[CQ-Contest] On Line QSL

[Carl Brockman]

Guys,
I read with interest all the criticisms of e-Qsl. All the comments about double blind being needed are baloney. It’s not the 2 m fm Qsl with an I4 that’s a problem, but the false paper Qsl’s with really good DX that are a problem. This is especially true today with FT 8 contacts. Some really rare low power DX stations have sent paper Qsl’s for contacts that aren’t in my log. Granted, LOTW prevents that, but people can take credit for paper Qsl’s. 
E-Qsl isn’t double blind, but you are supposed to accept or reject each Qsl. So, it’s the honor system, just like with paper Qsl’s. E-Qsl is indeed sloppy with multiple locations. Some awards listings show the same call six or seven times, but the users want each location to use all legitimate Qsl’s from all locations. Despite multiple complaints, e-Qsl has done nothing.
LOTW is not without some serious faults. If you make a mistake somehow with a log entry, there’s no way to fix it unless you enter a separate Qsl. I find I sometimes fail to change the FT8 band when I switch bands quickly, and some QSOs get entered on the wrong band till I catch it. 
I have about 400k QSOs entered into LOTW and some 45 percent of them are confirmed. I have the same number in e-Qsl entries but only about 25 percent confirmed. So LOTW is more popular, especially with dxpeditions.  Nevertheless, it’s nice to aggregate eqsls in a file and use them for a scrolling screen saver. They can also be used for the US County award and darc awards. I would just never spend the money for paper QSLs for either.
73, Larry N6AR

Sent from my iPhone