Topband: Web SDR's and 'Cheating'

[Christian Schneider]

SV1GRD wrote:

"My personal success is on my logbook and is valuable only for me."

Ths sad truth: We even cannot rely on this value. We don´t know where the RX
is situated of the station we are calling. I once worked in a 160m-contest
with 50 W to a lowwire at 5m. None of the qsos reached out farther than
1500km - with the exception of one that was >4000km, quick and easy as with
a local. I may tranquilize my sceptic brain with the ohhh so great possible
receiving system on his end (hearing my qrp signal on 40m a few weeks later
again with complete ease).
Or I can think about the DX-station running EU on 80 SSB - asking for
repeats only for that letters that I (listening in EU) missed, too - due to
short QRN-bursts... 

I still believe in most stations on the other end. But I cannot be sure that
my signal reached a few thousand kilometers to him - and not only to his
receiving device in Europe.

And that is the really sad thing with that kind of cheating. It has the
potential to devalue the feeling of personal success for all those not
cheating. The cheater steals our little personal satisfaction with an
supposed achievement due to the nagging doubt fed by such instances.

Sad.

73, Chris

(www.dl8mbs.de)