[UK-CONTEST] Paper Logs/Time to Stop!

[Peter Bowyer]

Ian G3SEK wrote:
> Nigel Cawthorne wrote:
> >
> >It's a nonense that adjudicators should have to type in logs for those
> >too bone idle to provide logs in a suitable format. OK if we lose a few
> >entries, so what.
> >
> Because the entries you lose will be overwhelmingly from beginners.

And from a significant number of regular entrants. It's an insult to brand
them 'bone idle', they're just not interested in learning PC skills just to
enter a contest.

Contesting is about doing stuff on the radio, not about learning IT skills
and investing time and money in unrelated bits of equipment. The CCs quite
correctly encourage electronic entries because they are (usually) easier to
process *, but also quite rightly don't impose the use of a computer as an
entry requirement.

In the case of VHFCC, most entries arrive electronically and have done for
many years now. But the percentage of logs received vs stations active in
both jurisdictions is low enough already without further discouragement by
insisting on electronic submissions. The downside is that manual logs have
to be entered by volunteers - that's a price we should be grateful that the
CCs are willing to pay.

Peter G4MJS

* Thanks to the good work by G4ZFE (HF) and G0GJV (VHF) in producing
software that understands all the potential variations in entry formats.