Warning:  This is a ham radio post.  If you’re not a nerd, turn back now. You’ve been warned.

As some of you may know, I am a licensed amateur radio operator known colloquially as a ham radio operator.  From time to time, I write something about ham radio even though it’s a very small community and not likely to be read by any other hams. 

This blog, sparse as it is, contains three ham radio posts.  They are:

• An Extra Slice of Ham
• Nerd Alert! This is a Ham Radio Post
• Another Ham Radio Post: Sentimental Journey

Feel free to read those if you like, but for those looking for the TL;DR version, Chat GPT tells me that:

“Ham radio, also known as amateur radio, is a hobby that allows people to communicate over long distances using radio frequencies. Unlike standard commercial broadcasts, ham radio operators use a variety of equipment to send and receive messages, often bypassing the need for the internet or phone networks. This can be especially valuable in emergencies, when other forms of communication may be unavailable. Ham radio operators often assist in disaster relief efforts, providing crucial communication links. Beyond emergencies, ham radio fosters global connections, enabling hobbyists to learn about electronics, communication technology, and to connect with others worldwide.”

There exist several ways to communicate among hams, for example, morse code, voice, television, or from computer to computer.  One of the computer modes is called FT-8.  I’ll rely on Chat GPT again for a brief description:

“FT-8 is a popular digital mode in ham radio designed for making reliable, short-distance and long-distance contacts under challenging conditions. Developed by Nobel laureate Joe Taylor, FT-8 uses a computer and radio to exchange minimal information, such as call signs and signal reports, in rapid, automated sequences. It’s particularly useful when signals are weak or the band conditions are poor, allowing operators to communicate with stations thousands of miles away, even when voice or other digital modes struggle. FT-8 is widely used for casual contacts and DXing (long-distance communication) due to its efficiency and ability to connect stations with very low power signals.”

All set?  Got the terminology?  OK, off we go!

Ham radio operators are divided on the legitimacy of FT-8 in ham radio.  Some operators believe that the automatic collection of contacts, or QSLs, is a cheat.  It’s not REAL ham radio.  Some believe that you can set up FT-8 in your shack and walk away from the computer and let it do all the contacting.  Others believe that using FT-8 for contests and awards is cheating, too, since the operator isn’t really contacting a person.  It’s just two computers talking to each other and that shouldn’t count towards anything. 

I fall into the other camp. 

I have found FT-8 to be a whole lot of fun, and I have learned a lot as an operator and improved my skills by learning how to get the most out of it.

So, whilst I understand the objections to FT-8, I do not agree.  I genuinely enjoy it as do thousands of other FT-8 operators around the world.  So, something about it is appealing to a lot of operators.

Objection:  “FT-8 isn’t REAL ham radio.”

Defense:  Ever since ham radio got its start, every new technology that’s been introduced has been labelled at least temporarily as not real ham radio.  When single sideband transmission (SSB) was authorized for amateur radio use, some operators thought that using SSB was cheating because it wasn’t the purest form of ham radio, CW, or continuous wave transmission, the OG of ham radio modes.

Since then, there have been many other modes authorized on ham radio frequencies and most have gone through the same “it’s cheating” criticism until meeting with wide acceptance. 

Bottom line: if it’s authorized on the worldwide ham radio frequencies, it’s just as real as CW, SSB or earth-moon-earth.  (Yes, that’s a thing.)

Objection:  “There’s no operating going on.  It’s completely automated.

Defense:  Operating a ham radio station involves a multitude of tasks including but not limited to adjusting output power, changing frequencies, listening before you transmit, and adjusting these and other parameters to get the signal through with minimal power, no interference, and courtesy for other operators. 

In my FT-8 experience, limited though it is, I’ve had to learn to operate my rigs carefully, making certain to listen before I allow the computer to key up the transmitter.  I’ve had to learn how to choose frequencies and power levels correctly, while adjusting receive gain, bandwidth and other parameters that help get the message through.  The difference is that I am using a computer to do some – not all – of the adjustments.  Note that I can adjust power and frequency while making sure that I don’t overlap other hams using FT-8.  (Click to make this image more readable.)

You are still required to operate your radio in accordance with FCC rules and regulations just as you would with voice or CW transmissions.  But, instead of a microphone or morse code keyer, you’re using a computer.

As well, if an operator really DOES automate the FT-8 process, which is not permitted, they are violating FCC regulations.  FT-8 does not automate ham radio.  You still must operate responsibly the way you would for any other mode.

Objection:  “It’s too easy to make lots of contacts.  Doing it with SSB or CW is much harder and besides that’s real ham radio.”

Defense:  Ok, it IS true that it’s easier to make lots of contacts using FT-8.  But why is this a bad thing?  Don’t we want people to be active in ham radio?  Don’t we want all the hams to be successful? 

Yes.  Yes, we do. 

It doesn’t cheapen your ARRL DX Century Club (DXCC) award that you earned using voice or code.  The DXCC award has multiple categories.  If you have one with CW and voice that’s wonderful and I am impressed.  (Yes, favorably!)  But those DXCC awards based solely on FT-8 QSLs is so noted on the award certificate.  It is not precisely the same award. 

Here are some of the reasons why I enjoy FT-8 and why it’s so useful for me:

1.  I am hard of hearing and even with hearing aids and headphones, I can’t always make out what other hams are saying if conditions are bad.  If my ears were better, I would be able to, but they’re not.  FT-8 gives me the opportunity to make contacts and be competitive with other hams because I am not struggling to hear speech that others can hear easily.  Using FT-8 means I get to play ham radio with everyone else. 

2.  FT-8 is what’s known as a weak signal mode.  That means that a computer running FT-8 can “hear” and decode messages that are undetectable to the average human ear.   That means for me that with a limited antenna system, I can reach out farther than I could  using voice.  Weak signal modes like FT-8 give me a greater reach with the equipment I can afford.  More ham radio bang for my ham radio dollar.

3.  Ham radio has a reputation for being an old technology used by old men.

They’re half right.  Most ham radio operators are older.  One only need attend a local ham radio club meeting to confirm these demographics.  It’s considered an old man’s hobby.

As you know by now, I am a computer geek.  Computer message exchange modes like FT-8 and others bring ham radio into the 21^st century.  I can send email messages, images, digital files like word processing files, and other data via ham radio.  Plus – and this is its real strength for me – using these digital modes allow me to meld both ham radio and computer geekdom into one.  It’s the best of both worlds and making it all work together is a blast!

Here’s a photo of my computer desk/radio shack at home:

Sidebar:  I’ve always believed that the nexus of computers and ham radio is the perfect entry point for young people to enter the ham radio world.  Young students in electrical engineering and computer science programs are perfect for ham radio.  It would give them practical experience in radio transmission and reception hardware, antenna theory, analog and digital modulation modes, among others.  Using FT-8 is just one of many ways to integrate computers into ham radio, making it more attractive and available to young operators.

4.  I can help other operators worldwide.  FT-8 software such as WSJT-X or JDTX can report back to a central server which plots out where FT-8 and other computer-based ham radio communications are being received.  In other words, even when WSJT-X is idle, it is reporting what is being received at my location and making that information available worldwide.  By leaving my radio and WSJT-X up and running, I am helping other operators learn where their signal is going and help them adjust their operations to get their intended message through.  I like doing that.

Here’s an example of my spots.  This shows the stations that received my FT-8 transmission just now.  Note the station in South Africa:

Ham radio is what you make of it.  Ham radio means to you whatever you want it to mean.  If FT-8 isn’t for you, that’s ok.  If, like me, you find it challenging and fun, that’s ok, too.  If you believe that I’m cheating using FT-8, that’s ok.  I promise I won’t think you’re cheating doing whatever it is you like doing in ham radio.  And even I did, so what?  You like it and that’s what really matters.

FT-8 is ham radio.  It can be fun and rewarding, and I have spent many hours chasing distant stations at all hours of the day and night.  It allows me to blend my love of computer and radio technology in ways that fascinate me and take up a lot of time.

You don’t have to love it.  But you never know.  You just might.

UPDATE: Here’s a presentation that can give you some more technical informaton about FT-8.