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

[Pete Smith]

In the 19th century, mechanical propulsion largely replaced sail as the 
motive power for commercial and military ships.  In the 20th century, 
internal combustion engines and the invention of the outboard motor made 
it possible to dispense with sails and oars on almost all vessels.

Yet sailboats and rowboats persist today, and are a source of great 
pleasure for millions.  Intense and popular competitions among both 
types of vessel take place frequently and attract millions of 
enthusiasts world-wide.  At the highest level, sailboat competitions 
such as the America's Cup involve use of extremely advanced technology 
on the non-propulsive side of the bright line defining the sport.  
Competitions among powerboats occur too, from small outboards to boats 
powered by huge gas turbine engines.

I hope my point is obvious.

73, Pete N4ZR


On 4/17/2010 4:00 AM, Christian Schneider wrote:
> 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)
>
>
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