FT8 with 1W : propagation and hops

If you want to see how basic propagation works, use only 1W.

This morning I am active on 17m.

This is what it looks like  :

Almost all stations that receive my 1W signal are in an area of 2500-3000km. 

Oman, 2nd hop area at  5500 km
Thailand and Taiwan, 3rd hop at 9100 km
Australia, 4rd hop at 16500 km

For me, quite spectacular that such a small signal, on a non-directional antenna, can go so far, and that the hops are so clearly visible.

I have a flash back, thinking on the CQ WW 10m contest where some stations at some distances were missing in my log.  This picture is the basic reason of it.

Stacked yagi operation... 

this was 2018

This year was the 2nd best year of the last decade regarding the number of QSO.
Meanly caused by introduction of FT8.

I never made data qso in the past, except for a couple of RTTY contacts on a Icom transceiver that I could use for a few days.

But FT8 took my interest to help me obtain the 30m DXCC. 
I had VK0, ZL, and the most exotic countries in my 30m log, but some European countries were missing. 

No one answered a cw qso with a local ON station, and no contest qso were possible on this band.  So I took a chance on a new mode, where I was sometimes a new country in FT8.

I discovered a new world, where DX qso on 80m were possible with low power. 
I discovered a new world, where QSOs could be made on a semi-automatic, quasi full-automatic way.

My old equipment could be used again.  The Acom1000, loaded with 7W from the Yaesu  protected my transceiver from heating and provided a basic clean 150W without overloaded itself during hours of traffic.

My FT817, not used for years, is now the basic station for a new project : making QSO with only 1W and a non-directive antenna.   In 2018 I made 254 QSO with ON4CCP.

I conclude that a Windom antenna is a fantastic antenna.  Especially on 80m, I made some very nice QSO allover the world.  With the 9L expedition in the log , SSB and only 500W, it can compete with a vertical, but much easier on the receiving side. 

160m is another story.  Not black, not white.  I made CW QSO's with the Carribean area, but couldn't do a thing direction Asia.  

FT8 on 160m seems worthless for me.  I need much more power than 200W to make DX qso.  Not a surprise with a horizontal wire only 15m high.

Reception is also here fb.