[CQ-Contest] The Story of Online QSLs

[rjairam at gmail.com]

The problem I’ve had with eqsl is that they don’t do double blind matching.
You still have the option to accept a bogus eqsl, even authenticity
guaranteed. Yes, I do realize the same can be done with printed cards but
it’s fairly obvious if you received a QSL for Italy on 2 meters FM simplex
(unless you’re in Italy or nearby or orbiting the Earth) that it is bogus
and any card checker worth their salt would throw it in the reject pile. I
have one such eqsl in my inbox, as proof of what can be done.

Multiple locations are also handled poorly. In LoTW I just sign with a new
location. With eqsl I need to set up a new account and I can’t enter QSOs
both locations on the same day.

What I do like are real-time uploads, something I’m hoping will come in a
future LoTW version.

73
Ria, N2RJ


On Mon, Dec 23, 2019 at 8:41 AM K3TN via CQ-Contest <
cq-contest at contesting.com> wrote:

> There is a lower security alternative to LotW - eQSL. The only real
> difference in complexity is skipping the step involving a digital
> certificate, but eQSL has all kinds of awards for those who feel LotW is
> too complex or overly secure. As others have pointed out, there really
> isn't that much difference anymore, for anyone who has modernized logging
> along with QSLing.
>
> We've seen lots of cheating in DXing over the years, just as we've seen it
> in contesting. Contest sponsors have had to take many steps to make it
> harder to cheat. Personally, I'm glad the ARRL started out by making it a
> bit harder for cheating to occur in DXCC awards..
> Of course, I've worked in Internet security for many years, I have a bias
> towards building security into online systems!  Imagine if Windows had
> built security in back in the early 80s, or the Internet protocols in the
> 1990s. I would have been out of a job, but probably would still be using
> the same credit card number safely from 1995...
> 73 John K3TN
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>