Re: [IRCA] A new list...

[Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Barry McLarnon said:

>I'd rather see fewer lists rather than more - ideally, just two that focus
>on AM DX: one for tips, and one for discussions of anything that is
>relevant to AM DXing.  We do have the DXTIP list, which works quite
>nicely, but unfortunately, many AM DXers don't use it.  You would think
>that we could all agree on one list purely for tips, but the participation
>rate doesn't seem to be what it could be.  The NRC AM list has been the
>closest thing to a general list for discussions of all things relevant to
>AM DX, but it is now a lame duck and will be going away.  The IRCA list
>seemed to be the logical successor, but it seems that the club doesn't
>want it to take on that role.

I don't disagree with Barry in principle. I've been bothered by the 
explosion of new lists in the last few months, and I thought long and hard 
about whether there was really a good reason to add to the fray with yet 
another one.

It seems to me that there is indeed justification for at least three 
categories of lists in an ideal world. I'd like to see more people on 
DXTIP, too, but it at least has a very clear purpose to it - immediate 
propagation of "breaking" DX alerts.

A second category of lists seems to be what the IRCA list's moderators want 
it to be - discussion that's limited pretty tightly to DX'ing itself, 
without straying very much into the "how" and "why" and "what next" 
discussions, which brings us to Barry's next point.

>To avoid discussion of IBOC on an AM DX list is, frankly, bizarre.  Whether
>you are an active DXer or just a casual listener, IBOC should be of the
>utmost concern to you.  It represents a sea change in radio broadcasting,
>and you need to keep informed about it.  Moreover, AM IBOC in particular
>is on the bubble right now.  There is an increasing realization on the
>part of broadcasters, not to mention the FCC, that the interference
>problems, and their impact on analog AM operations, may be much more than
>they bargained for.  There are rumblings in the industry that maybe it's
>time to take a step back and look at other alternatives.  Listeners can
>and should be a part of this process, by letting stations being interfered
>with know how their service is being impacted.  Most listeners won't have
>much clue as to what is going on, but DXers are more technically
>knowledgeable, and they are networked - that's where the mailing lists
>come in.

I agree completely with Barry on these points, which is why I've never 
shied away from discussing them. But the fact is, for whatever reason, that 
there exists a fairly substantial number of DXers who just don't want to 
hear about these issues. For the moment, for many of us, it remains 
possible to DX with very little impact from IBOC, and my sense is that some 
in the DX community would prefer to just keep on doing what they're doing 
as long as it remains possible, which may well be a few years yet.

While I don't necessarily agree with that point of view, I respect the fact 
that it's widely held. Lynn and Patrick and the IRCA list graciously 
accepted a flood of new participants after the almost-shutdown of the NRC 
list a few months ago, and I'm grateful enough for their hospitality on 
that list that I'm more than happy to try to help them make it function the 
way they see fit - as a list devoted to discussion of, shall we say, 
"traditional" DX topics.

If that creates a hole for a third category of list to discuss broader 
DX-related topics like IBOC and LPAM and such, at least we now have a home 
for such discussion. It's my hope that the new "RTT" list will end up with 
participation that goes beyond the traditional DX community. Especially now 
that it's hosted on Barry Mishkind's radiolists.net, which is also home to 
several high-quality lists for the radio engineering community, I'm going 
to try to get more broadcasters to come over and take part in the 
conversation as well. The more dialogue, the better, and as moderator, my 
goal is to keep that dialogue going with as little personal rancor and 
venom as possible. I may be deluding myself. We'll see.

It's an experiment, and I make no bones about that. If there's not the 
desire for it that I think there is, it'll go away quietly and without any 
shedding of tears on my end. If it succeeds and proves to be of value, 
that's great, too.

So far, signups have been fairly brisk, especially on a holiday weekend 
when many of us probably have better things to do than sit in front of a 
computer. We'll see what happens.

>Since I don't expect either club will change its stance, I guess we have
>little choice but to give the new list a chance, and see what happens.

I certainly hope you'll be part of the conversation, Barry - I value your 
contributions to the dialogue (both in DX forums and in Radio Guide 
magazine) immensely!

And a reminder for anyone else interested in joining the new list - 
disregard the initial Yahoo! Groups information, and sign up instead by 
sending e-mail to rtt-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Or don't.)

This will, I hope, be the last such cross-posted message - now that we're 
starting to build a critical mass of subscribers at RTT, I'd very much like 
to continue the discussion over there!

s

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