[Elecraft] Legal Limit With FT8

[Jim Brown]

On 11/10/2021 10:36 PM, Rick Tavan wrote:
> I must be missing something.

Hi Rick,

FT8 and similar modes are weak signal modes, and for difficult paths, 
it's all about signal to noise, not signal to QRM. For several seasons, 
I've been running legal limit to fill in DXCC to eastern EU on 160M. 
During the summer, many of us run legal limit and lots of aluminum on 6M 
for weak and brief multi-hop Es openings to fill in missing grids in 
search of the Fred Fish award. We also run power for meteor scatter, and 
most who do moonbounce run legal limit.

The fundamental GOOD reason for power is RX noise on the other end of 
the QSO. I regularly give signal reports 10-15 dB better than I receive, 
simply because most hams are bathed in electronic noise from their own 
homes and those of their neighbors. Noise levels have increased 
drastically over the years. When I first moved to W6 in 2006, I could 
work EU on CW. Not a lot, but at least 3-4 QSOs per year, sometimes 
more. In the last six years, I've HEARD 6 CW signals from EU, and only 
two heard me. And my 160M antenna farm is better today than it was then.

73, Jim K9YC