On Friday night, I worked AA9AA (palindromic callsign). Then on Saturday, my first two contacts were with AA1LL and AA0RQ (almost AA0RR). So, I guess the AAs have it!
FT8 notes
I think I’m finally getting the hang of working FT8. I’ve certainly been more successful with it lately.One thing I’ve started doing is to close all windows on the computer except for the WSJT program. The theory is that the computer needs all the resources it can muster when decoding FT8 signals.
It’s also a good idea to try to find stations that are in the clear. That is to say, stations that aren’t right up against other stations. I don’t know what your experience has been, but what I’m seeing is that if the signals overlap on the waterfall, WSJT seems to have trouble decoding them.
Another thing I need to remember to do is to turn off RIT. I use RIT all the time when operating CW, but it probably should be off when operating FT8.
Morning operation is different from evening operation. I got on 30m FT8 this morning. This is the first time I’ve tried it in the morning. Since the band wasn’t open yet for DX, there were a lot fewer stations, meaning that they were farther apart. I didn’t work any DX, but made more solid contacts.
My LOTW update
After uploading my log to Logbook of the World this morning, I decided to check my DXCC totals. I’m now up to 159 entities, both mixed and CW. I don’t remember the last time I blogged about this, but I certainly wasn’t up to 159 then. Somehow, in the meantime, I managed to snag a couple more. What a great DXer I am, eh?