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FT-8, The New HF/6m Digital Mode, Introduction For Beginners

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by KJ4YZI, Jul 31, 2017.

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  1. KJ4YZI

    KJ4YZI Ham Member QRZ Page

    A new mode I happened to learn about and practice. This is great for poor conditions, QRP or contests on digital. Not as sensitive as JT-65/9, but twice as fast. FT-8 can be done the same way you do PSK or RTTY or JT-65. A radio, an interface, and the software.

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    DL6BCX, N7VDS, AC2BX and 1 other person like this.
  2. KK2DOG

    KK2DOG XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    According to the ARRL, new mode FT8 will be able to be uploaded to LoTW sometime next week.
     
    DL6BCX, K7SKE, W6QY and 1 other person like this.
  3. K6DS

    K6DS XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    Eric:
    Thanks for the great video! A long time user of PSK and now of jt65, but about to "jump in" to ft8. A bit intimidating, but here goes!

    Dennis - K6DS
     
  4. KG5THG

    KG5THG Ham Member QRZ Page

    Fun mode. It can work DX but the conditions have to be pretty good. JT65 and JT9 are best for DX. FT8 is good practice for MSK144 if you are going to try and work the Perseid meteor shower next month as the modes have the same timing, use auto sequence, etc... Great fun! FT8 worked really well the other day during the all day sporadic E event as the bubble was moving around very quickly and the fast pace allowed contacts to complete easily where JT65/JT9 would not due to the timing.
     
  5. W4HM

    W4HM XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    I've been using FT8 since July 20, 2017 and it's especially good on 6 meters with the in and out hit and miss sporadic E propagation. It's very fast but so far for me it's to fast so I've been using the automated mode only. It could be a contesting competitor with RTTY but I seriously doubt that the RTTY contesters (including me) will ever replace RTTY with FT8 as the go to contesting digital mode.

    But I would play around in a brand new FT8 mode contest if it were ever created.
     
  6. N2ADV

    N2ADV XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    A contest mode is being developed for FT8 as part of WSJT-X 1.8
     
    KM4TIN likes this.
  7. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    FYI alternately right now mapping of the FT8 mode to DATA can be accomplished in TQSL, Settings, Preferences, ADIF modes, Add, FT8 -> DATA. Then when processing a log file TQSL will recognize those FT8 QSO's and upload accordingly.

    Such FT8 QSO's are displayed online in LOTW as DATA mode and listed as accredited for awards such as DXCC, WAS, VUCC, etc.

    73 de John WØPV
     
  8. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    FT8 seemed to be used quite extensively in the CQ VHF contest two weekends ago. Probably even more so then MSK144 or older scatter techniques. Making that a truly "multimode" event. With sporadic prop and only a single radio set up it was a challenge to decide when to switch between CW, SSB, or digi to optimize rate. It should be interesting to see how this tactic works out in the up coming ARRL September VHF contest.
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
    ON4KPN and N2ADV like this.
  9. WB2MJG

    WB2MJG Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    What freq on 6m
     
  10. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    Currently FT8 ops on 6m is found mostly on USB 50.313 MHz.
     
    WB2MJG likes this.
  11. KD8TNF

    KD8TNF XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    FT-8 seems about as fast as 15-20wpm CW contest operating as it is running now. I started getting the hang of it with the WSJT logging which seems about mandatory for speed, I can knock off 2-3 contacts per minute with 2-3 exchanges per QSO when the other guy is about as fast. Worked 6-10-17-20-30-80m this weekend with it . Wonder where it will end up on 60m? Might displace JT65 on 5357 if it catches on - 73
     
  12. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    FT8 has EXPLODED in use due to its obvious advantages over other modes both digi and analog, in speed and under poor prop condx respectively.

    Other then the usual station integration issues, AFSK gain, DSP audio distortion, harmonics, there also seems to be some unique and evolving operating styles.

    In other words, how we use FT8 on-the-air is a matter worth considering as well. The application, ie, DX'ing versus Contesting, or general QSO's, may have significant differences that demand different styles for the best cooperative operation.

    Right now these mostly have to do with how to cope with many station "pile-ups" and/or rapid sequencing to the next QSO and involve locking the TX/RX frequencies in typical "transceive" fashion versus separating them "split". There also seems to be conflicts with JT65 users on some bands.

    The WSJT-X ver 1.8 software that contains FT8 now has features that deal with the split freq situation, and there continues to be discussions about how best to proceed in future development.

    If you're interested in FT8 or other JT modes for any band I highly recommend joining and reading on Yahoo the WSJT Meteor Scatter and Weak Signal Group.

    Joe Taylor K1JT is a member and a frequent contributor.

    73 de John WØPV

     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
  13. KG5THG

    KG5THG Ham Member QRZ Page

    On the 20 meter band, JT8 has spread out the JT65 pileups since its introduction. Granted, on my waterfall both JT8 and JT65 still look like red blobs during the peaks, but I can see some daylight in the JT65 traces these days. JT9 has never been crowed (except when JT65 spills over into that section of the band and that's evening happening now with JT8 spilling into JT65) and good DX can be had there.
     
  14. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    FT8 / JTnn modes have become been so popular, so quickly, they are quite literally sucking away OTA activity from all the other traditional modes!

    On 6 meters it has been really obvious - just watch the DX Cluster spots!

    But late last night I spun the dial listening on 20m. It seemed totally dead. Until I went across the digi-mode window ...WHOA! No shortage of beeping and bleeping there!

    Is FT8 going to sweep across ham radio like SMS / TXT'ing has for mobile phones? Rarely does the voice calling feature ever get used on that for casual communications these days.

    Hard to believe just a little while ago there was so much negative commotion over a few guys using a wide channel for round-table rag chewing on so called eSSB.

    What's to become of all our spectrum space if just a couple of 3 khz wide digi text channels are sufficient? Not much going on other places on the bands. Auction time?

    Or time for a lot of state-of-the-art BAND PLANNING to get started. How about some creative new digi applications for WIDER BANDWIDTH to move into to the "dead air"?

    Like FT-8 is revolutionizing over JT65, how about a much faster-frame rate HF slow-scan DTV? (with embedded audio tracks) Just sayin. Get the FCC to allow it to take up 25 khz or more per channel if needed. ;)

    73 de John WØPV
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
  15. KD8TNF

    KD8TNF XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    It's the new flavor of the day, on this day. It does dovetail nicely with ham OCD impulses to achieve 12 bands states grids continents counties etc. When it becomes more routine, activity will spread out to other modes as it always has. NBVM was once heralded as the definite end of both SSB and AM on MF-HF. Ho hum.

    It is nice to observe further innovation happening by and for hams at the user level. 73
     

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