oh, i agree with you scott. lotw will be the way to go. i wouldn't have loaded 32,000 q's if i didn't think so. it's eqsl that i don't understand. as far as i know, no major awards support it - or plan to. i think even the cq awards (and we all know the history between arrl and cq) will eventually support lotw and vice versa.
i'm approaching (faster than i care to admit) the other end of the age line. i will still support dxpeditions (important for all of us to do) and want that pasteboard for an all timenew one, but it sure would be nice to work a band/country and have it confirmed quickly electronically. i plan to upload logs on a monthly basis, if only to make it easy on my aging memory. heck, i'm old enough to remember getting credit for qsos in the arrl dx contestif the other guy sent in log.
hopefully, once the plan gets rolling, the guys on the other side will use it too. that's the part that could kill the benefit of the system. i would bet the farm that the majority of the qso's entered so far come from contest entries (i know mine are) where the entering station already had the data entered through contest software with convertible formats. that would also apply to modern dxpeditions. i'm hoping arrl will FULLY understand this and push to provide software and training for overseas guys, even if it is at club/organiztion level. if an old dog like me can use lotw as it is set up now, it should become easier as the bugs are worked out. but it's important to start now. provide easy to use, CHEAP/FREE logging software with lotw interface NOW so that the hurdle of inputting thousands of paper qsos becomes less daunting in the future. it's the "real" qsos (non contest/dxpedtion) that we need to strive to get into lotw.
most of the responses i received were from stateside. i realize lotw is perceived right now as dxcc oriented, but do other organizationsout there in the big world have plans to use it? the big one i can think of, that i have not gotten into yet, is IOTA?
like i said, i'm reaching the age where i may not see this program implemented to it's fullest, but it's you young whippersnappers (love that word) that have to get on the band wagon and make sure arrl makes lotw what YOU want it to be. as with any software, user input is critical. especially at the start. ask questions. make suggestion. ya never know, it might be a "DOH!! why didn't we think of that" idea.
enough from me. and i apologize for the long monologue. it was that third cup of coffee this morning.
73 de STEVE, KZ2ICHARLOTTE, NC USA
