In 48 years a Amateur (Ham) Radio Operator, I’ve never seen anything like this, wow!:įederal Communications Commission DA 21-73įCC ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY WARNING: AMATEUR AND PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES LICENSEES AND OPERATORS MAY NOT USE RADIO EQUIPMENT TO COMMIT OR FACILITATE CRIMINAL ACTS Go tell the world how FT8 is saving Ham Radio on your own social media. How much fun is sitting in a car you’re not driving? You get my point?Īnd a pleasant reminder. In my opinion FT8 is like a self-driving car. It’s only fair, right?įT8 isn’t rebellious, it’s stupid. You FT8’ers can pull your own weight and subsidize these computer efforts. I do not want to be affiliated in any way with DXpeditions that operate more than 20% or so FT8. I handed over my domains and Website I spent hundreds, if not a thousand hours developing. From the Rebel DX Group site I read today, “ We will be testing some our new ideas to operate 5 different stations on FT8 (FOX & HUND) at the same time by 1 operator.”Īs co-founder of the Rebel DX Group a few years ago, I walked away when it became clear FT8 was ruining what I consider “Amateur Radio”. If it comes down to it, I’d rather die with 339 DXCC entities than work Bouvet on FT8. I saw the upcoming Bouvet DXpedition is all about FT8, even more so than they were on Conway Reef. Note, I didn’t say FT8 is killing Ham Radio, I said it is destroying it.
Hell, no need for a microphone or a CW key (or keyer)! You just need some computer software where your computer can earn ARRL’s DXCC in a day!įT8 is destroying Ham Radio. The automated software does the scripted connectivity.ĭon’t worry you little pistols. Don’t think it happens? Do your homework as it most assuredly does. You know the mode where their unmanned computer talks to your unmanned computer. VK9CE has been on that Ham Radio destroying computer software mode, all day. How frustrating to invest and build a station, put aluminum in the sky, get a little goo, and pffft – nothing. Click map below to enlargeĪll day I’ve scanned the bands and DX Cluster on both CW and SSB on all bands for Cocos-Keeling (VK9CE) and guess what? Nothing. Paper log only, no online log check offered.Īdded (08/21): FT4XU on Club Log (391 QSO’s Total – I’m a lucky guy!) N0UN working FT4XU Longpath UP 5 on 20 Meters
All Time New One #329 for me – Ham Radio awesomeness!
Then damnit, he just vanished!īut I had already set the VFO’s to RX on 14.330 and TX on 14.335 so I checked there, and in the midst of some heavy QRM both above and below from the net geezers, there he was!ĥ0 watts, a shoulder high dipole out in the middle of absolute nowhere from Kerguelen Island over the longpath into Colorado. I’d have loved to work him on “nice and quiet” 14.130, but that portion of the band is out of our US Extra Class privileges. So when I heard him over the longpath on 14.130 this morning, I went and readied the gear for a run on 14.330 just in case he did what he had been doing in the past. After a while operating on 14.130, he’s been immediately going to 14.330. He usually starts off on or around 14.130 simplex, then when the pile-up forms he receives split up 5 – 10.
Over the last few days I’ve noticed that Nicolas FT4XU on Kerguelen Island has a rhythm. I guess my parents were right – “sometimes doing your homework pays off”. And here is my relevant story of working Kerguelen in the South Atlantic – over the longpath… With mountain ranges from 1,300′ to over 2,300′ blocking all of North America on the short path from Camp Fie on Bouvet (see AE5X map below), you may wish to start making preparations to tool up your station for the longpath over Asia. Why is it relative now? Well, with possible activation(s) of Bouvet over the next few years, it shows the “longpath” for all of North America is probably your best (and possibly only) chance to log Bouvet. This is a “republish” of a post I made in January, 2016.