[CQ-Contest] Ham Radio in the Future

[David Gilbert]

Well, I'm through beating this horse after this post, but you're wrong 
... it would still have everything to do with ham radio if you need a 
rig, an antenna, a human operator, and knowledge of propagation to make 
points.  It would just have different rules for what you would do to 
make points instead of just exchanging a report, and it would have a 
much more interesting visual interface instead of just staring at the 
logger.

And yes, it would require an internet connection for the multiplayer 
aspect, but it would NOT require the internet to make the RF 
connection.  I don't understand the scorn for an internet connection if 
it doesn't change anything else about what it takes to make the 
CONTACT.  The only difference would be what it took to earn the POINTS, 
and what the visual interface is.  The demographic that we'd be trying 
to reach (i.e, the ones that aren't dying) wouldn't have that aversion 
to a peripheral internet connection that you, Paul, and others do.

Over and out,
Dave   AB7E


On 8/11/2025 11:34 AM, Steve Dyer W1SRD via CQ-Contest wrote:
> I don't know about making it an actual video game, because it's then 
> it's just a video game. It's no longer has anything to do with radio.
>
> If I want to game I put my gaming headset on. If I want to interact 
> with the physical world, I turn the radio on and slide into my 
> headphones.
>
> There are definitely good ideas from MMO  to supplement and enhance 
> the radio experience but these interactions all require an *internet* 
> connection.
>
> How about real time adjudication? It's just stupid we wait months for 
> results. The winner should be declared within minutes if not seconds 
> after end of contest. Ooops, need an internet connect there too (which 
> any competitive is 99.999% likely to have). But you get the drift.
>
> If there is no interest in radio well... game over.
>
> 73,
> Steve
> W1SRD
>
> On 8/10/2025 1:34 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
>>
>> A friend of mine (Bob, K7ZB) just sent me a link to a recent video 
>> interview of Tom, W2SC (aka 8P5A) done by W1DED.  In addition to 
>> descriptions of his station and approach to contesting,  Tom 
>> speculates on where ham radio and contesting in particular might go 
>> in the future.  He pointed out that whatever happens will most likely 
>> be determined by a younger generation that isn't bound by what ham 
>> radio is to those of us who have been at it for a while.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck-RMIyjSfI
>>
>> His view of the future is very interesting, and I agree that if ham 
>> radio survives to any significant extent it will have to change ... 
>> and it will likely be changed by a younger generation that comes up 
>> with a way to adapt ham radio to something that is more interesting 
>> to them.
>>
>> Personally, I've always thought that contesting should figure out how 
>> to become more like an online video game:
>>
>> 1.  Integrated computer graphics that display participants on a 
>> playing field ... Earth or maybe even some simulated world.  You 
>> could zoom in or zoom out, but the part of the world available to be 
>> seen on your screen could be determined by the real time propagation 
>> at that moment.  To make a contact you'd have to zoom in far enough 
>> to see the station you're trying to contact, and the display would 
>> show their current frequency.  Real time propagation could be derived 
>> from actual contacts being made if everyone's computer was connected 
>> to a common server ... just like is done with video games.  And 
>> before anyone says that real time internet connectivity is an issue, 
>> keep in mind that it isn't at all problem for the demographic we'd be 
>> trying to reach.
>>
>> 2.  Multiplayer .... where every participant shows up on the screen 
>> at their actual (or simulated) QTH.
>>
>> 3.  ACTUAL COMPETITION!  Instead of just trying to make the most 
>> contacts and finding out at the end how you did, make each contact 
>> some sort of competition that gets displayed on the screen ... and 
>> have some way of preventing others from making a contact.  How that 
>> happens would depend upon the context of the particular game, just 
>> like there are different video games.  But the idea would be to 
>> contest each contact in some manner that requires either an offensive 
>> action or a defensive one.
>>
>> 4.  "Contacts" (whatever the game required for a point) would still 
>> purely come via RF ... station to station.  The video display and 
>> central server would only provide the environment for making the 
>> contacts, albeit a hopefully more elaborate and richer environment 
>> than whatever we currently picture in our minds while making contacts 
>> now.
>>
>> Some people might say that this is actually no different than a video 
>> game and that video games have the advantage of a level playing field 
>> since most computers don't hinder your play.  And that's precisely 
>> why I think a ham radio version might be more interesting.  
>> Propagation, antennas, choice of times and bands would all make the 
>> game more complex than the typical online video game. The play style 
>> would be enriched by the variables of ham radio and the technical 
>> side of the hobby would be retained.
>>
>> The biggest problem I see with something like this is getting the 
>> programming done.  Successful video games can take years and lots of 
>> money to develop, although there are games like Valheim that didn't 
>> ... at least not by comparison.  However, I strongly suspect that it 
>> won't be too long before AI could do something like this, or at least 
>> most of it.  We wouldn't need the complexity of a top tier video 
>> game, and graphics engines are becoming increasingly accessible for 
>> simple environments. Station wise, I don't think it would be any 
>> different than it is now to use a logger for rig control and score 
>> tracking ... just different software.
>>
>> I realize that the actual game mechanics are missing here. That's 
>> because I'm not smart enough to come up with the specifics.  But I am 
>> convinced that something like this could be done ... it's really just 
>> a simple visual interface with an RF connection for the points 
>> instead of data packets.  The number of made contacts would be MUCH 
>> fewer than it is now for a typical contest, but each contact could 
>> potentially require more thought and focus.  Think in terms of 
>> catching fish instead of hammering out CQ's.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>>
>> Dave
>>
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