[Elecraft] Boldly OT: 6 meter Sporadic-E season and the FT-8 microjuggernaut

[Edward R Cole]

I really ought not step into this discussion.  Obviously the Elecraft 
Reflector is a mainstay of CW ops.

I've been using digital modes one eme since 2003.  Back then the 
introductory program was JT44 which was supplanted by JT65 within a 
couple years.  Then many variants were done to address conditions on 
certain bands or certain prop modes.  WSJT was formed as the folder 
holding most of the new formats plus JT65.  MAP65 came out with 
ability to display 100-KHz of a band showing all signals and even 
decoding all of them to display activity over the sub-band.  Kind of 
like a P3 on steroids.

The two digit negative signal strength numbers  show SNR based on a 
bw of 2.5 KHz.  -18 is about the lowest level signal one is able to 
hear.  If one were using a 500-Hz CW filter the same signal SNR would 
be -11, or with 100-Hz super narrow bandpass the SNR = -4 dB which a 
good CW op should be able to copy (perhaps with a little difficulty).

It all started on 2m-eme, and for years mainly was about eme.  The 
"old guard" on eme grumbled and said it would never last.  Today 
there are maybe a couple dozen CW-only eme ops on 2m in the world; 
99% have gone digital.

FT8 (as I understand was created by Joe Taylor - K1JT for HF users in 
mind).  It started when a few tried JT65 on HF, then discovered 
WSPR.  Now FT8 is gaining in popularity on HF.

Whole world is moving on.  K3 and KX3 are SDR's.  Everyone on this 
list used a computer to read it.
"The times, they are changing"!

73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
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