Very well said, Jack. Can't find anything to say but "bravo!"
73, Pete N4ZR
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For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.
On 6/20/2022 7:34 PM, Jack Haverty wrote:
As humans, we all need some "help" to communicate. By ourselves, we
are pretty poorly equipped to handle electromagnetic waves. Our
built-in receivers are only able to receive in the 400-700 Terahertz
band. Most people call that "light". Worse yet, we seem to be unable
to transmit anything at all. But perhaps someday someone will
discover that telepathy is real.
Meanwhile, we're all poorly equipped to utilize electromagnetic
radiation for communicating with each other. We need help. Lots of
help. Everything in the typical amateur station, from newbie to
superstation, from J-38 to array of towers, is some form of such "help".
But we're used to all that. We don't need any "help". As long as the
transceiver and amp are working, and the antennas stay up, and the
Internet is available, we don't need "help". Oh yes, don't forget the
keyer and the logging program.
It's those guys with the newfangled computer programs that somehow
receive signals that no one can even hear! They're using those
computers as crutches instead of doing real radio. And those spotting
networks!
So, ... "Help" is simply what *I* use in my station setup.
"Crutches" are what those other guys use that I don't have or want.
It's cheating to use such stuff!
-----
I think the best metaphors will come out of sports. Sports have lots
of rules that define a game. The dimensions of the playing field are
specified. The number of players on a team. The size and weight of
the ball, puck, and instruments you use to catch, hit, and move things
around the field. How long the contest is. What you can do while
you're on the field. Etc.
Different games set different rules. People play the ones they like.
People watch the ones they find interesting.
Amateur radio is no different. Someone sets the rules. Anything
allowed by the rules is neither "help" nor "crutch". It's simply part
of the game. Anything prohibited by the rules is a violation and may
result in penalties and even disqualification, all defined by the
rules of course.
Instead of arguing about "help" or "crutches", I'd suggest discussing
what rules make the game more fun, more successful, and more played.
If you don't like the rules, and they don't fit your idea of what's
fun, the simple thing to do is decline to play. If enough people do
that, perhaps the rules will change....
Personally, my radio interest has always been (50+ years now) in
seeing what I can do with just 100 watts and a wire. I haven't found
a contest yet where it's plausible to "win" as such a player. That's
OK, I just accept it. To win, you typically need a very well-equipped
super-station (lots of "help"), and be willing to endure hours of
sitting playing whack-a-mole as fast as you can -- something I
personally find tedious and boring. So I'm rarely seen in contests
lately. The rules simply don't match what I find interesting.
FT8 sounds interesting, especially with 100-watts-and-a-wire. Maybe
that will get me back on the field.....
Just some food for thought,
73 de K3FIV
On 6/20/22 07:46, S57AD wrote:
Well said, Art!
73, Mirko, S57AD
V V pon., 20. jun. 2022 ob 16:31 je oseba Art Boyars
<artboyars@gmail.com>
napisala:
(Or is it a simile?)
We've been talking about various operating aids being "crutches"
(spotting,
super check partial, call history files, HQ station ID lists, computer
logging, electronic keyers, SSB, radio telephone, narrow band filters,
superhet receivers, CW (vs. spark)...)
There is an ancient saying in one of my communities, "while I stand
on one
foot". It means the student (or questioner) expects a simple answer
to a
complicated and complex question. E.g., "Tell me how to get my
Extra Class
license while I stand on one foot."
I stopped using that saying a few years ago when we became close
friends
with a family where the father had lost a leg in a war. He was getting
advanced medical treatment to try to stretch the remnant of his
femur so
that he could be fitted with a prosthetic leg... so he could walk
without
crutches and so he could pick up his kids.
Except for a few frauds, I don't think anybody who uses crutches
uses them
to gain an advantage. Rather, they use crutches just to try to keep up
with those of us who have normal abilities (whatever that is).
I'm NOT arguing about whether any of these forms of assistance
should be
allowed. I'm only suggesting that we stop calling them "crutches".
Let's
find a better metaphor, or let's use plain language and call them
"help".
73, Art K3KU
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