Topband: FT8: Making it too easy?

[Mike Waters]

On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 7:59 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:

> ... Some people like running 5kw to work dx ...


5 kW. Hmm...To quote one Topbander (who shall forever remain anonymous),
"If you can't make it with ten thousand watts, it's just not amateur radio!
(It's been *many* decades since ... never mind. ;-)

My biggest thrill, right after I first put up my 160m Inverted-L --with two
opposed N-S 10' high λ/4 elevated radials-- was breaking a huge DX pileup
WITH ONLY 100 WATTS!  Later, I ran more power with a modified SB-200. I now
can run the legal limit (and probably 2500w if I wanted to, but don't). But
after that, I began to understand the thrill of QRP that others talk about.

In the next ~6 weeks, I hope to have that back up again. It'll be in a CW
contest, and a lot of that will be 100 watts or even less. How else can I
see how well my station is working?

I don't know --or care-- what others run (mode or power). *Can we do
anything about it?!*

73, Mike
www.w0btu.com