LOTW...good, bad, meh?

[w3bny]

Let me start off with I love qsl's. Good old fashioned hard cards. Love seeing how vanilla or how WOW they can be and look forward to those SASE's in the mail box. But, I am seeing that quite a few DX are now putting on there profile "LOTW or eQSL" only. It looks like I may be doing LOTW here soon.

For those of you that do the LOTW thing, how is it. you still do cards? Do you miss them? whats your take.

[PA5COR]

I do qsl cards as i have done in 37 years of hamming, stashed quite a lot here, still ogling them now and then on a rainy day and remembering from most the qso, past moments and fun in time with a material confirmation....

[W3WN]

Let me start off with I love qsl's. Good old fashioned hard cards. Love seeing how vanilla or how WOW they can be and look forward to those SASE's in the mail box. But, I am seeing that quite a few DX are now putting on there profile "LOTW or eQSL" only. It looks like I may be doing LOTW here soon.

For those of you that do the LOTW thing, how is it. you still do cards? Do you miss them? whats your take.
I still do cards, although I'm overdue on sending some out.

LotW is nice for fast, free, relatively painless confirmations. I especially like that I can confirm contest QSO's without bothering people... I don't need any more PJ2T cards, for example, and I'm sure he doesn't need any more of mine.

While to a point this is also true of eQSL, I like that LotW uses a "double blind" confirmation method. This ensures that, say, W3WH (to use a friend to pick on) doesn't get wind of a QSO I had with Q21RAREDX and try to weasel credit for it. (Bill wouldn't, but there are some people out there...). eQSL is too easy to "spoof", and I have a P51SLIM "confirmation" to prove it.

Setting up LotW is not hard. It can be a touch tedious, and you have to follow the directions. Most of the people (hello, video boy!) who get into trouble on the set up will eventually admit that they didn't follow the directions, or figured they were "too hard" and tried a short cut. There is no short cut.

A complaint is often made that LotW is "more secure" than most credit card or banking sites. This is true. It is probably more secure than is needed. OTOH, maybe this says something about how insecure your banking and credit institutions are. Over the years, though, most of the financial sites have approached the security level of LotW, so maybe what we ought to be saying is that they were simply ahead of the curve.

[KJ3N]

eQSL is too easy to "spoof", ...

You can spoof LoTW almost as easy. All it takes is 2 people to do it, same as eQSL. Either system is only as good (or bad) as the people who use it.


...and I have a P51SLIM "confirmation" to prove it.

If you approved an incoming spoofed eQSL, you're just as bad as the guy who sent it. I've gotten a few (less than 4, if memory serves) incoming eQSLs that are definitely fake. I don't confirm them, and I never will.

Your "argument" is specious, at best.

[K7SGJ]

Yeah, I'm an old school card guy, too. It just seems a little more personal, like the difference between a handwritten letter and an email.

[N2ADV]

I do cards, eQSL, and LoTW. I no longer do QRZ's logbook unless I'm mobile and don't have a pen handy. It's just too silly now.

I like LoTW, all my awards so far are 100% through LoTW. It's free and simple once you jump through all the stupid silly hoops to set it up.

[w3bny]

Hokhay... I started the process last night. Wasnt too weird for BNY but once I get the secret card back and confirm everything I can do the process (which I understand is much less painless) for my old KB3JLZ callsign.

[K7SGJ]

Hokhay... I started the process last night. Wasnt too weird for BNY but once I get the secret card back and confirm everything I can do the process (which I understand is much less painless) for my old KB3JLZ callsign.

Did they show you the "handshake".

[w3bny]

I think thats what is on the postcard they send back...with the instructions on how to mount up on the goat. X3

[NQ6U]

I think thats what is on the postcard they send back...with the instructions on how to mount up on the goat. X3

You get a goat? Man, you're one of the lucky ones...

[K7SGJ]

You get a goat? Man, you're one of the lucky ones...

Yeah, what's up with that. You and I only got a chicken.

I have to admit, the fresh eggs are nice.

[K0RGR]

I'm sorry to say I've always been a sporadic, at best, QSLer, so for me LOTW is a godsend. I don't have to feel guilty about not QSLing anymore, as long as I remember to periodically upload my logs, and I'm pretty good about that. I usually upload them to eQSL, too, and I was doing QRZ, but I haven't seen a good reason to do that one lately.

I get requests from people to upload my logs because I am the last QSO they need for some award. The ones that drive me batty are the eQSL users that for some reason, my log doesn't match theirs. Then, I get an email demanding that I fix my log. Sorry, Booby, but my log is computerized and it's as close as it's going to get! The eQSLs don't count for much, anyway. Look at my pretty (basic) QSL design and enjoy it.

I have some hardcopy QSLs sitting here waiting for me to reply. They are not buried too deep yet... I may get to them...

[w3bny]

I get requests from people to upload my logs because I am the last QSO they need for some award. The ones that drive me batty are the eQSL users that for some reason, my log doesn't match theirs. Then, I get an email demanding that I fix my log. Sorry, Booby, but my log is computerized and it's as close as it's going to get!

I think I have sent out 2 NIL returns total. Im pretty good about having half a clue to who I talk to and when you send me a qsl for CW or in a band im not authorized... Sorry shippy.

[n0iu]

Hokhay... I started the process last night. Wasnt too weird for BNY but once I get the secret card back and confirm everything I can do the process (which I understand is much less painless) for my old KB3JLZ callsign.

Well now that you have a new callsign, you will need to get two certificates so you can link them together. I have had three callsigns and once I got all my logs separated by callsign, I uploaded them to LoTW. Once they were all there, I called them and they talked me through the process of linking all three logs together so I would get credit for all the contacts no matter what callsign I used.

Confused yet?

[WX7P]

Well now that you have a new callsign, you will need to get two certificates so you can link them together. I have had three callsigns and once I got all my logs separated by callsign, I uploaded them to LoTW. Once they were all there, I called them and they talked me through the process of linking all three logs together so I would get credit for all the contacts no matter what callsign I used.

Confused yet?

Were all three calls at the same location? It used to matter on some of the awards. Does it still?

[n0iu]

Were all three calls at the same location? It used to matter on some of the awards. Does it still?

Well, sort of. I did move once, but it was within the same county. For DXCC, you only have to be within the same DXCC entity. For WAS, all locations must be within 50 miles of each other and since we moved less than 50 miles, all three callsigns count.

[WX7P]

Well, sort of. I did move once, but it was within the same county. For DXCC, you only have to be within the same DXCC entity. For WAS, all locations must be within 50 miles of each other and since we moved less than 50 miles, all three callsigns count.

Ok, I thought it was something like that. I had 75 phone WAS confirmed from CA in 1990, but never sent in the cards. I looked through them recently and found I had lost NH, so it's now screwed up until I go back home.

I have the actual cards for DXCC, but never sent them in. Again all from California.

I haven't messed around with the online qsl stuff. I probably should, considering I worked 88 countries in the last contest.

Wow, I'm SO special!

[N7YA]

Once we relocate to Maine, i will have to start it all over again. Im grappling with the call change thing, but ill cross that bridge when i get to it. I will always prefer paper cards. Its just not as enjoyable to me to print my own from a provided template.

[K7SGJ]

Once we relocate to Maine, i will have to start it all over again. Im grappling with the call change thing, but ill cross that bridge when i get to it. I will always prefer paper cards. Its just not as enjoyable to me to print my own from a provided template.


I just checked, and W1ADAMTHEBASSPLAYER is available.

[N7YA]

Why not? I already have adamthebassplayer.com (http://www.adamthebassplayer.com). :)


I was thinking a fast-paced 2x2 oddity thats good for contest and pileups on CW.

[W3WN]

< snip >
I get requests from people to upload my logs because I am the last QSO they need for some award. The ones that drive me batty are the eQSL users that for some reason, my log doesn't match theirs. Then, I get an email demanding that I fix my log. Sorry, Booby, but my log is computerized and it's as close as it's going to get! The eQSLs don't count for much, anyway. Look at my pretty (basic) QSL design and enjoy it.
< snip >I've had a few of those too.

In my case, I have W3WH, who's very active, about 20 miles south of me; and W3WC, who's also active, about 10 miles north. (Bill's a friend & a member of my club; W3WC I've met a couple of times, but I wouldn't say I know him well). I also hear W3WB being called in pileups from time to time. To say nothing of calls like W4WN, W5WN, N2WN, and so on, who are also very active.

Sometimes a call is busted. It happens.

However, some of these turkeys don't believe that they could have made a mistake. So... they can make all the demands on eQSL they want. If they're not in my log, they're told NIL, and that's that.

Besides, outside of this year's W1AW portable ops, and selected contests, I work mainly DX these days. Not too much domestic.

[W3WN]

Ok, I thought it was something like that. I had 75 phone WAS confirmed from CA in 1990, but never sent in the cards. I looked through them recently and found I had lost NH, so it's now screwed up until I go back home.

I have the actual cards for DXCC, but never sent them in. Again all from California.

I haven't messed around with the online qsl stuff. I probably should, considering I worked 88 countries in the last contest.

Wow, I'm SO special!Try and see if that NH station, if he's still around, can send you a replacement card.

And of course you're special. We're all special, each in our own special way. ( I think I heard that somewhere )

[w3bny]

Got the postcard, did the raps on the door, and the hay-dub-ahr-ell has sent me the secret handshake file for w3bny. Gonna install it tonight.

[N7YA]

I am not an ARRL member, but when i was, i tried setting up LOTW...lost interest. I was also big on eQsl for a minute, i have all but abandoned it. I like paper cards, and im not all that good at it. I get a few cards a year from the 'Burro' (the mule that brings me my mail), but i mostly hunt down the few i need and send the rest when i can. I just dont get all that wrapped up in it, especially if someone is getting pissy on me about it.

[w3bny]

That was interesting. Got it all setup, did the update for my old KB3JLZ call and uploaded a few QSO's. Got one back in oh...a minute. Eh. Still wont be my primary form of QSL'ing but if thats the way that some FBOM from Upper Lower Umbweebweestan will confirm the qso, so be it. And it even played well with HRD logger too.

[W3WN]

What I find that's really fun is to keep an eye on LotW after working a major DX contest. Literally within hours, sometimes within minutes, of my log upload being processed, the matches start showing up.

Sometimes you wonder, especially in a contest or DX pileup, "did I really work him? did he log it correctly?" Well, when that LotW match come through, there will be no doubt.

[N7YA]

Upper Lower Umbweebweestan


I still need them on 17 meters.