Folks:
"Commercial Remote?" Far from it. I am a traditional Top Band DX chaser since
2007, formerly operating with very good success from an apartment with a 600W
station and a full-sized inverted L. I have been an HF and above DX chaser
over nearly 40 years of hamming, and more recently an avid /M op, mostly CW
(270 or so worked since 2004). All those operations have had nothing to do
with remotes with the exception of a single 30M CW contact I made last year
using a remote in Central CA.
Nonetheless, remotes are a highly valuable resource, and might be the only way
for hams to achieve worthy objectives, and the only way for some to get on the
air. In my case, I run a weekly net on 2 Meters in CA using resources
available to me on RemoteHams.com, and that's the only viable, no-cost way I
could do that from Nevada or wherever else I might be at the time. The folks
who authored and developed this resource are not only my good friends, they are
accomplished hams who have designed the remote application with genius and
insight. Think that celphone remote ops are a satirical dream? Think again!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.remotehams.rcforb.client
Fellow hams, I urge you to re-examine your attitudes concerning remote
operations, what they mean to the hobby, and whether there's any appreciable
difference between an op visiting a station and picking up a mic or key, and
the same op sending audio via VOIP to the same station and being broadcast from
it in that manner, with appropriate (courtesy) "/" identification. As a
Topband DXer, I completely understand the objections to claiming a DX "contact"
on 160 using an RX (or even TX) remote close to the DX in place of distant
ears and station resources, but the objections are less valid if the remote is
in the same country or even the same state or county as the ham using it, and
the contact would otherwise be completely valid if the ham traveled to and was
present at the remote site to make the contact.
Best 73 de John, W6UQZ From: Mike Waters <mikewate@gmail.com>
To: Larry Burke <wi5a@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: topband <topband@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2015 11:24 AM
Subject: Re: Topband: New Commercial Remote Service
You had me going for a few minutes!
Are you going to send this again on April 1, 2016? ;-)
73, Mike
www.w0btu.com
On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 1:13 PM, Larry Burke <wi5a@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> VERIZON WIRELESS TO OFFER REMOTE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE
>
>
>
> BASKING RIDGE, NJ (Roytours) - The nation's largest wireless company
> announced today that it plans to enter the remote ham radio station
> business
> to serve amateur radio operators. Verizon Wireless, a wholly owned
> subsidiary of Verizon Communications, Inc. [VZ, -4.25%] indicated that the
> stations are a natural fit with their existing infrastructure and require
> little additional investment. Customers will be able to talk all over the
> world using only their cell phone. The service will be available via
> subscription to existing Verizon customers. Coverage is expected to be the
> same as Verizon's current 4G coverage area, with all calls routed to high
> powered stations located on the east and west coasts of the United States.
>
>
>
> "At first we really didn't understand why this service was needed" said
> company spokesperson Ben Dover. "We had a misconception that ham radio
> operators built their own stations and advanced technology. Then we learned
> that there was a subculture in the hobby that tried to talk to as many
> countries as possible using any means available and many were already using
> a personal computer to talk to those countries. Some didn't even own a
> radio. Often they were using a service that offers complete anonymity"
>
>
>
> When asked how the new service is different from how Verizon customers
> currently call other countries, Dover hesitated. "Well it IS another
> revenue
> stream", he replied.
>
>
>
> Software developers have been quick to respond to the announcement. One
> such
> developer, who prefers to go by the name SchrockRock, is working on iPhone
> applications called DXCodeReadR and ThisisHowIHonorRoll (THIHR for short).
> SchrockRock explained that THIHR continuously monitors a notification
> system
> called the "cluster" and checks to see if the ham needs a country that has
> been "spotted" there. If the ham needs it, THIHR automatically works in
> concert with DXCodeReadR to generate what hams call a "QSO" to snag that
> new
> country, even while the ham sleeps. "It's all about convincing users that
> they are advancing technology", SchrockRock added in a recent post to
> reddit.
>
>
>
> Markets also reacted quickly, sending Verizon stock down as much as 6% in
> early trading. Reached on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, trader
> Larry Burke summed up the market's reaction, "There was a going-in concern
> about the ethics associated with this type of service as applied to what
> hams call the DXCC program. But when brokers are able to explain that not
> even the national association of amateur radio operators, the ARRL, is able
> to define 'ethics', most concerns evaporate".
>
>
>
> Currently, there are few players in the commercial remote business. The
> largest, RemoteHamRadio.com or RHR for short, operates a network of
> remotes,
> many of which are located in New York state. Verizon spokesperson Dover
> said
> his company realized the potential "when the FCC chose to look the other
> way
> with enforcement of Part 97 and common carrier regulations as they applied
> to this type of service".
>
>
>
> Users of existing services seem to enjoy them. One California ham, who goes
> by the callsign NJ6YOY, had this to say: "These remotes are fantastic. Just
> yesterday I had a PL-259 fail on the coax going into the back of my radio.
> The technician told me it would be three weeks before he could come out and
> fix it. Three weeks! What was I supposed to do in the meantime? I thought
> to
> myself, 'now this is a case for remote stations'. I whipped out my
> MasterCard and signed up for RHR. I didn't even need one of those K3/0
> doohickeys. I just did my DXing with my computer. Things were going great
> and then my internets stopped working. Fortunately for me there was another
> RHR subscriber nearby. I used his internets to work four new ones in one
> day. The guy I talked to in Ireland was really happy to work California on
> six meters, too. He said he thought the band was only open to New York, but
> when I confirmed our QSO on LoTW he was tickled shirtless to see he had
> worked a new state". It is not clear to the uninitiated what all of this
> means, but NJ6YOY sounded very excited about his new conquests. With
> Verizon's new service he won't have to worry about his 'internets' going
> down either. All he will have to do is keep his iPhone charged.
>
>
>
>
>
> [yes, it's satire]
>
>
>
> _________________
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>
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