[CQ-Contest] Growing New Contesters with LOTW - suddenly it's

[doug smith]

On 5/28/08, Neal Campbell <nealk3nc at gmail.com> wrote:
> Some logging programs can import your certificate and do the
> signing/encryption for you but why do we need that? Once you have a
> cert, couldn't a java applet be used when you do a log submission to
> sign/encryypt for you instead of having to run the separate program,
> enter the dates, etc.? This would remove the most constant PKI action
> from users (so users would have to go thru the pain of obtaining a
> cert but after that it just appears as a upload).

I think this is an excellent idea.

Another possibility would be to incorporate the signing procedure (and
even the upload-to-ARRL feature) within contesting software.  You
click "File", "Upload Log" and it emails a Cabrillo file to the
contest sponsor and a signed .tq8 file to LotW.  Once you have your
certificate there are no further clicks/keystrokes necessary.

A minor rewrite to tQSL, to get it to assume your answers to various
questions are unchanged unless you tell it otherwise, and to
incorporate an "email to LotW" function, would bring it most of the
way there.  You'd have to run tQSL separately and select your Cabrillo
file, but it would take it from there.

> The second idea is to eliminate the "expired" cert problem. Isn't
> there someway that either ARRL could send you the "postcard" password
> via email if they can verify that you did in fact have a previous
> cert?

Just something to email you a reminder a week or two before expiration
would be handy.  Or again, in a minor change to tQSL, have it at
launch prominently display "Your certificate will expire in 27 days.
Click here to renew.".

I think the League's concern about security in LotW stems largely from
the difficulty in clearing things up if something *does* happen.  The
chances of something happening are tiny but the amount of trouble
clearing it up if it does happen is potentially enormous.

==
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN  EM66
http://www.w9wi.com