After months of hearing about it, I finally got my setup working for FT8 last weekend. Downloaded WSJT-X, connected my IC-7300 to the computer, and made my first contact with a station in Germany! The waterfall display is mesmerizing - watching all those signals decode automatically feels like magic. I can see why people say it's addictive, though I'm still missing the personal touch of a good ragchew on SSB. Anyone else feel like they're watching their radio do all the work?

Welcome to the FT8 world! I felt the same way initially, but it really shines during poor band conditions. Just worked JA yesterday at noon on 20m with barely any signal visible on the waterfall.

I love FT8 for DXCC hunting but yeah, it's not much of a conversation. Try JS8 if you want something more chatty - it's based on FT8 but lets you actually type messages back and forth.

The automatic nature bothered me at first too. But think of it this way - you're still making the antenna decisions, band choices, and timing. The computer just handles the protocol, like how your phone handles the cellular handshaking.