Its currently the year 2020.
In mid year 2014 the FCC approved RM-11708 which de-regulated the CW/RTTY
bands allowing unspecified digital wide bandwidth codes in the current
CW/RTTY band segments. For a while the old rules were adhered to more or
less on a gentleman's agreement but more and more questionable signals came
up taking over the ham bands.
In 2016, a radio manufacture out of China came out with a $100 dollar all
digital radio that features built in digital voice, CW and data. This
radio operates on the de-regulated RM-11708 (old CW/RTTY) amateur band
segments. The digital encoding algorithms in the radio can be setup in
software effectively making it a encrypted radio. The radio has a built in
modem allowing a "fast" 9600 baud connection to the Internet. The few
remaining digital hams call the 9600 modem feature PACTOR 8. Originally the
sail boat crowd latched onto the new radios but once the word got out that
they are undetectable, non-hams are purchasing them like wildfire.
The RM-11708 de-regulated parts of the bands are total chaos and the FCC has
given up on any enforcement. The last CW and RTTY contests were in 2018.
The ARRL has a small staff of 8 people which only serves the SSB operators
and has just declared bankruptcy.
David Sumner retired from the ARRL one month after the release of RM-11708
and now lives on a sailboat in Aruba. He used to send beautiful pictures
of the Aruba sunset with a drink in his hand enjoying the tropical paradise
but with the chaos on the digital portions of the ham bands nothing gets
through.
I sure miss those pictures.
...
Everyone have a good contest and enjoy it while we can
73 Terry AB5K
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