[SCCC] re ARRL DX CW 15m SOHP W6YA

Tue Feb 23 16:08:37 EST 2016

Yeah, or check on-line what your ham radio robots have worked using timeshared remote stations.  I think it is only 10 years away and we will start seeing it.  Enough time to adapt and find new hobby if we don’t find it interesting future.  I mean, I have seriously thought about that future myself and if I’m actually investing way too much time and money on this dead end hobby on long term.  We only live one time here and future of the hobby is really questionable.  I will be 50 this year and if I’m able to stay alive next 30+ years I think I will definetly see end of this hobby before my own exit.  I have no doubt of it and it makes you wonder if this is good hobby to have instead of something else or should I start gradually shifting resources and focus on something else.

From: Art - W6KY [mailto:w6ky at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 12:45 PM
To: Marko Myllymaki <marko.l.myllymaki at gmail.com>; 'Jim McCook' <w6ya at cox.net>; 'SCCC Reflector' <sccc at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [SCCC] re ARRL DX CW 15m SOHP W6YA

I wish I could find that article in QST from
years gone by where 'electronic keyers spell

the death of ham radio'...

Every technical advance in our hobby is met
resistance. 
Who knows whats in store over the next 20
years.. Probably just to stop by the shack
from time to time to see who you worked..

73, Art  W6KY

  _____  

From: Marko Myllymaki <marko.l.myllymaki at gmail.com <mailto:marko.l.myllymaki at gmail.com> >
To: 'Jim McCook' <w6ya at cox.net <mailto:w6ya at cox.net> >; 'SCCC Reflector' <sccc at contesting.com <mailto:sccc at contesting.com> > 
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 11:13 AM
Subject: Re: [SCCC] re ARRL DX CW 15m SOHP W6YA

Well, you obviosuly have strong feeling and opinions of it, but who cares
what you or me think.
Try to find activity that you enjoy.  If it is operating w/o cluster, good
for you.  If you think you don't like to operate at all when clusters are on
then maybe you can do something else during weekend rather than sit on
radio.  This is suppose to be fun activity anyway and you cannot turn those
clusters off.

Looks like 3830 postings for past weekend are now about evenly split between
assisted and non-assisted.  So lot of people prefer operating with cluster
feed on.  All top unlimited guys are accomplished contesters and would
probably do very well also in non-assisted.  But they have chosen to operate
unlimited because of whatever reason.  They find it more enjoyable.  Maybe
they find it more challenging.  I certainly think it is more challenging as
it adds new dimension to time management and multitasking.  I myself think
that if you get very good at operating unlimited, you will be also very good
at operating un-assisted, as then you would remove one of the challenging
dimensions if falling back to un-assisted.  Kind of same thing as if you get
very good at SO2R you will also be very good at SO1R as it would be simpler.
This thing is not so simple and one dimensional as you think.  Operating
with packet feed on is very challenging but with different set of
dimensions.

Again, I prefer to operate competitively w/o cluster as I don't think I
would do well with feed on and it removes some technical complexity, and in
some DX locations cluster would not even be available.  But that is me and
you.  Other people have different preference and who are me or you to judge
it or wanting to turn their clusters off.  And this "dark-side" stuff...
Young kid who would try this hobby instead of say on-line gaming or other
modern fun they do would find how you and I want to operate very much like
stone-age and would label us as complete dinosauruses.  Which we probably
are becoming anyway.
73 de Marko

-----Original Message-----
From: SCCC [mailto:sccc-bounces at contesting.com <mailto:sccc-bounces at contesting.com> ] On Behalf Of Jim McCook
Sent: Monday, February 22, 2016 6:42 AM
To: SCCC Reflector <sccc at contesting.com <mailto:sccc at contesting.com> >
Subject: [SCCC] re ARRL DX CW 15m SOHP W6YA

Marko,

You're right, of course, that the spotting/skimmers are upon us, and there's
no turning back.  I see no reason to _accept_ the concept, but like us all,
we just have to work around it. I'll keep working around it, and keep
shaking my head at the same time, wondering why people use this stupid
concept for a contest. I did adapt, but hate it all the way.  Progress and
technology is not always good.  I remember an instructor in school saying,
"Will you choose the harder right, or the easier wrong?"  As far as I'm
concerned, spotting in contests is definitely the easier wrong, and I'll
never really accept it as good.

I compare it to developing a robot to use for playing golf.  All the golfer
has to do is load the balls into the robot and pick them up in the cup.  In
other words, it's for lazy people who don't want to work so hard.  What
bullshit.  This contest was a very clear example, once again, what a hurdle
it creates, especially for the DX ops.  I still find it incredible that
serious contesters would want something like this to exist.  It has done
nothing but create problems like we both know about. _It's 100% negative._
I even go so far as to say it's like drugs... some contesters apparently get
excited about pushing buttons and not having to hunt, in spite of the bad
problems.  The other negative effect is that it encourages some DX ops not
to sign their calls as often because it just makes things worse.

I remember years ago there were commercial fishing ponds along some of the
main roads.  A pond, maybe 300ft across, was jammed with stocked fish.  Just
drive into the parking lot and go fishing.  They rent you a fishing rod,
bait, hooks, and all you have to do is drop the line into the water, you're
guaranteed to get some fish.  What a joke that was, too.  They no longer
exist, most likely because it was a bad idea.  In some states, like Texas,
ranches import exotic big game to plant on the land so the mighty hunters
can show up on the weekend and shoot their African animals without going to
Africa to _actually hunt_.

I have tried using the cluster (unlimited) years ago during a contest, just
to experience it.  The whole time I felt like a whore.  It was a joke.  Like
taking candy from a baby.  For the average hams, it is obviously eliminating
any reason to develop the skill need to find stations on their own.

As far as 15 goes, I was worried when Friday night there were so few mults.
I heard someone being called by a loud XW4XR, but never found him, and he
didn't answer my CQs.  I shut things off at 7pm and watched a movie.  The
next morning it was a struggle to work weak and semi-weak Europeans, but
finally after 9am I got a run going, which didn't last long.  I did find a
lot of interesting mults, though.  When the run slowed I started tuning
around with the SUB VFO to find new mults, such as JY9FC, 5H3EE, V51YJ, etc.

On Sunday morning conditions were much better.  I was running Europe much
sooner, and it lasted almost 3 hours.  One particular run on a single
frequency lasted almost 2 hours.  It was amazing. A couple of 4X, TK, GJ,
all the Scandia areas, SV5, UA2, etc all came in a run.  Never heard the
deep Asiatic Russians, like EX, UN, etc.  It was fun to find most of the
good mults by hunting them down with the SUB or just tuning around when
things were slow.

In spite of this, my score was down 30% compared to last year in the same
contest.  Many less Qs and many less mults.  For me the most fun of all is
always the hunting.  That's why I view the spotting as such a lousy idea.  I
will always think of it as the dark side.

Jim

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