[CQ-Contest] Log checking and deadlines

[Jim Smith]

Hi Tree,

My name is Jim and I'm a chronic barely-make-the-deadline guy in most 
things.

Chorus - "Hi Jim"

However, I usually don't post my score to 3830 until the same time I 
submit the log.

Why am I such a last minute Charlie?

Chorus - "Tell us all about it Jim"

Well, after the contest I make an entry in my Daytimer program's to-do 
list to write the story if I'm going to, submit the log and post to 
3830.  In the task heading I include the submission deadline date.

So, every day I look at the to-do list and ask myself, "What do I have 
to do right now?"  Because I seem to always try to do more than is 
possible for me, it's never the log submission until it come close to 
the dreadline date.  Sometimes I've missed it due to inattention and 
have thrown myself on the mercy of the sponsor.  Other times I missed it 
and didn't notice until far too late to expect any kind of clemency.

However, I don't do any log massaging as I believe it to be beneath me. 
  I do my best in the contest and send in whatever I logged, even when 
sometimes I come to know that I miscopied a call and what the call 
should have been.  BY1V comes to mind.  (I'm still waiting for the card. 
  Tree, do you know if I'll ever be able to look at the log to see if 
I'm in it?)

In an NAQP a few years ago I forgot it wasn't sponsored by ARRL and ran 
LP with 150W.  In a 3830 soapbox comment someone said that some of the 
sigs sounded like a lot more than 100W.  Oops - I looked up the rules 
and, sure enough, I'd screwed up.  I informed the sponsor to change my 
entry to a check log and the certificate went to someone else.  Didn't 
bother me at all - it wasn't mine anyway.

I suppose one could suggest that the real reason that I don't do any log 
massage is that I realize that I'm such a procrastinator I'd never get 
the log in at all if I waited until I'd done all that extra work.

One thing I didn't realize until now is that the log checking starts 
before the log deadline and that I'm actually inconveniencing the log 
checkers by not being prompt.  I have a lot of respect and admiration 
for our unsung heroes and certainly don't want to make their job more 
difficult.

So, I'll try to reverse this behaviour of mine.

Chorus - "Way to go Jim"

73, the late Jim   err... the tardy Jim	   VE7FO


Tree wrote:
> One of the frustrating things I have experienced working as a log checker
> for a number of contests is how late some of the competitive logs are
> submitted.
> 
> There are always some logs - and typically that are from the same guys -
> that show up very close to the end of the log checking deadline.  Of
> course, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to name names...  but they know
> who they are.  
> 
> Why are these logs always submitted four weeks after the contest (or even
> longer)?  Most of these people put their score up on 3830 (although some of
> them don't even do that - thinking that secrecy is a big deal).  
> 
> There is no doubt that some of these people are taking time to cleanse their
> log - perhaps checking callsigns against some database - making sure their
> received exchanges match the 3830 postings - checking the call book - who
> knows what else....  this is NOT contesting.  This is something else that
> happens after the contest.  
> 
> It just doesn't seem fair when the majority of the serious competitors 
> submit their logs the day after the contest - and a small number of people
> feel it is necessary to send theirs in the day before the deadline.  
> 
> I will always have more respect for those guys who send in their log without
> delay.  For the CQ 160 CW contest - I have about 1400 logs already and a
> significant portion of the log checking activities have already started.  
> Forty percent of my log is being cross checked now.
> 
> I propose that the log submission date be something that gets posted along
> with the top scores.  Again, sunshine is the best disinfectant.  Also, maybe
> shorter log deadlines would help - although I hate to be punishing those
> who have legitimate reasons for submitting later.  
> 
> BTW - whenever I have a small decision to make that might somehow give an
> advantage to logs submitted early - and the answer cold go either way, I 
> always bias my decision towards that direction.  
> 
> 73 Tree N6TR
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