Topband: VU2GSM webSDR use

kostas sv1dpi sv1dpi at otenet.gr
Sun Jan 14 15:18:08 EST 2018


Unfortunately webSDR are widely used from many hams around the world. I 
wonder why webSDR owners don't add 5 seconds delay to their software. 
This way we will have just all the goodies without problems. So some of 
us want and encourage this one.

There are also people who use (hiring or not) remote stations in another 
country while they sign from the home country. While I was in Iran as 
EP6T I heard some USA stations calling me with stronger signals than 
Europeans in time where the USA path was closed. Sorry I don't remember 
calls. I am sure that Europeans do this much more with Pacific 
DXpeditions as I consider that USA hams are honest. This way I remember 
some calls but I can not mention them as I can not prove it.

Many use webSDR in contests also. In last year's 160m cw contest, a 
station near me started calling in the same freq with me. He was 9+60 to 
me. Except the fact that he was not using legal power, he couldn't 
listen me while I was trying to say QSY! After some CQs he was working a 
Japanese pileup. I could not hear the most of them even I had a 600ft 
beverage to JA! The worst I couldn't bother him even I continued to call 
CQ for about 10min! He was using a webSDR for sure. Some of my friends 
in Japan thought that their systems work well that night as they were 
heard to Europe but probably it was not the true.

The worst of all is that nobody seems to care about all these. ARRL 
likes the fact that more stations will submit his 80 and 160m slot and 
they will get some more cents. Most of the hams like that they worked a 
new one and don't care how the other one listen them or how they listen 
him. A friend of mine used webSDR for listening and when I told him why 
he does it, he answered that he has noise and if the signal goes from SV 
to USA, comes from USA to SV as well. He can not listen him because the 
big noise!

The main problem is what Steve mentioned: ok I don't use webSDR myself 
as I don't approve them but how I know what the other station does. And 
after some points of view where some of us find it more or less normal, 
I wonder which is better: to abandon the ham radio hobby or to hire my 
station for remote use?

73 Kostas SV1DPI
22 years in ham radio




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