[Laser] Field Day 2004

[Phil Lefever]

>Maybe I'm dense, but what I read of the rules, there are three allowable
>contacts: voice, CW, and digital.  It clearly states that ALL voice=20
>contacts are
>equivalent, so a voice contact via laser does not distinguish between AM,=
=20
>PWM,
>PPM, subcarrier FM, or digitized voice.  I would probably extend that so=
 far
>as to include synthesized voice.  CW is clearly identified as something
>distinct from voice or digital.  The rules also lump all digital contacts=
=20
>together.
>ATV, SSTV, and others are identified for bonus points as non-traditional
>modes, but I do not see in the rules where they count as contacts for=
 points.

Any voice mode is considered "Phone". Any mode that uses Morse Code is
considered CW (no matter if it is decoded manually or by computer). And
the digital communication modes are considered digital (with the exception
of CW). The TV modes aren't digital modes because they aren't digital ;)

As far as Field Day is concerned there are no points for ATV, SSTV etc
because these modes don't fit into any of the three acceptable modes.
This is also why they are available for the 100 point bonus, because
they don't fit into the "traditional" three mode breakdowns.

That being said the only way I think a LASER contact can be made to gain
the 100 point bonus for demonstrating "a non traditional mode" is for
ATV or SSTV. In short it has to be a mode that can't count for contact
points any other way. Back in 2001 I traded Emails with N1ND at the ARRL
contest division on this subject. The following was my question and his
reply:

KB0NES wrote:
>Will a CW LASER contact count as a non traditional
>demonstration? Seems to me LASER communication
>is hardly traditional.

N1ND replied:
>Laser communication requires at least one stage of electronic detection at
>the receive end.  (Believe it or not we had someone a couple of years ago
>try to claim QSO credit in a contest from reading Morse code sent by his
>friend from a laser pointer.)  Since CW is a universally a traditional mode
>of amateur communication, the laser project would have to include a
>different mode to qualify.

Hope this helps a bit. The Field Day rules are a bit foggy at times. I was
once told that an EME contact doesn't count for the Satellite bonus but then
I read a large side bar in the QST where Chip Margelli and they gave him the
100 points!

73

Phil


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phil Lefever    KB=D8NES                          Twin Cities Repeater Club
kb0nes@tcrc.org                                 Burnsville,MN