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

[DXer]

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your email.

There are many real and/or perceived unfair situations in hamradio. I 
don't think this issue can be resolved without 'upsetting' one group or 
another.

The successful SSB operator will continue to 'shine' in the DXCC Phone 
section. The CW in the CW section. Mixed is, well, mixed, by definition 
it includes everything, good or bad. Digital, FT8 is digital, the 
'fruit' of advancing technology. Like in every aspect of life, new 
developments are not always well received. Jobs are lost in the real 
world because of new technology. Not surprisingly, it causes 
'disconfort' in a hobby.

Now a mea culpa, and apology. In my earlier reads of the paragraph I 
quoted from your message, I read 'new age' not 'new wave'. 'New age' 
sometimes can mean: lunatic, snake oil merchant, etc. This is why I 
questioned your suggestion. Again, my apologies. We may still have 
different opinions on this topic, but you were not implying what I 
thought it was.

Apologies to the group for replying to all. Because of the apology part, 
I feel it has to be posted in the same place where my questioning was 
posted.

73 de Vince, VA3VF



On 2017-10-28 5:17 AM, Steve Ireland wrote:
> 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