[CQ-Contest] Ham Radio in the Future

Randy Thompson k5zd at outlook.com
Wed Aug 13 07:52:12 EDT 2025 

The things you are proposing could easily be layered over an existing contest. Have at it and let’s see how it works.

Randy K5ZD

> On Aug 13, 2025, at 3:20 AM, Mike Fatchett W0MU <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
>
> Event...Like the 1st one to work W1AAA gets bonus points......The 1st to 50 contacts gets.....  the 1st to 50 mults.....  bonus for low power.  Just a few off the top of my head.  Team play where the team that does X 1st or has the cleanest log gets more points.  The options are endless.
>
> This will not be a game for the old guard or a contest for the old guard.  People in general dislike change from the norm, old people are even worse.  It will take a while and some probably will need to pass on before major changes will happen.
>
> W0MU
>
>> On 8/12/2025 3:11 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
>>
>> You totally miss the point.  The internet would ONLY be used to provide a graphical environment.  Nothing more!
>>
>> The application would make use of that visual environment to open up other possibilities for earning points other than simply making the contact.  The application would essentially just be a smarter logger.
>>
>> RADIO (TRANSMITTED AND RECEIVED RF WOULD STILL BE REQUIRED to actually make whatever interaction the game demanding for earning the points.  You'd still need an antenna, a transceiver, you'd need to know how to operate them, and you'd still need to understand propagation.  The internet would not supplant, diminish, or add to any of that.
>>
>> Why is all of that so difficult to understand??
>>
>> Right now you just stare at your logger on your computer screen, but instead you could be looking at an actual visual representation of the other side of the contact in either a simulated real or imaginary environment.  And the "game" could open up other ways of earning points depending upon the chosen mechanics.  Like I've said, I'm not sure what those mechanics might be at this point but I'd bet other folks would have suggestions if they weren't afraid of the stodgy blowback.
>>
>> Dave  AB7E
>>
>>
>>> On 8/12/2025 6:34 AM, Zack Widup wrote:
>>> Well, then, we can no longer call it ham RADIO. Radio has a specific
>>> definition, which doesn't include the internet. I originally got interested
>>> in radio because it was magic to me. It still is after almost 60 years of
>>> having a ham license, and longer than that being interested in shortwave as
>>> an SWL. Internet is not magic to me at all.
>>>
>>> Maybe I'll just stick to the microwave/mm-wave bands, which is a vast
>>> unexplored territory for most hams.
>>>
>>> Zack W9SZ
>>>
>>> <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
>>> Virus-free.http://www.avg.com/
>>> <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
>>> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>>>
>>>> On Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM Barry W2UP <w2up.co at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> We don't need RF.  Let's just contest online.  Then we won't have horrible
>>>> band condx like we did (at least in the west) this past weekend in WAE.
>>>>
>>>> Barry W2UP (/0)
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 12:05 AM David Gilbert <ab7echo at gmail.com> 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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>>>>>
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