Technology is evolving but many hams are now able to access larger ham radio stations remotely via an internet link (or in some cases, a microwave RF link). There is even a new service available called "Remote Ham Radio" (RHR) that allows you to purchase time on several superstations across the country.
I have mixed feelings about remote operations. As someone who is not able to have my own base station setup, I can easily see the attraction. However, I also find myself feeling like remote operations are, to some extent, "cheating" or not as "magical", because you can greatly improve your odds of a successful contact by simply accessing a better or more advantageously located superstation. In a similar way, digital voice modes that connect to internet-linked systems leave me feeling less satisfied.
I decided to give RHR a try. They provide you with 60 minutes free, and I already had part of the equipment necessary to establish a remote connection. A few years back I had acquired a RemoteRig box with the intent of linking my office to my home, but never finished the process. You can operate RHR with only a computer, but to make it more 'radio-like' you can also use a control head. I chose to use an Elecraft K3/0 Mini control head, because the stations on the other end of RHR all use the Elecraft K3 radios so it would be a nice connection. My thought was to test the system, see if I liked it, and then possibly use a K3 setup to establish my own remote station (I don't yet have a location, but I do have a few good leads and ideas about where I can set up a station in the local area).
So how does it work? Well I have used it to log into stations in California (primarily, as it's closest to my own QTH), and New York. It has been fun - but nowhere near the same feeling as making a contact from my own home. I've worked a few DX stations, and DXCC rules allow that as long as you are in the same country. But, I don't feel right about claiming them, especially if I worked someone from New York when I know that hams here in Arizona wouldn't be able to get through. So I don't plan to use RHR for long at all. But it has been an interesting experiment and I like the K3 solution. There is a very slight but annoying time lag (latency) which makes the 2-way exchange a bit awkward.
