[TowerTalk] remote stations

[Jim Lux]

At 09:19 AM 7/23/2005, Pat Barthelow wrote:
>Scott Said to Kelly Johnson:
>
>Kelly,
>I have alot of experience in this area.  find, then buy, very cheap land way
>out in boonies (that
>has telephone service
>Snip:...
>
>Then setup a simple remote control system via telephone.  Also, the station
>will be a great family place to go camping.  Consider renting access via
>phone to pay for the station costs
>As antenna restrictions become more numerous, I think this is the wave of
>the future.
>Best luck, and 73,
>Scott W3TX
>
>   Perhaps a shipping container, tower, and a nearby hilltop
>outside of town  is the solution, especially with more and more kinds of
>solutions for remote control of stations.
>73, de Pat, AA6EG  aa6eg at hotmail.com

This whole thing is quite fascinating, and has, of course been standard 
practice in the commercial world for decades, as well as for repeaters. 
It's certainly attractive.  However, it's vaguely unsettling in some way, 
although I can't really put my finger on it.

Maybe it's because as you start to distribute geographically (i.e. the 
operator is not in close proximity to all the equipment) it starts to 
diverge from the traditional ham ethos?  What's to keep you from setting up 
remote stations all over the world and operate them by internet (IRLP and 
Echolink do this now)?

Maybe it's because you're starting to depend on infrastructure provided by 
others? You start with a remote base and a UHF link that you control both 
ends of.  Then, you go to using someone else's radio link.  Then you use 
leased telephone lines or internet(maybe using rural BPL<grin>) to control 
it.

Clearly, this isn't a legal issue.  It's also, I think, a perfectly valid 
area of experimentation for hams to develop remote operation 
techniques.   I have no idea what the various contesting rule bodies think 
about it (well, field day requires everything within 1000 ft, but I don't 
know about the others).

But, as I said above, it's somehow unsettling.

What's to stop Mike Tope (W4EF) from leasing a few acres in the Salton Sea, 
setting up a remote 160m base and ruling the band, operating from the 
comfort of his house in Tujunga, hundreds of miles away?  Impressive 
technically, but somehow not in the same class as his adventures going 
there in person, setting up a portable station in the dust and wind.

Maybe it's the concept of self reliance?

Again, I can't put my finger on why it's unsettling.  From an engineering 
standpoint, remote bases ARE the answer to HOA problems. Maybe I'd be 
happier if the entire setup was under one person's control?  Maybe it's 
because somehow, it seems too easy a way to get around a real challenge? 
Not that remote operation of anything is easy.. I've done it at work, 
building and operating a microwave monitoring station at White Sands, New 
Mexico from my office in Pasadena.  Maybe because deep inside, I'm envious?

Maybe it's because I'm a tinkerer by nature, and I like having the hardware 
close at hand so I can potentially tinker (even if actually don't, I could).