I remember uploading a video about FT-8 when it was a week old, now, it is found on every band in great numbers.. Don't let anyone tell you there are no signals on HF lately. This video will just show you through all the bands and what the activity looks like lately. Give it a try, and please remember: Use LOW POWER. 5 watts, 10 watts, maybe 15 watts if you have to. But to all those running 100s of watts on JT65 and FT-8, blanking out the entire waterfall when you transmit, you are a moron. It causes havoc to the others running 1 - 5 watts. There is nothing worse than watching all the signals disappear when you transmit. SUBSCRIBE to HamRadioConcepts LIKE on facebook.com/hamradioconcepts
Yes I agree. At times on 20 meters, it's hard carry on a qso on olivia,msfsk and psk 31 and there people that run high power on that mode ( ft8 ) and are spraying from 14.074 all the way to 14.069 khz! Don't get me wrong folks, FT8 is THE quickest way for digital communication. But I use all modes as well.psk,olivia,contestia,thor,dom,rtty. There really isn't much congestion on 160,80,60,40,30,17,15,12 and 10 meters,only seems to be on 20. I have heard people using PSK on 14.069 and 068. I really love JT65,9 AND 4. When FT8 first came on around here ( VERMONT ) back in the middle of June,I thought.." what the H@@@ is that stuff? " and it was the easiest program to down load! C U on the bands de KA1BSZ/M FN33
You don't have the program set right if strong signals are blacking out your waterfall. A check in the "flatten box" in the wide graph window will prevent that from happening.
Nice video. What antenna are you using? A lousy vertical in a small lot and 5 watts is not too good. The only thing I can do is raise up the power. Still haven't been heard in Europe from here in Oregon according to PSKR website.
Exactly. Also, disable your AGC and reduce the RF gain on your receiver. Here in Europe, I receive many FT8 signals registering +15 dB or more and they are no wider than the -18 or -19 dB signals on adjacent frequencies. 73, Walt (G3NYY)
AMEN...just when you start a PSK CQ up comes the constant QRM from JT-65 and the other mixed bag of continuous tones all trying to outdo each other. Just a day or so ago I was calling PSK 31 on 7.070 and immediately JT-65 signals pounced on my frequency. The same holds true when a RTTY or PSK signal comes on top of your CW QSO in the 40 meter band between 7.035 and 7.040. And what is that continuous signals on 7.040 +/- all night long destroying the QRP CW frequency. We need some order on the bands today to stick to the band plans. What has happened to fairness and what do we do with those 7.040 KHz crystals for our QRP or homebrew oscillators. Have we gone MAD?
After JT'ing 2 years solid I hoped one day we'd see a mode with a shorter decode with a smaller bandwidth. JT65 was crowding the segment and the legal limit beam guys were not making JT65 fun. JT9 was great but was not as popular in my limited experience, and seemed a little too long to find out the other OP went on to someone else. Finding FT8, I thought I would be a fan. Nope. I'd say what we really need is JT9 with a 30s cycle, with maybe 22 or 25s decode and the balance to decide what to do. Get a little deeper than FT8 and have a bit more time to react. At least for me the FT8 15s cycles are too short unless you can read really fast or there are few signals. In the frenzy I see a LOT of OPs having to send 2-3 cycles. Its not saving them any time in the QSO cycle. I'd say FT8 maybe is a bit too fast; even worse, perhaps the relative speed of the cycle may also makes it less sensitive. https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/ft8-mode-testing.572828/ If true, a 4dB penalty really hits compromise antenna users to work DX. I got through half a QSO to South Africa on a -26 JT9 signal both ways. In those condx I'd never have a chance either way on FT8. I sincerely appreciate Joe Taylor and his team for making ham radio fun for me again, but I'm already nostalgic for the haunted calliope sounds of JT65 (don't miss the ear piercing JT9 tones), and I'm only using FT8 with reluctance because everyone else is. But at least the JT mode segment is wide open again--I worked Antarctica on JT9 with absolute ease, while FT8 was slam packed I tried JT10 for awhile, but it never appeared to catch on. Its release date probably was partly to blame, and also a Russian download site made some wary. Worked well though!
I've wondered what that is. Something just nukes 7.040. I see it too. Some people are nuking 7.06 as well. I can't hear hardly any CW there through the noise, whatever that thing is, though it sometimes looks different than the noise on 7.040. I wish FT8 were above JT9, not below.
Assuming your system is functioning properly, you are likely being covered by another station as everybody automatically transmits at the 15 second interval. Try unlocking receive and transmit and reply in a clear spot. Since the program decodes all in the bandwith, you don't have to be on the same line on the waterfall to make a contact.. Also check your audio input as to not over drive the signal, a common issue on most digital modes.
YES FT8 has turned the data modes into a zoo full of morons that have no idea about propagation or power and how to set up the radio. People come on without checking to see if the spot they are on is in use either due again to ignorance or they have have the box checked that say Tx on the last freq you used on startup . It would also seem that most of the people blaming everything except high power for the doecode problems are the ones running high power just to bully there way through.
I gave up on FT8. Radio goes into transmit with no power out. I've tried every configuration known to man with no joy. No problems with PSK, Olivia, RTTY or Thor.
Agree. FT8 was fun for a bit but it has become very boring. There is no interaction between hams except point and shoot, and all that it is good for is adding up contacts. And I am pointing the finger at myself too. Add to that those who pile on top of others without checking the waterfall first to see if anybody is using that frequency. At first FT8 users used a reasonable amount of power and the bands weren't to crowded. Now they power in on top of each other and it has become a mess. I'm going back to PSK31 and away from that madness. At least with PSK31, I can carry on a conversation with other hams.
FT8 has emerged overnight as a major disruptor (in the innovation sense). Given that it is free, easy to implement, and has a distinct advantage in poor propagation, this is no surprise. The problem is that as a machine to machine system, it almost entirely takes the operator out of the process. Sure, that may be a reasonable price to pay. Frankly, I do prefer some sort of person to person contact, even if its a 5NN TU. Again, Joe did a great job and we owe him many thanks. 73 Chip W1YW
First, I'd like to say that if you're posting something in 'Amateur Radio News' is it inappropriate to call people 'morons' in your 'article'. Just sayin'... I've been using FT8 since it was released and I do NOT run low power - I run the minimum amount of power necessary to make the contact. It is a misconception that you must run low power - the lower power 'requirement' in previous JT modes was more due to duty cycle as not many want to key-down for a full minute at QRO. I have never had my receive 'wiped out' by overdriven signals. I've heard poor audio and noisy signals. I've heard people accidentally use the wrong audio source and broadcast shack noise or internet videos Despite what a signal looks like on the spectrum, it doesnt mean it's actually 'wiping out' your receive - if it is, you need to check your radio's settings (RF Gain, AGC, etc.) Also - i hate to give away this 'secret', but - remember to expand the size of spectrum display to show the entire 2.5 khz -- the majority use the default width and try to jam themselves into a small area. The area > 2000 is usually quite and sparesely populated with signals.
I live right in the centre of a small coastal town in the North East of England. I am very restricted to what antenna I can install, I ended up with a 20m dipole at about 12 feet off the floor. My noise floor from surrounding businesses and homes is around S5 to S8 on bad days. With all this in mind, I wasn't having much success with phone so digi modes (PSK, JT) quickly became my preference as I could get contacts, fill the log book and feel like I was participating in the hobby. Along comes FT8 and suddenly I'm 26 states in for the WAS award, I have worked all the continents and am well on my way to all of Japan and Canada. I only passed the foundation license in 2015 and worked my way to the full ticket in December of 2016 so I am still quite green to the hobby in comparison to some of the more experienced OM in my area. In regards to FT8 signals wiping out the rest of your band, I have to say that radio settings are so important. No AGC, use notch filters and RF gain, turn preamps off and using your attenuator all help to keep strong signals from wiping out your RX. The software also has many setting to use to improve your received signals as mentioned by a previous poster, use the flatten switch etc. As for using low power, FT8 is a weak signal mode not a low power mode. If I need to use 100 Watts to get a contact then I'll use 100 Watts, If "Texas Pete" in the states has to use 1500 Watts to get a contact with Europe then so be it. Setting your software and equipment up properly prevents strong signals wiping out your waterfall. As mentioned, I live in a very small town and there are 5 or 6 other OM that also use FT8 within a mile of me and they are also using whatever power is needed. None of them prevent me from enjoying this incredible new mode because my software and radio are set up properly. I was asked by one of those chaps if him using his full 400 Watt allowance the other day to complete a contact with India caused me any interference, my answer was an honest NO. The most important thing to consider when using FT8 is your computers clock. The standard Windows or Mac internet time sync isn't accurate enough, you really must use something additional like Dimension 4 (as I do) or one of the many alternatives. I have D4 sync my time every 2 minutes. You often see people calling and calling CQ and getting replies but they don't seem to be able to decode those replies. Next time you see that, check the number in the DT column, It'll probably be something like 1.6 or more, meaning their clock isn't accurate enough to start the decode in time. The OM transmitting on PSK or JT portions of the band are another thing altogether, poor operating procedure isn't something that can be fixed easily and the blame should be put squarely at the door of the operator and not the mode he's chosen to use. These are more than likely the idiots that call CQ contest on 14.230 or 14.233 even when they can hear an SSTV transmission. I continually hear local hams complain about the band conditions and I just smile and keep logging the DX. Set your equipment up properly and quit complaining that others are causing you problems when the problem is something you can fix. 73 de M0FLF, Hornsea, England.
