The recent recurring debates seem to be focused on a couple of key points of
contention.
1) Some feel that you can't have a rule that can't be enforced
2) Some feel that packet should not be restricted for single ops - regradless
of entry category
3) Some feel that packet is the worst thing that could have happened to
contesting
I don't buy into any of these perspectives.
1) Given that what we do, by definition, relies on personal integrity and
following the rules without on-site enforcement, radio contest rules should not
be defined by whether or not they can or could be enforced by the contest
sponsor. The point is that they define appropriate behavior in the contest for
the individual operator(s) to enforce on themselves. In my opinion, this is a
foundational premise.
2) This argument is something that I cannot understand. Anyone who thinks
packet does not change what a single op does/can do is ignoring reality.
3) Packet, as has been eloquently recalled here by others, is a natural
extension of the "spotting nets" and the like that were common in more densely
populated areas. Packet has levelled the playing field for all multi-ops in
this respect.
Regarding #3; at a station I used to operate from on occasion, K2GL/N2AA, we
used to "eaves-drop" on both the FRC and YCCC spotting networks.
We had almost as much aluminum up for 2 meters as we had for 20. We had two 2
meter FM radios connected to large arrays pointed towards those two targets.
They were set up feeding one set of headphones so one operator could listen to
both.(SO2R?) Sometimes it appeared that the FRC detected that we were
listening, and they would go to simplex and not use their repeater. It didn't
matter as we could hear them direct anyway.
We also had low power 2m FM handie-talkies wired into some of the HF headsets.
When something was spotted, the 2m operator would grab his HT and announce on
our shack "network" something like "15 meters, 15 meters 4U1UN 21298 4U1UN
21298". Some of the bands did not have this integrated hookup, so handwritten
spot notes were manually distributed to them - or sometimes, there was even
some spirited yelling.
As log sheets were completed on each band, they were collected, and the new
multipliers identified. A master multiplier sheet was updated showing which
multipliers were still needed for each band. The 2m operator would not
announce mults we already had. Copies of the master mult sheet were
periodically distributed to the operators of each band, using a small copy
machine that was in the shack. This was to facilitate passing of multipliers.
Yes - there was a lot of paper.
Of course, all of that happened before computers, so it's ancient history.
But, the point is: what packet enables/does, what computers enable/do, etc. are
not new. It's just the medium, and how efficient it is.
73,
N5NJ
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