eQSL or LOTW - Open Roads Radio forum for Ham, Amateur Radio and RV camping

Andy N1ORK · 01-13-2008, 02:34 PM

Does anyone use www.eQSL.cc or LOTW for QSLing? I use both only because I find that if you want the ARRL DXcc or other awards, you need LOTW. But I enjoy getting the electronic QSLs from eQSL as well as their award certificates. I also upload my contest logs to both systems.
73
N1ORK

jagco · 01-13-2008, 06:19 PM

I just recently registered for LoTW, but have not started using it yet. I have been off the air for a long time, until recently. Still don't have my HF set up, so it's all new to me, all over again. Health problems and lightning took me off the air a few years ago. I am slowly getting re-equipped. I really like getting a card via snail mail, though.

wa8yxm · 01-14-2008, 07:21 AM

I use eQSL, have not yet set up a code for LOTW but I'm not that much into awards

A lot of PSKers use eQSL and since I do a lot of PSK

Richard Stouffer · 01-14-2008, 11:45 AM

Maybe I'm just being obtuse, but I haven't taken the time to figure out how to use LBOTW. I have an account set up and I use MixW2 for digital so maybe it's not too hard. Perhaps I need some motivation- a
nybody have any of that to share?

Andy N1ORK · 01-14-2008, 07:58 PM

It took me a while to figure it out too. There's a Yahoo group for them that helps, but it's still confusing, at least for me it was. Once you get the hang of it, it's ok, I guess. I think that eQSL is easier and I enjoy getting the electronic QSLs. I save them to a picture\qsl file and then do a slide show in a Vista Gadget window on the side of my desktop. LoTW is just a QSO/QSL verification database and doesn't provide actual electronic QSL cards that you can print or save like eQSL.cc does. Hope that helps.
73
Andy - N1ORK

Richard Stouffer · 01-15-2008, 05:31 AM

Thanks Andy. I did figure out that it's just verifiying contacts, but eveytime I sit down to figure out how to log and link I'm on the radio and I get distracted. May late some night when the propagation sucks I'll push back from the radio and play around with it. I guess I have the same attitude about it as I do doing income tax: I'll get to when I have to. ;-)

73's
Richard, WU5K

Andy N1ORK · 01-15-2008, 06:17 AM

Aww Man?!! You just had to bring up that T** word didn't you. Well, you know, I suppose better sooner than later. Good luck with LoTW! If you're not into awards or QSLs then no big deal I guess. Keep on Campin'!
Andy

w6pea · 01-16-2008, 12:43 AM

I have never used it. But I am new to the world of HF so maybe I will have to look into them. Thanks for the info.
73 w6pea

_L7 · 01-31-2008, 02:25 AM

I have never been a contester and only used cw on HF years ago when I had an HF setup in the 60s and then 70s BK (before kids)!

I was on vhf/uhf but lost interest in HF until recently. So Iinfo requests for LOTW will probably be forthcoming.

I just signed up for LOTW but haven't used it yet.

I guess I never had a decent rig or ant on HF cause I am having all sorts of fun chasing DX when I'm home.

I got as many smileys in as I could.

Has anyone used the ZeroFive vertical antennas? I was looking at their website and the four square phased array just looks really neat.

wa8yxm · 01-31-2008, 07:53 AM

As I understand it with LOTW you E-mail ARRL and they send you a "Key" you then encode your logs using that KEY before uploading to LOTR.

With eQSL you register,much like you registered here, Donations optional, and send them a scan of your license to get "Authenticated" It is that simple

Hence I use eQSL Since I"m not big on contesting I do not, yet, use LOTW

Andy N1ORK · 11-29-2008, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Stouffer

Thanks Andy. I did figure out that it's just verifiying contacts, but eveytime I sit down to figure out how to log and link I'm on the radio and I get distracted. May late some night when the propagation sucks I'll push back from the radio and play around with it. I guess I have the same attitude about it as I do doing income tax: I'll get to when I have to. ;-)

73's
Richard, WU5K

How's it going with eQSL Richard? I guess propagation sucks?

Did you get my reply to your post in the eQSL forum?

Let me know if you need any more help.
73
Andy - n1ork

Richard Stouffer · 12-02-2008, 08:28 AM

OK Andy, my curiosity finally got the better of me. I set up eQSL just to see if it would motivate me to start serious logging and, possibly, lead to learning how to use LOTW. I've been using eQSL now for about two weeks and, once I got it figured out, I'm getting into it. It was especially enticing since I had eQSL's waiting for me from as early as January of 08 and a couple from some VK's and ZL's.
The biggest challenge for me was figuring out how to export logs from Ham Radio Deluxe and DM780 to eQSL, but I think I've worked through all of that well enough to make the uploads pretty quickly.
Now that I've got a reliable engine to maintain my logs, I'm curious enough (and motivated enough) to figure out how to load to LOTW; Maybe even this weekend. From there it’s on to my first contest- maybe.
Better still, I think I'll launch a campaign to get ARRL to recognize eQSL's in lieu of their clunky old LOTW- as soon as I get motivated enough, of course.
Thanks for your guidance Andy.

Richard Stouffer · 12-02-2008, 08:29 AM

By the way Andy, I did get you eQSL post. Thanks

Andy N1ORK · 12-02-2008, 02:50 PM

F'getaboudit Richard,
Since ARRL didn't invent eQSL they'll never recognize it for awards. They say eQSL isn't 'secure enough' to ratify QSOs. The people at eQSL have tried and even produced the AG thing and the 'good ol' boys' still weren't satisfied. Once you figure out the LOTW certificate and TQSL proccess, you should be all set with it. Most loggers upload to LOTW automatically, for eQSL it may involve a manual step or two, but even with that, eQSL is much easier to use and more enjoyable because you'll never get an electronic QSL card from LOTW. I do use both only to help out both groups.
73
Andy - n1ork

Manual Garcia O'Kely · 12-02-2008, 10:42 PM

LOtW. It was a royal pain to set up and I never depend on it myself, but I do it for others and for fun.

I like paper QSL, I'm happy to do 'em. No one wants 6 calls anyway.

TXiceman · 12-03-2008, 07:10 AM

I just signed up for eQSL and found that I had about 20 EQSL's there waiting for me. Now to remember to use it. One was from a contact in the Slovac Republic.

ken

Andy N1ORK · 12-03-2008, 07:38 AM

Ken,
Glad to see more Hams signing up for electronic QSLing whether it is eQSL or LOTW. Less postage, less paper, less gas use delivering paper QSLs. I do prefer eQSL because you get real QSLs not just database crosscheck confirmations. Hope to see you on the eQSL forums Ken.
73
Andy - n1ork

wa8yxm · 12-03-2008, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

I just signed up for eQSL and found that I had about 20 EQSL's there waiting for me. Now to remember to use it. One was from a contact in the Slovac Republic.

ken

Remembering to use it is easy... On my "Shack" computer it's the home page for FireFox.

WIth MSIE you can now have multiple home pages.. Make it one of the home pages

With FIREFOX for many years now you have been able to go to your bookmarks list and choose a folder of bookmarks and "Open all in tabs" which, by the way, is how I got here.

Just put a page you visit often (IE THIS ONE) in a folder with eQSL.cc and open all in tabs

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