Bots running FT8? Maybe I will custom type "are you human? In a transmission and if no response is givev, ignore them so they never get the log.
And since when did FT8 become a "conversational" mode? That being said, this past week, in the final hours of the HD8R DXpedition on 17m, somebody was actually sending UP UP. HD8R was using F & H, and some stations were calling him on his frequency, below 1000 Hz. By the way, there is an FT8 based/inspired conversational mode, it's called JS8Call. The problem is, not a lot of users the few times I tried it. Everybody seems to have migrated to FT8. Computer programmers out there, please create a JS8Call bot, so that we can have a chat from time to time. I'm tired of only exchanging signal reports.
It's pretty easy to spot bots. They fall into two categories. One the guys that call CQ for hours on end. We know who you are. The second category are the ones setup to pounce on DX/grids or whatever they've got setup. Those guys are all pretty obvious too, they tend to all stomp on themselves around 1500Hz. Real operators jump tx frequency and stop fruitless retries. There are some behaviors that are obvious over time if you pay attention
Indeed...they are easy to spot after a while. There is an OM in a sought after entity, that says he is not into FT8, but runs a bot to satisfy the demand.
an automated system that looks for the largest signal is useless, there are so many lids in the US that have +15, +20, and louder signals that would swamp the system and prevent any contacts with quieter stations, for anyone trying to do DX on FT8 this automated system is DOA
Strong signals aren't usually lids, just strong signals. I've heard stateside stations that were that strong and the operator was operating QRP. Just a thought This software does seem to be smart enough to consider more than just strongest signals, FWIW.
If I recall correctly, one of the first to "develop" a bot said it was not illegal in his country. The other also mentioned the bot was active when he was in the radio room doing other stuff, meaning, it was not unattended, albeit on "auto-pilot". "Not illegal" and "in the radio room" are important "nuances".
Hmmm... not my experience, besides, any operator can also see their own signal level and turn the power down. If the QRP station is next door and transmitting to your high zoot Yagi, maybe, but also highly unlikely. I run 60-100 watts depending on conditions and have had only a handful of +0 and higher reports. Then I turn the power down. Not too hard, and your bright orange signal slopping over into both sides of the FT8 slots will go down to a nice yellow band.
That sounds more like an overmodulated signal than it does a "strong signal". A well modulated QRO FT8 signal won't look any different than any other signal on the waterfall, other than perhaps a difference in strength. Consider last night I was working VK on 20m FT8. About the only way I was getting heard down under was burping out a good 700W of power, since you know it, was the middle of the night when the "band was dead". I've monitored my own signals when I've gone higher power with modes like FT8 and Olivia etc. Below is one of the VK stations I managed a contact with last night(VK7MHZ if I recall correctly), the RX spots he was getting. He was able to hear exactly ONE station in North America(me). I was able to hear him in the middle of the night...so I turned up the amp until he could hear me too. Sure sometimes FT8 can be easy, but working "dead bands" can be a whole lot more fun. Now I'm going to drag out the whole, its not a QRP mode, its a weak signal mode line.
Q: Is FT8 classified like RTTY? Q: Is AutoFT8 fully automatic, e.g., can it run by itself without a control op in attendance, once activated? Q: Is AutoFT8 legal in the US, on most common FT8 frequencies? If we assume AutoFT-8 is fully automatic and classified like RTTY, then it may be an automatically controlled digital station: FT-8 is 8FSK @ 50 Hz. Legal when attended. RTTY is also FSK, most commonly shifted @ 170 Hz. Legal when attended. Both RTTY and FT8 can be automated on certain HF freq ranges. § 97.221 Automatically controlled digital station. (b) A station may be automatically controlled while transmitting a RTTY or data emission on the 6 m or shorter wavelength bands, and on the 28.120-28.189 MHz, 24.925-24.930 MHz, 21.090-21.100 MHz, 18.105-18.110 MHz, 14.0950-14.0995 MHz, 14.1005-14.112 MHz, 10.140-10.150 MHz, 7.100-7.105 MHz, or 3.585-3.600 MHz segments. (c) Except for channels specified in § 97.303(h), a station may be automatically controlled while transmitting a RTTY or data emission on any other frequency authorized for such emission types provided that: (1) The station is responding to interrogation by a station under local or remote control; and (2) No transmission from the automatically controlled station occupies a bandwidth of more than 500 Hz. Do common FT8 frequencies fall into the legal category for automatic control? §97.221(c) seems vague. Does "any other frequency authorized for such emission types" mean any freq authorized for RTTY and Data, or does it mean any freq authorized for automatic station emissions? If freq. authorization is required, as in (b), then the following list is true. If freq. authorization's not required, then automatic FT8 stations can only respond to other FT8 stations under local or remote control (no robot-to-robot contacts) as in (1). Auto FT8 list -- if FT8 is classified like RTTY --and if frequency authorization is required: 1840 - not legal 3573; 3575 - not legal 60 meters - not legal per § 97.303(h) 7047.5; 7074 - not legal 10136 - not legal 10140 - legal 14074; 14080 - not legal 18100; 18104 - not legal 21074; 21140 - not legal 24915; 24919 - not legal 28074 - not legal 28180 - legal 6m or shorter bands - legal § 97.303(h) 60 m band: (1) In the 5330.5-5406.4 kHz band (60 m band), amateur stations may transmit only on the five center frequencies specified in the table below. In order to meet this requirement, control operators of stations transmitting phone, data, and RTTY emissions (emission designators 2K80J3E, 2K80J2D, and 60H0J2B, respectively) may set the carrier frequency 1.5 kHz below the center frequency as specified in the table below. For CW emissions (emission designator 150HA1A), the carrier frequency is set to the center frequency. Amateur operators shall ensure that their emissions do not occupy more than 2.8 kHz centered on each of these center frequencies. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/97.221 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/97.303#h Please check my work. ..
