Hi Tom.
Yes, a robot FT8 CQer that instantly jumped to the frequencies of its chosen callers would be a nightmare, especially if it then stayed put to call CQ. There are still quite a few [human|robot] stations who either don’t understand or simply disagree with split-by-default on FT8 … but month by month ever since FT8 was released the proportion has steadily fallen. Today, I suspect many of them are newcomers to FT8, used to simplex-by-default on the legacy modes. [Personally, I’d welcome the option for the auto-responder to drop simplex callers to the bottom of its priority list, but maybe that’s just me.] Re propagation, I believe we are at the bottom of the solar cycle about now. About a year ago I saw a report of the first new-cycle sunspot (with a different magnetic polarity?) so hopefully we’re on the up. Now’s a good time to get your fill of low-band DX! [In just a few years when propagation is better and the FT8 frequencies become crowded, auto-responding to the weakest callers first will make even more sense.] 73 Gary ZL2iFB From: Tom Ramberg via wsjt-devel <wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> Sent: 04 April 2019 00:38 To: WSJT software development <wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> Cc: Tom Ramberg <oh6...@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [wsjt-devel] Someone released an Auto CQ mod - my 2 cents Hello Jari, I’m happy to see that we’ve made contact on my little JW-expedition. These days it seems that SSB is closed from here, but a few FT8 signals are maiking it. As far as robots are concerned, I cannot do coding, but I wonder if the urge to have the «hold tx freq» unticked is robotic or human? Anyway, that is the most annoying habit of all, wether its a human or a robot. As soon as I’ve found a clear spot, you can bet on someone either calling me on the frequency, or starts calling somebody else. And believe me, propagation being what it is these days on 78 degrees northern latitude, that is more than enough to make me lose a qso. If the frequency was Clear, no qsy should be necessary (like in SSB), but here I have to jump all the time. Gary, so much for Your point no. 4. 73 de Tom from JQ78tf Sendt fra E-post <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10 Fra: Gary Hinson <mailto:g...@isect.com> Sendt: onsdag 3. april 2019 kl. 02:18 Til: 'WSJT software development' <mailto:wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> Emne: Re: [wsjt-devel] Someone released an Auto CQ mod - my 2 cents 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 <mailto:oh2...@gmail.com> > Sent: 03 April 2019 09:46 To: WSJT software development <wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net <mailto: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 _______________________________________________ wsjt-devel mailing list wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net <mailto:wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wsjt-devel
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