All modes have their positives. SSB does make it easier (for most of us) to exchange social pleasantries. CW is efficient and has a greater chance of success with DX and/or weak signals. FT8/FT4 is great for allowing you to remain QRV even in the face of high local noise.
So each have their merits and I use all three on virtually all of my HF SOTA activations these days. My favourite is CW, currently, for the following two reasons:
- It is the most enjoyable and satisfying of the three modes for me to operate.
- It attracts the most number of QSOs, and the highest QSO rates against time, with North American stations on 10m in the afternoons/evenings, at present.
Anyway, great to read about your excitement with CW activating Reid. I’ll never forget the similar thrill when I tried it for the first time in 2007, after 4.5 years of phone-only activating in SOTA. New Key on the block! M1EYP