Every few years, I’ve posted a chart of which modes are being used on the air (based on what is uploaded to Club Log). This report isn’t lightweight to calculate, so I don’t have it as a standard feature in Club Log for you to access, but I’m just as interested in the results as everyone else. 2017 was, of course, the year when digital modes changed forever with the advent of FT8. It is a remarkable technical achievement which has breathed life and enthusiasm into DXing for a whole new audience. See what you think about the side-effects.

Modes used during 2017 – and the arrival of FT8

Other statistics:

8,000 Club Log users uploaded FT8 QSOs in 2017, and they logged a total of 46,000 distinct callsigns in that mode. For reference, in 2017 the total number of QSOs uploaded to Club Log (all modes) was 32 million. Of that total, the number of QSOs made with FT8 was 4.8 million.

Note on data smoothing:

The lines are based on 28-day moving averages. I applied this smoothing to reduce the prominence of peaks related to mode-specific contests, such as CQWW SSB and CW.

Note to editors and news outlets:

You may reproduce the graph without asking for permission, provided it is not modified, and is attributed to Club Log (e.g. “Credit: clublog.org”). Click on the chart to download the underlying image. If you have any questions you can email them to me: [email protected]