[CQ-Contest] Remote contesting and internet hunting

[Pete Smith N4ZR]

Unfortunately, Paul is unreachable, but you made the point as well as it 
has ever been made on this platform, Tree. Thanks for the Q - it was 
very smooth, and much better than many I have served up hi.

The notion of renting a station from which to operate remotely bothers 
me a little.  It's easy to visualize people saying, "I have to be away 
for CQWW CW, so my station is available. What am I bid?"  E-bay, 
anyone?  I'm glad I'm too old to count on seeing this idea come to 
widespread fruition.

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
http://reversebeacon.net,
blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
For spots, please go to your favorite
ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.

On 11/5/2012 3:36 AM, Tree wrote:
> Paul, EI5DI writes:
>
>> It seems to me that remote-control contesting makes
>> about as much sense as remote-control hunting.
> I guess I am not seeing the correlation between the two.
>
> The nature of the way the radio works is that the human is interfacing to
> what is happening in the RF playground using a "modem" if you will (the
> radio).  Inside modern radios - signals are likely being converted to a
> bunch of numbers and back into something the human can hear.  I don't see
> how changing that signal back into a bunch of numbers and sending them to
> the kitchen or India changes the nature of the "hunt" at all.  (I saw a
> posting from someone recently where they finished a contest in the kitchen
> because they had to feed the kids he was "babysitting" while the contest
> was still on).
>
> When I "hunted" my last section - the experience was just the same as if I
> was at home (except for trying to deal with the latency issue).  When VE3ZI
> came back to "W7?" - it was a great feeling.  That's why we contest - for
> the "feeling" - and it is no different.  I had to find the station - figure
> out when (and where) to call him.  I would have gone through the same exact
> steps if I were at the station.  The chase was the same.  Nobody helped me
> "point the gun" or even load it.
>
> I can see something like this being a great option for people who don't
> have a station but want to get involved in a contest.  I know others are
> already doing this.  I don't see how this is a bad thing (other than it
> made me a bit more of a lid than I normally am).  More activity in the
> contest is good for the contest.
>
> Tree N6TR
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