Just a note that has appeared around the traps: https://qrznow.com/may-14-ft4-mock-contest-session-canceled-new-wsjt-x-beta-version-pending/ Not knocking FT4 - Its a hell of a lot of fun ! Its not a DX'er mode as Joe states - its a Contest Mode.
We're in very good hands. K1JT and team know what they are doing. Use the right tool (mode) for the job. If RC6 improves its performance outside of contests, great, but don't forget, it's not the goal.
YOU made 20 or so contacts or YOUR COMPUTER made 20 or so contacts? There is a Huge difference? People making actual contacts is quickly becoming a thing of the past & so is human interaction & that is a shame when it is so on Amateur Radio where it once was pretty common. Clayton W4KVW
OBVIOUS that he rethought the post & realized only his Unlicensed Computer was making any of those contacts as I suspected. Nothing New There. YAWWWWWWWWNNNNN! LOL Clayton W4KVW
So you have a problem with digital modes? The band's are terrible here and last night on 80 m I had 20+ of noise and static crashes. So no phone for me. But psk 31 was busy as was ft-8. Also a MFSK signal. And this weekend RTTY was busy with a contest.
Bands are just fine. I work DX outside of North America most every day on Phone NOT on any Digital Mode? I guess using a little more effort just is not worth the work so as in the rest of the world take the easy way & forget putting any effort into a contact between humans but whatever makes you feel all tingly inside. Surely not worthy of any bragging rights but so many still brag about how many contacts their computers made which is down right Funny stuff.As somebody once said,Get'r Done. LOL Clayton W4KVW
FT8 has taken over the digital airwaves. I was doing jt65 for a bit, this is why i upgraded to General. Now it seems to be spreading into 14.076, that's the JT 65 place. We need to move our JT 65 frequency . Now we have this mode. We are going to run out of space.
Sure phone is great and I would love to do it, but I dont have the money or space to put up a 70 foot tower, an expesive roter , a beam the size of my house and a huge 1000 watt amplifier. So for people like me with limited space and money digital is the best way to make contacts and also not many people are long wided for a QSO.
Must be a regional thing. Not a peep of FT seen/heard near Seattle on 14.076 other than a handful of JT65 and JT9 diehards. Just get on and call CQ on JT65 or JT9 on 14.076... you are NOT going to bother the FT8 folks nor they bother you to any real degree. Dave W7UUU
https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html Scroll down the page and you should see info on ft-4. I think it is just a updated version with ft-4 installed. Incedently, I have your call in my log. 73
i for one enjoy my digital modes, psk31/63, although i was late to the party in regards of FT8, i wasn@t in regards to FT4 , please see attached video of just a SMALL example of some of my most recent FT4 contacts, and for the FT8 diehards watch the video to the end, and you will see W9IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Amateur Radio Club qso), hope you enjoy, i do apolgise for not being of Hollywood Quality tho ,pps also available via www.nicholas-matthews.com
Am trying FT4 for the first time today, not bad! I was able to make a few transAtlantic contacts quickly using 25 watts or less. I'm usually quite skeptical with software driven anything since these days people substitute "software" for "fantasy magic", thinking that real proven science can be subverted. In this FT4 instance though, I'm glad to see that someone put their thinking cap on and improved FT8.
