[RTTY] CQWW exchange

[Kok Chen]

On Sep 29, 2008, at 10:19 AM, Simon (HB9DRV) wrote:

> As part of the exchange there should be an 8 or 10 digit unique QSO  
> number -
> unique to that QSO and generated by the station initiating the QSO.  
> This
> number should contain a checksum. This approach would ensure that  
> there is a
> modicum of user interaction in the whole QSO process.

But why couldn't an automated station be able to copy that QSO number  
and then echo it back?  If a human can spot a text string to click on,  
a robot can probably be programmed to do the same, no?

Perhaps we can use a facsimile encoding (remember the old RTTY  
"pictures"?)  but distorting the shape of characters (like some web  
sites use to work around robots) to make it much harder for a robot to  
copy automatically :-)  It would also take 1 minute per exchange :-) :-)

For me, contesting was more fun when you had to check dupes and mults  
in your head (or on a piece of paper).  It was definitely a contest of  
wits and skills.  The more you operate RTTY outside a contest, the  
more RTTY callsigns you can recall, and you have an edge.  Ditto the  
DX prefixes, although most DX'ers today have them memorized anyway in  
spite of computers.

Then came computerized dupe checking, checking of friends.ini lists,  
etc, etc.   Nowadays, the computer makes up a third of the "skill."   
If you don't believe me, try operating an RTTY contest without any  
contest logger and see where in the ranking you come in at.

Take away computer logging, and I will be looking for callsigns such  
as W7TI, KF3P, WA9VOL and WA7EGA :-).  And sadly, also looking for  
W2JGR.

73
Chen, W7AY