[CQ-Contest] SDR's have knobs too!

[Edward Sawyer]

Why bother turning the knob when the callsigns and signal strength are all
there available for you in point and click fashion - or worse - in automated
harvest and log and somehow think its still fun mode.

The "magic of radio" is in the discovery process - in my book.  Its much
like the difference of a road trip across country with GPS and automated
info about the area vs discovering the road as you go.  

The problem often occurs when you don't let yourself "discover" - you think
you found everything because you found everything you were looking for.  But
you will rarely find what you weren't looking for - unless you give yourself
the freedom to "discover".

If you have never waited around for the half chirpy CW signal with Polar
flutter on 20M CW to sign as HS0XXX or the interesting accent near the noise
floor on 15M SSB at 04Z to sign 3D2XX, you have not really experienced DXing
or Contesting in my book.  And it’s a shame that people have lost that
enjoyment out a well intended - but misguided (in my opinion) effort to look
for efficiency over all else.

73

Ed  N1UR

-----Original Message-----
From: Stu Phillips [mailto:stu at k6tu.net] 
Sent: Friday, May 9, 2014 1:30 PM
To: Edward Sawyer; cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: SDR's have knobs too!

Ed,

Software Defined Radios have knobs - and if you want, more than one!

So let¹s debunk this myth once and for all:

1. Software Defined Radios can and do have knobs 2. Don¹t let knob-itism get
in the way of appreciating the better capabilities
   offered by software defined radios.

I respect folks who like their knob based radios - and indeed, I use knobs
with my SDR based station and wouldn¹t be without it.

But I would never go back to a non-SDR radio - the experience and the
advantages are simply too compelling.

Stu K6TU

On 5/9/14, 9:49 AM, "Edward Sawyer" <SawyerEd at Earthlink.net> wrote:

>There might be an app for sex too - but that doesn't mean its better or 
>more enjoyable than the real thing.
>
> 
>
>A lot of us like turning the big knob.  And as SO2R ops know - 2 big 
>knobs are better than 1 big knob ;-).
>
> 
>
>Just because its possible - doesn't make it better.
>
> 
>
>Ed  N1UR
>
>_______________________________________________
>CQ-Contest mailing list
>CQ-Contest at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest