so ive been running FT8 for about two years now and yeah it works great for contacts and filling in the log but honestly it feels like operating a robot sometimes. you both exchange signal reports and grid squares and thats it, done. i started looking into JS8Call because at least in theory you can actually type back and forth with someone which is more like what i got into ham radio for in the first place.

the problem is every time i tune around on 40m the JS8Call portion is pretty quiet compared to the FT8 watering holes. i did have one solid ragchew with a guy in ohio last week which was pretty cool, took forever but the weak signal capability is impressive. my question is whether its worth dedicating more time to it or if the activity just isnt there on most bands. also running a G90 into a random wire so my situation isnt exactly ideal but FT8 decodes fine most nights.

anyone else split time between the two or just stick with FT8 for the efficiency thing

yeah the activity gap is real, JS8Call never really hit the critical mass that FT8 did and i think thats partly because WSJT-X has such a polished workflow. JS8Call feels a little rough around the edges still. that said i keep a window open on 40m around 14.078 and there are regulars on there most evenings, you just have to be patient. the HF capability is genuinely impressive for what it is though, ive seen it decode stations that were completely buried in noise that i never would have pulled out manually.

for what its worth PSK31 still has a little life left in it if you want keyboard to keyboard contacts with better activity levels than JS8, especially on 20m around 14.070. not as efficient signal wise but the community is more conversational by nature. might be worth poking around there too depending on what youre after.

honestly i just run both at the same time on different bands, FT8 on 20 doing its thing while i poke around on JS8 on 40. the G90 should handle that fine if you have a way to split audio or just run two instances pointed at different soundcard channels. i dunno i find FT8 kind of meditative in a weird way, like watching a waterfall and seeing callsigns pop up from places you wouldnt expect. but yeah for actual human interaction JS8 is way better when you find someone to talk to. the relay mesh stuff is cool too if you ever dig into that side of it.