This is getting to be a regular occurrence for me. I just got the May QST
and flipped to the SS results. I was sorta bummed when I saw that my CW
score was knocked down from a preliminary 2nd place to 6th place... but
still in the top ten. Then I go to the SSB results only to find that my log
has been omitted. It would've been second in IL low power. I think this
brings the total to 4 logs lost or misprinted in the past 3 years, one of
which was a top ten score. Two of these mistakes have been in the past four
months.
When I called Billy back in late January / early February to find out why my
log was omtiied from the IARU results (yes... another mistake), I went on to
ask him if he had my logs for both modes of SS. I sure don't remember there
being a negative response to my question or I would've corrected the problem
back then. Each time I send in a log, I send a stamped addressed postcard
for them to send back as confirmation, as I'm sure many people do. I have
never failed to get it back signed by someone indicating that everything was
received okay.
Another bothersome thing that the ARRL does. When a mistake is made, they
wait until the results for the following years' contest to come out before
they publish any corrections. That means that it's a year and a half after
the original contest. Then when they're finally published, they're buried
at the end of the contest commentary in smal print. Who cares about a
contest that occurred 1994 in when it's 1996? I sure don't want to wait for
a full year after the original results came out for my score to be
recognized! I think QST should follow along the lines of CQ. CQ
publishes their corrections in the contest column in a neat little box with
bold print usually within a few months after the fact. Take a look at page
114 of the Febuary CQ. A good place for QST's correction box would be on the
"contest calendar" page, and, like CQ, should be done within a few months
after the results have been published. Thoughts? <----- (reply direct)
I know mistakes happen and I know I'm not the only one who has had them.
However, how many people have had 5 logs messed up in the past 3 years (by
both CQ and the ARRL)? I think it's more like 7, but I can only think of 5
off the top of my head. I can only hope that the log for my apparent first
place, North American record setting effort in the recent WPX SSB contest
doesn't get lost or somehow misprinted. I'm personally hand delivering it to
the CQ booth at Dayton.
CU in the Sultans of Shwing suite Thursday night in Stouffers.
Paul WX9E
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