The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (“WWROF”), in collaboration with the Slovenia Contest Club (“SCC”), is pleased to announce the first annual World Wide Digi DX Contest (“WW Digi”). The new contest taps into the excitement being generated by the new digital modes pioneered by Joe Taylor K1JT and the WSJT-X development team. The contest will occur over 24 hours on August 31 and September 1, 2019 using the FT4 and FT8 modes on the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10-meter bands.
WW Digi will utilize a distance-based scoring system to measure operators’ abilities in making DX contacts across the 6 HF amateur radio bands. Contacts will earn points based on the distance between grid square centers of the two stations. This will encourage operators to seek out long distance weak signal contacts that highlight the technical advantages of the new digital modes.
To encourage activity across all bands, a multiplier will be given for each new 2-character grid field contacted on each band. The final score will be the product of the total contact points times the number of grid fields contacted. There should be plenty of strategy required to balance distant QSOs and the need to work all available grid fields. Single and multi-operators are welcome to operate as much or as little of the 24-hour contest period as they wish.
The contest has been designed to enable making contacts utilizing standard WSJT-X software behavior, making it easy for non-contesters to participate. At the same time, the contest supports some new techniques that will encourage operating innovation, such as permitting stations to work up to three “QSO streams” on a band at one time. Robotic operation is specifically prohibited in order to keep the human element as part of the game. The full rules and other information are available on the WW Digi DX contest website at https://ww-digi.com
It is fitting that the World Wide DX contest series be expanded with a fourth mode, Digi, to support evolution into ham radio’s future. Accordingly, with WWROF’s sponsorship of the World Wide Digi DX Contest, there will now be similar worldwide DX contests at the end of four successive months, August through November.
Serious contesters and casual participants alike can make ham radio history and have fun as the hobby pioneers the exciting world of digital communication. WWROF hopes the WW Digi DX Contest will attract new digital operators into contesting.
Plaques will be awarded for top scorers. Electronic certificates will also be available for download for anyone that submits a log. The goal is to have results available on the website within 90 days after the end of the contest.
hahahaha~~~PC VS PC?or AI VS AI?you can found software “AUTOJTDX”
Maybe faster than trying whose computer
This is a video tutorial.
https://yunpan.360.cn/surl_yHhYmba9KJX
FT8/FT4 not my cup of tea. PC to PC contest with very little human element, no thanks.
Each to his own, enjoy the nap.
I’m a Contester, especially RTTY Contester…..
I try to understand this Contest…..
Why 160? Digimodes contest are Only 10-80m…
FT8 or FT4? Not FT8+FT4…. I think Ft4 is best for contest and similar to RTTY.
and why they choose the rtty bandfrequencies ?? why all this FTmodes do not operate on the beginning from SSB frequencies ?? there is on all bands enough place to do . as a fan of rtty i disagree this .
yes i use sometimes the ft8 and ft4 mode , but a contest in this 2 modes , ….. and on rtty frequencies ….
this just came in from Dokufunk: “WSJT-X – FT8 and Beyond”, the Keynote Speech of Joe Taylor, K1JT, 21 June 2019 at the Friedrichshafen Hamvention is now available as a live recording and the accompanying slides in the “Lecture Room” at: dokufunk.org/ft8 – together with the expedition reports from Baker Island KH1/KH7Z and Kanton, Central Kiribati T31EU. tnx to Wolf Harranth OE1WHC for his work about Ham Radio 2019.
@Ogi 9A7W: The big difference is that FT8 is a mass movement emptying the rest of the bands. If we don´t use our bands for other modes they will be taken by others. Look at what is happening to our 2 m band in France. You have been warned.
However, RTTY is PC to PC, you don’t understand a thing so using your PC to translate it, VHF MS programs are the same thing, all those various digi modes ae the same thing, SSTV, the same thing, but nobody complains except about FT8… wow.
A contest is a contest,am an avid dxer and contester from my so hunted Honduras HR prefix,so if any ham need my station on any contest I will be there,please stop those comments ,negative ones,just enjoy the hobby.
Its our hobby.
Dan HR2DMR
we aren’t complaining about progress, tecnologies, changes etc etc …but are you sure that all new things of the past 100 years are so good as expected?? I’m pretty sure that not all new toys are really good toys, I can imagine the next generations…..they’ll probably use a self conduct car, I hope they can choose the voyage destination. BTW ft4/8 is simply killing a dead game.
Great Contest for beer addicted. You can drink from the start to the end of the Contest, while PC work for you. How beautiful ! 🙂
FT8 allows people with hearing loss to “make” contacts. Otherwise, I don’t see our interest.
To me, it sounds like the upset responses are probably from people who barely know how to turn on a PC, that’s a Personal Computer. Don’t worry, they won’t be with us much longer. These new digital modes make the reality of global communication with low cost low power equipment possible. A low cost ssb radio, sound card and a raspberry pi. I hope to see JS8Call contests soon.
Well, mates, FT4 was created as a mode for contests. So, of course there will be contests like this. Nobody is forced to take notice of it. Maybe more hams will find contesting as an interesting option, so this is not negative as such. But what I really do not understand: Why is it allowed to use up to 1500 watts in such a contest for FT8 / FT4? This will end in chaos on the channels used. Wouldn´t it be better to use no more than 100 watts?
to Sandy: pure digital contact – is really NOT OK, because this is PURE DIGITAL CONTACT, which mean, that for make a qso two PC-s dont’ need anything from both operators, even no need to be there. For example: drive from A to B. When i sit in a car, start engine and make all, what needet to arrive from A to B (with use of cruise control, air conditoner, GPS navi and other helpful things), i’m a DRIVER. When i sit in a car, start engine and then a self-driving car bring me from A to B, i’m a PASSENGER. The difference is clear? 😉
I became a ham in the 60’s. Old timers were saying SSB will be the death of the hobby. Now this comment is being made about FT8. I have lost my mid-range hearing. CW is all but Impossible. Background noise makes SSB unenjoyable. I have enjoyed FT8. What’s wrong with a digital contest? We have CW contests and SSB contests. If you are so closed minded to it do the following: Don’t operate it. Take your computer out of the shack and log your next contest on paper. Your computer logging program is helping your big score and it is helping copy CW. But this is ok and a pure digital contact is not??
I bet the winner will be a sophisticated clicker script.
Somehow we all had to accept that FT8 more or less replaced RTTY for DXpeditions. That’s one side of the story, and I am a regular user of FT8 since then. If you can’t beat them, join them.
But contests in FT4/FT8? How can I upgrade my station: Do I need more RAM or a stronger CPU??
>>There should be plenty of strategy required to balance distant QSOs and the need to work all available grid fields.
So that’s the only “contest expert knowledge” that is required?
Come on guys, use your brain. FT4/8 yes, but contests in this modes – NO!
73 de Gary, DF2RG
contest for op vs pc…
this is realy??
Really piece of shit, try to find some brain somewhere, amateur radio is in danger (see the 2m vhf problem related to…) like newer before, make some sort of unhuman contest, won’t help it at all.
This computing contest is for HP, Intel, Lenovo, Acer, AMD, …. but not for human beings. As I judge myself as an individual homo sapiens sapiens who wants to get personal relaxiation and fun from my hobby “ham radio” and not only a bill for consumed electric power, this socalled contest is definitely not for me.
Everbody – of course – may decide “individually”.
73 Bernhard DJ5MN
What a contest! The sound of silence. 🙁
The end of amateur radio
“… measure operators’ abilities in making DX contacts…” – OP’s or PC’s? 😉