Hello Activators
Just have a look in the yellow window.
You write your callsign/P (ex: F5LKW/P) and you will discover how many QSL are waiting for you.
I’m activator and chaser, I use 1 account (F5LKW) for chasing and each time I activate a summit I create a new account (F5LKW/P) with special pix.
73 Roger
7 Likes
Hello Roger,
I am sorry but nobody sent me any eQsl!
I have 5 waiting, except I dont do eQSL. Might just see if the stations will do a paper one when this lockdown is over.
Ive book marked the link anyway, gives me a good reminder to actually send some out!
1 Like
4501 cards waiting - eek!
This is exactly why I do not participate in eQSL. LoTW makes it easy. I am not going to try to create and manage 100+ full accounts in eQSL.
Vy73 – Mike – KD5KC.
2 Likes
Hello Roger,
I definitely preffer paper QSL change.
I also use LoTW with monthly update.
I use eqsl like check log to double confirm my total QSOs number and creating many accounts will add me unnecessary work.
I have 20 assotiations activated, I need to have 18 new accounts to follow your idea.
73, Jarek
1 Like
Mike
By my reading of the rules, LOTW requires you to separate your contacts on “location” basis and by my reading of it, this requires you to set up a separate “location” for every grid square, county or DXCC country you activate.
If you don’t do that, the LOTW confirmation does not confirm the county, grid square or other location parameter, so awards seeking to count those stats fail to work.
I feel the ARRL missed an important opportunity to use the data in each contact line to use for the location. As a data analyst I despair of a system that requires you to set up a new location so their database can separately identify your log for each location. In fact the SOTA summit details in the log can provide location data, a decent logger will export the county data (of interest only to US ops, I think) and your callsign format should define the dxcc country. The meaning of the database can then be extracted by appropriate selective reports.
I registered to use it and got my callsigns validated but when I reached the stage of defining locations, I saw a huge mountain of work ahead.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH
1 Like
Hi Andrew.
Maybe it is because I did them one at a time, but I can build a location for LoTW in under a minute. Once built, it is just two mouse clicks to use it again. I didn’t find it that difficult, although I guess if I were only starting out now, and wanted to upload all my logs, building nearly 100 locations in one sitting might be tedious. But as I said, I built them one and two at a time over the last 10 years.
Once the location is built, it automatically picks the right certificate for you too. For example, one of my favorite summits is DM/BM-366. From home, I just click on the first QSO from that summit, hold shift, click on the last summit QSO. A pop-up window gives me a menu. I click upload to LoTW. LoTW prompts me for the location. I click the drop-down box, spin the scroll wheel till I see DM/BM-366. I click on it, and click upload. And it is done, using the DL/KD5KC certificate. Within seconds I can do the same for say DM/HE-001.
What I don’t have to do is to start a total new log for every summit. That would be tedious.
Vy73 – Mike – KD5KC – El Paso, TX.
Hi Mike,
That’s what I should have done too. When i started on sota I didn’t have a single central log. And I had two callsigns. Now I’ll have to go through the log for each callsign, select contacts, create a location on LOTW, upload. I think the outcome is a good one, but subject to my misgivings about the system design.
As you say, having created the location once, that should be sufficient for all subsequent logs at that location.
cheers
Andrew
vk1da/2uh
1 Like
If I was starting over now, with 10 years of logging in the computer already… I’m not certain I would do it.
Here is a thought. How many unique summits have you logged? That is the actual number of locations you need to build. The second and subsequent times you activate a summit, then it is just a couple of clicks.
I also have locations for several parks, the in’laws house, the local lake, they add up fast. I am not well aware of what is of interest in your country, but for us we have city-county-state, grid, CQ and ITU zones to worry about. Some of them don’t change often. And like you, I’ve had two calls, although only one at a time.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.
Vy73 – Mike – KD5KC – El Paso, TX.
1 Like
I am too frightened to register for eqsl and look to be truthful Roger, so I won’t bother!
Most true blue DXers believe this to be a worthless scheme anyway as eqsl is not valid for the top awards such as DXCC. So like Mariusz I will continue to favour paper QSLs which I have saved since 1982, and for the last 15 years or so since it came on line, the ARRL Logbook of the World. Using LoTW, if you can get confirmations that way, is the most economical method of submitting contact confirmations to ARRL for DXCC, the most prestigous and credible of any award schemes in our great hobby.
I hold 26 LoTW callsign certificates as all my logs from various countries are in there. A total of 105,000 QSOs. Anyone wanting a confirmation for DXCC can get one by registering themselves in the scheme. It’s free other than postage costs and well worthwhile taking the time to do the admin. If you still paper log then l wouldn’t advise it!
73 Phil G4OBK
Interesting, thanks for the link Roger!
To the very kind senders of my 130+ uncollected eQSL cards - thank you! Some well known callsigns there. And an Israeli (that I’d forgotten about). I see the benefits over amassing lots of physical cards to store, though each to their own, but won’t be starting to send them. I wonder if I’ve got paper cards waiting for me in the buro? My QRZ page has always reflected my preferences in this regard.
I did register for LotW, but it’s lapsed and I never used it (as I don’t/haven’t collect awards). If I get my home shack finished I might change that and re-register
Good morning Andy.
Your registration with LoTW does not expire and does not need to be re-registered. What does expire is your call sign certificate(s). Those can be renewed, often simply by E-mail. Any locations you made in the system are still there.
Hope this helps - when you’re ready. Take care…
Vy73 – Mike – KD5KC – El Paso, TX.
Thanks Mike. I’ll look into that