AE2A

There are modes for every purpose and interest group!

The PSK, Olivia and other "Sound Card" modes have not gone away. Newer modes are probing the limits of technology and HF radio. With the advent of the personal computer came along a whole new range of possibilities. The WSJT-X modes only serve to put more "tools" into you HF toolkit. Some of these are purely experimental modes (WSPR), and some serve to provide QSOs where voice communication is not possible (the "FT" modes). No one mode is perfect for all communications and the enjoyment of Ham Radio is enhanced by the now wide choice of modes from CW to RTTY, to PSK31 to the more computer enhanced modes of the JTx and FTx series that Joe Taylor has brought out.

Many modes are not voice or "conversational modes", but many are! You can pick and chose which mode you want to use for the mood or pure enjoyment of learning a new way to communicate. But please remember to be a "good neighbor" when learning a new mode! Make sure that your signal is contained to the needed bandwidth and you are not generating spurious signals up and down the band because you are over-driven! Most of the sound card modes are VERY sensitive to any non-linear products (the PSK and Olivia type modes) and although you may have a powerful signal, if the signal is not linear and there are distortion products outside of the needed 31 Hz (in the case of PSK31) you will not make many friends or be very successful in making any QSO's! Learning to control your signal and IMD by operating your station can make you a better operator and you will gain respect from all that see your "clean" signal. On the other hand, being recognized by a poor wide and distorted signal will make you easily recognized and avoided. If you take pride in the quality of your signal, you will be rewarded with a great operating experience and the personal satisfaction of having mastered another aspect of Ham Radio! In digital modes it is much easier for your software to decode a "clean" but weaker signal than trying to decode a strong but distorted signal. It's just the way things in technology work!

You need to look at your available bandwidth for connecting to the digital network of your choice. DMR does require about double the throughput bandwidth of D-STAR due to the inherent coding (DMR is a ~9600 baud throughput while D-STAR is about 4800 baud). Fusion is dependent on the mode you are using and can vary. Fusion has become popular because Yaesu seeded the market with low cost repeaters and many clubs jumped on the bandwagon hoping to replace agin repeaters at a bargain price. The initial entry into the Fusion environment had its startup problems and now after a few years of operation, the Fusion product/protocols are well established  and the networking issues have been worked out.

With the advent of the newer hotspots which support multiple modes, the choice of what type radio is pretty much up to you and who you wish to QSO with. Many of the newer hotspots allow you to utilize a feature called "cross-mode" where your radio can be DMR and you can "cross-mode" to Fusion or NXDN. The newest hotspots can actually "cross-mode" to any and all of the modes from any other mode! This feature (software magic) has made the choice of which mode (and by association- the choice of radio) a moot point. Obviously, each OP will have personal brand choices for many reasons, but you are now able to join any network with almost any radio.

If you will be using mostly mobile operation in an area with limited or no repeaters, the cellular tethered by WiFi to a hotspot option is usually a good choice! Depending on your selection of cellular provider and the "customer profile" will be the limiting factors. I mention "customer profile" for a specific reason. Your rate plan determines the amount of data you can use and its end cost, but you should always be aware that the lowest cost plans may also subject you to lower network priority and "throttling" your actual throughput. Prime customers (those that pay the premium prices) are generally not subject to lower network priority and throttling. If you are familiar with how the major carriers work, there may be many resellers of one of the major carrier networks. Each has its own set  of "customer profiles" with an unknown priority and throttling threshold! Bargain resellers such as Walmart or Consumer Cellular (or any other reseller) don't actually own an cellular infrastructure (towers or networks) but instead they "resell" network access to one of the major network providers. These resellers, provide you with service for a fee that is generally less than the rate charged to "direct" customers in exchange for a lower grade of service. This is how the resellers can offer service for a lower cost. Be aware that even the direct customers can be sold a lower grade of service advertised as "the 55 plus rate" or some other non-prime rate plan. These are generally non-primary rate plans and carry the same lower grade of service along with lower priority and more throttling during time of heavy network loading! Depending on the area your are in, the provider network, and time of day, your own experience will vary! In my case being in a college town and near the campus and residences, I was forced to change fom the "55 plus" plan to an "unlimited" plan (for $10 a month more) which resolved a whole host of issues.

With all of the above in mind - "Your Mileage May Vary"!