[CQ-Contest] Contest Logs and QSLs

[Pete Smith]

At 05:26 PM 12/10/97 -0000, Dick Dievendorff, K6KR wrote:
>How many QSLs per hour can the awards checkers handle if they have to go to a
>web site per contact?  I bet it's a lot slower than scanning through a big
pile
>of QSL cards.  ...

My assumption was that they would do the whole thing with technology ;^}
In other words, rather than do manual lookups at a web site, they would
take the list of QSOs that ham A was claiming from contest B, run it
against the database all at once, and credit anything where there was a
match.  I doubt this would be any more time-consuming than handling QSLs,
from intake through checking to return (since most of this happens by mail,
there's a lot of lost motion involved).

>
>I wouldn't want my claim to be rejected because the awards checkers couldn't
>access the database at the time I claimed my award.  I don't like the
money and
>time it takes to get the cards, but it's better than some of the
alternatives....
(snip)
>Many actually enjoy handling the paper and having a concrete confirmation
of the
>QSO. The QSL card is many things to many people.  To some, it's just a
document
>required for one award.  To others it's much more.  I'm sure none of the guys
>who ask for my card need USA on 20 meters for the ARRL DXCC program.  It
must be
>something else.
>
>I'm sure TF3IRA could provide an electronic log to the ARRL and CQ magazine.
>What if the other "century club" awards require different log formats?  ....

(snip)
>What you're trying to do is shift the burden onto the very few awards
checkers.
>I don't think this is as nifty as is advertised.

Dick, I think you're reading more into my proposal than I intended.  I
deliberately addressed *only* CQ and ARRL contests and awards.  I assume
that for other purposes, other sponsors, other awards, there will always be
a desire to continue paper QSLing.  In this respect, my idea isn't nearly
so ambitious as either SK0UX's or N0AX's of a year or so ago.  I do think,
however, that the two organizations could save themselves and the ham
community a lot of time and money if they can get together on this.

73,

Pete N4ZR

In Wild Wonderful, fairly rare WEST Virginia


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