[Skimmertalk] "Assistance" and "Red Herrings" - What technologiesdo we want to permit in our "sport"?

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

> As I see it, the issue is this:  What sorts of technology do 
> we want to permit in our sport? To put it another way, is 
> there an essential role for the operator in contesting and, 
> if so, what is it?

> I note that all the competitive activities I can think of 
> right now prohibit certain technological advances:  Major 
> League baseball prohibits aluminum bats, NASCAR prohibits 
> automatic traction control, Golf strictly regulates balls and 
> clubs, Bridge prohibits card-counting computers, Chess 
> prohibits computers, Scrabble prohibits almost all paper, etc..

Unfortunately, other competitive activities are not based on 
technology.  Amateur Radio is by definition a technological 
activity and it is impossible to separate the technology from 
the other activities.   The other activities all have a single 
sanctioning body - no such entity exists in amateur radio. 

The "problem" is that the essential technologies in skimmer 
have all been "legal" for single operators for many years.  
How do you determine that skimmer should be illegal when 
logging computers, SCP, CW decoders and SO2R have all been 
used individually for more than ten years?  Do you limit 
the computing power to no more than a 300 MHz Pentium III? 
Which technology do you "take away?"  

Although it requires another class, it makes far more sense 
to add the number of simultaneous (duplex) receivers as a 
defining characteristic in the entry class structure (e.g., 
single/multiple operator, single/multiple receivers, and 
high/low power [EIRP]). 

I know there are those who disagree but skimmer is much closer 
to SO2R (in operation and potential results) than to "operator 
assistance" (cluster).  If skimmer should be treated differently 
that "a boy and his radio," so too should SO2R.  It only makes 
sense to separate the duplex receiver applications just as 
multiple operator (multi-single, "assisted") and high power 
operations have been grouped for years.