FT-8 is like fishing. It is not true to say that there is no skill involved, because there is some. But mostly it is a Zen thing, it is just the operator, his radio, and a big lake of fish. If I could put up a real antenna here, I would use my MC-60, but until then, I point, click and fish. I like bagpipe music.
I have a variety of short videos on my channel - some short ones for you, some long ones for those that enjoy longer videos. Thanks for watching.
FT8 has led to a space to create a new keyboard-to-keyboard chat mode called JS8Call, which has sprung up its own following. FT8 is also used for POTA all the time. I agree, its a great way to work POTA contacts while I'm in a work meeting that could have been an email... or avoided altogether with good leadership. There is also GridTracker that helps you track missing grids, or JTAlert that alerts you to desired calls being on the air so you can get the chance to work them. Sure, FT8 isn't SSB or CW... but it is the true spirit of ham - see a problem (poor solar/propogation conditions among others) and come up with a solution that can be shared with the world. Creating another thing for hams to argue about was just a bonus. Hams love to argue - usually proving they don't understand. Me... I just enjoy it for what it is, another way to marry many of the things I love about computers, community interaction, ham radio, etc. I'm not here to find higher meaning in 3k of bandwidth, I'm just glad it exists.
Detrimental in what regard? There are many ops who ONLY operate FT8 as that is what their compromised station allow for. Not everyone who operates FT8 does it for bragging rights and pride. Some people just do it for fun. Where is the sport in setting up a 250 foot lighted tower with multiple beam antennas on it while you run 1500W and you are competing against QRP operators? Not everything needs to be a competition. You know there is actually more to amateur radio than just having a ragchew QSO. There are different ways to experiment with radio. For some FT8 is a way for them to use their radios and antennas and confirm that the tinkering worked. You don't really need to talk to someone for that, especially when you want an objective signal report. Not all amateur radio operations need to even be two way operations for that matter! It's a license to emit electromagnetic spectrum, not a membership to a social club. What good are awards, period? Do you get to cut in line at Burger King when you get DXCC? So what? Somebody always has a better station than you. Life isn't fair. Either way, your paying for someones vacation. What IS the true spirit of it? Is it ragchewing? Is it DX? Is it homebrewing? Is it CW? Is it digital? It's just a license to emit electromagnetic radiation at certain frequencies within certain restrictions. The rest of the traditions and the like are just traditions. Not everyone cares about traditions.
You obviously didn't read my post - particularly the words "as I recall". Before posting to this thread, I did my due diligence to review the video in question to either confirm or correct my recollection. For whatever reason(s), the video was "unavailable." At that point, I even went to your YouTube page/channel to see if the video was there to review. It wasn't. So just for the record and contrary to your accusation, I did watch that video. Not only that, I attempted to watch it again days later to refresh my memory before posting here. Allow me to be sin sear here: your-you're-yore - know the difference. I'm with you guys. Having banged out text on a Model 28 ASR in days of, ahem ... yore, as well as around two decades playing on IRC, I'm no stranger to keyboard to keyboard chatting. It's one thing to stick more and more new boxes, gadgets, software, and/or firmware between the two operators at each end of a radio circuit. It's quite another to automate the operator right out of the picture to where amateurs aren't the operators at all - they're button pushing system admins who just happen to be licensed radio amateurs.
FT8 is a great tool to simply measure propagation. Maybe not USEFUL propagation, but it does have base scientific raw data of value. The fact you can make even a weak contact at least proves there was some signal making it through. I suppose during the minima, it was something for people to do when making contacts the old fashioned way was difficult because HF was poor. It has its place. I think the potential problems going forward is that some people get hooked and don't go back to real contacts again, or the kids coming into amateur radio right now don't think that FT8 is "the best way to do radio". We don't need a new generation thinking that making a few low power contacts to fill up a logbook is the way to operate. And, as mentioned, the awards for FT8 are almost useless, because it is essentially cheating, and since it can work such low power signals (often unusable for any practical purpose) it is shooting fish in a barrel. The danger of FT8 is laziness, and it becoming a bad habit, and then that bad habit turning into an addiction. Why work harder and fight through pile ups on phone or CW? As for the meta data, it is of limited usefulness. Certainly, it proves here were propagation conditions. BUT, without context, the data itself isn't THAT useful. Only real contacts proving enough quality for the mode prove USEFUL propagation. The data is useful, but not that useful.
I think soon you won't need a license but instead your computer will. Just go about your life and let your shack run by itself. Sure as heck FT8 is a no knowledge way of contesting so now it is true true. Bridge Comm will sell you a complete shack in the box. Stick it on your roof and it's award city. Myself I will stick to QSO's
Understood. You must not have reviewed the prior thread in reference where I also stated I would be continuing with live streams. I even invited you and anyone else on to teach something to viewers, tonight on said live stream (I'll get you a streamyard link to join if you would like, I just need to know if I should send it to your QRZ messages or your email). Also on my Youtube page, I have a live stream from that same night the video was released where I discuss said video and clarify. I don't expect you to have watched it, but I will say that in there I also clarify I will still continue live streams. However, that is now irrelevant. I look forward to my future videos to help the community. 73 to you, and have a great day. See you on stream tonight. Please forgive me for any spelling or grammatical errors in advance. And thanks for the watching.
Says the guy who has clearly never seen a pileup on FT8. Most DX stations don't end up getting a chance to call CQ, you're going to need to tail call them. You very well might spend 45 minutes trying to work ONE dx station using FT8. Really.
