I am an advocate and supporter of LoTW, but only a 1/2 of 1% QSL rate on all the QSO's submitted so far.
John, K2AZ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ward Silver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "DX Reflector" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "CQ-Contest Reflector" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 12:22 PM Subject: [DX-News] LOTW Sets New Speed Record > FLASH!!! THIS JUST IN!!! > > The new electronic QSL data base, Logbook of The World, implemented by the > ARRL has set an all-time record for complaints about QSL return speed! Hams > who have uploaded their logs are now able, due to the blazing speed of the > Internet, able to begin posting complaints, also due to the blazing speed of > the Internet, about the lack of return contact credits. The fastest > complaint appears to have been generated in less than 24 hours! Well done! > No word on whether this was an F-layer or tropospheric gripe. > > In a sad note, this puts in jeopardy the traditional process for complaint > generation: QSL, Wait, Gripe. To keep up with the accelerated flow of > information, some DX-ers are preparing pre-emptive gripes, removing "Wait" > from the process entirely. It is reported that LoTW staff is looking into > the process of adding GoTW (Gripe of The World) whereby an eGripe can be > sent automatically to all DX and Contest Reflectors immediately on > acceptance of the contact credit request. No word on whether the eGripe > will be free, the current cost, or if a small fee will be charged. Volume > GoTW users will be offered discounts which they may be able to > parsimoniously dribble out over several years. There may even be a trading > market established in unused GoTW credits - Internation Gripe Coupons or > IGCs. > > This accelerated griping facility is just the latest step in a long series > of improvements to the griping process. In early days gripes had to be > delivered in person at a club meeting or typed and mailed. TYPED! Oh, the > inhumanity! Over the years, griping technology has improved dramatically > from on-the-air transmissions, to packet BBS, to individual emails, and > finally to today's state-of-the-art, reflector-based griping in which a > single gripe can today be transmitted worldwide in a matter of seconds. > > What next for the Amateur Griper Extra-Class? Of course, we are just seeing > the early days of pre-emptive griping, so it's a little hard to tell where > this might lead. Anticipatory griping can't be far behind. Applying > reverse-Bayesian statistics might also allow blanket spam gripes, or "gram". > Such gripes would be called "gram-grams." It is undecided at this time what > the process for certifying whether such a gripe would "count," although > Gripe Control Stations (GCS) could be established to rule quickly, giving > gripers the coveted confirmation of, "That's a Good One!" No word on what > the gripe submission process to a GCS would consist of. > > One might also consider the quantum mechanical implications of the "virtual > gripe", where no actual gripe need be transmitted, but would be considered > to be a latent component subunit of any QSL - the anti-QSL! By studying the > high-temperature collisions of QSLs and anti-QSLs produced in flame wars, > DXologists hope to learn more about the underlying structure of both, > thought to be composed of "quirks". Theory predicts several varieties of > quirks; Big Gun, Little Pistol, Phone, CW, Strange, and Colorful. DX QSL > managers have reported on these events for years, so there is an extensive > and documented historical record for scholars to consider. > > Once again, congratulations to the amateur community for taking full > advantage of new technology to update the time-honored griping process! Who > says that hams are behind the technological curve? > > 73, Ward N0AX > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > Subscribe/unsubscribe, feedback, FAQ, problems, etc > DX-NEWS http://njdxa.org/dx-news > DX-CHAT: http://njdxa.org/dx-chat > To post a message, DX NEWS items only, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Archives http://www.mail-archive.com/dx-news%40njdxa.org > ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/unsubscribe, feedback, FAQ, problems, etc DX-NEWS http://njdxa.org/dx-news DX-CHAT: http://njdxa.org/dx-chat To post a message, DX NEWS items only, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives http://www.mail-archive.com/dx-news%40njdxa.org ----------------------------------------------------------
