Sorry to drag out this matter but maybe someone will share by take on
it. This whole concept is treading on thin ice as far as the hobby is
concerned. Operators with only a computer can conceivably build up
their DXCC totals without even having an actual station and work DX
siting in their office or sitting in Starbucks. In a few short days we
have seen how this process has impacted who works K1N and who doesn't.
Plus the cash for contact is idea is insidious and potentially
destructive to our hobby. The cash for access also puts part 97 as we
know it in a whole different paradigm no matter how someone parses the
rules. Amateurs in the U.S. are allowed station licenses and call signs
to make incidental communications with other station "where the use of
normal communication methods due the unimportance of the communications
is not justified." Now someone paying 40 cents a minute to avoid the
normal sportsmanship process of using their skill and ability, no matter
on how severe their station limitation are, would seem to make this a
commercial communication service and clearly outside of the basis
purpose and scope of amateur radio.
To avoid appearing hypocritical please let me explain that at my QTH I
have an active SO2R remote station but it is dedicated to one operator
in Brooklyn and one call sign NP2P which is active in contests. The
construction of this operation has been a labor of love and the station
is not for rent, not for hire and definitely not for profit. Everything
is selected by the operator in NYC. The rotor positioning, the selection
of Beverages, with on screen Alpha 87A control and monitoring. I must
admit that I even avoid gassing up the generator during the contest when
there is a power outage as this could be seen by some to put the
operation in the assisted category. I have thus even ordered an
automatic transfer panel. I would think that this methodology is the way
remote operation should expand no matter where the operator is seated
while he operates. the station is in the VI and the call sign is here as
well. When you work NP2P your contact is uploaded to LOTW in a few days
and the DXCC Desk has never refused to grant the requisite credit for
these contacts. Yes there could;d be abuse but so far this method has
not resulted in any nonsense. A private remote station as I have
described give no advantage to the operator during contests as there are
still some drawbacks with latency that can mess up a good contest run
with my simple 1.5 MB DSL
At this moment I am hearing K1N on 28.375 on back scatter from SA. I am
just to close to Navassa for normal skip propagation. Sure I could
subscribe to one of the Remote for hire stations and get all 7 bands.
But that would not be the same thing as waiting till the pile up thins
out and getting my very weak signal into their log. Maybe late at night
when the band closes I might have some extended ground wave but for the
800 mile hop this my chances of doing this are somewhere between slim
and none.
If we just remember that amateur radio is just a personal quest and
nothing else. In reality nobody but myself cares if I make it or not.
Even my wife could care less if I work N1N on 28 Mhz.
Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
On 2/5/2015 5:53 PM, Gary Jones wrote:
It does not make you wonder.... we all know EXACTLY what is going on, and
its illegal, and going to become commonplace.
Disgusting
73
W5FI Gary
On Thu, Feb 5, 2015 at 2:41 PM, <steve.root@culligan4water.com> wrote:
Anybody else hear the UA4 in the Navassa pileup last night? Hearing Europe
from here is kind of a big deal. Hearing Eastern Europe or Russia is a
bigger deal. Not hearing anything else from Europe except a UA4 that's S-9
? Makes you wonder.
73 Steve K0SR
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