[Elecraft] FT8: "Magic radio"?

[Mike Flowers]

I agree.  

We have a Club member who lives in a townhouse and who became a ham because their Dad was a ham. 

This ham literally has 100W and a wire dipole, only half of which is outside - and is in the log at KH1/KH7Z with a 20M FT8 QSO. 

Amateur Radio is a technological pursuit.   The convergence of radio, computer and software technologies to create the digi-modes was probably inevitable.  

If FT8 helps interest more young people in Amateur Radio, I’m all for it. 

-- Mike Flowers, K6MKF, NCDXC - "It's about DX!"

> On Jul 3, 2018, at 1:24 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
> 
> How is it any different than the RTTY setups used for DXpeditions that would do essentially the same thing, listen over a wide range and stack the calls heard?  FT8 just allows them to complete 1 to 5 contacts at one time.  That to me is pretty amazing!    There is still plenty of skill in working FT8 if the goal is to get in and get out quick just like any more.  Hey if you have all day to work someone chances are you will get them sooner or later.
> 
> The cool part about this and the most important part is this mode is allowing people with really marginally poor stations to be able to actually get on Ham Radio and work people and work DX!  It has to be exciting for them!
> 
> Try to put yourself in their shoes.  It is a whole new world!  We need more activity, more active hams and maybe FT8 will be a building block to get more people in.  I would hope this is a good thing!
> 
> W0MU
> 
> 
>> On 7/3/2018 2:10 PM, ANDY DURBIN wrote:
>> I have been using WSJT-X since before version 1.0 was made available.  I was also an early adopter of JT9 and FT8.  I have enjoyed using JT65, JT9, and FT8 for HF and 6 m QSO.  Using DXpedition mode to work KH1 was a different experience.  I felt that the operator had been taken much too far "out of the loop".   I'm glad I made more KH1 QSO using CW than with FT8 and I found them much more satisfying.
>> 
>> FT8 DXPedition mode is certainly not for everyone but if it was the only way I could make a QSO with KH1 I'd have been glad to have it in my log.    KH1 was DX 200 worked CW in 4 years.  That was nice and only the magic of propagation was involved.
>> 
>> 73,
>> Andy k3wyc
>> 
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