[CQ-Contest] Logging question

[Oliver Dröse]

Jim,

> Back in the day when you and I were first licensed, we mailed QSLs as 
> postcards with 2 cent stamps. I sent you a card, you sent me one. We 
> each paid for our own stamp. A QSL was considered "the final courtesy 
> of a QSO."
>
> 60 years later, almost no one sends a card unless requesting one for 
> an award, and the guy who "needs" the card pays for postage both ways. 
> That's just short of a buck for a card within the US, and an average 
> of $3.50 for a DX card.

Com'on, then use the ARRL bureau and DX cards will cost you next to 
nothing! We have a superb QSL bureau system in most of this world's 
countries ... Yes, it will not work for all DX and yes it depends on 
your ARRL membership, not a bad thing.

But anyway, you said in an earlier mail you won't QSL if the contact is 
not on LotW. So what do you do if somebody sends you a card including 
return postage and you don't find him on LotW? Through away his card and 
keep his money? Is that your definition of "final courtesy"? ;-)

> A German ham wrote privately to me that
>
>> argument against LotW is its requirement to send hardcopies of 
>> realworld personal documents for foreign stations 
>
> That is NOT true.  Here's a quote from the ARRL FAQ:
>
> "Authentication for non-U.S. calls relies on photocopies of a radio 
> license and an official identification document." <snip>
>
> That sounds pretty simple to me -- the DX station applies online, then 
> mails photocopies of his license and some official identification 
> document.

Ehm, you just confirmed it *IS* true, Jim. ;-) Although I was not the 
German guy writing to you privately I can confirm it, been there done 
that myself. But maybe we just have different views about what consitute 
a "real world personal document" ... after all we should not forget this 
is just a hobby. ;-)

73 & cuagn in the next contest(s),
Olli - DH8BQA
http://www.dh8bqa.de