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

[Peter Hobbs]

Hi all,

A good mix of opinions here, so let me add mine!  I am amazed that anyone could contemplate penalising or excluding an entrant to RSGB contests who doesn't happen to subscribe to another quite unrelated activity - PC operation.  As for "bone idle", let me tell you that anyone operating competitively in a 48 or even 24 hour event using key and paper is anything but.  In fact, I would put the point the other way around, having tried both ways.  Apart from those out to win at any cost, a lot of main stream entrants operate these events in order to keep in touch with old mates, the unique remark being something hard to intersperse in the exchanges forced on you by the so-called contest programmes.  As for ROPOCO, Clive this event is tailor made for the manual operator; even I can just about remember 60 or 70 calls together.  

And just to show that I do care about all those keying-in volunteers, let me throw this idea over the transom.  Getting to grips with carefully formatted data files is not everyone's cup of tea, but most people will have access to a type-writer, or even be able to write a text file (yes, Robert's suggestion of standardising on CSV format is a good one).  Such possibilities must exist in most attics, in fact the local boot sale here in Pease Pottage is a good source of electronic WP machines for a fiver or less.  Modern OCR (especially the latest Russian offerings) will convert any text or tabular page into CSV, Word or Excel, rapidly and accurately, so let me make this offer to hard-pressed adjudicators.  Mail me your typed paper logs (originals please, not photocopies), for return by email in your choice of the above formats.  Allow 2 working weeks (any quantity).  This is not as daft as it may sound; we process voluminous public tender documents from all over the world most weeks and render them soft to facilitate the response.  Why not make use of a free resource?

Regards to all

Peter G3LET (QTHR)


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