Return-Path: Received: from rly-me04.mx.aol.com (rly-me04.mail.aol.com [172.20.83.38]) by air-me10.mail.aol.com (v121_r4.4) with ESMTP id MAILINME103-9b149a3172e108; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:37:59 -0500 Received: from post.thorcom.com (post.thorcom.com [193.82.116.20]) by rly-me04.mx.aol.com (v121_r4.4) with ESMTP id MAILRELAYINME045-9b149a3172e108; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:37:52 -0500 Received: from majordom by post.thorcom.com with local (Exim 4.14) id 1LbiUc-0006Vh-F8 for rs_out_1@blacksheep.org; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:37:38 +0000 Received: from [193.82.116.32] (helo=relay1.thorcom.net) by post.thorcom.com with esmtp (Exim 4.14) id 1LbiUc-0006VY-3F for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:37:38 +0000 Received: from mail-fx0-f174.google.com ([209.85.220.174]) by relay1.thorcom.net with esmtp (Exim 4.63) (envelope-from ) id 1LbiUb-0006Fe-Ek for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:37:38 +0000 Received: by fxm22 with SMTP id 22so2525583fxm.4 for ; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:37:31 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=googlemail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:date:message-id:subject :from:to:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=BTCahu0q35RxnTzLSK/EoBY4B+aT+S9Wb048+xMTqCw=; b=LNvj7EItuWzLmD702AQtmen+6/gVG+EKTByqLlZZxCbU6xbOGQ+3Dxj3Ci/Axf8MFA PADMt1VC+Su6KSrunTsrnK2C2C6FtSXagQuImrpET4apRnkXH/1TH+moWdS8Rov+H7bV ZJM7oAs0ZPzN/Ia5uJEMtxm1xdekPaOo9wEgE= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=googlemail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; b=r9a49+NCOodaI7BQfFIj7rXya4ju/CPbEGPgbe661LRzfPFEsTKfbAB9OuCqyckn5b 0bXPTd6MTAQ+UrfniDjxWw9MSxON9fqARhcvEPCu7t+JcgKuWuv+s9NMrFa9R993oNC+ bzMJt830KyIZ2Ix9Wyg6ZBXM9yVcnCGPt4M54= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.223.111.19 with SMTP id q19mr5677193fap.58.1235425051290; Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:37:31 -0800 (PST) Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:37:31 +0000 Message-ID: From: Andy Talbot To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org X-Karma: unknown: DomainKey-Status: good (testing) X-Spam-Score: 0.0 (/) X-Spam-Report: autolearn=disabled,none Subject: LF: WSPR - a philosophical question. Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.63 (2004-01-11) on post.thorcom.com X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=no version=2.63 X-SA-Exim-Scanned: Yes Sender: owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org X-Listname: rsgb_lf_group X-SA-Exim-Rcpt-To: rs_out_1@blacksheep.org X-SA-Exim-Scanned: No; SAEximRunCond expanded to false X-AOL-IP: 193.82.116.20 X-AOL-SCOLL-AUTHENTICATION: mail_rly_antispam_dkim-d251.2 ; domain : googlemail.com DKIM : fail X-Mailer: Unknown (No Version) Mostly in Jest, but food for thought... The WSPR database with its complete record of who has heard whom with date, time , frequency, locator, report and stated Tx power opens up an interesting philosophical concept. If the database records that A has heard B, and B has heard A, then the stations have exchanged reports, location and a piece of unique information. By any reckoning this constitutes a QSO - even for contest purposes. So now, I don't have to sit in front of a rig waffling or tapping, or even be in the shack, or even awake, to have a valid QSO. I can be on continuously, 24/7/52.14775 to take advantage of lifts and anti-social-hours propagation. Lets do this on all the bands! Choose a modulation type matched to the RF medium and bandwidth, and just get on with it. Throw away those microphones, and definitely those funny tappy 19th centuary things. There is one downside: a permanant internet connection to upload real-time reports. BUT this could even herald a rebirth for packet radio if local amateurs could set up simple forwarding nodes to suitable internet connections? Andy G4JNT www.g4jnt.com