Well said, Paul. The key word is, as you say, radio.
73, Mike NF4L
> On Nov 3, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul O'Kane <pokane@ei5di.com> wrote:
>
> On 02/11/2015 19:06, Gerry Hull wrote:
>
>> Thanks to a lot of work from J and the remote team, Hal, W1NN, will operate
>> SOHP in November SS via remote from his home in Ohio.
>
> The fact that something can be done does not
> necessarily mean there is merit in doing it.
> And the fact that something is being done by
> radio amateurs does not necessarily mean it is
> amateur radio.
>
> W1NN, "operating" from his home in Ohio, will be no
> different to the millions of people networked by a
> commercial communications utility at that time, and
> fully dependent on it all at times.
>
> In SS, W1NN will communicate with other people who
> are radio amateurs. In his case, however, the
> signal path between W1NN and anyone he works will
> be from Ohio to the Yukon to wherever.
>
> The portion of the signal path from Ohio to the
> Yukon is internet-hosted, and the complete signal
> path is a composite of internet and amateur-band
> RF. What has been lost, or abandoned, is the
> communications independence that used to set us
> apart from all others - we might as well use the
> phone.
>
> Why does this matter? Well, as radio amateurs we
> use amateur radio to communicate with one another.
> If HOW we communicate no longer matters, we have no
> right to describe ourselves as radio amateurs - we
> are no different from anyone else.
>
> It seems to me that remote contesting, as promoted
> by W1VE and others, serves only to make a mockery
> of amateur radio in general and amateur-radio
> contesting in particular.
>
> 73,
> Paul EI5DI
>
>
>
>
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