[CQ-Contest] Reverse Beacon Network Question

[Pete Smith]

RBN data are stored in one-day chunks, and are available for download 
from <http://reversebeacon.net/raw_data/>.  One day's .csv file is 
almost always more than my Excel, at least, can handle, so I generally 
use Microsoft Access to explore the data.

As for the data security risk, since anyone can download the entire FCC 
database, and acquire a lot more information about each of us than is 
ever afforded by RBN data, I'm not too bothered.

You raised, in passing, what I think is a fundamental issue.  I do not 
see the RBN as "the best way to move contesting forward."  Instead, I 
see it as fascinating technology which collects data that potentially 
have a lot of interesting uses.  RBN spots are one application of those 
data, and it appears that the world's leading multi-operator stations 
have already voted with their pocketbooks on their usefulness.

As for the rest of us - whether you make use of such a tool, either to 
collect spots or to get spotted, is all up to you.  I've spent the last 
couple of years immersed in the technology, and I am getting a strong 
yen for a return to unassisted contesting.  Alas, during the coming ARRL 
DX contest I'll have my hands full testing some new RBN capabilities 
(more on this in a separate message), but one of these days...

73, Pete N4ZR

The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at www.conteststations.com
The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com,
spots at telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000



On 2/15/2011 9:44 PM, Ron Notarius W3WN wrote:
> So I have to wonder... what will come of all this data
> once the contest is over?