On 9/28/2022 9:47 AM, ok1tn wrote:
Unfortunately, the days of dx on the
top band ended with the expansion of FT8.
Even during major contests, CW QSOs with EU have become nearly
impossible from my QTH near San Francisco, thanks to greatly increased
noise levels at both ends of the QSO. I can still work VK/ZL and JA on
CW, bot I've heard 7 CW signals from EU in seven seasons, and only two
of those stations have heard me, running legal limit into a TX antenna
that is a few dB better than what I had in 2006 to work a dozen or so EU
stations.
Thanks to its 10 dB advantage over CW to get through noise, FT8 is a
solution to that, and, during the recent solar minimum, enabled me to
add twenty new countries in EU over two seasons. FST4 provides
additional noise rejection, which is why it dominates 630m and 2200m.
Although I've been primarily a CW op all my 67 years in ham radio, it's
also about radios, antennas, understanding propagation and learning new
stuff.
73, Jim K9YC
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