[CQ-Contest] Deadlines, log checking, and paper logs

[David L. Thompson]

I can't speak for any contest but the CQ 160 Contests.  Shortening the
deadline makes sense
if and only if the following occurs:
      All logs are submitted electronically and are in PROPER cabrillo
format.

For the 2002 CQ 160 Contests I have received 438 SSB logs and 889 CW Logs
plus check logs
plus check logs.  Lets look at the facts!   46 Paper logs were received on
SSB and 77 on CW
Most were small logs but several on both modes were significant.   There
were 40 old format electronic logs received on SSB and 89 on CW.  Of these
all but 5 were e-mailed.   Of the rest supposedly cabrillo I find that 1 out
of 5 do not check as cabrillo and have to be converted before
running through the crass check/log check programs.  On top of this I
noticed that 18 on SSB and 31 on CW were lacking cabrillo elements as I
logged them in.  We are now up to a significant number of logs in both
modes.

Here are some of the problems:

1.    The name of the contest in the cabrillo summary are wrong.  There is
an official name for most contests and for me its either CQ-160-CW or
CQ-160-SSB.  Anything else and its not cabrillo.
2.    The category has fields missing or out of order.
3.    The fields in the log portion are out of order or run together.  If
the mode and date are run together the log checker tells me mode and or date
is not identified.  I then put the log aside until I can put it in Wordpad
and edit it to get correct fields.

I suggest that every contestant should look at the log and if you are not
sure the cabrillo is correct then run it through one of several cabrillo
converter programs.  I do find that CT, TR, and Writelog (recent versions)
do produce good cabrillo.

I just finished the SSB logs except for three problem logs and it took a
full two weeks working several hours a day.  With 100% cabrillo I could have
checked the logs in a day and 70% of that is set up!. I now face a month of
grinding through the CW logs.  Get the log in proper format and the programs
will do the rest!

I am sure the CQ WW, WPX, and ARRL contests must face these problems.

73 Dave K4JRB