[CQ-Contest] Contesting and the FT8 Revolution

[n3bb at mindspring.com]

Tor, I'm having a hard time even taking this thread seriously ... no critique on your excellent comments. But why in the world would anyone want to use the FT modes for a contest? The speed-slowing limitations of the transmssion notwithstanding, letting my computer detect some sub-noise signals through brilliant DSP technology and talk w/out me ever at the keyboard to another system doing the same? That's a contact? Just baffles my 79 year old ham radio brain. 

I totally "get it" that this is amazing technology and can have military and scientific uses, but for hobbiests to use it to "communicate" so-called amateur radio contacts in some form of competition just leaves me totally cold. 

But it is what it is, apparently, to many in our hobby. 

Jim N3BB