Digital Modes Beyond FT8: JS8Call, PSK31, and RTTY for Real Conversations

FT8 dominates digital ham radio. Open the waterfall on any HF band and you'll see dozens of FT8 signals. It works — weak signal contacts across the world with modest stations. Nobody disputes its effectiveness.

But FT8 isn't a conversation. It's an exchange of callsigns, grid squares, and signal reports. 73, done. If that's all you want, great. If you actually want to talk to people — type words, share information, have a back-and-forth — there are other modes that do this while still being digital.

I run FT8 when I want to confirm propagation or work a new grid square. I run these other modes when I want to actually communicate.

JS8Call: The Digital Ragchew

JS8Call takes the JT8 modulation scheme (same underlying GFSK as FT8) and adds free-text messaging on top. You can type whatever you want. Full sentences. Questions. Answers. Conversations.

What it does:

• Keyboard-to-keyboard messaging, decoded in real-time
• Store-and-forward (messages wait for the recipient to come online)
• Group messaging (directed CQs, net-like discussions)
• APRS-like position reporting
• Automatic relay through other stations
• Heartbeat mode (beacon your presence without actively operating)

The catch: It's slow. Each transmission takes 15 seconds (normal speed) to 30 seconds (slow speed). A simple exchange of pleasantries takes 5-10 minutes. A real conversation about antenna projects or weather? Budget 30-60 minutes.

Who uses it:

• Off-grid operators and preppers (Winlink alternative with no infrastructure needed)
• Hams who enjoy low-power communication at a relaxed pace
• Emergency preparedness groups testing comms without repeater infrastructure
• People running JS8 nets on specific frequencies

My experience: I keep JS8Call running on 40m (7.078 MHz) in the background while I work. The heartbeat system lets others see I'm "on" and they can call me. It's like having a chat window open — messages arrive when someone wants to talk. I respond when I can. No pressure to be actively operating.

The store-and-forward feature is genuinely useful. I've left messages for stations I know operate in the evenings. They pick them up hours later and reply. It's email over radio, essentially, but without the Winlink infrastructure.

Setup: Identical hardware to FT8. Same sound card interface, same cables. Download JS8Call (free, open source), point it at your radio's audio, done. If you can run FT8, you can run JS8Call with zero additional hardware.

PSK31: The Original Digital Ragchew

Before FT8 existed, PSK31 was the digital mode for keyboard QSOs. It's been around since 1998. Still works. Still has users. Still offers something the newer modes don't.

What it is: Phase-shift keying at 31.25 baud. Free-text, real-time, streaming. You type, the other station sees your characters appear one at a time as you type them. Like watching someone type in a chat room — live.

Bandwidth: 31 Hz. Incredibly narrow. You can fit 30+ PSK31 signals in the space of one SSB signal. On a crowded band, PSK31 finds room.

Signal requirements: Better than SSB but not as extreme as FT8. About 10 dB better than SSB for equivalent copy. 20-50 watts into a decent antenna gives you worldwide coverage on 20m.

The appeal: It's real-time. No waiting 15 seconds for the next frame. You see their characters appearing as they type. The conversation flows naturally (for a keyboard mode). You can interrupt, add comments, ask questions mid-thought.

The decline: PSK31 activity has dropped significantly since FT8 arrived. On 20m you might find 5-10 signals where there used to be 50. The operators who remain tend to be experienced and enjoy actual conversations. The "exchange reports and move on" crowd migrated to FT8.

Frequencies: 14.070 MHz (20m), 7.070 MHz (40m), 21.070 MHz (15m). These are still the gathering spots.

Software: Fldigi (free, cross-platform) handles PSK31 plus dozens of other modes. It's been the standard for years. Interface is dated but functional.

My honest take: PSK31 is lovely for unhurried conversations with interesting operators. The pace matches typing speed. You can share paragraphs about your station, your location, your projects. It feels more personal than FT8. But finding active stations requires patience — sometimes I call CQ for 10 minutes before getting a response.

RTTY: The Contest Machine

Radioteletype. Been around since the 1930s in commercial use, adopted by hams in the 1960s. Still going strong because it dominates a specific niche: digital contesting.

What it is: Frequency-shift keying at 45.45 baud. 170 Hz shift between mark and space. Robust signal that punches through noise well. No error correction — characters either decode or they don't.

Why it survives: RTTY contests. CQ WW RTTY, ARRL RTTY Roundup, and dozens of others. These contests draw thousands of participants. The exchange is formulaic (signal report + zone/state), but the experience is pure competitive operating.

Compared to PSK31:

• Faster (45 vs 31 baud)
• Wider bandwidth (250 Hz vs 31 Hz)
• More robust in noise
• Less efficient per Hz of bandwidth
• More participants during contests

Contest RTTY is its own skill. Running a frequency, pulling callsigns out of interference, managing rate — it's closer to SSB contesting than to casual digital chatting. The keyboard operators who do well in RTTY contests are genuinely skilled at reading partial decodes and typing fast.

Setup: Same hardware chain as FT8/PSK31. Software: N1MM+ (contest logger with built-in RTTY) or Fldigi for casual use. MMTTY is the classic RTTY engine that most contest loggers integrate.

Outside contests: RTTY is quiet. Very few casual RTTY ragchews happen anymore. The mode lives for contests. If contests interest you, RTTY events are an excellent entry point — no voice, so you can operate at any hour without disturbing anyone, and the exchanges are short and structured.

Olivia: The Weak-Signal Conversation Mode

Less known. Worth mentioning. Olivia MFSK is a mode designed specifically for weak-signal keyboard QSOs. It uses error correction coding — characters arrive intact even when the signal is barely above the noise floor.

Where it shines: Working stations that would be unreadable on PSK31. The decoding threshold is remarkably low. On 80m with heavy QRN, Olivia pulls readable text out of what sounds like pure noise.

Activity: Low. A small but dedicated community operates on published calling frequencies. 14.072.5 MHz (20m) and 7.072.5 MHz (40m) are the main ones. You might need to call CQ several times.

Speed: Configurable. Olivia 8/500 and 16/500 are common. Slower than PSK31 but the error correction means you don't lose characters to QSB fades.

Which Should You Try?

All of them require the same hardware. If you're set up for FT8, you're set up for all of these. The only change is software.

If you want off-grid messaging capability: JS8Call. It works when nothing else does and doesn't require internet or infrastructure.

If you want real-time typing conversations: PSK31. The closest thing to a chat room over HF radio.

If you want competitive operating without a microphone: RTTY contests. Structured, fast-paced, rewarding.

If you want to push weak-signal limits with text: Olivia. Conversations at signal levels that shouldn't be possible.

My typical week: FT8 for band monitoring and quick contacts. JS8Call running passively for asynchronous messages. PSK31 when I have 30 minutes and want to talk to someone. RTTY during contest weekends.

The digital bands have room for all of it. Don't let FT8 be your entire digital experience.