Where do I go to find DX on FT8?
The common DX stations typically use the standard FT8 frequencies. If a DX is rarer, they may have a special frequency. You can find out by going to their QRZ.com page or their website (Most major rare DXpeditions will have a dedicated website)
If it is a DXpedition, the frequencies are typically posted on their website. You can also look at pskreporter for the frequency of transmissions if they have transmitted recently. https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html
I see the DX station sending nonstandard messages. Why?
Lots of DX stations use a special program called MHSV to transmit. You don’t need to use this special program; WSJT-X will decode the messages as normal. You can double-click on their message, and it will transmit normally.
What is Fox/Hound (F/H)? What is Superfox?
Fox/Hound is a special operating mode within FT8. It was designed for DX peditions and rare stations. To complete a QSO with stations using F/H, you will need to make a few changes to your software.
Go to settings, advanced, then check enable Fox/Hound mode. Make sure that you have hound selected.
When operating this way, you MUST ONLY call above 1500Hz. If you call below this, the DX station will not hear you. Once they have acknowledged your station, your software will automatically hop down to their frequency to complete the contact. This is normal! This is to ensure low QRM for completing your contact.
These days, traditional F/H mode is not as common. More operators are opting for software called MSHV. This software can work with standard WSJT-x in standard settings, no special settings needed. You can tell when a station is using MHSV because the DX station will be transmitting multiple streams. With each stream, their power is split between the streams, so it can make it harder to hear them.
Superfox is a new sub-mode that is very impressive. It was recently released. There was an issue with splitting power between streams. There was also a major issue with pirate stations (other stations using the rare DX call to mess with others trying to make contacts). Superfox is different because it can respond to 9 stations simultaneously.
Another feature of SuperFox is the verification of the checksum. Think of this like a password or key that is given to the DX station. This password is secret and is input into their SuperFox settings. For those of us hunting the DX, this will display in WSJT-x with the verified message.
How can you tell if a station is running Superfox mode? Pretty simple. It looks much different on the waterfall. Standard FT8, F/H, and MHSV signals look like a standard FT8 signal on the waterfall. Superfox does not.