[CQ-Contest] Is the Cluster losing its Luster

[Fabian Kurz]

On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 03:52:09PM -0500, Paul Mackanos - K2DB wrote:
> 1) Do you use a regular cluster node such as K1TTT ?
> 2) Do you use the Reverse Beacon network node ?

My experience is that the RBN is _significantly_ more useful than
the DX cluster, simply because everyone is spotted and the network
of Skimmers is now dense enough to give a very accurate picture of
everything that is going on at a band at a time.

BUT being spotted on the DX cluster still results in a serious surge
of callers, because the RBN usage seems to be limited to the "serious"
guys, and has not (yet) reached the broad masses.

In most of the recent CW contests at DL1A we had both the RBN feed and
a normal cluster connected, but the latter mostly to see when we were
spotted by others. It didn't contribute to the score, really.

73,
-- 
Fabian Kurz, DJ1YFK          web: http://fkurz.net/            .---.
Markgrafenstr. 63                                             |  |  |
81827 Munich, Germany        Learn Morse Code Online:         | /|\ |
phone: +49 176 24079617      http://lcwo.net/                  `---'