Jeff Liebermann wrote:

I've done a little of that at VHF frequencies using various digital
modes. I was considering organizing a new certificate for "Worked all
Digital Modes", but every time I add a new mode to my computah,
someone invents yet another digital mode.
http://www.kb9ukd.com/digital/
http://www.wb8nut.com/digital.html
With weak signal digital modes, there's no way to actually hear the
signal as it's well below the noise floor. Waterfall displays work
nicely for copying extremely slow CW. It's a little like modern
astronomy. Most astronomers never look through the eyepiece of a
telescope these days.

Well, the June VHF QSO Party is in about 3 weeks. Try some non-digital
weak signal. It's fun! I'll be the primary op on our 6m station
running under the club call W0AUS from EN34. No high power this year
since we'll be within LOS of the Twin Cities metro at maybe 300 feet
above local average terrain. We'll be multimulti 6 through 10G,
probably all bands.

I've done some of the digital modes. High speed meteor burst, MFSK, and
PSK31 - really weak stuff with power as low as 50mW back when almost no
one was on it. My personal favorite is Hellschreiber, it's the oldest
(as far as I know) and sounds so cool.


Although I'm not a CW operator, when I was into Field Day, it took
several days for me to NOT listen for weak signals under the noise of
conversation, traffic, AM/FM radio noises, etc.

Yup, after 24 to 40 hours of noise with embedded weak or even not weak
CW and SSB and almost no sleep, you start to hear lots of things.

tom
K0TAR