[CQ-Contest] Old vs. New?

[Donald Field]

Inspired (!) by the recent debate on here about digital modes, etc. I
drafted the following editorial for the UK's Chiltern DX Club Digest (a
temporary distraction from working on IOTA Contest logs). But then I
thought, what the heck, some of you "Reflectees" might enjoy it too. If not,
the Delete key isn't far away ..

73 Don G3XTT
g3xtt at lineone.net

There has been a long-running debate on the Contests reflector recently
about whether digital modes such as PSK31 and WSJT (used on VHF for weak
signal work) are "real" amateur radio. Views, as you might expect, vary from
"CW is the only real mode" to those who believe the new modes will
eventually oust CW and SSB altogether. Indeed, there seems to be another
theory on the go to the effect that the FCC will eventually ban the
"traditional" modes altogether, as being obsolete, and insist that the
amateur bands only be used for high-tech modes. As always, I suspect the
real truth is far from either extreme.

Far be it from me to give a definitive answer, as there are obviously many
shades between the two extremes I have described. But it seems to me there
are several elements here, and to focus on just one of them is to hobble
this fascinating and broad-based hobby of ours.

Firstly, there is the aspect of amateur radio which lies in technical
experimentation (which increasingly nowadays means software rather than
hardware, that being the nature of the way technology has evolved). Amateurs
have a distinguished history of technological innovation, and to see
amateurs pioneering new ways of, for example, reliably achieving VHF/UHF
communication via the moon with much more modest stations than heretofore is
an example of real progress. It opens up low signal work to a much greater
community than before. Who knows, the professionals may have something to
learn from this too, as they did from packet radio and other advances. And,
of course, if radio amateurs refuse to adopt technological advances, we
might just as well still be using AM or even spark gaps. All this
experimentation, of course, helps also to hone our technological skills,
continuing amateur radio's role as a pool of communications specialists,
which employers can and do draw from (at least one UK employer in the
communications sector will automatically shortlist any job application from
a licensed amateur).

Secondly, there is the aspect of amateur radio which is public service,
perhaps less so in the UK, but very much so in the USA, the Caribbean
islands, and elsewhere. There is already an inquiry underway into why the
professional communicators were less than impressive in the aftermath of
September 11th, and we are all aware that radio amateurs played an important
role in plugging the gap. But supporting professionals in emergency
situations require that we be professional ourselves. This can mean, for
example, employing the latest technology, particularly digital technology.
However much we love SSB or CW, a packet message will almost certainly be
delivered with a higher degree of accuracy and, perhaps even more
importantly, with an audit trail.

Thirdly, there is the actual operating element. CW and SSB demand specific
skills (CW especially so), and employing those skills, especially in a
competitive situation (DXing or contesting) hones them, while giving us a
real sense of satisfaction. It is a moot point whether those skills are
transferable in the 21st century but, in a sense, this doesn't matter, any
more than whether a fly fisherman could be useful on a trawler. Some would
argue that the digital modes require no skill, as the operator isn't
actually listening to, and decoding the signals himself. Anyone who has
operated a digital modes contest is likely to disagree strongly; the
workload can be even higher than the traditional modes if a high QSO rate is
to be maintained. Certainly there are all the usual strategy decisions of
when to run, when to search and pounce, when to change bands, etc.

Fourthly, (lastly, or are there other aspects I should have mentioned too?),
amateur radio is very much a bridge between nations, perhaps one of its most
vital roles when there is so much suspicion and enmity around. Do the new
modes help or hinder? Amateurs have always argued that CW is great, because
even the poorest amateurs in emerging countries can probably buy or build a
CW rig. CW also goes a long way to overcoming language barriers. But wait a
minute. Who is to teach CW to those aspirants in the developing world. From
personal experience in Africa and elsewhere, probably no one. I could
equally argue that digital modes have real benefits. The amateur in a
tenament building with little or no room for outside antennas, and
surrounded by electrical noise from neighbouring appliances, may find HF
radio quite impossible. But the new modes, able to discern signals at much
lower levels, even below the noise threshold, may give his hobby a new lease
of life (indeed, for may amateurs, PSK31 has already done exactly that).
And who knows, in the not too distant future, real-time translation software
may totally remove the language barrier, bringing back into our
communications the thousands of amateurs who currently don't call us because
they are insufficiently confident in their use of English.
All in all, I believe that as a hobby we should embrace change as we always
have, while continuing, as individuals, to enjoy those aspects which
particularly appeal to us. Live and let live, as the old saying goes!