FT8

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSJT_(amateur_radio_software)#FT8:

FT8 stands for “Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation” and was created by Joe Taylor, K1JT and Steve Franke, K9AN. It is described as being designed for “multi-hop Es where signals may be weak and fading, openings may be short, and you want fast completion of reliable, confirmable QSO’s”.

Essex Hams have an excellent introduction over at https://www.essexham.co.uk/ft8-basics-explained

I really enjoy FT8 and at time of writing, it’s basically been the only mode I’ve used for contacts. WSJT-X makes it particularly pleasant.

For me it has a bunch of desirable properties, including:

• It’s literally designed for weak signals, which is great with my low-power system and low-quality antenna setups/conditions

• It automates a lot of the interactions, so I didn’t need to worry about “am I getting the protocol right and saying things in the right order etc.” which was great when starting out

• I’ve never been a particular fan of voice communication, and I haven’t yet learned Morse code, which narrows my options down considerably

• There’s a really clear explicit set of agreed conventions, which has cut down on moving parts and made it really easy to get into (no hunting around for groups and/or frequencies on sites that may or may not be current)

• There’s lots of activity, so if I want to experiment with anything, it’s easy to get feedback