In his excellent book "The Complete DXer", no less an authority than Bob Locher
W9KNI tells of
getting phone calls from friends alerting him to new ones, giving him callsigns
and frequencies. Bob
cites his own use of spotting networks, if only to see if the crowd has found
the DX yet. So to me
spotting networks are an acceptable DXing tool. Can they be abused? Probably...
it seems anything
can be abused these days. Spotting networks are nothing more than the logical
evolution of the
postcard sked and the local 2M DX net. Technology marches on... these are no
longer the dark ages.
But that has only to do with sharing where to listen (or look) for the DX.
There's a world of
difference between a tip as to where to point the beam and direct parallel
hardline communication
that sets up and confirms every aspect of the QSO. Abuse is often just a matter
of degree, and
knowing where to draw the line. Will everyone agree on where the ethical line
must be drawn? Not
likely. But the standards and examples set by the giants of DXing... like
W9KNI... are good enough
for me, and those standards apply no matter what band I'm on.
Just my 2 cents... 73, Jerry K3BZ
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