At 05:41 PM 4/12/2003 -0400, Ev Tupis (W2EV) wrote:
>Tom Carney wrote:
>>
>> I believe Ev was proposing we search the logs of the top 10 stations for
>> people who did not submit logs. We would then contact those stations to
>> determine why they did not submit logs. (Did I get that right Ev?) I think
>> this is an excellent idea and am willing to help.
>
>Yes, Tom. You've got it. This can't be difficult to do (identifying who
>participated but didn't submit). The tough part is reaching them to ask them
>why. If done with tact, there's no reason in the world they shouldn't tell us.
Sounds like it might be useful information to have. Rather than making it into
a research project that no one has the time to do, a simpler (do-it-now)
solution might for each person on the reflector to look at their own logs and
compare it with the results in QST for the last VHF/UHF contest. Contact the
people in your local area that you worked and who did not send in logs.
I suspect there will be a pretty good variety of reasons for not sending in
logs (no time, problems with file format, never forgave ARRL for XXX, my score
was too small, etc). See what you can do to encourage them to get on more, to
send in a log, etc. Of course, it isn't the number of logs that matters
the most - it is the number of participants, that's the real goal. Everyone
has more fun when there are more people to work!
There is an ARRL Membership Services Committee effort going on to seriously
review VHF/UHF contests and see what might be done to encourage more activity.
It started with a survey last October to gather some preliminary comments and
ideas. The group was expanded several weeks ago and is hard at work tossing
ideas around - and most are also QRV on this reflector and I'm sure quite
appreciative of the comments. Those on the sub-committee are K1JX K2UA W3ZZ
W5ZN AA7A N7NG/1 KM0T N0AX/7 and me[chair] (along with N1ND who runs the
contest program in Newington).
Some comments on previous messages:
There is no long term data on ARRL contests (HF or V/UHF) except what is in the
published articles. The process has been to hold onto the logs until the next
year's contest and then toss them. I suspect that has changed a little in the
last year or two as the majority of logs have come in electronically but there
really is no long term data that can be extracted.
A recent message asked about VHF contest logs and the soon to be released
Logbook of the World. It won't happen initially. You'll be able to take
your Cabrillo output contest file and run it through a utility program to
create the format necessary for LOTW. Some contest software writers will
probably incorporate that utility within their programs. A log will not
automatically be added to LOTW, each individual will have to decide to submit
the data to LOTW. LOTW will track grids and will be able to handle QSOs for
VHF awards like VUCC.
-- Tom
=====
e-mail: k1ki@arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444
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