[CQ-Contest] Compuetrs/Technology and Martin's back!

[Mr Martin Luther]

I'm back so you can start talking about me again! 
 
VK5GN is dead long live VK7GN ( with antennas badly in need of some
work!).
 
One thing missing in the discussion about technologies effect on
contesting is to look at the effect on both the user and the ham at the
other end of the link. Most changes only affect the station using those
technologies. The only effect on others is that they might miss out on
scoring opportunities if they do not use the same technology. 
 
However, other "innovations", of which packet cluster is the most
obvious, have a direct and immediate effect "on the air" during a
contest. The packet pile forces me to learn and adopt new operating
techniques so as to maintain my score rate in response to a technology
that the users see as to THEIR advantage!
 
I have learned how to do it on both phone and cw. Although on CW my rate
still drops when the pile arrives.
 
The critical thing for the future of contesting is that I do not enjoy
this as much as I enjoy dealing with the normal pile. I have also
noticed another effect. Now that people can find southern hemisphere
mults off the packet they do not turn their beams and search in this
direction as often. Again my score goes down!
 
So this technology asks that the ham at the other end change and adapt
to your technology. Supposing I don't want to? In fact I suspect that I
don't. I surprised my XYL (and myself) by downplaying the need for a
multi tower contest station when looking for a new house here in
Tasmania. I did some soul searching and discovered that I was not
enjoying the big contests as much as I had. The main reason was the
effect of packet on my enjoyment. I still like contesting, but I can do
that on a smaller scale, operate the second level contests and have fun.

 
I am still thinking about what to do next. My house is not as good for
radio as in VK5, I have a hill between here and the US, although we have
spectacular views in all other directions. You will hear me on but
perhaps not as much as VK5GN.
 
Please, in discussing change and new technologies remember that Amateur
Radio requires two ends of the link. The other fellow may not be
affected by your innovations, such as computer TX (or even RX) of cw. On
the other hand some innovations may be a zero sum on enjoyment.more fun
for you may be less fun for someone else. Those are the innovations that
we have to be most careful with.
 
In the case of packet cluster etc. the technology went wrong, in my
opinion, when they stopped being a local club device. Getting a pile
from the Frankford guys and then from the YCCC etc was never a problem.
A pile from the whole US or the whole of europe is a problem. Both
together is even worse again!
 
If you think for a while this makes sense. The local cluster puts me on
when I am best into their area. Everyone even their low power guys are
reasonable signals. Linking to a continent or world wide means that many
people are calling from areas where my signal is before or past optimum.
The result is that I cannot control the frequency adequately and they
cawl and cawl and cawl! 
 
That is not fun for me and I really wonder why it is fun for anyone else
to sit on a frequency just calling. Maybe I missed something but I have
never found that fun. I take pride in getting the propogation right and
my operating right so that I work a dxpedition or multiplier quickly and
with a minimum of fuss. That's fun!
 
73
 
Martin VK7GN 
 
Vk7gn at bigpond.com