are advantages
to FT8 that make FT8 be a more productive mode for DX'ing.
In fact FT8 is the least productive of all modes I used in 2018. And I was
on FT8 a lot in 2018. I tried hard to be productive in FT8 - measured in
Q's per hour, or DXCC , or any other quantitative measure. And FT8 was far
and away the least productive mode for me.
You will note I am no stranger to digital modes - I am often in top 3 of CQ
WW RTTY in USA SO HP(A). So please take for granted that I am competent at
digital modes and my poor FT8 results are not because I'm a poor digital
mode operator.
In below calculations I use "half hour off time" calculations, in
calculating on time for each mode. "Half hour off time" calculations are
super commonly done in contests.
In 2018 I was on CW for 481 hours. I made 32610 QSO's for a rate of 68 per
hour and worked 185 DXCC.
In 2018 I was on SSB for 107 hours. I made 7344 QSO's for a rate of 69 per
hour and worked 104 DXCC.
In 2018 I was on RTTY for 250 hours. I made 13319 QSO's for a rate of 53
per hour and worked 117 DXCC's.
In 2018 I was on FT8 for 376 hours. I made 6460 QSO's for a rate of 17 per
hour and worked 110 DXCC's.
BY ANY QUANTITATIVE MEASURE, FT8 was my least productive mode by far.
I DO NOT HAVE A SUPERSTATION. In fact I just have a single wire antenna.
But I have worked hard on developing my operating skills in all modes in my
40 years of being a ham.
If I had to choose one mode in 2019 to exercise and improve my skills, it
would be phone. I can get on for a half hour in Tuesday night phone fray
with 100W and make Q's at a rate of 40-60Q's an hour (rates completely
unachievable with FT8). While I have greatly improved my phone skills in
the past couple years, I still think there's lots of room for improvement!
Tim N3QE
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