[RTTY] Digital DXCC

Tue Aug 2 15:58:14 PDT 2011

Few are aware but the ARRL has started a forum :  http://www.arrl.org/forums

In the list of headings is DXCC.  I posted the question there and got a very
interesting answer.  If you are registered on the  ARRL website you are
registered on the forum. 

Here is the question I asked:

"What was the logic behind dropping RTTY DXCC and making it Digital?

Clint - W5CPT"

Here is the answer I got:

"Clint, the logic behind the change is that other data modes in addition to
RTTY are already counted toward RTTY DXCC. The DX Advisory Committee offered
several alternative names, the simplest of which was Digital DXCC, and in
this case simplicity won out.

There is no change in the requirements for the award -- just the name.

73,
Dave Sumner, K1ZZ"
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Clint Talmadge – W5CPT

-----Original Message-----
From: rtty-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:rtty-bounces at contesting.com] On
Behalf Of Jeff Blaine
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 5:48 PM
To: iw1ayd at googlemail.com; rtty at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RTTY] Digital DXCC or ARRL Board of Directors, respectfully:
have my strong disagreement

I agree.  This is a mistake.  RTTY is a fundamental and historical mode.
CW, SSB, RTTY.  Dropping it in favor of a generic Digital tag does not
provide proper respect for a core mode.  I can see something (also
traditional) like SSTV being logically called 
Digital.   But this is a minor mode as is PSK and all the other digital
variants.

RTTY because of it's fundamental place in radio history, strong use in
modern times, and huge growth rate, deserves to remain a separate category.
I can only believe that the league did not have an adequate understanding of
the prevalence of RTTY when considering their vote otherwise they would have
left RTTY as a separate and distinct entity.

73, Jeff ACØC
www.ac0c.com

-----Original Message-----
From: iw1ayd
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 5:32 PM
To: rtty at contesting.com
Subject: [RTTY] Digital DXCC or ARRL Board of Directors, respectfully: have
my strong disagreement

Hi to all.

Just to read the doc abou and not my personal opinion go there:

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/About%20ARRL/Board%20Meetings/2011%20Second%2
0MeetingMinutes%281%29.pdf

( Take care of the URL line fragmenting and about the dead space
representation as %20 )

Abstract from "Minutes of the 2011 Second Meeting - ARRL Board of Directors
- July 15-16. 2011"

29. On motion of Mr. Fenstermaker, seconded by Mr. Edgar, the following
resolution was ADOPTED:
WHEREAS the DX Advisory Committee (DXAC) was charged to investigate many
aspects of the ARRL DX program; and WHEREAS Amateur Radio technology has
advanced to include many variations of digital communication; and WHEREAS
the DXAC has recommended changing the DXCC Award category from RTTY to
Digital or RTTY/Digital or Digital Mixed; and WHEREAS the Programs &
Services Committee (PSC) deliberated this change and, along with ARRL staff
believe the best revised name for this award is Digital DXCC, and WHEREAS,
the ARRL thanks the DXAC for its work on this name change; Therefore, it is
RESOLVED that the ARRL Board accepts the recommendation of the PSC to change
the title of the RTTY DXCC Award to the DIGITAL DXCC Award.

What to say, there are no reasons nor facts by any means about the decision
taken inside that document, as seen here in the abstract.
The phrase " WHEREAS Amateur Radio technology has advanced to include many
variations of digital communication ...", tells by itself all.
Technology have changed a lot since the radio was only used for CW, sparking
or funk (DL), in the meantime, since than and until quite now, there weren't
changes in the radio technologies, accordingly to this
2011 sentence: unbelievable.

So, RTTY was RTTY, Phone was Phone and CW was CW. Now, 2011, the silliest
and subtle discovery that whatever is not Phone or CW must be called
Digital, like several appliances we have on hands or at home. So CW, a
digital mode by default and by any mean, will remain unDigital as Phone,
they couldn't could not be assimilated. RTTY, that by itself haven't any
remarkable nor visible soul as Phone o CW, instead will be fully
assimilated. Yes like the Star Trek saga, "Any resistance will be futile
...". In the movie that was a nice characterization, now it is only an awful
envision at best.

Instead to clearly change anything, i.e. adding a Digital DXCC award - yes
why not, now we are all assimilated as Digital Borg. Worst, leaving out more
than half of the world that is already digital since than. The sacred soul
of CW and its big weapons. Playing  between presence or absence of a single
signal and coding signs accordingly mean enough digital to my, any(?), eyes
and my ears, but I would not start a religious discussion there. All the old
DEC self instruction tapes have already made this point strong enough in the
NRZ signals chapter, almost
35 years ago (just the clock/timing recovering may seems to gets out of the
picture ... fuzzy or not fuzzy). Well done, another foot in the grave and
nobody know how many of those we have to spare.

Nemo propheta in patria.

                               73 de iw1ayd Salvo

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