Topband: FT8 Observations

[Mike Waters]

I have no idea how FT8 compares with other weak-signal digital modes (such
as the ones that JT himself wrote), Dave. If no one knows here, then Google
is your friend. :-)

As for waiting until next fall and winter, keep in mind that we are
approaching the southern hemisphere's fall and winter. Since Topbanders
there have reduced or no lightning QRN, on occasion it's an opportunity for
us to work them!

73, Mike
www.w0btu.com

On Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 1:19 PM David Olean <k1whs at metrocast.net> wrote:

>      I guess I was just underwhelmed at what I could accomplish on FT8 vs
> CW on 160.  ...
>
> ... In the first evening I saw a huge improvement using diversity and it
> was nice having all the wires available too!  Too bad it won't get much use
> until next fall and winter!
>
> On 4/23/2018 3:50 PM, Mike Waters wrote:
>
> Hi Dave,
>
> I think it's safe to say that you're running Beverages in a very quiet
> location, and the hams that can't hear you are not. What is more, they
> might have a 20 over 9 noise level and are running non-directional antennas
> (such as verticals with no radials or low dipoles).
>
> 73, Mike
> www.w0btu.com
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 10:36 AM David Olean <k1whs at metrocast.net> wrote:
>
>> I have been playing around with FT8 on 160M and am a bit puzzled. I have
>> made plenty of contacts, but with many stations, it seems to require an
>> inordinate amount of power to get their attention, or they do not respond
>> at all. I also have noted that I can hear in a 2.8 kHz passband, signals
>> that register from -12 to -17 dB. About the weakest that I see is a bit
>> more than -20 dB. Does this mean that FT8 is only a few dB better than CW?
>> I have ...
>
>