> What mustn't happen, in my opinion, is
> the banning of CW Skimmer. All the
> analogies to other sports fall down
> because there would be no practical
> way
> to detect its use, and because the
> potential advantage conferred is so
> great. People who want to use it
> should be able to.
Pete,
There is no practical way to determine
whether a single
operator has two other operators in the
room, spotting
stations for him to work or working them
for him on a second or third radio.
There is no practical way to determine
whether someone is running 3KW instead
of 1.5KW. The list goes on and on. It
seems unreasonable to me to say that we
need to allow an innovation (leading to
automated QSO machines which will
replace good operators and diminish the
sport) because we cannot detect whether
they are cheating.
What is that great potential advantage
of allowing Skimmer?
To attract those who don't currently
like CW?
To turn it into more of a computer game
or RTTY type operation?
To make it easier for stations to
contact each other?
How many people do you suppose will call
CQ
with a bogus callsign to see it show up
on a skimmer
list or lists or just play with the
system? How many people will jump on
that station only to perhaps (or not)
find out it is bogus?
How many people will call CQ, be there
for a few minutes and then leave while
people are piling up trying to work the
guy who just left?.
How much confusion and additional
QRM will be created when many hundreds
of
stations that would have been calling
people they
found to work are now calling CQ to see
if they can
generate a few answers as a result of
Skimmer?
And for those who argue that Skimmer is
not
assistance because it does not involve
another person
giving you the information, what is the
difference
between someone calling CQ for the
specific purpose of telling another
station or stations who he knows to be
using Skimmer that he is on such and
such frequency and sending him an e-mail
or calling on the phone to say the same
thing? The answer is that Skimmer is
better in that regard because in one
fell swoop he is confirming that he can
be heard at the other station's location
and telling him he is on a certain
frequency with one transmission.
In my opinion there is no question that
for the good of the CW Contesting Sport
Skimmer should be banned in all
categories.
For those who are tired of the subject
matter, I understand. I am sometimes
tired of it myself. I went to
Walmart yesterday with a list from my
wife. I took the list out of my pocket
and was "skimming" it and focused on
SOAP. I stood there in bewilderment for
approximately 5 seconds trying to figure
out what the P stood for. :-) - True and
I chuckled aloud.
This is an important discussion and
could have a dramatic effect on the part
of the hobby that many love.
Stan, K5GO
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