so ive been sitting on 40m most evenings this week and its just... dead. like i can hear a few guys down around 7.200 doing their usual ragchew thing but compared to even a few months ago it feels like half the band disappeared. not sure if its propagation, everyone switched to FT8, or just the time of year doing its thing. probably all three honestly.

been a ham for about 12 years now and i dont remember it being this quiet in the fall. usually this is when things start picking up again. anyway just curious if others are noticing the same or if its just my location messing with me, im up in the upper midwest if that matters

yeah same here, been noticing it too. i think a big chunk of guys just migrated to FT8 and never came back to ssb. which i get, the digital modes are impressive for weak signal but man i miss just turning on the radio and hearing people actually talking. my buddy down the road says he's heard more activity later at night like 10pm or so but i cant stay up that late on work nights lol

propagation has been weird this whole season tbh. i logged a few contacts into europe last tuesday around sunset which was great but then nothing for days after that. 40m can be like that i guess. also FT8 definitely took a lot of people off voice, thats just kind of the reality now