Hi Eddy,
As usual, you've nailed it squarely! For many years I was an avid 2 meter
DXer, really enjoying meteor scatter on ssb and moonbounce with cw. When
digital methods came in to make those modes much easier, the challenge was
gone & I left. I honestly felt that a qsl request for such contacts should
have been rejected with the comment "Sorry OM, but you didn't work me, you
worked my computer. I personally never heard you...". Notice also that you
don't hear much about meteor scatter any more, and that many EME regulars
have left the field. As BB King said: "The Thrill is Gone".
In order to leave all that, I took up TopBand DXing. It appears that history
is now repeating itself. It seems that newcomers want the easy way out, and
technology supplies it. Instant gratification, regardless how hollow, seems
to be the new goal.
Brian K8BHZ
-----Original Message-----
From: Eddy Swynar
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2015 7:59 AM
To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Topband: The "Future" Of Ham Radio
Hi Guys,
All of this talk about the use of remote receivers, DX spotting nets, etc.
etc. etc. surely will have us all arrive to the point that our "human"
individual efforts to develop a specialized "killer" Amateur radio station
will be usurped and eclipsed by one, single thing: the computer.
Just as streaming companies such as Net Flix have put an end to the
neighbourhood video disc rental store, and paper "hard" copies are being
stopped by The Yellow Pages due to on-line information availability, so,
too, will DXCC become redundant by the use of remote receivers, contesting
will "degenerate" into an electronic battle of computer systems, ad nauseam.
In short, the human element will be effectively removed from the equation,
and with it, any "fun" that we traditionally may have derived from such
activities. That day surely is fast approaching when the intrepid radio op
will be able to turn on his radios, set-up the computer, and then go
peacefully to bed on the eve of a major contest...and to wake up, restfully
in the morning, to wander down to the shack, coffee in hand, to learn that,
in his physical absence, the station made well over 3000 QSOs in the
contest, and exceeded minimum requirements for DXCC.
In conclusion, I have seen the enemy of Amateur radio---and the enemy is us.
~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
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