I tried to save bandwidth on the reflector by just giving the needed info on
the subject, but it appears that some people need the full story, and think
that things are going on behind the scenes. Well, they are not, it is
totally up front, and if you take the time to read all of this, you will see
that I was confused too, and called the ARRL on the confusion.
This is the last I received from Tom, and he agreed I can forward it to the
reflector.
SO here is the FULL story, with all communications included.
Paul K2DB
BTW - I operated LIVE at the remote - site this week-end as K2DB. I was
there, in the chair. :-)
Sure.
73,
Tom Hogerty, KC1J
Contest Manager
ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio
860-594-0232
thogerty@arrl.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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From: Paul Mackanos [mailto:mackanos@rpa.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 9:14 AM
To: Hogerty, Tom KC1J
Subject: RE: Remote Site & Contesting Rules
Thanks' Tom,
I really appreciate the quick & timely reply.
Would it be OK to forward this to the reflectors to clear up the subject?
Thanks again,
Paul K2DB - K2NNY Trustee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
From: Hogerty, Tom KC1J [mailto:thogerty@arrl.org]
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 7:51 AM
To: mackanos@rpa.net
Subject: FW: Remote Site & Contesting Rules
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your call yesterday and your note. I checked with my expert
resources and here's our reply:
The only requirement is that the station from which the contacts are made be
contained within the 500-meter limit. There is NO requirement that the
operator (or more appropriately, the transmitter control point) be within
the 500-meter limit. Remote operation on that basis is fine. The station
is operating under remote control according to FCC rules and that's
completely legitimate.
What is NOT allowed is the use of transmitting or receiving equipment
separated by more than the 500-meter limit, regardless of the location of
the control point for the transmitter.
So - if the entire station is contained within the 500-meter limit, it can
be operated under local control (operator on-site) or by remote control
(operator outside the 500-meter limit and connected by any means that allows
control of the transmitter).
73,
Tom Hogerty, KC1J
Contest Manager
ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio
860-594-0232
thogerty@arrl.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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From: Paul Mackanos [mailto:mackanos@rpa.net]
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 11:55 AM
To: Contest
Subject: Remote Site & Contesting Rules
Tom,
Thanks for your time on the phone call. I did call the league last year and
was told it was OK, as outlined in this e-mail. I was sort of set back when
you said the 500 meter limitation means I can't operate a contest from my
remote location. A totally different story than what I was told when I first
inquired about it.
There is a lot of ambiguity out there now and we need a solid firm answer
from the league on this subject. Thanks for your time and effort and the
time and effort of the contesting committee.
I also included a powerpoint presentation on my remote operation that I will
be presenting to the Rochester DX Association - tomorrow evening. I know
that we will not have an answer to this by then, but it would be nice.
Please keep me in the loop on this subject.
If your answer is that I cannot contest and operate with my remote station -
which is my ONLY station and ONLY way of getting on the air - what do you
want me to do? This is a hobby and I have fun with it, I want to continue to
have FUN.
Conflicting answers from the ARRL has me baffled, when we talk with the
league and the league gives us an answer, it puts me back when you ask if I
have the answer in writing? Wow, what a setback to me. I have faith in you
guys, but please don't communicate one thing as ok, then have a different
answer a few months later.
Have a great day there guys, and I hope you do not think I am upset, I am
having fun being able to get on the air and not bother my neighbors, YL or
have those wonderful looking wires and towers in my residential location.
With my remote location, the only thing I probably bother is the Bald Eagle
that likes to set on my beam. I am sure he looks around to see why the
antenna is turning and no one is there. Hihi :-)
Paul K2DB - K2NNY Trustee
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Mackanos [mailto:mackanos@rpa.net]
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 4:13 PM
To: 'cq-contest@contesting.com'
Subject: Remote Site & Contesting Rules
Interesting discussion about remote stations.
I now run a remote station, the only way I can get on the air. When I first
started doing it, the first thing I was hit with was: You better check with
the rules, it's not legal !!!
Well, I checked with all the contesting organizations - and as long as the
remote station has the complete station, including all antennas, rigs,
controls, etc. in the same place and your section or state or zone is
located there, you are legal as long as you report in your log - your
transmitting QTH. (They just want to know where your transmitting QTH is.)
As an example, I am located in Rochester, NY and my remote station is
located in my summer/winter/hunting/fishing/contesting camp in Northern New
York, (approximately 200 miles away). When I operate in a contest I send my
QTH as NNY, or NY or whatever the exchange is for the remote QTH.
Any other use is not allowed by the rules.
So, if you work me, you worked me in NNY and not in Rochester, which is WNY,
I may be at my computer in my office, downstairs watching TV with my laptop,
in the workshop in the basement with my laptop, or out in the field or at a
picnic table with my laptop, if you work me, you worked NNY. If I am
visiting my son in Seattle, WA and you work me, you worked NNY.
Pretty easy for the contest sponsors, if you want remote in a separate
class, go ahead. There is NO way that I can contest and run stations nearly
as fast with a remote station - there is this thing called latency that gets
in the way. Latency is the delay of getting the data from one computer
keyboard (at home) to the keyboard at the station, then displayed back on
the monitor at home.
I have to have a separate phone line which is devoted to receiving audio
directly from the rig. With out this real time receiving capability, the
latency is too way too long to have a normal qso. The computer is on its
separate phone line (dial-up because we have no high speed broadband, IDSN
or cable available). (Yeh, dial up is like having an old 8088 - IBM
Machine.)
I will be doing a small presentation for the Rochester DX Association on
Tuesday evening, and have a small power point presentation on the basics of
remote operating. If you would like me to send it to you, e-mail me off line
with a request and I will gladly ship it to you via e-mail.
Paul K2DB
p.s. we run all modes and use; Writelog, N1MM or TRX Manager.
CW is the fastest and easiest mode !!!
Look at it this way, your XYL, YL or whatever thinks you are in your office
working and you are really checking out the dx-cluster and working that rare
dx you need. IMHO - a win-win situation.
Again 73 and happy remote operating.
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