Hello Operators.
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of work with wsjt-x and the mode FT8. There’s a couple of different reasons for the move away from WSPR, but honestly, I grew bored with it.
I decided it’s a lot more interesting and tracking down distant grid squares or new countries while testing with FT8, than being a Mindless drone as WSPR did its own thing independent of the operator. WSPR simply wasn’t interactive enough. Of course for antenna comparisons, WSPR is still the best way to go.
So I still have that long wire antenna on the tower from the last video. I’ve already seen Japan, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Israel, Western Sahara… Today I got new country, Brazil using FT8, 50w, and the long wire antenna. Surprisingly, signal reports were pretty strong, considering the 11600 km distance between us.
There’s another reason for wsjt-x and ft8. Is the new software coming out called ft8call. This new software creates an FSQ style system, replacing the mode with FT8. That’s right, it’s a utility mode based on FT8.
Anyway here are a couple of images from my QSO with PY2KNK, and the original video featuring that long wire antenna.
73
Julian oh8stn
