Hi all-
Just got back from a two week vacation, so am late to the skimmer
party. Lots of interesting comments - good to see the discussion.
Just think back about 20 years ago where the internet didn't really
exist yet... this discussion would take a lot longer to work out.
I think the crux of this issue has a lot to do with how we all "feel"
about it. Obviously, for some, this "feels" like assistance - much
like packet - and for others, it is just an extension of the constant
march of technology.
I guess one of the basic questions is "When is it too much technology?"
By that - I mean - when is radio turned into something that is about
as much "fun" as picking up your phone to talk to someone?
That is a question we are all going to have slightly different answers
to. Some of us will want to protect the way we "think" about operating
contests - and others will see this as an advancement in the state of
the art.
It is going to be an emotional debate - and as in the case of packet
assistance - there will not be one answer that solves all of the issues.
So - for this contester - I do "feel" that skimmers "go too far" for the
"traditional" single-op. I believe this technology has the potential to
dramatically change how contests are won - and I do not see adding it to
the equation is how I want to win contests.
The main contest I think about when I say that is the SS CW contest.
There are a lot of operators who have learned how to tune a second
radio on their own to find new QSOs during the second half of the
contest. I believe this "human" effort is a great aspect to the
contest - where hours of tedious "work" are rewarded by putting another
10 or 20 QSOs in the log. This "effort" is what helps determine who
will make the top ten - or not.
I have finished 11th in the past two SS CW contests. I am still driven
to try and get back into the top ten box from home - not an easy thing
to always do. I do feel that if I had put in more hard work, I might
have found that VO1 that has eluded me both times - and made it into
the box. This motivates me to get on next time and see if I have better
luck - and to improve my second radio skills and effort.
I have very little doubt that the skimmer technology probably would have
made the difference in both of these cases. However, "for me" - that
would end up feeling just like I used packet and it wasn't my set of
ears that found the station through my own efforts.
I believe that contesting is interesting because of the human element we
bring into it. Things like computer logging and sending CW to diminsh
this some - but for many of us - that means we are now free to spend
more of out time using our ears. The skimmer goes to far - as it enables
us to start winning contests by doing something that significantly reduces
the effort our ears put into it.
"For me" - the magic of radio happens between the headphones. This is
too much like using a digital mode for EME. It removes the human too
far from the magic and is therefore not as much fun... for me.
If using the skimmer becomes a "requirement" for me to make the top ten
box in the SS CW contest - I will have a choice to make. I hope that I
won't have to.
73 Tree N6TR/7
tree@kkn.net
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|