[Elecraft] FT8: "Magic radio"?

Tue Jul 3 16:04:40 EDT 2018

After being a ham since 1981, and passing the CW test only because I was good at test-taking and it was a multiple choice test, I’m now learning CW all over again via LCWO.net and the Koch Method.  I’m now about halfway through and I’m doing better than I could have ever imagined.  I’m not going to ever be a very fast CW operator, and sending will be a whole new challenge, as my manual dexterity and sense of rhythm are not very good, but I do see the light at the end of the CW tunnel, which for me has been a real challenge.  And, I also do FT8.  In fact, I got WAS with FT8 in only about one month.  I wasn’t planning on an FT8 WAS endorsement, but when I noticed that I had 35 states without even trying, I thought I might was well go for it.  So, in my case, FT8 has killed CW interest at all, in fact, it might have played a small part in increasing my interest.  Maybe one day, I can get WAS CW endorsement.  That would be a real accomplishment for me.

73,

Carl
N8VZ

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 3, 2018, at 3:48 PM, Fred Jensen <k6dgw at foothill.net> wrote:
> 
> The last Q in the FAQ at the end of Dr. Joe Taylor's instructions for use of the DXpedition ["Fox and Hound"] mode of FT8 is:
> 
> "Are you trying to kill CW?"
> 
> If he is trying to kill CW, listening on 14023 and up suggests that he is failing.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
> Sparks NV DM09dn
> Washoe County
> 
>> On 7/3/2018 12:36 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>> Overheard yesterday on 40 meter SSB, in reference to FT8:  “Given the level of automation and whatnot, maybe they should call it ‘magic radio’ instead of ‘ham radio’.”
>> 
>> New contest category?
>> 
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>> 
> 
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