Contesting and the Internet?

[ramirezk at emi.com]

 Fellow Radio Enthusiasts,
Whatever happened to Non-amateur means of communications not being allowed to 
solicit or make qsos in a contest? It appears to me that the Internet is a NON 
Amateur means of communication though I'm sure some of you already are starting 
to believe otherwise. Here in the Stix of South Carolina the packet spots are 
few and far between. It is like night and day compared to the PVDXSN spotting 
network in the Maryland/Virginia area. Am I disadvantaged? Nope. I could create 
a 10 MHZ link to PVDXSN if I wanted to. That would use Amateur means of 
communication. I would be employing RADIO to communicate. Does prohibiting the 
use of  Non Radio "Modern Digital technologies" for contesting a detriment to 
the hobby? Absolutely not. Some of you need to delineate where the RADIO hobby 
ends and the COMPUTER hobby begins. When you open the door and blur the line you 
are contributing to the eventual extinction of Radio as a means of communication 
in our hobby. Eventually we'll all be on the Internet DX 56k line spending our 
mornings with a cup of Coffee in one hand and typing in "CQ Internet" with the 
other. Some of you don't know where to draw the line. I'm glad CQ knows where to 
draw it. Personally ,I will avoid contests where the sponsor allows the use of 
non-amateur radio means to solicit and make qsos.
           What next? A full T1 hookup to every Amateur in the World to get on 
the Amateur Operator Digital World Wide Network? You  might as well start 
selling your FT1000s and IC-775s right now while they are still worth something. 
 It might actually come to that if some of you guys have your way. SAVE OUR 
HOBBY from this encroachment of NON RADIO technology.
               73 KP4XS
No I am not related to Ted what's his face! (unabomber)