The Lazy Way, FT8

The Lazy Way, FT8.

It struck me today while hunting XX9W and S21WD – DXing today is a faint ghost of what it used to be. Other than the recent 3Y0K Bouvet DXpedition and a few (very few) other outliers, most TXTpeditions these days are playing the lazy, mindless computer scripted text messaging software app FT8 and have practically given up on communicating via Human Modes.

FT8 has become Ham Radio’s “Participation Trophy” for wanna’ be Amateur Radio Operators. You no longer have to compete or communicate, you just participate (or shall I say your computer participates?). YOU can be out mowing the grass, eating breakfast, sleeping, hell anything but actually communicating & participating. You don’t need big antennas, amplifiers or even a speaker. Same for the TXTpeditions. You can have 14 laptops texting while you’re drinking Mai Tai’s on the beach. Your computer software hums along in the queue until their computer software handshakes and Voilà! You get the DXCC credit and the TXTpedition gets your OQRS money. So much fun!

Here’s a couple snapshots of the Livestreams from my hunt for S21WD and XX9W a few minutes ago:

This is today’s version of Ham Radio DXing I call “TXTing”. It is what it is.

The last few years I’ve seen several posts around the Internet from old school Hams selling off their equipment and giving up the hobby. Can’t say I blame them. But for me I found I’d rather work every DXpedition I can on CW and Phone, even if I’ve done it a hundred times before. I take pleasure in working DXpeditions that put forth some effort in Human Modes PLUS every time I work them I figure I’m knocking some little pistol out of the log. It’s a win-win situation!

Kinda’ like working Bouvet on 8 bands. I didn’t need Bouvet for an All Time New One, but I figured with 12 Human Mode Q’s, that’s 12 others that didn’t make the log. I figure the odds are it’s the same 12 that first tried getting their computer txt with Bouvet on FT8. You know the type – they cried 3Y0K didn’t run a Livestream, they cried hoping their computer didn’t work a pirate, they cried they can’t compete, they cried big guns need to step aside and let the little pistols have a chance, blah, blah, blah…

And for all you butt hurt FT8ers right about now, go post on YOUR Blog how FT8 is saving the world, don’t do it on my Blog. Trust me, you have ZERO chance of being heard ’round here. Being “heard” isn’t part of your TXTing skillset anyway – “no speaker required” RR 73?

See you in the those rare places where you actually have to earn your Ham Radio stripes – those dinosaur CW and Phone Human Mode pileups!

N0UN