Topband: FT8 - the end of 160m old school DXing? (long)

[Nick Maslon - K1NZ]

Hi all, here's my $.02...

Radio is what you make of it. Do what you enjoy. If you don't like the
digimodes, stay away from them.

DXCC means different things to different people. To some, it means only SSB
or CW. To others, they're perfectly happy with digi modes. Others want to
earn DXCC from a station only they have built. Still others work under
their own call from a multiop station and claim the credit. To each his
own. It's not worth getting worked up over.

I'm going to get put on blast for this but personally, I love digimodes.
Outside of contests, I almost exclusively operate digi. It's what I enjoy.
I'm not proficient enough with CW to have a real impact on the bands and
phone takes its toll on you after a while.

That being said, I lament FT8 killing off JT65. I do understand they're
both similar, but JT65 had a more "human" touch in that I did need to click
the right buttons to send the right text instead of the computer
automatically doing it for me. Plus, the longer cycle times were more
conducive to getting in a freeform 73 note.

At the end of the day, this hobby is big enough for everyone. Have fun.
Enjoy yourself. Make new friends. The magic isn't gone just yet!

73,
Nick K1NZ