Topband: A way to keep old school modes vibrant alongside FT-8

[Steve Ireland]

Hi Vince

Definitely  not - I was being dead serious (but, as I'm Australian, interspersing what I said with attempts at humour).  

The part of the post I made from which you made the extract is about the ARRL getting its DXCC awards program updated to match the emergence and fast growing popularity of the inaudible digital modes, which have a huge communications advantage (10 to 15dB) over CW, SSB and the older digital modes such as RTTY and PSK31.

We have an 'apples and oranges' situation here and the best way to keep the peace between people who use traditional audible modes and those that have embraced the new inaudible digital technology is to have separate DXCC awards.  

Put yourself in the place of someone who has spent 40 years getting 300 countries on topband SSB/CW. Being considered in the same category as someone who is using inaudible new wave digital modes to potentially achieve the same total is unlikely to endear the former to the latter!  

For the sake of 'peace in our time', let's get separate DXCC categories. Dinghy or yacht sail boats don't compete in the same race categories as motor boats - and this is the situation we currently have.   

By the way, it is not that I don't enjoy FT-8 - as my first email said, I like be able to decipher radio signals using my ears - which is why I've never used RTTY, AMTOR, Packet Radio and any WSJT modes including FT-8. 

I did used PSK31 a few times on 20m when it first came along because it was an interesting technical challenge to do so, but then lost interest. As the beat poets used to say, "it's just not my bag."

Vy 73

Steve, VK6VZ

---------------------------
Not sure of to think of this. Was it another veiled dig at a mode you don't
enjoy?
A way forward to keep 'old school' modes
vibrant alongside FT-8? (long)
73 de Vince, VA3VF

On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 9:43 AM, Steve Ireland <vk6vz at arach.net.au> wrote:

>
> This 'new wave' digital award could have a new cool, 21st century-looking
> certificate (are holograms 21st century?) , would give new wave digital
> operators the chance to be among the first to get this award and would also
> give the ARRL DXCC program the chance to potentially get some extra revenue
> in issuing these awards.  Of course, all the contacts would be submitted
> electronically. ;-)
>
>
>
> Vy 73
>
> Steve, VK6VZ/G3ZZD
>

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