Topband: LOTW

[Herb Schoenbohm]

Jim,

LOTW cost less than mailing cards and SASE's plus green stamps 
especially when 20 per cent never arrive at theor destination.  Where 
LOTW has its drawbacks is the nickle and dime charges for multiple 
bands.  I always upload LOTW exports after major contests but for those 
who want a beautiful tropical card of the island (New one just received 
from UX5UO) there is always the post office.  Foreign cards cost $1.02 
cent to mail so sending a single green stamp is not going to save me 
anything.

One thing I wish that LOTW would do is somehow beome part of the Dx 
Branch.  At times they don't seem to communicate on DXCC issues.  like I 
lost all my cards for 160 DXCC in Hurricane Hugo and would like 160 
meter credit for those confirmed contacts.  They refuse to provide me 
the records or even transfer the credits to LOTW like they have done for 
DXCC.  I am willing to even pay them for a copy of the 160 meter DXCC 
credit listing of 30 years ago, but no deal.  The stock answer "if we do 
it for you we will have to do it for others."  Why should they care if I 
am willing to pay for the work,  Again between the LOTW crew and the 
DXCC "Desk"  there seems to be a communication gap.  Also the older 
paper records for DXCC although giving you credit for mixed and phone, 
do not let you have credit for any particular band, not let you know who 
you worked in that rare country so you can try to get another card to 
replace the one you lost.

LOTW is a big help in getting confirmation that otherwise might be 
problematic and expensive...but it needs in finding a way for the DXCC 
branch to be more reasonable for those who have lost QSL's card and need 
the credit on another band.

73 Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
6 Band DXCC #1 but today I can't even prove it except that I got the 5 
bands and the 6th (160) before the others.  But this won't even get me a 
free Bloody Mary at the bar in Visallia!






On 2/17/2012 1:16 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> It's simple why some don't use LOTH it's called $ $ $ $
> What are you possibly talking about?  LOTW is FREE for all users. So is
> logging software that makes is very easy to use.  I use DXKeeper for my
> main log, which uploads to LOTW and eQSL at the push of a couple of
> buttons. DXKeeper is free and easy to use.  After a contest, you can
> export your contest log from your contest logger to DXKeeper, and let
> DXKeeper send it to LOTW and eQSL. Or, you can have the LOTW program
> sign an ADIF from your logging program and send that to LOTW attached to
> an email. Either method is very easy, and FREE.
>
> The only possible cost for anyone with an internet connection is the
> postage for a single letter to ARRL to get signed up if you're outside
> the US. That's the cost of a single QSL send  through the mail. And even
> without an internet connection, you can generate the LOTW file once a
> year, burn it to a CD, and mail that to ARRL. That's no more than the
> cost of mailing two or three cards to the US, and it can be your entire
> log for as many years as you have in your logging program!
>
> So $ $ $ $  is no excuse for not using LOTW.  Indeed, $  $  $  $ is one
> of the best reasons for using LOTW. The other great reason is TIME --
> the time it takes to send QSLs.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
> _______________________________________________
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