No Subject

[Clifford Buttschardt <cbuttsch@xxxxxxxxxx>]

This is Paul's reply to my question regarding his thoughts on the newer
SETI discovery.  I am posting for him.  Cliff K7RR


> 
> No, Cliff, I'm not on the AMSAT BBS.  Please post the following for me:
> 
> You may by now have seen claims in the press on 28 October 1998, about a
> signal from EQ Peg, allegedly received by an amateur in England.  The
> nonprofit, membership-supported SETI League has been
> analyzing this claim since October 23rd.  None of our 63 active stations
> around the world has been able to confirm it.  The signals were reported
> anonymously in a message hacked into a *closed* signal verification email
> list.  Subsequently, the hacker went to BBC, which broke the story.  The
> perpetrator asserts that he/she is NOT a SETI League member, which is scant
> consolation to us.
> 	The "signal" has been thoroughly discredited by a host of radio
> astronomers, amateur and professional, who have analyzed the GIFs posted to
> the Internet.  The person who reported the alleged signals has violated
> every principle of responsible science.  He has NOT followed the carefully
> crafted SETI League signal detection protocols to which all of our
> participating stations are signatory (see
> <http://www.setileague.org/general/detect.htm>.  He has NOT adhered to
> international policies regarding signal verification (see
> <http://www.setileague.org/general/protocol.htm>).  He has NOT identified
> himself, and NOT answered emails from our volunteer Regional Coordinator in
> England, making any meaningful follow-up impossible.  And he has NOT waited
> for backup analysis before announcing his "find" to the press.  If this is
> not a blatant hoax, it is the worst kind of irresponsible science (the kind
> which gives The SETI League, and all credible scientific endeavours, a bad
> name).
> 	Anonymity and scientific integrety are mutually exclusive.  A responsible
> scientist, amateur or professional, owns his mistakes as well as his
> accomplishments.  Unfortunately the media sometimes fails to make that
> distinction.
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D.    Executive Director, The SETI League, Inc.
> 433 Liberty Street, PO Box 555, Little Ferry NJ 07643 USA
> voice (201) 641-1770;  fax (201) 641-1771; URL http://www.setileague.org/
> email work: n6tx@setileague.org;  home: drseti@usa.net
> 
> "We Know We're Not Alone!"
> 



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