[CQ-Contest] What Skimmer is!

[Michael Coslo]

On Jun 4, 2008, at 10:36 AM, kd4d at comcast.net wrote:

> Hi Zack:
>
> This is NOT the game I want to play.  I believe this is the most  
> important issue underlying
> the Skimmer debate.  I would like to draw a line BEFORE we reach  
> the point of arguing
> whether a foot switch activation (or mouse click) entry to make a  
> QSO is the distinction
> between "contesting" and a totally automated robot station.

I think that the fully automated station is a bit of a red herring.  
While technologically interesting, there wouldn't be much point to  
it. Once the station is set up and making QSO's, presumably with the  
other fully automated stations, it would get boring pretty quickly.  
So what do I do while the station is doing it's thing?

Not much of an encore for that. The whole idea of contesting is  
supposed to be a training ground for Amateurs to hone their skills.  
That includes finding a station, passing the traffic both ways, then  
repeat. It isn't contesting for it's own sake.

So it is fairly simple to  dictate that a human operator is doing the  
QSO's, and the logging. Much beyond that is technological throttling.

-73 de Mike N3LI -