[CQ-Contest] RE: QSL/LOTW

[Pete Smith]

At 09:50 PM 8/7/03 +0000, N7MAL wrote:
>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, I have to disagree with you on this.  The current Beta test is not a 
fair measure of the response.  I'm sure that many people only submitted a 
small sampling of their data, just to try the process.  The fact that all 
data will have to be re-entered when the system goes "live" was a 
disincentive to do much more, or, for many people, to do anything at all.

I would say at least 60-70 percent of the hams I work during non-contest 
periods these days, both in the US and abroad, are using computer 
logging.  I don't know that any degree of further "integration" is required 
for LotW to work.  What IS required, IMO, is for other major award sponsors 
to begin accepting LotW confirmations, but it isn't realistic to expect 
that until live operation begins.

Speaking of which, that was supposed to be happening soon.  Anyone know of 
a schedule announcement?


73, Pete N4ZR
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