FT8 is ruining Amateur radio?
Whatever you may think of digital modes like FT8, you can't deny that it is incredibly popular. Why is that, what's the attraction?
I have a few ideas about why some of us went digital:
Noise floor: This the obvious explanation. Many of us, particularly in urban areas, suffer from a ridiculously high noise levels on the bands. The modern world is full of switch mode power supplies, solar inverters and a myriad of other devices that create this S9+ noise floor in some locations. Not so much a floor as a ceiling! FT8 and other digital modes can see inside the noise. For many it's the only way to get a QSO.
English not your first language: I had not thought about this until visiting Japan a few years ago. A JA ham explained: "You have done the technical exam, passed a Morse test but now to have international QSOs you need to speak English". FT8 eliminates this need. (CW sort of filled this role as well.)
Mic shy: No microphone so no microphone shyness. I think this may also be linked to the no English problem as well.
Autism: As you may have realised I am autistic. Autistic people like their life, and QSOs, to be predictable. I hate calling CQ on SSB because I never know what sort of QSO will result. Autistic people hate small talk, and I hate the ham equivalent: talk about the type of antenna, radio etc that the other station might have. I just want a signal report, a QTH location, then f*ck off and let me call someone else, please. FT8 and digital is totally predictable. It could have been designed especially of me.
Similarities to TXT and Whats App: In the modern world we don't talk on the telephone. It's all TXT and Whats App. FT8 and digital is a mirror on the way in which we all communicate in everyday life.
Meshtastic: I had a chat with a new M7 station. He had got into Ham Radio by experimenting with Meshtastic, then realising the limitations of that system made the jump to Ham Radio and digital modes. Back in the day C.B. was the gateway drug, now it might be Meshtastic.
It can be completely silent: I have two takes on this idea.
You can't easily do Ham Radio if you are profoundly deaf. But you can with FT8, you see the waterfall, you read the QSO information. A fixed channel, no tuning. No hearing required.
The other idea, and one that I have used: If you are in a shared room, XYL watching T.V. and you wanting to play radio, you can't really talk on the radio. But with FT8, you can sit on the sofa next to the XYL with a laptop remotely connected to the shack. Work as much FT8 as you like, no problem.
Best Wishes
Ron
G4LMN
FOOTNOTE
For the avoidance of any doubt: I do not think that FT8, or digital modes in general, are ruining Amateur Radio. They are the main reason I am still interested in Amateur Radio after 50 years.