[CQ-Contest] Original application of "spotting" network

[Michael S. Mitchell W6RW]

I remember when it started on the West Coast. It was Dxers spotting DX stations for use by DXers. It was 2 meter packet spots. Charlie, W6KK (N7QQ at the time) was a major contributor to the backbone of the Southern California DX Club Packet Cluster System. He installed some 6 meter links to connect some packet clusters together and set up voice announcements on 2 meters and on 220 MHZ. You could be sitting watching television monitoring the 2 meter frequency and if a DX Country that you needed got voice announced you could go to the shack and see if you could work it.
 
We started using it later on in the contests integrating with CT software.
 
Fun memories! de Mike W6RW
-----Original Message-----
From: Douglas Zwiebel 
Sent: Dec 6, 2021 11:44 AM
To: CQ-Contest Reflector 
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Original application of "spotting" network
 
To the best of my recollection....
 
The original digital "spotting network"was done using 2m packet. It was
making use of packet radio. DXing had nothing to do with it. It was ALL
contest driven.
 
My understanding was that YCCC tried to develop an approach to increase the
mult count for W2PV. I would like to think that our operation at K2GL
using the call N2AA was at least part of that motivation. It might have
been in 1985. Our best guess was that the idea was to feed mult to W2PV.
 
It was very primitive. At K2GL, we aimed a bunch of 2m boomers north to
intercept the traffic originating from Mt Greylock. It was a shaky
connection and we had to reconnect every couple of minutes. We had one guy
(a WB2 whose call I do not remember) who sat at the 2m radio. I don't
think we gained much, if anything. It was interesting.
 
But in December 1986, K2GL went SK and that was the end of that.
 
Even later, it was still a concept for contesters who also liked to DX.
When others started to post spots, us original guys (snobs?) sould often
comment on "another useless spot." Is that right AR? LOL
 
As for the above statements, YMMV
 
de Doug KR2Q
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