Oh God. Here we go again with the same rationale as a couple years ago.
As one who has operated from a top flight contest station in MANY contests
over the past few years and who has won several contests, I can tell you
from personal experience that Skimmer is a quantum level of difference from
computers, band maps, split VFOs, memory keyers, etc. It is a fundamental
game changer.
Skimmer fills in an entire band map for you without your having to tune the
VFO.
Skimmer will tell you where your competitors are at all times. It will also
tell you when they have gone on breaks....
Skimmer will tell you when a band is first showing signs of life and when a
marginal band has become wide open.
Skimmer will tell you how fast a station is sending CQ and which station is
sending CQ.
Skimmer will tell you where unusual openings have taken place - unexpected
openings.
Skimmer will tell you where holes in the band are so that you can exploit
them to start a new run frequency or to move a mult.
Etc., etc., etc.
This is a level of information that is so far above and beyond what
traditional operating is expected to be. One person listens and decides,
using their own judgment, what a callsign is, when a bandchange should be
executed, if a particular path is open, etc.
When you log a QSO in your computer, you're doing it with your brain and
your fingers. When you make a QSO, you're using your ears and your mind.
When you tune the band you're doing so with your ears and your mind and your
fingers.
When you're using Skimmer, you do not have to listen for QSOs or callsigns
because Skimmer has already pre-filled the entire band map for you. You
don't have to listen for a call to figure out if you've worked it before -
Skimmer has already basically done that. You don't need to put a second
receiver on 10 meters and check it periodically because Skimmer will alert
you that others have begun CQing on that band.
You don't have to wonder if K5ZD has decided to move to 15 meters because
Skimmer will tell you that he has.
To consider this a simple extension of technology of your own shack simply
ignores the principles of single operator contesting that we have known for
over 75 years.
73 Rich NN3W
On Sep 17, 2010, Joe Subich, W4TV <lists@subich.com> wrote:
> I cannot, for the life of me, imagine how ANYONE could consider
> Skimmer to NOT be an assistance aid. You have the entire bandmap
> laid out for you without your mind doing anything. It is a complete
> game changer and should NOT be ever placed into the same category as
> an unassisted operator doing all the operating and listening by
> himself.
As one who remembers contesting before computers and before bandmaps,
*ALL* of the things done by computer were game changers. How anyone
can not consider computer logging, bandmaps, SCP, etc. anything other
than *assistance* is beyond me.
The whole point is that the assistance does not come from any other
*person* either directly or via telephone, packet, internet, etc.
73,
... Joe, W4TV
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|