[VHFcontesting] More January digital points

[JamesDuffey]

Marshall and the group - You wrote:

“ I proposed checking for SSB/CW on the hour and half hour. What do others think about that??? If you find a bit of SSB/CW, then you will surely make more contacts and more mults as long as the Es lasts.? If the band dies out, then you can go back to FT8.” 

I think going to SSB or CW on the hour and/or half hour is a good idea. I tried it during the January contest with no results. But if more people did it, I think it would feed on itself and generate more analog activity. We need to promote that going into the June contest.

I also think it healthy to have these discussions about mode selections, but it does no one any good to exaggerate the issues and solutions.   In most cases data, or common sense, is available to support or refute claims that are made. W9RM is a damn good op, as you saw when he operated at your station, but he does not do sustained rates of 480 an hour or more on 6M even when Es is in. There is no reason to imply that to make the point that SSB/CW is more efficient than FT8 or FT4. The actual numbers paint a bad enough picture. 200 an hour, which is an achievable sustainable rate for Keith, is still better than the best rate achievable with FT4, probably 100 to 120 an hour, if the activity is there, which it is not currently.

I would like to repeat a point made by K1JT to me, that is FT8 (or FT4) is just a mode and is not inherently good or bad in and of itself. It is the use of it by operators that adds or subtracts to its utility, not the mode itself. 

We have increased VHF/UHF contest activity. We just need to figure out how to deal with it. - Duffey

James Duffey KK6MC
Cedar Crest NM

> On Mar 20, 2021, at 06:56, vhfcontesting-request at contesting.com wrote: