Question
Which of the following is good practice when choosing a transmitting frequency to answer a station calling CQ using FT8?
Answer Options
- A) Always call on the station’s frequency
- B) Call on any frequency in the waterfall except the station’s frequency
- C) Find a clear frequency during the same time slot as the calling station
- D) Find a clear frequency during the alternate time slot to the calling station
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
FT8 operates using two alternating 15-second time slots: one for stations transmitting during even-numbered minutes and one for stations transmitting during odd-numbered minutes. When calling CQ, a station will transmit during one of these slots and listen during the other. When answering, good practice is to find a clear frequency and transmit during the alternate time slot to the calling station.
This is called ‘split’ operation and is necessary to prevent two stations from transmitting simultaneously on the same frequency in the same slot, which would cause an impossible-to-decode collision. By answering in the alternate slot, you ensure the calling station is listening when you transmit and you avoid interfering with any other stations that might also be calling the CQ station.
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