[Lowfer] DX record?

[Les Rayburn]

While I can certainly understand Bill's concerns, Ed is correct in saying
that it was "another time". Most of us back then were just trying to
be heard by someone, anyone.

But the problem's do creep in when others try to build on those
accomplishments only to find out they were not as advertised.

My larger concern is that there are a few who continue this
practice even now. Thankfully most of them insist on continuing
to use CW, and don't have the most efficient setups in the world,
so they do little harm. But I do suspect that at least one or
two stations are running the weak signal modes at high power
levels.

I do agree with Ed on that point too, though, the cheater only cheats
himself. It took me almost two years to clear my yard, build an
antenna, and tweak the system to the point of being able to
be heard on skywave. Lyle must have answered 1,000 e-mails
from me, with Bill Bowers and others answering a hundred more each.

But when Lyle received my signal on Halloween two years ago, I was
thrilled. If I had taken the short cut of adding a high power amp, I doubt
my sense of accomplishment would have been as great.

Just has I sometimes feel like a bit of a fraud now, because I haven't
homebrewed every piece of gear in the system. Most of you guys
did, and that must be a real sense of pride too.

I am glad to see the subject discussed openly, though. I think we
need to just build on our current accomplishments with a nod to
the past, realizing that some of that history was not made under
a strict definition of the rules.

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF






> >Those digital mode didn't exist then, we were experimenting, and as far
> >as I'm concerned "IF IT DOESN'T BOTHER ANYONE it should be OK".
>
>Where have I heard that one before? The "bother" angle is trivial. I've
>never heard of any Lowfer bothering other communications. But was it
>experimenting or was it more like playing? Useful experiments require
>controls, and one of the controls is the power to the antenna.
>
> >However, when one is trying to compare records it's quite another matter.
>The "cheater" only
> >cheats himself.
>
>What about cheating a group of guys, serious about useful experimentation,
>out of a good piece of LF spectrum, as the result of the FCC taking a more
>serious viewpoint on the cheating? What about the guys wanting to build new
>antenna designs, DSP designs, FM modulation designs, etc, and basing these
>designs on past reported sucsesses?
>
>What about our smug European friends that used to say our major CW-only
>accomplishments with one watt were likely impossible; that one could not
>reach over a few hundred miles with this level of power? I have a book at
>home that says exactly that. The proof that they were wrong is now a bit
>more difficult.
>
>Bill Ashlock
>

Les Rayburn, director
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