[Elecraft] RTTY

Wed Mar 15 23:22:23 EDT 2017

Back in the 1950's Soviet Hams could not discuss anything but their rigs
(mostly homebrew) with us in the "west". So exchanges were short even
without a contest. And visiting friends in Cuba was off-limits for us
Americans. Still, I believe those contacts had a positive effect.

Just participating in the contest enhances international goodwill in a small
way.  

Yes, the internet and softening of relationships has changed the role Ham
contacts have, but they are still part of the international goodwill
equation. I submit that is true in its small way even of automated context
exchanges. 

And Ham contacts have changed too. Time was, a few weekends a year one might
find a contest in progress. Now it's hard to find a contest-free weekend on
the CW bands where I hang out. But that is what a great many Hams enjoy. 

Personally, as a rag-chewer, I have over the past 60+ years of pounding
brass made several life-long friends by Ham radio. Only a few I have managed
to visit personally since they are scattered world-wide. Most of the
memories are fixed by QSL cards - real paper cards sent via the "burro".
Others by a memento of a personal visit, such as the nice carved AC7AC call
sign I have on my desk from a great fellow in The Netherlands when I visited
him. 

And it is true that instead of many on-air QSOs over a few years as in
decades long past, we often resort to e-mail. Indeed, some started via
e-mail right here on the Elecraft reflector. 

Maybe "enhance international goodwill" as a justification for Ham radio will
come to an end along with rag-chewing, but somehow I doubt that will happen.

People everywhere are more comfortable with others who they know and with
whom they share some common interests.  

73, Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Lynn
W. Taylor, WB6UUT
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 5:44 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RTTY

Okay, Kevin....

Here is the appropriate section: 
<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=f320c16fc6e027120cc58558cc7a0926&m
c=true&node=se47.5.97_11&rgn=div8>

I was told that basically there was no place for ragchewing in Amateur Radio
-- no place at all.

97.1(e) says there is a place for a good ragchew.  Not sure where contesting
comes in, but I'll stipulate that it can be fit into 97.1 somewhere.

It does not say that every place is a good place for a ragchew, at any time.
It seems intuitively obvious that a DX pileup is neither the time nor the
place.

You then compare typing on a keyboard to using paddles, and going back to
the post just before mine, it was about using pre-programmed macros for a
contest exchange.

The operators aren't really talking.  They're pressing two macro keys and
making an entry in the log.

NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, WHAT YOU LIKE TO DO, SOMEONE WILL SAY "THIS ISN'T 
AMATEUR RADIO."	

I do respectfully disagree.

It may not be what I want to do, but I've seen the Full-Scan TV ops get very
excited about their favored mode.  Moonbounce doesn't excite me, but it
excites moonbounce enthusiasts.  Satellites?  Did it once, happy to know
about it, not enough to really gear-up for it.

There is room for all of this in Amateur Radio.

... and I'm more than happy to do something else on big Contest weekends,
and to steer clear of the pileups.

I won't name the person I quoted, but his technical contributions are
significant.  He'd still rather carry on a conversation than just send
macros.

In my opinion, it is a little bit sad that we have reduced communication to
a couple of macros.

I don't require you to share that opinion, Kevin, nor will I deny you the
pleasure of operating that way if it's what you love.

I won't ridicule it either.

73 -- Lynn

On 3/15/2017 3:45 PM, Kevin wrote:
> Ridiculous!
>
> Just try to "enhance international goodwill" with a human to human 
> conversation in a DX pileup.
>
> The only difference between having the K3 to send the RTTY and your 
> computer/soundcard/software doing it is that the human on the K3 using 
> the keyer is slower and makes mistakes (unless he/she can do 60wpm 
> mistake free, not likely). Same thing applies using the K3 memories. 
> No difference between that and punching a function key on a computer 
> keyboard. Should we outlaw computer sent RTTY and how can you tell the 
> difference other than the computer makes no mistakes?
>
> I would advise whoever sent the email to walk the talk, get off the 
> internet and take up pen and paper again. You know, for that human to 
> human personalization thing.
>
>
> On 3/13/2017 2:40 PM, Lynn W. Taylor, WB6UUT wrote:
>> I don't claim credit for this comment as it came to me off-list:
>>
>> Section 97.1
>>
>> (e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to 
>> enhance international goodwill.
>>
>> Unless we are trying to enhance goodwill between silicon chips 
>> located in various parts of the world -- and since the context of the 
>> original comment was  establishing communications with 300 DX 
>> "countries" -- actually speaking with humans might actually be part 
>> of the basis and purpose of Amateur radio, as opposed to pressing two 
>> macro keys on a radio...
>>
>> I'm sure others will disagree, and I do understand that this is not 
>> how most hams communicate.
>>
>> ... and as I said, it's a little bit sad.
>>
>> 73 -- Lynn
>>
>> On 3/13/2017 11:44 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>> On Mon,3/13/2017 11:12 AM, Lynn W. Taylor, WB6UUT wrote:
>>>> and not a single actual conversation with another human being.
>>>>
>>>> Sad.
>>>
>>> This may come as a shock, but the mission of ham radio does NOT 
>>> include rag chewing. Rather, we have licenses and privileges for the 
>>> purpose of developing technical skills and knowledge, developing 
>>> operating skills, and providing emergency communications. What's sad 
>>> to me is the mindless stuff that passes for conversation on our ham 
>>> bands and the fact that many hams seem to think that's the purpose 
>>> of ham radio.
>>>
>>> FWIW, I find email, various online media, and face-to-face 
>>> conversation far more satisfying. And I use local repeaters to 
>>> maintain community with nearby hams.
>>>
>>> 73, Jim K9YC
>>>
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>>
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