[VHFcontesting] Digital Questions

[Mike (KA5CVH) Urich]

Some thoughts,

Coming from a point of also being an ARES / PIO member and a part of
our ARES leadership team

Having just gone through a major hurricane and being the Harris County
ARES PIO I was interviewed several times about the amateur radio
response to Harvey.  Two of which are on the ARRL web-site under
Harvey.  In all my interviews I emphasised that while digital modes
can bring value to an event ... they can not replace our lowest common
denominator, V/UHF FM and 40/75 meter phone.  As the STX ASEC for
training I do not get very excited about new technologies such as
AREDN which will never IMHO see the light of day outside the major
metropolitan areas.  Could AREDN bring value in those affected areas?
Possibly but out of the 97 counties in STX we have at least 90
counties with no winlink gateway nor a digipeater, and you want to add
another unsupportable layer of technology to that?  As our served
agencies systems have become more hardened, they have also become more
complex with more points of failure.  Do we need or want to repeat
that model?  I also wrote in a post event release that when 1 out of 6
homes in your area are uninhabitable, at least at that moment, we as
amateurs involved in providing assistance to served agencies can not
depend upon any amateur radio station that can not be taken to the
field as a portable station and operated independently of any
structure whether it be a location to operate from within or supports
for antennas.

I've said that to say this.  While I wholeheartedly support the
advancement of the hobby, I question are we abandoning our roots of
the lowest common denominator, known as "When All Else Fails".
Contesting IMHO is a part of our demonstrating to the FCC our very
reason to exist by being able to communicate to most number of other
stations over great distances with a mode that everyone can use.
Contest logs are not only used to give out nice pieces of paper to the
participants they are also documents that can be provided to the FCC
that we are using the bands.

So my real question is ... as we make contesting more complex ... are
we not creating more points of failure?  With so many contesting
stations depending so heavily upon the internet and digital modes,
presuming that contesting demonstrates our abilities to the FCC, are
we not also demonstrating our points of failure?  And are we forcing
many people out of contesting who really do not want to ... or have
the financial means ... to compete at those levels?

OK, rant off, NOMEX on.


-- 
Mike Urich KA5CVH
http://ka5cvh.com

STX ASEC - Training
STX: (A)PIC Dist 1 & 14
PIO Harris County ARES

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