"It's useful because there are vastly more people
receiving/reporting the FT8 signals and therefore giving a more
realistic picture of the prevailing propagation on PSKR and other
sites.? Fast or not, if the beacon's signal's received, it's reported.?
That's all that matters."
Having thought about this for a couple of days, I think think " That's all that matters"? is inaccurate.
It's worth considering what the intention of the mode is before we use it. FT-8 is a fast QSO mode, whereas WSPR is a more sensitive mode designed for propagation study.
To fill a band with automated beacons may be pleasing for an individual for a short period of time, but in the grand scheme of things it's QRM.? Our bandplans are very flexible because we behave responsibly.
If you are interested in propagation, WSPR is the obvious choice, its a few hertz wide rather than 50Hz.
I wonder if there was an automated voice recognition program available, would it be acceptable to leave a voice keyer running 24/7 using up 2kHz of bandwidth just because there are 'vastly more people receiving'??
