Plain-language answer: Digital modes encode text, telemetry, images, or other information into audio or RF waveforms for transmission and software decoding.
Why operators care
FT8, JS8Call, PSK31, RTTY, Winlink modes, and others solve different jobs. Their duty cycle, occupied bandwidth, timing, and tolerance for distortion are not the same.
How to use it well
Choose the mode for the message, set computer time and audio levels, disable speech processing, and stay within the radio and antenna’s continuous-duty limits.
The common mistake
Calling every computer-assisted mode interchangeable because all of them use a sound card.
Operating boundary
Predictions, reports, schedules, and mode descriptions guide a decision; they do not override current regulations, equipment limits, exact station conditions, or what the operator verifies on air.
