[SADXA] FT8 & slow baud rates

[Wes]

A couple of other useful ways to check propagation is 1)  the NCDXF beacon 
network and 2) the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN).

For example I just copied 4U1UN, W6WX, KH6RS and ZL6B beacons on 18.100.  I 
called CQ on the RBN and was copied by K3PA, N5RZ and WE9V.  All of this is CW BTW.

Wes  N7WS

On 1/26/2019 3:27 PM, Telegrapher wrote:
> Nice thing about FT8 is that you don't have to wait long, if your monitoring 
> the frequency anyway to tell what's happening with the band.  A few cycles of 
> the second hand will tell you where the hot signals are.  However, that 
> doesn't mean you can get back to that particular station.  I was trying to 
> capture the PJ4 station this morning on 17M.  I called on freq, off freq, 
> using F/H etc.  Even though his signal was as high as a +12 at one time he 
> would not answer my calls.  So i jumped down to 15 and worked him on that band 
> within a couple of minutes.  Course now different bands, different propagation 
> and mostly, different antennas!  Same power though.  You can certainly watch 
> the band conditions change several times in one minute which you can't do on 
> very well with CW or SSB.
>
> It's been a boon to amateurs which has caused a great increase in activity.  
> That can be viewed in more than one way.  Sure been a killer to CW though but 
> i wonder how many CW ops made the jump and whether or not most of the users of 
> FT8 are really non- cw users or No-code types.
>
> Two parts here.
>
> Wanna play with slow baud rates?  get on board with the fellows down on 630 
> and 2200 meters.  They are using a mode called "WSQ". So far the results seem 
> to be much better than the JT modes they were using although some are still 
> using those modes.  The software developer is a fellow from ON land i believe 
> and participates with quick response to the users.  Makes changes to the 
> software upon recommendation for improvement by the users. Remember those guys 
> are running less than a watt to the antenna and are being heard some very long 
> distances.  I forgot what the transmission length for a single transmission is 
> but i think it's several minutes, maybe more.
>
> Larry
>
> W0OGH
>
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