[CQ-Contest] Logbook of the World as substitute for bureauQSLing

[K0HB]

I have uploaded all my surviving electronic logs (had a bad computer crash
in 1995, so logs from 1986-1994 have evaporated) to both LOTW and eQSL. 
Hey, it's free, so I'll do it so long as it stays that way.  

But electronic QSLing at my shack is not a substitute for anything.   I'm a
QSL card junkie --- have been since I SWL'd broadcast stations from the
cathedral style 6V Zenith radio back on the farm in the 40's.  I'd sooner
see a fat envelope of bureau cards in the mailbox than a copy ot the SI
swimsuit edition, and I expect to continue to be a valued customer of my
QSL card printer (http://www.fds-graphics.com) until they pry the Vibroplex
from my cold dead hands.  I'll continue to answer every card recieved, and
I'll continue my practice of 'pre-emptive' QSLing for whatever reason
happens to strike my fancy.  

And no, a paper card generated at LoTW or eQSL is NOT a real QSL.  Even
'manager generated' cards aren't a real QSL.  They're just paper
equivalents of the electronic bits in some database.  A real QSL was
touched by the person I had a chat with on the radio, a small tangible
piece of evidence of the magical fact that we had that chat.  

OBTW, here in Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario LOTW (or LoTW or LotW)
stands for Lake of the Woods.

73, de Hans, K0HB
--
 See my QSL at http://www.home.earthlink.net/~k0hb



> [Original Message]
> From: Bill Tippett <btippett at alum.mit.edu>
> To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Date: 11/20/03 3:16:37 AM
> Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Logbook of the World as substitute for
bureauQSLing
>
> W1EBI wrote:
>  >LoTW is a terrific solution for all those additional band/mode
> credits for DXCC Challenge.
>
>          It is also a wonderful solution for occasional "lost in the mail"
> problems.  This year I was sweating getting my ST0RY card for #310 on
> 160 to ARRL by September 30.  Despite being a major contributor, and
> apparently having 3 mailings lost from the manager, I was really happy
> when LoTW came online in September.
>
>          Just about 3 days after LoTW was official, of course QSL attempt
#3
> arrived, so I didn't have to resort to using it, but it sure was
> nice to know I could have if I had needed to (assuming the QSL manager
> could have gotten the documentation submitted before the deadline).
>
>                                                  73,  Bill  W4ZV
>
> P.S.  BTW...being a student of grammar, why isn't it LotW (not LoTW) as
> in Subject above and on ARRL's own webpage:  http://www.arrl.org/lotw/
>
>
>
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