[ARC5] ARC5 Digest, Vol 173, Issue 31

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi Mark,

Your attitude regarding contests is similar to mine. I don't enter them 
to win. I enter them to have some fun and maybe give some more points to 
one of the winners :) Field day is especially fun. Besides the operating 
there are field day hot dogs and other edible goodies and some good 
socializing.

73,

Bill  KU8H

On 06/19/2018 12:56 PM, Mark K3MSB wrote:
>
> Hi Ben
>
> Well, yes and no.   It depends upon how integrated you have your system.
>
> At my home station I do not have the computer connected to the radio
> (Icom 756 Pro III).    I have to hear the station and manually copy the
> CW and manually send the station’s call with the paddles.   Changing
> bands, frequency etc is all manual.       That does slow down the QSO
> rate,  but my home station is not going to win my any contests, so it
> doesn’t matter.    I’m comfortable with my setup, and I have fun.
>
> One of the drawbacks with a fully integrated station is that everything
> will work fine right up until it doesn’t.    I’ve run into several
> instances of that at the club.   When that happens during a contest and
> I’m operating,  I just disconnect the interface and run things manually
> with my keyer.    With complexity comes fragility in a system.
>
> With either level of integration, it is most definitely not computer to
> computer as the operator still needs to hear the station, decode the CW
> etc.     That applies to electronic RTTY as well, but one needs to
> visually align the waveform instead of aurally decoding it.   I’ve
> participated in a few RTTY contests up the club and it’s about as
> interesting as watching grass grow.     Center the waveform on the
> display, push some buttons, spin the VFO…..
>
> For computer to computer, use FT8.   They now have macros that will
> enable fully automated QSOs.   Not my cuppa…..
>
> 73 Mark K3MSB
>

-- 
bark less - wag more