[CQ-Contest] Packet is the root of all evil but...

[Steve Murphy]

I've been playing with remote station control via the internet, and find that the audio latency makes it impractical for contesting on phone or CW.  Casual operating is a hoot, though!  I've since worked myself from 3 different states. ( I don't think it counts, though).

My work-around for the CW problem is to send via keyboard, using a Winkey board at the remote station.

RTTY, if you get used to tuning via the scope and waterfall or spectrum display, works quite well over an internet link (as long as both ends have decent broadband connections), and with some spit and polish, I think this could be made effective to use competitively.  

I never intended to use the remote station in a contest, but the idea kind of came from contesting.  I got to thinking:  With the antenna switching, rig control, rotor control, CW generation, digital voice, etc, that I already have and use, what would it take to control everything from a remote location?  A month or so later, everything was, with no additional hardware purchased and all software used was downloaded (free) from the internet!

73,

Steve N8NM





  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: sawyered at earthlink.net 
  To: cq-contest at contesting.com 
  Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 1:17 PM
  Subject: [CQ-Contest] Packet is the root of all evil but...


  This topic has always facinated me.  For a few reasons.  The main one is this:

  If a remote station exists in KP4.  All Transmitters and antennas are connected by wires within a 500m circle or property boundries.  An operator holds license KP4XYZ and operates this station remotely all weekend from his/her Denver, CO home.  What rule exactly is broken?

  I have heard that for CW contesting, remote control through the internet is not "real time" enough to be effective.  Can anyone who has actually tried this, comment?

  Understand, this is not discussing remote listening posts or multiplier stations all over the world (those are outside the property boundries and 500m circle).  This is talking about remotely operating a station that if the operator sat down in the chair "on site" would be perfectly legal.

  I have heard of a number of stations used effectively remotely as DXing stations on SSB but never one contested or using CW.  Not saying no-one has.  You just don't hear about it.

  Ed  N1UR
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