[Avodah] A Question About Davening Vo'Sikin

[Prof. Levine]

I have from time to time davened with Vo'Sikin minyanim where the 
attempt was made to start Shemoneh Esrei precisely at Netz. However, 
it seems to me that this is not what davening Vo'Sikin could have 
meant in the past, before we had all of these technological devices 
to determine sunrise. Before them, the only way to determine netz was 
to observe it. However, to see it is to miss it when it comes to 
davening SE. Hence, it seems to me that davening Vo'Sikin should mean 
davening Shema (Shemang for Sephardi readers) before sunrise and SE 
after sunrise.

All of this is based only on my thoughts. Anyone care to enlighten me 
on this issue?

Yitzchok Levine