[VHFcontesting] We have a Situation here....

[Marshall-K5QE]

Hello to all VHF ops, especially those that are fooling around with FT8 
on 6M.

It has come to my attention that the problems with the NA Contest 
Mode(CM) and the so called "normal" mode of FT8 are still causing a lot 
of trouble. Just for background information, I invite you to look at an 
essay that I wrote for the ARRL last year.  There is a bit out of date 
info there as it was written when v1.8.0 was the latest thing, but the 
gist of all the information is correct.    Try this link 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9l5oeiir4inn4x6/Contesting%20and%20Digital%20Modes.doc?dl=0

For over 20 years, the signal report that VHF ops sent and received was 
the GRID.  Recently, 6M has been infested with a horde of HFers / 
newbies that have decided that it is perfectly OK to throw away 20+ 
years of VHF history and methods.  Mostly, I think that is because they 
have no idea what the history and methods are.  VHF ops send and receive 
GRIDs, even in casual operations.  Now, I am seeing folks that claim 
that the "funny little numbers" modes are the ONLY way to operate.

It is terribly unfortunate and very sad that these folks do not know 
what "standard VHF operations" are and quite frankly, they don't care.  
If you look at what is going on right now, you will see that grids are 
NOT being properly sent by both sides.  They are sending what I call the 
"funny little numbers"--the only time you will see a grid is for the 
station calling CQ.

This is totally unacceptable in a contest, as the GRID is the exchange.  
If you don't send and receive the GRID, you do not have a proper contest 
QSO.  Because of this, several of the top contesters(not me) prevailed 
on Joe to provide a method that:
1)Only took 4 sequences rather than 6
2)Got the grid across in both directions correctly every time.

The result was the so called NA Contest Mode.  The results of the NA 
contest mode are what we all need.  However, most unfortunately, the way 
that Joe implemented this is a problem for those folks that are trying 
to work DX on 6M rather than a contest on 6M.  The internal details of 
this are a bit complicated, but the problem only rears its ugly head 
when long haul International DX is in the picture.  Joe has stated that 
he understands the problem and a fix is on the way.  The contest 
mode(CM) causes problems for the folks that want to use the "funny 
little numbers" as the decodes don't work right.  I would say that the 
decodes don't work right for those using the CM and when the other guy 
is not. So it works both ways.

I sincerely hope that Joe can implement a fix that will allow us to 
coexist, somehow, with the "funny little numbers" crowd.  We need GRIDS 
both ways....if the little numbers are also sent, that is OK with me.  
Until the fix is forthcoming, there will be problems.  During the 
contests, we must have the GRIDS. During casual operating, it would 
really be best if we could send and receive GRIDS, but with the current 
software, that is a problem.

In addition to WSJT-X, there are several "knock off" softwares that 
stole Joe's ideas, work, and sometimes his code.  These bastardized 
softwares are missing features and most importantly are incompatible 
with WSJT-X.  This causes further problems.  Here are the type of 
exchanges that you see(this from one of the non-WSJT-X software packages):
ME:    CQ K5QE EM31
DX:    K5QE W1XYZ -02
ME:    W1XYZ R+01
DX:    RR73

NOTES:  1)ME is not right.  I would never do this.  I just wrote it this 
way for clarity
                 2)There is NO grid sent by the DX station or by me to him
                 3)On a positive note, only 4 sequences were used

I have posted that I believe we should use the NA Contest Mode at all 
times(lots of howling and screaming over this). It is faster and 
guarantees that the grids get sent and received properly every time.  
But I now understand that for those trying to use FT8 on 6M for working 
long haul International DX(like for DXCC), it can cause problems.

Please note that this brouhaha only affects 6M and FT8. There is no 
problem on 2M, since the chances of International DX on 2M, except for 
EME, is vanishingly small.  There is no problem on EME either, because 
we all use JT65b there and it passes the grids perfectly every time.  
There is no problem for MSK144 either, since the limit of meteor scatter 
is about 1400 miles.  The real problem is that the folks that are 
enamored with the "funny little numbers" will not realize that the rest 
of us are not using them outside of 6M.

SUMMARY:  There is a problem and that problem will continue until Joe 
comes up with a proper fix.  Meantime, please understand that there are 
a lot of the top VHFers that hate the "funny little numbers".  I for one 
want to continue with the 20+ years of tradition that has served us so well.

MY FIX:  Somehow, until Joe comes up with a software fix for all this, 
we need to make sure we use the contest mode in contests(what a novel 
idea!).  We need to try to get the HFers / newbies on 6M to understand 
about VHF custom and methods.

SPECIAL PRAISE:  I want to publicly send out some well deserved praise 
to Joe-K1JT and his team for his / their fantastic software.  First, he 
revolutionized EME with the JT65 software.  Then he did the same for 
meteor scatter with FSK441 and now MSK144.  These software products have 
made meteor scatter a blast rather than a chore.  Finally, with FT8, 
another quantum leap forward.  I have a lot of confidence in him and his 
team.  I await his fix for the contest mode / grid issue.  I am sure it 
will be another winner.

Your comments / ideas?  As usual, rational ideas, pro or con, gratefully 
appreciated.  Flames will go directly to the bit bucket, they will not 
pass GO and will not collect $200.

73 Marshall K5QE
www.k5qe.com
Phone is 409-787-3830