Fellow contesters, ARRL has added WSJT-X as an allowable mode for next month's RTTY Round Up. I am daring to speak from ignorance (I have yet to make a single FT8 QSO) but will ask anyway whether thi
Why did the ARRL choose to allow PSK31, ASCII, AMTOR and Packet in the RTTY Roundup, but not allow other digital modes like MFSK16 and Hellschreiber? I know that CQ magazine only allows RTTY in their
Your post indicates ignorance of how modes like FT8 work. I suggest that you install WSJT-X and make some QSOs before making rash statements like this based on hearsay. It might interest you to know
This is not just a contesting issue. It seems to me that the distinguishing feature of ham radio is HOW we choose to communicate with one another - the hard way, for its own sake. When ham radio evo
My short answer would be I tune up an audio signal on RTTY, click a button or two, and my computer makes a Q. I tune up an audio signal on FT-8, click a button or two, and my computer makes a Q. Same
I also have never made a FT8 QSO but I believe that there is a lot of operator input so it is not just a computer battle. There was a FT8 contest last weekend and those that operated could elaborate
I consider myself a mainstream contester, and made 776 QSO's in Last weekend's FT8 Roundup. Believe me, it is not a matter of Robots doing battle with each other. I did SO2R, and there sure was a lot
I agree. However, I do believe ARRL made one fundamental flaw in their adoption of FT8. Because FT8 can decode multiple signals at one time, anyone who uses FT8 must enter the Assisted category. I th
There are some differences. FT8 are not always audible, you do not "tune up" on signals. Also you can only transmit at specific times so your computer needs to have very accurate time. I have worked
Do those objecting feel threatened by something unknown to them? Concerned that hoards of the unwashed will wipe out large parts of spectrum? From where I sit, it seems that those objecting to FT8 be
I operate a bit of FT8 and find the theory of how it works fascinating. It gives us yet another dimension to play with. FT8 can help new contesters with nearly all aspects of contest skill. A station
Even W0YK has suggested that we need an FT mode with more like a 5 second time period to be viable as a contest mode. Things I currently can't do in an FT8 contest include, please do correct me if I
A CW or RTTY skimmer is a multi-decoder. The Gritty RTTY decoder is a multi-decoder. Most PSK31 software is multi-decoder. So is FT8. All of these have been ruled to put you in assisted for good reas
One of the problems that the most successful contesters seem to have forgotten (or perhaps haven't even thought of) is that many of the stations we work would be THRILLED with rates of 30/hour. Every
I hear so many complaints about FT8 being automated. How about this scenario in another mode? - I see a post on a DXcluster - When I click on it, the callsign is automatically entered into my softwar
Stan, it seems to me that you lost one step in your description - decoding/understanding the transmission with your ears and your brain. To me, that is a "bright line." At the point where the operat
In ANY ham station, SOMEONE'S brain is or has been involved in choosing/designing/constructing the station, including antennas, transmission lines, switching, computer interface, computer software, t
<snip> And I suppose the gentleman who said that someone should holler stop thought that same thing when SSB came out replacing AM. I said "stop", and Stan's gratuitous assumption about SSB is unwar
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