Topband: Remote Operation

[Herbert Schoenbohm]

Sorry to drag out this matter but maybe someone will share by take on 
it. This whole concept is treading on thin ice as far as the hobby is 
concerned.  Operators with only a computer can conceivably build up 
their DXCC totals without even having an actual station and work DX 
siting in their office or sitting in Starbucks. In a few short days we 
have seen how this process has impacted who works K1N and who doesn't.  
Plus the cash for contact is idea is insidious and potentially 
destructive to our hobby.  The cash for access also puts part 97 as we 
know it in a whole different paradigm no matter how someone parses the 
rules.  Amateurs in the U.S. are allowed station licenses and call signs 
to make incidental communications with other station "where the use of 
normal communication methods due the unimportance of the communications 
is not justified."  Now someone paying 40 cents a minute to avoid the 
normal sportsmanship process of using their skill and ability, no matter 
on how severe their station limitation are, would seem to make this a 
commercial communication service and clearly outside of the basis 
purpose and scope of amateur radio.

To avoid appearing hypocritical please let me explain that at my QTH I 
have an active SO2R remote station but it is dedicated to one operator 
in Brooklyn and one call sign NP2P which is active in contests. The 
construction of this operation has been a labor of love and the station 
is not for rent, not for hire and definitely not for profit.  Everything 
is selected by the operator in NYC. The rotor positioning, the selection 
of Beverages, with on screen Alpha 87A control and monitoring. I must 
admit that I even avoid gassing up the generator during the contest when 
there is a power outage as this could be seen by some to put the 
operation in the assisted category. I have thus even ordered an 
automatic transfer panel. I would think that this methodology is the way 
remote operation should expand no matter where the operator is seated 
while he operates. the station is in the VI and the call sign is here as 
well.  When you work NP2P your contact is uploaded to LOTW in a few days 
and the DXCC Desk has never refused to grant the requisite credit for 
these contacts. Yes there could;d be abuse but so far this method has 
not resulted in any nonsense. A private remote station as I have 
described give no advantage to the operator during contests as there are 
still some drawbacks with latency that can mess up a good contest run 
with my simple 1.5 MB DSL

At this moment I am hearing K1N on 28.375 on back scatter from SA. I am 
just to close to Navassa for normal skip propagation.  Sure I could 
subscribe to one of the Remote for hire stations and get all 7 bands.  
But that would not be the same thing as waiting till the pile up thins 
out and getting my very weak signal into their log. Maybe late at night 
when the band closes I might have some extended ground wave but for the 
800 mile hop this my chances of doing this are somewhere between slim 
and none.

If we just remember that amateur radio is just a personal quest and 
nothing else. In reality nobody but myself cares if I make it or not.  
Even my wife could care less if I work N1N on 28 Mhz.


Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ


On 2/5/2015 5:53 PM, Gary Jones wrote:
> It does not make you wonder.... we all know EXACTLY what is going on, and
> its illegal, and going to become commonplace.
>
> Disgusting
>
> 73
>
>         W5FI         Gary
>
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 5, 2015 at 2:41 PM, <steve.root at culligan4water.com> wrote:
>
>> Anybody else hear the UA4 in the Navassa pileup last night? Hearing Europe
>> from here is kind of a big deal. Hearing Eastern Europe or Russia is a
>> bigger deal. Not hearing anything else from Europe except a UA4 that's S-9
>> ? Makes you wonder.
>>
>> 73 Steve K0SR
>>
>>
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