[TowerTalk] FT8 VS CW/RTTY Spots Re: Fwd: MFJ QRT on May 17, 2024

[Jim W7RY]

Exactly Steve.
Just another "follow the statistics" mantra. Where the statistics are 
entirely flawed and are of no value.

Jim W7RY



On 4/29/2024 9:32 AM, Steve Harrison wrote:
> On 4/28/2024 6:13 AM, John Webster NN1SS wrote:
>> I would like to suggest that there may be broader implications.  On any
>> given day, more than 80% of all activity on the HF bands is in the
>> digital modes and largely in FT8.
>>
>> Look at RBN spot data that was collected (I assume) last year:
>
> I would venture to suggest that attempting to use RBN data to adjudge
> intermittent and erratic CW callsigns as being an indicator of band
> activity is a fallacy of and by itself. For example, note how many times
> a CW caller is spotted on RBN while calling in a pileup. Or when in a
> QSO and only signing once, and maybe every other ten minutes or two. RBN
> requires several clear decryptions of an audible CW signal before it
> will register a callsign... and then only when the decryption is clearly
> a callsign, but it will also show something that somebody mangles while
> attempting to send their call (which happens, believe it or not).
>
> And what about the weekly CWT contests.... where are the RBN spots to
> show that activity?? They mostly don't appear, because callsigns aren't
> "heard" more than once or twice, or most of the time are always shifting
> frequency. Or when they do appear, the RBN more often only shows the
> strongest signals, rarely the weak pipsqueaks or those at the bottom of
> a propagation peak.
>
> That's not quite what happens with something like ft8 or 4, which
> transmissions contain almost nothing BUT callsigns, and for minutes at a
> time. Of course, ft8 is going to appear to be a more-heavily-used mode
> in comparision.
>
> And as Pete said, RBN doesn't register SSB signals (unless purposely
> spotted).
>
> Don't try using RBN as any indicator of relative activity for any mode;
> it can't and doesn't compute.
>
> Steve, K0XP
>
>
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-- 
Thanks and 73, Jim W7RY