[CQ-Contest] Contesters review: new FT8, WSJT 2.0.0

[Jeff Blaine]

Tim,

I would like to personally encourage all of the top-10 scorers in the 
RTTY RU to make the move to FT8.  Immediately!

We here in the midwest need all the help we can get and thinning out the 
field with a move of the top competitors over to FT8 is a great 
idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!

73/jeff/ac0c
alpha-charlie-zero-charlie
www.ac0c.com

On 14-Dec-18 1:48 PM, Tim Shoppa wrote:
> Keep in mind that I write the below from a "Contesters perspective" but
> maybe toned down for lower FT8 expectations.
>
> The official flag day for the new 77-bit FT8 messages was Monday Dec 14
> with the release of WSJT 2.0.0. Within a day almost all the activity had
> flipped over the the new version.
>
> I spent many hours (20+ hours) trying it out, with "RR73" turned on to get
> max rates, and it is an improvement. I had also been involved a little bit
> with pre-release WSJT software in the mock-contest hours and the "FT8 mock
> test" the first weekend of December.
>
> With the new WSJT 2.0.0 FT8, my peak S&P rate approaches one QSO a minute,
> my peak run rate approaches one QSO every 90 seconds, and my average rate
> over an hour is s 20 or more. It is hard to achieve peak rates on a super
> packed busy band like 20M FT8 but on a WARC band or "off peak" band it's
> quite achievable.
>
> Contrast that with the old WSJT where my typical FT8 rate in an hour was 8
> to 12 QSO's an hour.
>
> Now, in a real RTTY contest, 20 an hour is NOT something to write home
> about. It's dullsville, like maybe I should be doing something more fun
> like mopping the kitchen floor or raking leaves. But it is a real
> improvement for FT8 rate.
>
> I DO NOT PLAN to do ANY FT8 in RTTY Roundup. Again, 20 an hour is a bad
> rate if you are trying to enter that competitively.
>
> Tim N3QE
> Hardcore RTTY contester
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