Topband: Simplified LOTW instructions in response to many requests

[Jeff]

Thanks to W4TV, N6RK and N0FP for their info and encouragement to others on
using the LoTW system.  I've been using it for just over one year now and
find the gratification of almost instant qsls very addictive.  I've only
been using computer logging about ten minutes longer than the LoTW, so
almost all of my mistakes have been with me using the logging programs and
not with LoTW. Copying info from paper logs into a computer log is tedious
so be careful of typos. A huge advantage of the LoTW system is that it is a
secondary repository of your qso information should you loose a computer or
hard drive like I did last November. I lost the information for everything I
worked in my general operating log that month and it was a good month for
DX. The one piece of advice I'd like to offer is to upload often.  If you
make ten qso each day, at the end of the day upload them into LoTW through
the website. It takes just a few minutes, it saves your qso information on
the ARRL server in case your computer crashes, it gets you used to using the
system in small increments and practice makes perfect, right? I upload my
contest logs right after the contest is over to protect that information
from such a crash. Another thing you might encounter is trying to come up
with a new file name for each upload. When I uploaded monthly, I would use
the month and year, like 11-2006. I now use the exact date, like 2006-04-01
for each file I save. You could also just use the same name each time and
delete it after uploading. My laptop died Nov. 28 and with it went the
information of who, when and what frequency for over 100 DX qsos. LoTW isn't
just for awards, it's data insurance.

73 de W7JW