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Re: LF: Re: Farewell, LFers

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: LF: Re: Farewell, LFers
From: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 13:30:11 EDT
Reply-to: [email protected]
Sender: <[email protected]>
In a message dated 10/15/01 4:46:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:

<< I'm a bit surprised that a 'gadget' like a 136kHz - 144MHz transponder
creates that much reactions and even makes some of us to dismantle their LF
antennas. ...snip... >>

My thoughts, for what little they're worth, closely parallel Rik's and perhaps also Walter's thoughts. A simple one-way translator (American usage) of this sort is a rather democratic notion, making the band available to users within a limited geographical region who --due to local interference-- would either be unable to use 136kHz at all; or who, still worse, would spend a lot of time calling without realizing they have no chance of hearing any replies from outside their own neighborhood. This project strikes me as a worthy experiment.

Conversely, I could also understand objections if the idea were extended to a full-fledged cross-band repeater. Seems to me, that's where the appliance operator concept would come into play.

As Walter noted, it's a simple matter to declare that use of a transponder does not constitute DX, if one wishes to preserve the purity of DX records.

Dave's reservations about the use--or, I believe his point was, the potential abuse--of the technology also seem well founded, though. Deception, intentional or not, is a risk with something like this when personal-best or DX records are involved.

(FWIW, I don't understand the fuss over Dave's use of the phrase "probably OK" when describing use of a private remote control link to a transmitter and receiver at the same location, which is indeed a very different situation from use of a public transponder. In a case where the awards committee ruled that an exchange of traansmissions over two weeks, coordinated through "I'm on the air/I'm not on the air/I heard you" communications via e-mail or telephone, constitutes a QSO, I don't think anyone would quibble over remote control even if the link is on another band. I don't see that "probably OK" is perjorative in the context in which it was used.)

In short, it seems to me that the current experiment has generated more anxiety than is justified at this point. I would urge all LFers to examine the net results first before making any decisions about their own future on the band.

73,
John KD4IDY


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