[CQ-Contest] Remote Contesting

[Paul O'Kane]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Taormina" <tom at k5rc.cc>
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> Part of the future of our hobby is symbiosis with computers
> and the Internet.

That is correct - except when they are used as a substitute
for RF when contesting or chasing awards.
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> Think of how inventive we could get if we made it a wide-open
> category, i.e., no geographic boundaries on the remote locations!
> What a hoot that might be. 

It might be an even bigger hoot if we could minimise our
dependence on location and RF and propagation, and do most
of our contesting on Skype (or a version of Skype optimised
for contesting).
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> Maybe it's just me, but I always look at what is and think
> about what is possible.

I like to imagine the consequences of what is possible.
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> The status quo is for old fogies with no vision.

I'm an old fogey with no vision who still thinks an amateur
radio QSO is a personal thing.  If it's not person-to-person,
with RF everywhere in-between, then it's not a QSO. Anything
else, and we're on the way to EchoLink.

There's an article in the latest QST promoting Skype as a
remote-control mechanism.  Nothing wrong with that - Skype,
and EchoLink and remote-control are perfectly valid, but
not in the context of award-chasing or contesting.
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> We had best look forward to a new set of categories to 
> accommodate SO, MS, M2, MM remote operating.

If it has to be, then the sooner the better.

73,
Paul EI5DI

"If it's not RF, it's probably the internet"