[CQ-Contest] A new "DX cluster" experience for contesters

[Christian Schneider]

VE5RA wrote:
>So begins the 'age of the robots'.

But it will be only one more of those smaller and bigger steps in the
development - applauded as keeping up with progress and maybe gaining new
blood. Will it be two or three years that the first M/M-stations "man" their
160m-station during daylight and 10m during nighttimes with a qso-robot? Or
is this already done? Given the ingenuity on the software side it may take
"only" some combining of decoding-technology with expanded ESM-routines of
existing contest software. Initial stumbling may be irrelanvant with the
rates at that time and allow refinement to adjust it for coming things.
An(y) operator will be present in a(ny) room there. 
This becoming more widespread it will earn the ususal criticism by
irrelevant small guns refuted with the argument they seemingly still want to
operate with a straight key. With becoming more widespread even some bigguns
may feel bored but won´t dare to utter it publicly in the presence of
chestpounding colleagues. 
Acting may begin [IRONY ON] if more bigguns get fire from XYLs because they
unintentionally checked the ECAR-box ("effective contest analyzing routine")
in their software which starts at 0001 after the test and ordered the OH8X`
3-ele 160m-beam (flawlessly interacting with the online-banking software)
because there were three unworked skimmer spots from Africa on that band.
[IRONY OFF]. 

Disclaimer: This is NO condemning of the technology itself. It is kind of
sorrow that this blending taking place in smaller and bigger (i.e. skimmer)
steps changes the flavour of the hobby substantially. At some points of
blending wine with pepsi it detracts some from it but of course may attract
new consumers. Again: Like skimmer all this is tech-wise interesting and,
yes, also fascinating, but at the same time somewhat saddening. Like it or
leave it, I know and will do. We´ll only have some rule debate, some rule
changes and may be some more retreats as far as "unassisted" is concerned.
Not much more to do.

Of course you are free to denounce this as "whining" - if you also think
that a marathon-runner is techwise backwards only because he is fascinated
by the techwise less effective way to span 42,5 km. 

Best 73, Chris

(www.dl8mbs.de)