I am not taking one side or another on this one, I just have two questions.
First, will banning skimmers also include banning band scopes (panadaptors),
waterfall displays and computer images from the receiver? Second, how could
such a ban be enforced? With packet, we can correlate single op logs to
packet spots. With a skimmer, the data exists in the station's receiver.
Aren't we revisiting the other unenforceable topics of listening during
off-times, QROOO, operator assistance, etc? As I listened to the skimmer
debates at Visalia, I had moments of déjà vu from over 30 years ago when
W6RR got one of the first memory keyers.
Emotion is driving a lot of this debate. One of the people I respect most in
this hobby, N6TJ, is lobbying against while K6XX, a stellar contester is
arguing for. Unfortunately, I do not think that either camp will change the
course of technology evolution nor will they significantly affect what
single op's do behind closed doors in the privacy of their own ham stations.
I have six WaveNode Wattmeters on-line now. Perhaps we should require power
output data be logged and that log and a WinTest-type Band Map log be
appended to the Cabrillo file?
I now also have two complete and identical SO2R stations that can access any
amplifier and antenna. Is it ethical to run two different SO2R stations in
the same contest, at the same station, because I have pushed the envelope of
technology? Should any attempt at 2 X SO2R be banned because the two
single-ops need to talk to one another about sharing resources and changing
bands? Are they increasing or decreasing their scores by being in a 2 X SO2R
environment?
During my last turn as NCJ editor I wrote a futuristic article about
stations automatically operating contests and feeding log data to
adjudicators as they happen with all of the QSO's being displayed on a map
in real time. We are getting closer to this scenario.
Tom Taormina, K5RC
Virginia City NV
NACHO - W7RN RANN - K7RC
FOC 1760 http://k5rc.cc
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