Back in 2022, near the bottom of the last solar cycle, I was thinking of what I could do to improve my chances of working my last 2 needed countries from the DXCC List. Propagation on any bands at the bottom is rough, but pretty much non existent on 15 meters and above. I had read that some of the DX-pedition groups were starting to use the new digital mode of FT8, which is capable of making contacts at much weaker signals than even CW.
I downloaded WSJT-X, and installed it, read the directions, and tried it. After a
few tweeks, it was working.
I played with FT8 for a few months to get comfortable with it, and then went back
to just SSB. A few months later it was announced that Thierry F6CUK, would be visiting
Crozet Island. FT8W. Crozet would be my #338, so I wanted to be ready to work him
in any mode, any band.
To make a long story short, I ended up working FT8WW on 5 bands, and one of them
was SSB. I am now at 339, and only missing Scarborough Reef, BS7.
FT8 can be fun, and it surely will make contacts under adverse conditions. Another
thing that it can do, is be a great tool for finding unique propagation paths. Read the
below links to find out how easy it is to get started, and how useful it is as a
Propagation Tool also.
