[CQ-Contest] Skimmer reverse beacon experiment - update

[Bill Parry]

I was just thinking that something like this could do away with the self
spotting stuff that seems to have everyone in an uproar. Just start up
several of these in different areas of the country and they would so
dominate the mega clusters that outside spotting would no longer be
necessary.

I am still in shock over how quickly my call came up on my computer screen
when I started calling CQ. I turned to look at my computer screen and my
call was there before I stopped. Maybe technology is our friend!

Bill W5VX

-----Original Message-----
From: David Robbins K1TTT [mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net] 
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008 7:43 AM
To: 'Bill Parry'; 'Pete Smith'; cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Skimmer reverse beacon experiment - update


Now THAT would be a real zoo!  You could of course do it with my wintelnetx
spot sucker program.  It can translate from user side spots (DX de ...) into
either backbone(pcxx^...) or user sent spots (dx/skimmer xxx yyy) format to
inject spots into a cluster.  But I wouldn't do it with those until its
better understood and filtered better.  And I would NOT inject them with a
'skimmer' user name, that would be pure chaos, use a real callsign for the
region they come from so they can be filtered by source location by the
cluster and user software properly!

David Robbins K1TTT
e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
web: http://www.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:cq-contest-
> bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bill Parry
> Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008 12:59
> To: 'Pete Smith'; cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Skimmer reverse beacon experiment - update
> 
> Pete, Can this be fed into a regular packet cluster?
> 
> Bill, W5VX
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Pete Smith
> Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 8:37 PM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Skimmer reverse beacon experiment - update
> 
> Hi Clive - the spots I'm making available on the Internet are generated by
> a US$13 (that's right, $13, in kit form) 20M SoftRock SDR taking its
> antenna feed from the RX antenna loop of my second radio, a TS-930.  I
> have
> been feeding these spots directly into N1MM Logger and DX4WIN, simply by
> connecting to Skimmer as if it were a DX cluster node.
> 
> There are a number of radios on the market today (K3, Orions, etc.) and
> previously marketed (TS-940, TS-950, TS-850(?), etc. that have an IF tap
> on
> the antenna side of the roofing filter.  Neither of my radios has this
> built in, so I elected to go with the SoftRock for experimental
> purposes.  To tap the IF, you would need the appropriate SoftRock, or a
> much more sophisticated device like N8LP's forthcoming LP-PAN.
> 
> Either way, the potential is fantastic.
> 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> 
> At 07:03 PM 3/7/2008, Clive Whelan wrote:
> >Pete
> >
> >Sure, fantastic software indeed, and you are demonstrating what it is
> >capable of. Perhaps the most profound implication is that it can render
> >the use of DX clusters irrelevant, and therefore - at a stroke- deprive
> >the cheats of their ( currently enjoyed) edge. However , what I don't
> >quite see is how the average Joe, or even the well equipped contest
> >station can integrate the functionality into his favourite logging
> >programme so that the "spots" populate the band map, until or unless
> >add-on hardware becomes available, or manufacturers make a ca. 100kHz
> >slice of the IF available to Skimmer. My 756PROIII clearly has that
> >potential as it can already display a bandscope over such a range, but I
> >don't see ICOM making that externally available any time soon, as it is
> >simply not for the mass market.
> >
> >
> >Am I lacking in vision, or do you share my reservations?
> >
> >
> >73
> >
> >
> >
> >Clive
> >GW3NJW
> >
> >
> >Pete Smith wrote:
> > > Today I replaced the Skimmer software with a new version that permits
> you
> > > to select whether to forward all spots to Telnet, or just the ones
> that
> > the
> > > software identifies as calling CQ.  Depending on circumstances, you
> might
> > > want either.  Thanks to Alex for being so accommodating to this
> experiment
> > >
> > > For the last several hours it has only been spotting stations that it
> has
> > > identified as CQ-ing or otherwise being ready to receive calls.  It
> has
> a
> > > series of key phrases it looks for, including some that are
> specifically
> > > relevant to contesting, like [callsign] TEST or [callsign]SS.  In
> "spot
> > > everything mode, it reports every station it hears - you can imagine
> how
> > > useful this would be for a DXpedition station managing a big pileup.
> > >
> > > As you can tell, I'm sold - but please note, I have no business
> connection
> > > with VE3NEA other than as an admiring user of his products.
> > >
> > > 73, Pete N4ZR
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> > > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> > >
> > >
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