On Sunday, June 11, 2017 9:43 AM, N4ZR <n4zr@comcast.net> wrote:
OK - so where is our "bright line"? I've been arguing the need for a
consensus on this for a decade.
I hope nobody will consider me a Luddite - Iwrote arguably the first
computer contest logger with integrated CW (for the TRS-80 Model 100 and
Commodore 64) back in the 1970s, and I'm one of the founders of the RBN.
CW and SSB - all decoding and transcription of transmissions to be done >by use of a
human brain. Yes, I know this "discriminates" against
people who don't know CW, but it's a small price to pay to prevent the
advent of truecontesting robots.
This of course also eliminates the current assisted classes because of Skimmer.
And if it has to be the entrant's own brain, then it eliminates dx clusters
since there someone else copies the callsign.
RTTY/Digital - no modes that are capable of receiving below 0 SNR
I don't see this as workable. One problem is that SNR depends more strongly on
the 'N' (local noise) and how good your antennas are. There are also very real
physics limits to what SNR can be achieved. You can lower SNR, but at the same
time you must increase the length of the qso and at some point it is not worth
waiting for a contest qso when others are available. We are already seeing
these limits- the most sensitive digital modes (for example WSPR) are not used
in contesting.
Tor
N4OGW
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