[CQ-Contest] sunspot cycle

[robert]

     GM Joe

         Well I do agree with you about contest and FT8.  I will 
certainly admit it has it's

         pluses and minuses.  In my case I really believe it is a 
passing thing.  I just can not

         help wondering if it is taking away too much activity from many 
cw/rtty operators.

         Also the desire for new hams to develop/improve  cw/rtty 
skills.  Time will tell if

         the balance sheet favored FT8.

                 All the best   BoB  WA1FCN

On 3/25/2019 8:05 AM, Joe wrote:
> Thing is about FT-8,,
>
> As someone who has played with it a LOT. 1000's of contacts. And have 
> tried in a few contests too. And I can see only two ways it will ever 
> be a "Contest Mode"
>
> 1- When the conditions are sooo extremely bad that CW & SSB are just 
> not cutting it.
>
> 2- When you have it set up to run 100% automatically on it's own. (not 
> really legal if left un attended)
> The 100% automated is easy to do. And I have actually done it just to 
> see how hard it would be and if it would handle the task. I sat and 
> watched it run the freq. I never left it alone so would be legal. It 
> ran flawlessly and made over a hundred contacts all by itself.
>
> BUT.... if the band is open then it is incredibly SLOW!!!!!!! I can 
> make ten times the contacts in CW or SSB in the time FT-8 takes to 
> make one and thats if all exchanges were copied with one try. And 
> staying with digital RTTY would be similar effect probably close to 
> ten times the contacts.
>
> FT-8 is far from a Contest mode. Just toooo slow.
>
> Joe WB9SBD
> Sig
> The Original Rolling Ball Clock
> Idle Tyme
> Idle-Tyme.com
> http://www.idle-tyme.com
> On 3/24/2019 8:53 PM, robert wrote:
>>
>> GE Jeff
>>
>>         I hate to say it but your remark about "dumb down contest to 
>> the point
>>
>>         where no skills are required "   is on the horizon when it 
>> comes to FT8.
>>
>>         This from someone who spends 20% of his time on FT8 ! I 
>> believe it is also
>>
>>         making some of us a bit more of a lazy operator.
>>
>>             73 BoB WA1FCN
>>
>>
>> On 3/24/2019 4:36 PM, Jeff Clarke wrote:
>>> If you're into FT8 there seems to be plenty of DX spotted on a daily 
>>> basis to keep your typical DXer happy despite the bad radio conditions.
>>>
>>> Can you see the scenario in the future that those casual contesters 
>>> are going to call for the sponsors to all add FT8 as a valid mode 
>>> for their contest? Hope it doesn't happen and dumb down contests to 
>>> the point where no skills are required.
>>>
>>> Jeff
>>>
>>> On 3/24/2019 03:24 PM, Bill kollenbaum via CQ-Contest wrote:
>>>> The post was not about the demise of contesting, it was about 
>>>> sunspots numbers and propagation. If you look at the numbers, they 
>>>> predict a flux consistently in the 50s.  I can't remember ever 
>>>> seeing a number that low. We have been banging around 70  or so for 
>>>> most of this year, with a few exception like those right now 
>>>> (around 80). Almost everyone seems to agree, that at that number 
>>>> conditions are not very good
>>>> Of course we will always have some bands open,  but if the null in 
>>>> the sunspots continue through 2022 it is generally thought that 
>>>> this cycle will be extremely low at the peak since there is a 
>>>> direct correlation between the length of the minimum and the 
>>>> strength of the next cycle.
>>>> This may or may not have an effect on contesting.  However, it is 
>>>> pretty easy to see that it has had an effect on daily operating.
>>>> KH7XS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 
>>>>
>>>> Bill,
>>>>
>>>> You have made other statements about the demise of contesting. It's 
>>>> not happening.
>>>>
>>>> For example, 2900 QSO's from New Mexico in ARRL DX CW a few 
>>>> weekends ago. No
>>>> sunspots. Great fun.
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>> Steve, N2IC
>>>>
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