There have been some nice exchanges of ideas so far in this thread.
The irony for me about the move to FT8 is that in practice I seem to struggle
more to make FT8 contacts on 50 MHz from remote places than I did in the past
with SSB. I am inclined to attribute this to the concentration of most
operators on a single calling frequency. I suspect my medium powered station
(300 watts and 3 elements) just doesn't have what it takes to put a useful
signal level into an area with a high concentration of users and to be able to
punch thru the side lobes of other operators antennas and be consistently
decided above the noise of all the other stations in the pass band. Typically
not having cellular coverage in these areas also doesn't help much either, as I
need to rely on other stations actually decoding me over the air.
I suspect another 10 dB or so of effective radiated power to my station might
improve matters but for a variety of reasons I don't want to pursue that
option. I typically decode (and hear audibly) lots of stations on 50 MHz FT8
that I can't work.
Oh well it is only a hobby (:
73
Mark S
VE7AFZ
mark@alignedsolutions.com
604 762 4099
> On Jun 20, 2019, at 7:21 AM, Chet S <chetsubaccount@snet.net> wrote:
>
> Looking back, we should not be surprised at FT8 popularity during the VHF
> contests.
>
> For me, the fun and satisfaction of VHF contesting had come from several
> things.
>
> One, pick an entry category and build a station to maximize the score. Need
> both Q’s and mults on many bands. Shun highly directional antennas, put up
> arrays with wide azimuth patterns. Dedicate 2nd antennas to known productive
> directions. Build antenna switches, low noise preamps, sequencers, re-arrange
> the op desk for ease of use, etc. Make tradeoff decisions. Ideas were never
> ending.
>
> Two, keep adding to my experience base. Read, research, listen, learn from
> the OTers what they think. Know when tropo likely favored what direction at
> what time of day. Make a band plan. When should I look for any aurora? Best
> time to sleep? Include a list of announced plans of others.
>
> Then, the contest: give your machine a whirl and see how it and you do.
> Scenarios like “Hmm, the grid map says I am missing a number of grids up
> north”. So, you now beam that way more often and eventually bag them. Very
> satisfying! Ooh, look I finally worked that weak multiop 400 miles distant.
> Ahhh…nice! Do a post mortem after the contest. Identify what to change before
> the next one.
>
> Repeat, repeat.
>
> But then, many of the rules of the game changed. It became OK to arrange
> challenging contacts by phone, text, chat. So you’re missing a grid? No
> problem, just call up Freddy and ask him to point your way in 5 minutes on
> 50.155. You got the grid, but was that fun and satisfying? Was the station
> building worth it? As a non-ham would ask “Why use this radio equipment when
> you could just call on your cellphone?” Developing contesters would lament
> why they now needed to complicate thinks even more with another computer and
> cell service active to arrange contacts by non radio means else they will not
> score as well as those that use these. No choice anymore.
>
> Then along came FT8. Through someone's own modest effort they can decode and
> see for themselves who is out there within range. They can cast their line
> (call CQ) and see who they can catch. Hey, for a newbie this is simple, this
> is magical, and this is fun. Bravo!. Next time try another band? Better
> antenna? Maybe this is the gateway mode to even more fun and satisfaction
>
> Even the classic VHF contester can regain some interest by including the
> mode. Hmm, maybe if I beamed up north on FT8 I could snag those missing grids
> and reach even further…
>
> 73,
> Chet, N8RA
>
>
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