Topband: Looking for a few Last states on 160m

[Jim Brown]

On 1/24/2012 5:08 AM, Jorge Diez - CX6VM wrote:
> I have 49 confirmed in LOTW on 160 mts. I want Utah confirmed in LOTW
> because it´s easy for me to get WAS without shipping QSL´s that maybe will be lost.

This is a major consideration for me too. When I see cluster spots for a 
country or state that I need, I am far more likely to respond to a 
station that uses LOTW.  I'm still waiting five years for a paper card 
from New Caledonia.

As old timers in ham radio, we were :"early adopters" of new 
technologies in our youth. Why should we not continue that as we age?  I 
certainly have tried to do so. At age 40, I started getting seriously 
involved with learning computers, and using them in my business. To do 
that, I had to learn operating systems, networking, and at least a dozen 
software programs.. At age 40-45, I was also learning new FFT-based 
audio measurement systems, and studying acoustics. At age 62, I started 
computer logging, and two years later, signed up with LOTW, and started 
using PSK and RTTY.  Around that time, I also began what became an 
extensive study of RFI, as well as the nature and use of ferrite chokes 
to address it. Around age 68, I began pushing myself to learn SO2R 
contesting, which brought on more new stuff to learn, and further 
exercise of my brain.

As the old saying goes, "use it or lose it."  LOTW and eQSL are easy to 
learn to use, especially if you use decent logging software.  Mailing 
and handling paper QSLs gets more expensive all the time, and I see more 
and more posts from stations complaining about green stamps being stolen 
from their mail (or even the mail itself disappearing). LOTW and eQSL 
are the obvious solution. In the past two days, I've worked VP6T on six 
bands so far. All but the last (160M) were already confirmed on LOTW by 
the time I worked them on 160 last night.  AA7JV set the standard for 
that with his most recent trips, and several DX trips have followed his 
lead.

73, Jim K9YC