Topband: Use of Remote Receivers During 160 Meter Contests

[Frank Bogers - ON9CC / PA9A]

Hi Tree, all,

I believe there 's a third basic issue here:

3. The change of the leveling playing field

Adaptions of shortcuts introduces new opportunities within the rules.

Although the Remote RX station is initially meant to serve those who are 
hampered by local noise in the city, others will make use of it as well, 
changing the leveled playing field.  One has to plan his Remote RX 
location strategically. Within the rules there now is an advantage by 
gaining from propagation and/or geographical differences.
Most top stations have good locations, but there is always a 
better/quieter one within 100km. Even 10 - 30 kms can make a difference 
working the weak ones, using diversity.  Audio latency can be solved by 
DSP.

Please let me explain and use my current situation as a "possible example'.

I run a small sized contest station in a small town. During  winter time 
I am allowed to use the field of my neighbour farmer to setup several 
full sized beverages in all directions.  It all works fb and offers me 
very satisfying results.

With the new Remote RX possibility, to be competitive I am forced to do 
the allowed upgrade and add two RX sites:
- One to the max west border right near the sea. This allows for easier 
working of more QRP stations from the British Islands and secondly it 
delivers a propagation advantage towards W/VE.
- The second one will be at the south border, up in the hills at a top 
location which is even more quiet than my current QTH and offers the 
right downslope to create superb take-off from an 8-circle or so.

I will not be the only station designing such an upgrade, within the new 
rules.
Someone in France will have ST1 in Bretagne at the sea and ST2 near 
Nice(Italy), similar for the Germans who will have to install ST1 at the 
North-Sea near Hamburg, and ST2 beyond Munich near the OE-border. Other 
countries might have less available strategic geographical opportunities.
Now let's see how many  stations will (have to) upgrade in the next two 
years...


Another possible scenario is that the competition will even move it's 
remote RX station to another continent. That's even 'better' and if you 
need to setup remote RX set it up as far away as you can (where is the 
limit?). So they have an advantage by taking the shortcut, while others 
do what HAM radio and Topband is all about.


So my answer to the first basic issue: the whole contesting game will be 
affected and as such Remote RX should not be allowed during 160m 
contests. Topband will loose a lot of it's flair and I think most of us 
like 160m because it's a challenge ...

My 2 cents.

73
Frank
ON9CC