I have only the greatest respect for Peter and his views, and I certainly
don't want to begin any new and unproductive controversies on the reflector,
nor to dredge up any old ones.
However, it seems to me that Andy's thoughts on a possible narrowband
receiver design are very much in the amateur spirit. The "tech" involved is
not very high. Certainly, not as high as that involved in most modern
commercial receivers. Nor would the applicable DOS software be any more
elaborate than, nor require as sophisticated a computer system as, Spectran.
The only significant difference is that Andy's approach requires a lot more
individual initiative, rather than reliance on commercially manufactured gear.
Just as I would not consider the use of manufactured transceivers or even
pre-existing antenna sites as "un-amateur," I'm sure Peter did not mean to
imply that a homebrew approach such as this was outside the amateur realm.
It may well be that we'll have to try a number of different approaches
simultaneously to achieve the Transatlantic dream. As long as any of these
approaches have a realistic chance of succeeding (meaning, they're not
appreciably contrary to established knowledge of this portion of the radio
spectrum) I hope one or more groups will try each of them.
73,
John KD4IDY
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