[CQ-Contest] SO2R REMOTE CONTESTING

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

Eric, 

Posted here for group comment and discussion ... 

> Although I've continued to evaluate various "remote control" 
> softare programs (and got excited about the OMNI VII 
> "Ethernet Ready" release), being one who absolutely, 
> positively hates to use a mouse for anything during a CW 
> contest, I've reverted to the original plan from last year - 
> to use TWO TS-480 Control Heads side-by-side for local "hands 
> on", small footprint on the desk Contesting with the rig 
> bodies, et.al. at a remote site.  Not being the most 
> technical oar in the water, this has been challenging.

When one starts to split the transceiver (one part at the 
remote site another part at the control point) as is being 
proposed with the TS-480 control heads how does that impact 
the rules that all transmitters, receivers and antennas must 
be located within the 500 foot circle?  

I realize that we're only talking "control heads" here but 
in the larger sense what constitutes the "transceiver?"  
If one could place a truly high dynamic range, wideband 
A/D converter at the antenna and transport the entire 1.8 
to 30 MHz spectrum to DSP running at the control point where 
would the receiver be?  Similarly if one had a high power 
D/A converter feeding a power amplifier at the antenna 
and generated the digital bit stream to feed it at the 
control point where would the transmitter be?  

The latency issues will become less ... or latency in home 
station radios will become greater with greater use of DSP 
techniques ... so that latency in remote operation will be 
less of a "disadvantage."  Most individuals do not even notice 
the 500 millisecond or so "round trip" latency in digital cell 
phones ... similar delays will become commonplace in the ham 
rigs of he future.  

73, 

   ... Joe, W4TV