[UK-CONTEST] CW Skimmer et all - DOOM and GLOOM

[Tom Wylie]

I have watched the debate with interest.

Personally, I couldn't care less whether people 
use Skimmer or not, providing they annotate their 
log accordingly - like the "assisted" section.

Technology moves on at an ever increasing pace and 
its only a matter of time until your station is 
fully automated.   You can select the Contest you 
wish to enter, click on the software, then go down 
the pub and watch the footy on the telly, come 
home and see how you got on in the Contest.

Contests will cease to have any meaningful purpose 
in amateur radio.

Ever since the switch on of the first 2m repeater, 
I feel that we amateurs have continued to devalue 
or hobby, until now a days our licence is not 
worth the paper it is written on.   We have made 
the exams so easy, dumbed down every aspect of the 
hobby and skimmer is just the latest gadget to hit 
the screens.   Its no wonder Ofcomm wanted rid of 
us a couple of years back.

I am not a great CW operator, but I enjoy working 
CW.   What is the point of it all if a computer is 
doing the receiving, transmitting, etc etc.   To 
be a great contester nowadays, you have to be a 
skilled computer operator.   Radio skills have 
dropped down the list of requirements.   Apart 
from a little antenna work still home made, what 
else is there to do?   Soon there will be contests 
in Echolink or whatever its called now a days. 
An old friend recently told me  of a new programme 
which will allow CW as well as SSB to be sent down 
the computer wires......AAAaaaarrrrggghhhhh!  what 
next

For me, Contesting has little or no meaningful 
input to amateur radio at the moment.   In 10 
years time, it will have none.   In 20 years time, 
amateur radio as we know it will cease to exist.

Yes, I am not on the radio today, I am updating my 
computer

Signed
Doom and Gloom!

Tom
GM4FDM
-- 
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SCHOOL
A little girl had just finished her first week of 
school. "I'm just wasting
My time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I 
can't write and they
Won't let me talk!"


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