1996 PACTOR FORUM

Hello... and welcome to the 1996 PACTOR Forum. I am Phil Sussman, the editor of PACTOR NEWS, and your host this year. Joining us today are some distinguished gentlemen who will be speaking about PACTOR.

Ari Surkiss, 4X6UO, an avid operator from Israel; Gwyn Reedy, W1BEL, President of PacComm Packet Radio Systems; and Mike Lamb, N7ML, President of AEA. Pete Detwiler, WA2MFY, originally on our program, is unable to speak today and his words will certainly be missed.

Each speaker will make a short presentation and then our panel of renown experts will hold a question and answer session, hosted by Dr. Tom Rink, DL2FAK. So please save your questions until that time. Thank you and enjoy!

I want to lead off by presenting our annual Gentleman of the Year Award. This year there are two recipients, Frank Grover, KC2FI, of Elmira, NY and Roger Sykes, W2INY, of Sarasota Fla. When Harvey Hernandez, N4TEC, of Bradenton, FL. was having trouble with his TNC and software, Frank called Roger, who went over Harvey's house to help him. These are two true gentlemen: so congratulations Frank and Roger.

The world has changed since last year! The PACTOR WORLDWIDE USERS GROUP NEWSLETTER is now called PACTOR NEWS. And that upstart mode, known as PACTOR is finally gaining recognition, even from the ARRL. Would you believe there was an article about PACTOR comparisons in May QST ? How about that!

PACTOR-2 is alive and well on the air, especially in Europe. That is a testament to how well it works. Yet the use of PACTOR-1 continues to grow. Today PACTOR is one of the most popular modes for HF digital communication by hams.

But PACTOR faces two obstacles. The first is the Internet. Internet is a system that ties one computer to another. All you need is a computer and a modem. It does not suffer from propagation woes, it is faster than PACTOR, and is growing rapidly. Connections are common and cheap -or- even free! And no ham license is required.

Internet is a service and Amateur Radio is a hobby. The more we use Internet to make contacts, join news groups, use mail reflectors, exchange messages, or even to work DXCC on 14.4 Khz, then the more Internet becomes the hobby and Ham Radio becomes a memory.

Richard Rogers, N1URO, calls Internet "the 11 meters of computing" and cites a lack of discipline. Internet is not a mode, it is a medium, a conduit. It is a tool that I believe should be used by us to attract people into Ham Radio and not the other way around !

The second obstacle is ourselves. I write about PACTOR and think it is the best HF digital mode ever created for Hams. I would take my hat off the inventors at SCS, if I were wearing one.

But just because someone enjoys PACTOR, it doesn't mean they oppose other digital modes. We can respectfully make honest comparisons, however there is a fine line between offering ones views and assailing people with an opposing view. Some PACTOR aficionados are accused of leading a campaign of flame throwing and mode bashing. One nasty message fosters another and, as noted by Neal, ON9CNC, this leads to a "mine - is - better - than - yours" polarization in our digital community.

Those operating CLOVER are not our opponents. Neither are users of GTOR, RTTY, OR CW. They are our colleagues.

Yet we have problems communicating with them. Our non-PACTOR friends fear we are attacking their honestly held beliefs and thus we are all reluctant to interact with each other.

Someone once said, "the hardware makes the mode" while another author recently wrote, "it's the software, stupid." In reality we know a good system requires both hardware and software be designed to support each other. Likewise each of us has his own preferences, but for our common survival we must support our 'digital brothers' even if we don't always agree with them.

The time has come for columnists, manufacturers, software makers, and users to stop 'flailing' one another with derogatory messages -or- fostering descention with inflammatory editorials. Can we start by 'linking' together to adopt one uniform, binary file transfer protocol for PACTOR? Of course we can, if we choose to do so. We must work jointly to solve problems confronting our hobby!

All digital operators must collaborate to preserve amateur radio. Toward that end, when was the last time we had a non-ham our shacks? How much have we done in our communities to excite the curiosity of youngsters in the mystery of radio? Do we talk-up Ham Radio in a positive way? We must indulge in shameless self promotion if digital Amateur Radio is to survive.

We must forge good relationships with organizations that support us. To para-phrase Benjamin Franklin, "We must all hang together or we will all hang separately."

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: Let us extend the hand of friendship. After all, PACTOR means 'mediator' in Latin. Let us lead the way by meeting, exchanging ideas, and interfacing constructively with each other. That is the purpose I see for PACTOR NEWS and for our future. Our pages are open to all digital hams, not only PACTOR users. If anyone wants to submit a regular column or share their views, they are welcome.. and this includes CLOVER, CW, GTOR, AND RTTY. Our door is open for any HF digital dialog ! If you don't believe that, just send copy !

Here is our challenge: Ten years from now Internet will still be around, but will PACTOR and will Amateur Radio? That's our choice. Let us choose wisely!