I found the following on 3D2AG's QRZ website and thought it is a must read: 1. Foremost, PLEASE CALL THE DX STATION SPLIT! Otherwise it will be impossible for the DX to decode your signal among the many calling on his frequency. Do not call on his frequency. Select a clear spot on the waterfall in the Wide Graph to set your transmit frequency, and call the DX there. 2. When calling the DX, SEND A REPORT, not your grid, along with your call (e.g. W1AW 3D2AG -17). This will greatly reduce the number of exchanges and time per QSO, enabling more stations to work the DX in the available propagation window. Click the “Next” button under “Generate Std Msgs” for the “Tx2” message. This will generate a signal report with your call instead of a grid square. Major DXpeditions will now usually not respond to calls with a grid. Typical FT8 'ideal' short QSO (75 Seconds long): CQ 3D2AG RH91 3D2AG W1AW -17 W1AW 3D2AG R-20 W1AW 3D2AG RR73 3D2AG W1AW 73 Extended long QSO (105 seconds): CQ 3D2AG RH91 3D2AG N6TE DM12 N6TE 3D2AG -20 3D2AG N6TE R-15 N6TE 3D2AG RRR 3D2AG N6TE 73 N6TE 3D2AG 73 Note that the above times can be much longer if there are improper decodes needing repetitions (please refer to point (1) above!). Please note that for a good QSO, the '73' is optional, so if you cannot manage to copy the final '73' do not worry you are in the log. Usually after attempting to send 3 or 4 times the final 'RR73', the DX will move on to the next station. 3. If you do not intend to stick around, please do not call! A FT8 QSO takes a minimum of 60 to 105 seconds, and if there are repetions, up to 2 or 3 minutes, even 5. A lot of patience is required. If there are 4 or 5 stations calling at the same time (hopefully split!) the DX station will answer them in the order they appear on his waterfall, so your turn will come. The DX could be wasting a lot of precious on-air time calling absentee stations! 4. To make the QSOs smoother and faster during a DXpedition, the 'RRR' and '73' lines are usually combined as 'RR73' so please be prepared for this. For proper interpretation of 'RR73' please always use the latest version of WSJTx: (https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html). 5. Last, but not least: after making a simplex QSO with the DX, please QSY - DO NOT start calling CQ on his frequency forcing him to shift elsewhere (yes, this happens too often!!). The FT8 spectrum is already very crowded as it is, so please do not deprive the DX of his hard-earned 'parking space'! Thank you very much and let's enjoy FT8 Mode!
Been looking for something like this! Thank you for posting....so I could read it nearly 3 years later 73 de KE0IWW
On reading this, I guess I assumed you would call your grid instead of just sending a report. I've been seeing that this is a frustrating task as I always get sidelined by continuing to call with my grid. After double clicking the CQ it should automatically just start with signal report.
