Well despite what the haters have said, I have quite enjoyed playing around with FT-8 over the last few months.
At the very least it has got me back on the air.
There has been an unexpected upside. QSL Cards.
Using FT-8 I have been able to make contacts into places I have never been able to before. (I have even had places come up that I've had to look up in the atlas).
When I make a contact into a new country or region I dash off a paper QSL (as well as the usual electronic versions). I didn't really expect too many replies, it was more as a way of saying thanks.
The upside is that I have received quite a few cards in return and I have found it quite exciting to open the mail box and find an envelope with a foreign stamp on it. I know it sounds childish and naive but by crikey it does put a smile on my dial. A bit old fashioned? Sure, but fun nonetheless.