[CQ-Contest] Voice RBN

[w1rm at comcast.net]

The opt out I mentioned is based one way the particular node connected to handles serving RBN spots.  I know there are some distribution nodes that offer the ability to accept or not accept RBN spots.

I can only imagine the fun coders will have in deciphering mush mouth phone ops.  Often I have trouble reading the guy's call.  Now if all you want to have is a marker that there is some station on a particular frequency, fine.  But the accuracy of the call needs to be seriously questioned until the receiving op can copy it for themselves.  CW is much easier to deal with and even there we get busted calls because the guy on the other end of the key is not sending well, runs letters together, etc.

I just think coding a voice recognition system for RBN is a real challenge.


Pete Chamalian, W1RM
W1rm at comcast.net

-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+w1rm=comcast.net at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Pete Smith N4ZR
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2021 5:50 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Voice RBN

As one of the organizers and operators of the RBN, I shudder at the thought of trying to manage an opt-out system. Our servers are already stressed during major contests, and the idea of passing every spot through a filter against a list of don't-spot-mes before it is disseminated, as well as the administrative load of accepting, listing, updating and deleting calls from the list, is not how any of us want to spend our time.

I doubt that there are very many people who share your downside view of being spotted. At worst, it seems to me you get multiple callers at once, which is a bit more work, or rather handling them is a skill we should try to develop.  I think there's even an upside - people who make use of spots and tools like the N1MM Spectrum Display will realize that you are running on a frequency, and will tend to avoid it when looking for a place to CQ themselves.

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network web server at <http://beta.reversebeacon.net>.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

On 8/23/2021 4:01 PM, Joe wrote:
> As someone who has zero clue as to how the RBN system works.
>
> I can surely tell when one grabs me, I see it in N1MM and then 
> suddenly the freq, well I can say some times I'm happy it spotted me 
> and others well you see the spot come through and know shortly the 
> freq is gonna go to hell.
>
> I wonder, if the RBN's could be made to work with a call list of who 
> wants to be spotted,
>
> This way the RBN has a list of clean calls to work with.  if it copies 
> something on the list is tells everyone. if it does not have a match 
> then it ignores it.
>
> This cures the bad copy problem, AND for those that do NOT want to be 
> spotted for the above mentioned reason, they can make sure their call 
> is not on the official list so they won't get spotted.
>
> Possible?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> etc...
> Joe WB9SBD
>
> On 8/23/2021 12:50 PM, w1rm at comcast.net wrote:
>> Now this is going to sound odd coming from a die-hard CW guy but as 
>> one who sips the cup of RBN CW spots, I can tell you there is need 
>> for a lot of improvement in that technology.  Voice RBN would be 
>> scary!  If there were voice RBN actually put into production I would 
>> hope the stations who relay those spots offer the ability to turn 
>> them off!
>>
>>
>> I know there have been attempts to better filter CW RBN and yet I 
>> still see a lot of broken CW spots.  Broken because they are 
>> inaccurate. CW RBN does not have any real intelligence yet so spots 
>> for things like EZ get through
>> (E7 ops probably sending way too fast or badly), even though there is 
>> no legal hamming in EZ.  I see a lot of spots for TN's too, but they 
>> are broken calls thanks to less that proper sending.
>>
>>
>> I have done enough SSB contesting to know how hard it is to pull the 
>> correct call out, especially when the op on the other side doesn't 
>> speak clearly, has muffled or distorted audio, has massive background 
>> noise or echo, just to name a few of the challenges.  My hat's off to 
>> those of you who operate phone contests and do it well.  The folks 
>> who do DXpeditions are even more to be congratulated!
>>
>>
>> This one needs to be done like great BBQ, low and slow (:->)
>>
>>
>> Pete Chamalian, W1RM
>>
>> W1rm at comcast.net
>>
>>
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>
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