[CQ-Contest] L.O.T.W.

[W2RU - Bud Hippisley]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ted Bryant
> 
> Normally I stay out of these topics but there is an irony 
> here that I just cannot pass up.  On another reflector there 
> is a huge discussion raging about the "dumbing down" of our 
> hobby. Here, I find people moaning and groaning about the 
> "complexity" of setting up an LotW account. Sheesh!!

I, too, was going to stay out of this one, but I have to reply.  I'm a
degreed engineer with substantial industrial electronic equipment design and
manufacturing experience, and the comments I'm seeing from people defending
the LOTW entry system and criticizing the rest of us remind me of numerous
engineers I've met over the years who insist "their design is right and the
customer is wrong".  They've forgotten that if there were no satisfied
customers, there'd be no need for their design.

When I see comments about the unnecessary complexity of LOTW from W2 (me) to
UA9 (CDC), I have to believe there's something wrong with it.  "Where
there's smoke, there's fire."  

I think the basic problem is that many of us do the LOTW upload
infrequently, so it's not a process we commit to memory.  And since it's
different from any other "secure" log-in we do in our daily lives, we're not
likely to _ever_ commit it to memory.  

Sure it's learnable.  But why do we _need_ to?  What's the sin in making it
easier for the infrequent user to upload log files?  I think the arguments
that have been presented against the existing procedure are valid ones, and
should be treated seriously by ARRL.

In response to a new contester's request for info on good contest radios,
I've seen contest jocks dump all over the TS-950SDX because of the supposed
complexity of its dual receive capabilities.  Well, I have two of them here,
and I initially learned how to quickly switch to dual-RX mode by printing
the steps on a 3x5 file card that I kept on top of the rig.  I don't need
that card now but that's because I use these rigs in dual-RX mode many times
each day while chasing DX.

So, clearly, one solution to the LOTW process might be to encourage all of
us to upload ADIF files to the LOTW site many times each day. (!!!)
Another, more practical solution, might be a web page that walks us through
the "TQ" process step by step whenever we need to do an upload.  Then all we
have to do is bookmark the site in our favorite browser or go to
www.arrl.org and let the hand-holding system do the rest.  That has the
added advantage of giving the software guys something productive to do,
instead of criticizing those of us who don't design encryption technology
each day.  The third solution, of course, is simply redesign the user
interface to resemble other secure systems that we're already familiar with.

We only are given a certain amount of time on this earth.  Having to
re-remember how to do the LOTW upload is one of the dumbest ways to use that
time I can think of.

Bud, W2RU