[UK-CONTEST] Prediction on Skimmer

[Stan Stockton]

I just read the thread regarding the Skimmer program on your reflector.

There are a few assumptions that have been asserted that are not entirely accurate.

1.  It is NOT a given that Skimmer will be only for all other categories of entry than Single Operator.  There are a LOT of people who believe that assistance has to come from another PERSON and if you have the horse power in your own station to come up with a list of stations and what they are sending and what frequncy they are on, it is single operator unassisted.  Nevermind the fact that Skimmer is much better than packet, giving you every signal on the band and only those that can be heard at your particular location.

2.  Some say that Skimmer is not really that good.  There are a group of people working feverishly to make it good.  It will soon be able to take the list of eveyone it hears, bump that list against a master database of good callsigns from the past many years of contests, etc.  It already can be set up so it will not show a callsign unless it copies it multiple times with the same result.

Now to the prediction.  Only a few years (five or so, I'll say) will have to go by before we know whether it is accurate.

If (perhaps at best) we only have Skimmer allowed in the assisted categories, the manufacturers of transceivers will design the new rigs to include a sub-receiver that will skim the band at all times when you are not transmitting or alternatively scan the band all the time if you have a separate antenna to that receiver.  The software will be further developed and refined with logging capability (either one program that does it all or integrated with certain logging programs) and the software will alllow you to either manually click on a new station that you want to QSO or you will be able to program it to automatically QSY the rig when certain perameters are met - ie  the spot just called CQ and is a new multiplier and the signal strngth is S7 or better, etc.   For the same station, when running, there will be the capability of having a fully automated QSO machine that will call CQ, copy the stations calling, answer based on which one provides the most points, etc.  Mulitple such set-ups will be sequenced together to maximize the score.  Eventually most will have one of the new rigs and there will be so much pressure on the contest sponsors that it will be allowed in all categories which will be the end of what is currently the most popular category today.  The Contest will;be much like a computer game which could be played effectively by ones are very good with a mouse but who could not copy their own call at 2 WPM.

My interest in writing this petition was to preserve the sport of CW contesting for as long as possible.  I am 54 years old but much of my enthusiam for radio is as a result of my son, N5DX, who is 28 and a good operator.  My position is not just from an old guy who is behind the times.  He is as against this technology as anyone, not wanting to turn CW Contesing into a computer game..

I am not against technology and would like to see as many advancements as possible but feel that RTTY would be a better place for full automation, etc. because it is already a mode that has to be decoded by a computer.

73...Stan, K5GO