FT8: The Mode, the opinions, and awards

Few amateur radio topics generate as much heated debate as FT8. Depending on who you ask, it's either the best thing to happen to HF in years or "computers talking to computers." The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle.

I've been using FT8 since January 2024. For much of that time I was running no more than 10-15 watts into a mobile whip vertical antenna, so the mode opened doors that would have remained firmly closed on SSB. More recently I've upgraded the station, but FT8 remains one of the tools I regularly reach for.

Looking back over roughly 30 months of operating, one statistic genuinely surprised me. During that period I worked 171 DXCC entities on FT8. By comparison, in the same time period I worked 103 on CW, 69 on SSB and 32 on RTTY (operating approx. 60% FT8, 25% CW, 10% SSB and 5% RTTY).

Those figures certainly don't prove FT8 is "better" than other modes—they simply demonstrate what it was designed to do exceptionally well: reliably complete contacts under weak-signal conditions (or in my case, with low power and/or a compromised antenna setup).

The criticism usually isn't about the technology itself. Most operators accept FT8 as a perfectly legitimate digital mode, just as RTTY, PSK31 and JT65 were before it. The real objections tend to centre on automation. When software is left to make contacts with little or no operator involvement, many feel the human element—the very spirit of amateur radio—is diminished. A view I am totally aligned with.

But what about awards such as DXCC or WAZ? Is+ it now "too easy" to earn these rewards using FT8? Despite the occasional heated debate, the overwhelming view is straightforward: if a contact complies with the award rules, it counts. FT8 contacts are genuine radio contacts over genuine RF paths, and the challenge lies in mastering a different set of skills rather than proving superiority in one particular operating style.

3Y0K (Bouvet Island) 15m FT8 in March 2026

Does FT8 make awards easier? In my view and personal experience, absolutely yes, it does. It has undoubtedly lowered the barrier to achieving DXCC and working rare DX, especially for stations with modest antennas, limited power or difficult locations. But making amateur radio more accessible isn't necessarily a bad thing. If anything, FT8 has brought thousands of operators onto bands that might otherwise have been much quieter.

Personally, I still enjoy the excitement of a good CW contact or busting a pile-up. They offer a level of interaction and satisfaction that FT8 simply can't replicate. But neither do I see FT8 as somehow less "real." It's another mode, another challenge and another way of enjoying this wonderfully diverse hobby.

At the end of the day, amateur radio has always embraced innovation. Spark gave way to CW, AM gave way to SSB, valves gave way to transistors, and analogue gave way to digital. FT8 is simply the latest chapter in that story. Whether you love it or loathe it, one thing is beyond dispute—it has changed amateur radio forever.