Field notes · FT8 & digital · 7 min
WSJT-X is the decoder. It should not be the only log.
FT8 in the park is a different sport from FT8 in the shack. You still need grids, DXCC, DUPE, and a park reference. You do not need to retype every 4-character grid because the decoder already had it.
2026-09-24 UTC
Decoder speed or you will skip the rare one
A 15-second cycle does not include a data-entry hobby. Ingest the completed QSO. Grid, report, and call should land without a second keyboard. If you are copying from the WSJT-X window into a web logbook, you will miss the station that actually mattered.
Field FT8 still needs a park
Digital POTA is still POTA. The park reference, the ten-QSO count, and hunter/activator context do not disappear because the mode is FT8. A shack-only FT8 logger will fight you the first time you activate K-something on 20.
DUPE across FT8, CW, and SSB on the same band is how you stop working the same hunter three ways by accident — or decide that you wanted all three, on purpose.
- Do not retype grids the decoder already has.
- Keep park and summit fields on digital QSOs.
- Export ADIF that LOTW, Club Log, and POTA accept without a cleanup pass.
Band-hop without folklore
SFI, K-index, and greyline are not decoration. They tell you whether 10 m is a rumor. A field logger that also watches space weather can suggest the next FT8 slice. You can ignore it. You should not have to open four other apps to decide.
The companion, not the replacement
Log73 sits beside WSJT-X. It does not pretend to be a decoder. Field trial is for operators who already run FT8 in parks and are tired of the second log.
Questions
Does a field logger replace WSJT-X?
No. WSJT-X (or an equivalent decoder) does the digital work. The logger receives completed QSOs and adds GPS, parks, DUPE, and export.
Are FT4 and JS8 included?
If the decoder writes ADIF, the logger should file it. Mode names belong in the record, not a comment.
Log73 is in field trial.
Request a slot. Bring a radio.