Hi Jari,

 

I look forward to making contact with you some day.   You’re definitely not the 
only disabled DXer and, yes, you should be flattered that we can’t readily tell 
as much from the far side.  Amateur radio is a great leveler!

 

So, how might we identify fully-automated/robotic FT8 stations?  That’s a good 
question.  We could do with an amateur radio version of the Turing test 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test> .

 

Here are some possible indicators of automation/robotic FT8 operation:

*       Operating 24x7, or at least for extended periods whereas most hams 
would need or choose to take breaks;
*       Operating simultaneously on several bands and/or modes – not just CQing 
on repeat but making conventional QSOs in parallel, beyond SO2R; 
*       Always and only using auto-sequencing with standard messages – no 
friendly greetings or off-the-cuff comments and responses during or at the end 
of their QSOs, easily confused by out-sequence-of and custom messages;
*       Static audio frequency for all transmissions – no QSYing to avoid QRM;
*       Regularly timed band-changes e.g. moving to LF at 1700z daily, or 
exactly one hour before local sunset maybe;
*       Absence from DXpedition fox-n-hounds pileups – for now, at least (and 
hopefully forever!);
*       Frank admissions by their operators, or evasive/dubious answers if 
challenged about this.

None of these is definitive, though, and all could be defeated if someone was 
determined, competent and perverse enough to do so.  In fact, technical 
challenge is a driver for much of amateur radio.  Mastering the technology is 
highly motivational for some, even if things lose their attraction and become 
boring once mastered.  Further tranches of hobbyists love tinkering with 
technology designed by others, or building stuff, or using it for social 
reasons, or pushing back the frontiers of science, or fixing and maintaining 
stuff, or collecting it, or competing with it … or whatever.  To my mind, it’s 
unreasonable and unrealistic to expect everyone else to conform to our 
individual perspectives.  Tolerance and consideration towards others are a 
necessary part of the hobby since we share so much – not least the airwaves.

73
Gary  ZL2iFB

 

From: Jari A <oh2...@gmail.com> 
Sent: 03 April 2019 09:46
To: WSJT software development <wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>
Subject: Re: [wsjt-devel] Someone released an Auto CQ mod - my 2 cents

 

Hi Guys, this is OH2FQV / Jari

 

I'm handicap operator, within my physical limitations, main thing I do at my 
day time is working on 20m FT8. I dont have much else to do. I spend most of my 
hours with pc and radio. I may have 50 qso's per day, even more if theres extra 
activity on the band.

 

I have had few emails to telling me to stop my illegal robot/ automated 
operation on FT8.

 

The truth: I do everything manually. I dont even use JTalert to assits. 

I'm so ilirate, that I cant do programing, or so to automate my operations. 

 

There do are stations with automation, but I'm not one of those.

 

I'm sorta flattered of having those comments of being machine like operator.... 

 

I dont know, but doing mass working with stations is fun for me,  as much fun 
like at the fair to shot down disks (ducks) with crooked BB-gun. 
Shot and ding - and make guy in the booth frustrated... 

 

Please dont get upset with me, I'm just silly old man having fun - manually

 

Very best regards,

 

: Jari / oh2fqv

 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 9:15 PM Gary McDuffie <mcduf...@ag0n.net 
<mailto:mcduf...@ag0n.net> > wrote:



> On Mar 31, 2019, at 17:02, Jim Shorney <jshor...@inebraska.com 
> <mailto:jshor...@inebraska.com> > wrote:
> 
> The guy seems to be on the air making FT8 contacts just about every time I 
> turn it on....

Must be CO8LY (I think that’s his suffix).  I see him on the air every time I 
walk into the shack.

I suspect that the Antarctic station that was active yesterday was a robot.  
Why?  Because from early morning to evening, his operation never changed that I 
saw.  He called CQ, came back to people who apparently didn’t hear him, ran to 
the end of the watchdog, and immediately called CQ again the next sequence.  He 
never moved more than 3 cycles (Hertz for the kids) all day.  I don’t think he 
worked much either.  I was surprised at how many people he replied to with an r 
report, and didn’t complete the QSO.  He always ran the length of his watchdog 
though and immediately called CQ again without moving or pausing.

Gary - AG0N

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