[CQ-Contest] Contesting in 10 Years - SUMMARY!!

Sat Feb 11 12:14:06 EST 2017

Thanks for posting!
I missed the original post, this is very interesting  stuff.

73, Jeff
N0OST

On Fri, Feb 10, 2017 at 4:00 PM Tonno Vahk <tonno.vahk at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, 10 years has passed, it is February 2017 and I have to fulfil my
>
> promise of bringing those survey results up here again!
>
>
>
> You can see the post from February 2007 below summarizing opinions
> collected
>
> then about Contesting 10 years ahead. The whole document is still on:
>
>
>
> http://www.lhv.ee/images/files/2017.pdf
>
>
>
> You are all free to see how much of it came true. Not so much has changed
> in
>
> reality as we were perhaps thinking or hoping 10 years ago. Time has really
>
> gone fast.
>
>
>
> - SDR's have become wide-spread but certainly not run by most of us yet.
>
> Regular user interfaces are still in demand as well.
>
>
>
> - I think CW skimmer was created shortly after February 2007 and all those
>
> predictions came true, no SSB skimmer yet though.
>
>
>
> - Stations for rent over internet have emerged.
>
>
>
> - Antennas have not really grown so much but OH8X monster 160m yagi did
>
> appear (RIP!).
>
>
>
> - Use of solid state amps has grown somewhat I think but tubes still
>
> dominate.
>
>
>
> - Me and WM5R were both right about WRTC's:) One was won by EU and the
> other
>
> by US team.
>
>
>
> - Extreme category was created in CQWW for a while. So have the log
>
> submission times been shortened considerably for many contests. Contest
>
> organizers have also taken actions against remote receivers and log
> checking
>
> has become more transparent.
>
>
>
> - Real-time scoreboards have become more wide spread but still not commonly
>
> adopted.
>
>
>
> - CW is still alive and contests are still for free!
>
>
>
> Anyone out there still using DOS based TR Log?:)
>
>
>
> See yourself what else catches your eye from the predictions made back then
>
> compared to where we are now.
>
>
>
> Let's perhaps revisit this in February 2027?
>
>
>
> 73
>
> Tonno
>
> ES5TV
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: Tonno Vahk [mailto:tonno.vahk at mail.ee]
>
> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 6:31 PM
>
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
>
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Contesting in 10 Years - SUMMARY!!
>
>
>
> Wow, I would have never expected this to be so popular topic. Big thanks to
>
> all who helped to shape the vision including numerous direct mails. I
>
> consolidated all the answers and sorted them into categories with
> submitters
>
> call added and the full package can be found as pdf file at:
>
> http://www.lhv.ee/images/files/2017.pdf
>
>
>
> in February 2017 I will post here a follow-up and we will see who was right
>
> and who was wrong! (Especially WM5R about WRTC winners:)
>
>
>
> I made my own summary and interpretation as an article which relfects the
>
> general and aggregate view of the responders. I encourage everyone to use
>
> this summary or the full pdf file as you wish on your web sites or in
>
> publications. Enjoy.
>
>
>
> So, Welcome to 2017, Fellow Contesters!
>
>
>
> Most of us are running SDRs. We have TS970SDX challenging high end rigs
> from
>
> Yaesu and ICOM. Ten-Tec has also released a $10k+ radio. High end rigs have
>
> a full SO2R functionality and built in soundcard interfaces for PSK and
>
> RTTY. Despite the sofware-updatable functionality radios have retained user
>
> interfaces similar to what they were in 2007. Receiver performance is also
>
> much the same but tools available to the operator have continue to evolve
>
> rapidly.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Software in SDRs is able to automatically populate band map, record
>
> contests, steer adaptable receiving antennas, switch the pattern of your
>
> stack. No more key clicks and filters have become sharper. DSP systems are
>
> enable to detect noisy CW signals not copyable by ear. New tested
>
> "receivers" are front-end boxes with a high-speed digital output. A PC
>
> processes that output stream to implement the functions we see perform in
>
> IF, DSP and AF stages of older radios. The new companion transmitters are a
>
> direct synthesis of the output RF, fed into amplifiers to get up to the
>
> working level.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Some stations are partly operated by robots tuning for multipliers,
>
> selecting antennas. Speech recognition is used and many contests are won by
>
> stations using 100% recorded voice files. We see continued evolution of use
>
> of various sources of real-time outside information (spotting), and
>
> databases by logging software.  Attempts are made by contest rule-makers to
>
> define the acceptable limits of computer assistance to "unassisted"
>
> operators, particularly regarding real-time deciphering of CW and voice
>
> signals. Many top contesters advocate that amateur radio contesting needs a
>
> new rule - only the human mind may be used for real-time extraction of
>
> intelligence from received signals.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Virtual DX-peditions are possible. Many rare islands are inhabited with
>
> equipment and antennas tied to the internet that can be rented by the hour
>
> or the day or by contest. Contest superstations will be for rent over
>
> internet. The use of Kenwood's Sky Command as well as the Yaesu and Icom
>
> versions have created a controversy in the contesting community as to
>
> whether remote operation should be a separate class or not. Contest
>
> Committees are having hard time regulating and preventing use of remote
>
> receiving locations in addition to remote transmitters.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> No-tune and auto-tune amplifiers have become much more popular and
>
> affordable. Some high end amplifiers have built-in LCD video displays
>
> capable of oscilloscope-like and spectrum-analyzer-like displays of the
>
> input and output waveforms.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Antennas that contesters use have got better and bigger. The trap tribander
>
> has disappeared replaced by the DJ2UT and Steppir styles, but monobanders
>
> still rule. In the US the evergrowing issue is land development and tower
>
> zoning. 80m yagis are standard and first rotating 160m yagis have made
>
> appearance.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Heil has developed a wireless (maybe bluetooth) headset for contesting.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Someone has developed a phone version of MorseRunner/RUFZ. At least 10% of
>
> all contesters continue to use DOS-based logging programs and naturally TR
>
> Log is still a DOS program:)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Contest log programs have more decision logic in them. The log program
>
> advices you what to do next according to your goal and current situation.
>
> The log program interacts with Internet in a much more extensive way than
>
> today. You are able to predict openings and changes in band conditions
> using
>
> ionospheric resources on the Internet.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Due to the increase of the percentage of Europeans at WRTC reflecting their
>
> overall increase in contesting as a whole, a EU team has won the top spot
> at
>
> the next two WRTCs after Brazil. (Sorry WM5R, I modified your prophecy:))
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Despite the general aging trend of top notch contesters the new influx of
>
> "foundation" class licenses will give us many more operators, new records
>
> have been set in the latest sunspot peak. A single-operator has broken the
>
> 7000 QSO mark in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest and the 12000 QSO mark in CQWW
>
> phone that is still considered the most-prestigious worldwide DX contest.
>
> Contesting is still considered the future of Ham Radio. CW requirement has
>
> been almost globally dropped and CW scores are declining. RTTY/PSK
>
> popularity is growing.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> A few contests have instituted an "anything goes" category with respect to
>
> computer assistance and external data. Most contest sponsors have shortened
>
> submission time for logs dramatically and many are not accepting paper logs
>
> any more.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To address perceived abuses in the HQ competition, the IARU HF contest has
>
> removed credit for "uniques" logged for all stations. Major contest
> sponsors
>
> have become far more transparent and public with adjudicated
>
> disqualifications for cheating. More contests accept corporate awards
>
> sponsorship.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> As a consequence of K3BU's life long crusade CQWW contest has been finally
>
> modernized. 7 QSO penalty has been applied for BAD QSOs as the 3 QSO
> penalty
>
> did not teach the sloppy operators nothing, they were still making errors.
>
> Also other continents were given 10 points per QSO, zero for own continent,
>
> so the results are more readable and clear of those heavily populated
>
> continents' losers.:)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Real time sharing of scores during the contest is non-controversial and
>
> common. It is not mandatory but many entries from the developed countries
>
> use it. Initial experiments in real time log validation are underway. There
>
> are a few sites offering gambling odds on the top competitors before major
>
> contests.
>
>
>
>
>
> 73
>
>
>
> Tonno
>
>
>
> ES5TV
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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>
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>
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>
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