[CQ-Contest] RE: QSL/LOTW

[N7MAL]

Ed  N1UR  said: """"Its funny that this discussion is happening on the eve before the buro becomes almost obsolete..."""""

I don't think LOTW will be any more effective than the present QSL system. I've participated in the open beta test and the results are less than stellar. I submitted DXCC CW & Phone on 4 bands and to date don't even have DXCC Mixed confirmed on LOTW. The results are similar for WAS. I have several hundred QSO matches but not enough for any award except WAC.
There have some informal studies about computer use in ham radio and they all come out the same. Except for a small select group, 'contesters', there are very few stations totally integrated with a computer. I looked at my local community, because I think it's fairly representative of Amateur Radio in the US. and here's what I found: there are @125 licensed hams, 2 are full-time contest stations and fully integrated w/computers. There are 2 part-time contesters and are not integrated w/computers. There are 2 integrated stations who are not  contesters. There are @10 who do any computer logging and of those 10, 5 would have cardiac arrest trying to figure out how to make a submission to LOTW.
Then, of course, there is the confusion caused by eQSL. There is a small faction, but a noisy one, who believe eQSL is the future of QSLing.
The bottom line is don't expect any better results from LOTW than the present system until the overall ham community catches up to us in the contesting community......





MAL                N7MAL
BULLHEAD CITY, AZ
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