[SCCC] Possibility of Wideband Tape Recording of Contests

[Richard J. Norton]

I am intending to put the following message on the CQ-Contest
reflector soon. I've sent it to a selected group of people already,
and have even had some offers of support. I still actually need
someone to assemble a hardware system, and would prefer that the
initial trial be held in Southern California.

By any chance, would you have any interest, or ability to help with
this project, or any suggestions of anyone else who might be
able to help?
---

For years I've had the desire to try to record the signals present on
an entire band during a contest. This would be a way to establish a
view of "truth" independent of contest logs. I am looking for
assistance in getting such a system started, to make a test of it this
fall.

At the present time, this would be a private endeavor, not connected
with any particular contest or organization. The end goal would be to
1) see if a useful system could be fielded, and 2) see what, if any,
value such a system might add to a contest.

I am looking specifically for help with:

1) System(s) design
2) Implementation of designs with hardware
3) Operation of a system during a contest
4) Extraction of useful information after the contest

This is not expected to be a profit making venture. On the other hand,
the hardware may actually cost the volunteers something. If anyone
sympathetic to the cause wants to fund part of it, please get in
touch. Note also, that it is not necessary to be a contester to be
part of this project.

If there is adequate interest, it may make sense to have an E-mail
reflector devoted to the project. We have an offer to set one up.

At present I see several potential ways to proceed. I do not have any
idea about how hard or easy this may be to do with any of the
following concepts:

1) Using consumer television VCRs
2) Using instrumentation tape recorders
3) Digitizing signals and storing them
4) Using a modern radio with digital processing at IF, and storing the
existing digitized signals. If an existing design has even 20 or 25
kHz
already digitized, this seems to save a lot of work.

Does anyone:

1) want to participate?
2) know anyone else that should or might be interested in
participating?
3) have any comments?

73,

Dick Norton, N6AA
ae327@lafn.org  or  N6AA@CQWW.COM






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