I think you're going to have a hard time convincing anyone that a piece of
hardware in your shack suddenly makes you assisted. The defacto definition
of assistance involves information acquired from another person. If a piece of
gear
in your shack makes you assisted, then what is your receiver doing? Or for that
matter your second receiver in an SO2R station? But none of this addresses the
real problem with Skimmer.
I really don't care if my competition uses a machine to copy CW. I do very much
care
if the guy I'm calling is using a machine.... For example, let's assume I'm
weak (not
much of a stretch there). I call K5ZD. Randy is going to know that someone
is calling him, he's going to get at least part of my call, and hopefully he'll
realize what "0SR" is and then call me. Skimmer wouldn't even know I
was there. This isn't conjecture on my part but actual real-world experience
with Pete's
Skimmer setup. There were several days when I could call CQ on 20 meters with
200 watts
and a 2 element Quad, and Pete's Skimmer was completely oblivious to my
presence.
Imagine that happening during a contest weekend. No thanks, I'd rather work
people than machines.
Remember what Isaac Asimov once said:
"Machines are absolutely rational and totally unreasonable"
73 Steve K0SR
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