OK... before we go too far astray, let's get this thread back on track here.
The issue of the thread is Use, or lack thereof, of Logbook of the World, and why or why not. Delving into the reasons why many are unhappy or worse with ARRL HQ is another subject, and frankly, it really does not belong on a DX thread. But that's my fault for letting it get that far. ........ Bottom line is that (a) Logbook of the World has the potential to become a great resource, and (b) not everyone will use it. The reasons vary. We've already seen quite a few of them already mentioned on this thread. But, as I think I've stated before, recall that the primary purpose of LotW is to provide electronic confirmations as a supplement -- not replacement -- for traditional QSL'ing. Personally, I like LotW. But I will still send out for QSL cards. My own reasons are very simple, and include: (1) Tradition. I date back to 1969 as an SWL, 1972 first licensed. I still have almost all of my cards. There is a magic to many of them, the ability to recall a distanct-memory QSO just by holding that card, that electronic logging will never replace. And I don't expect it to. (2) Collecting. I like collecting cards. Pure and simple. And I'm willing to pay the price to do so... at least now that I can again. (3) Permanence. Nothing, not even QSL cards, lasts forever. But computers crash, logs are lost and sometimes never recovered (I'm still hunting for backups from some old contest logs in CT 8 & CT 9 lost when my old, old 386SX shack computer's hard drive threw some bearings). Physical printouts let me recreate logs... still, I'll always have that card to confirm. One last thing to consider. You find many contest logs on LotW, and I think there will be more as time goes by. The reason is very simple... a contest weekend can literally generate hundreds of QSO's for a station -- thousands for a M/S or M/M effort. Many contest stations complain about the cost of confirming, in one fell swoop, those many, many QSO's -- and you have to, to some degree, or you risk that station NOT calling you in an upcoming contest. [And every time I got involved in a thread on that subject on other reflectors, I'd always get emails from the operators of a particular contest station telling me how expensive QSL'ing was, etc etc. Ironically, that was never the unnamed station I'd been talking about... and let's not get into a station owner who'll spend thousands on antennas, coax, and rigs, but begrudges a hundred or three dollars for QSL'ing]. LotW solves that problem. A contest station can upload his log, give instant confirmation (upon their also doing so) to the many stations who work them, thus giving the other guys the credits they need for DXCC, WAS, or eventually other awards. No excuses. Now, some will never take to LotW. Some are old-fashioned. Some are ornery and/or set in their ways. Some have hand written logs dating back so far, they're afraid to start something new and never get around to inputting the old ones. So be it. I for one will gladly lend a hand to anyone I can, who needs help getting set up, or help converting paper logs (and be thankful I switched to electronic logging in pfs:File over 20 years ago... if you ever saw my handwriting, you'd understand!) The offer stands. If you choose not to accept it, I'll still respect you in the morning. 73, ron w3wn Subscribe/unsubscribe, feedback, FAQ, problems http://njdxa.org/dx-chat To post a message, DX related items only, dx-chat@njdxa.org This is the DX-CHAT reflector sponsored by the NJDXA http://njdxa.org
