[VHFcontesting] LoTW Uploads (was Logging Rovers vs the log checking robots)

[kc7qy at att.net]

Bill,
Glad to see getting your logs up on LoTW, wish more people would.
I've noted a lot of QRZ pages where Ops say they are on LoTW but I never get a confirmation. I suspect they either have given up on LoTW or only upload their HF or contest logs. It becomes frustrating dealing with getting new grids confirmed when you think a confirmation might be coming via LoTW. 
So, I'll make a suggestion to everyone here that if your QRZ page says you use LoTW, please use it. If you aren't using it or only for certain logs just say so and we can chase paper QSLs the old fashioned way. If you upload as /R you might include that information as well. Jim KC7QYSocorro, NM DM64

 
      From: Bill Schwantes <bill4070 at gmail.com>
 To: vhfcontesting at contesting.com 
 Sent: Friday, January 6, 2017 9:45 AM
 Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Logging Rovers vs the log checking robots
   
To Rovers who use LoTW,

As part of a New Years resolution I dug into my contest logs intending to
upload them to LoTW.  Much of my log info is on N1MM+ or RoverLog and most
of my contacts were made while I was roving. I'm an experienced rover but
not an experienced LoTW user so this was a learning process with a steep
curve. LoTW is a great tool but wasn't made for VHF contest rovers.
Because of that the LoTW upload process is a little tedious.  The newer
TQSL 2.3 version is far easier than previous versions and it's obvious that
improvements have been made.

After a few days of trial and error I learned the following and made
choices as shown:

1.  I chose to keep my contest callsign (W7QQ/r) intact in my logs and
contest entries. I also chose not to test the contest robot.  I have a
contest entry method that works and I'm sticking with it.

2.  All my LoTW uploading was done in TQSL, not LoTW.  Uploads end up in
the same place either way. TQSL provides a little more insight into what's
happening than LoTW in my opinion.

3.  After a few failures I determined that the rover callsign in my contest
logs requires a matching signing certificate in TQSL so I applied for and
received one in a little more than an hour. I now have the basic signing
certificate (W7QQ) that I use for all fixed operations and a second "child"
signing certificate (W7QQ/r) for all rover operations.

4. At least one "station location" is required in TQSL for each grid
activated.  I created a station location for each activated grid under the
W7QQ/r signing certificate. There's a lot of secondary info requested in
the process of defining a station location; state, county, National Park,
ITU zone, CQ zone etc.  I concluded that simplicity rules the day and I
minimized the amount of info I provided for each station location in TQSL.
I provided the State but I don't think that's necessary. The grid is more
important than anything else.  In every case where more info is provided,
there are exceptions and the perturbations and combinations are practically
endless. Every piece of additional information likely reduces the chance of
a confirmation in LoTW. In the unlikely case where a contest operator is
collecting info for a WAS award, or a National Parks award for instance *at
the same time as contesting and "collecting" grids*, we can revert to
exchanging paper QSL cards. In my opinion, the LoTW QSL confirmation is
more important than the secondary information. I think that depends on a
simple station location entry, and having just one station location per
activated grid.

5. For each contest log I created a set of separate "sub logs" for the
contacts made in each grid.  If I activated 9 grids during my contest rove,
I would end up with 9 "sub logs". All this tedious preparation makes the
LoTW upload possible and once the prep work is complete the upload is fast
and easy.

6.  I concluded, most of all, that I had not done myself any favors by
procrastinating the QSL ,process.  It took several days work to unravel
four years of contest logs and get them uploaded.  Part of my New Year's
resolution is to complete QSL upload to LoTW *at the same time* as a log
submission for a contest entry. There's been a lot of work put into
improving the contestant experience for contest log submission and likewise
for the LoTW upload process.  It's not as daunting as it used to be.

I hope these comments help rovers in general *and new rovers especially*.

73 es Have Fun
Bill W7QQ DM75ao
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