Hi Gang-
There were some comments here recently about electronic QSLs. They
entirely missed the point. Any QSL method is entirely dependant on the
accuracy of the SENDERS of the confirmations and the integrity of
both the sender and the receiver.
I have received cards in the mail confirming the wrong state or grid for
portable operations. I have received mailed QSLs confirming the wrong
band, the wrong county, and the wrong zone. Many years ago when
I was a novice and someone was pirating my call, I received mailed
QSLs for dozens of contacts I never made.
This past weekend I worked about a thousand contacts. I have
already received well over a hundred confirmations each at LoTW and
eQSL. There have been a few errors on the eQSL confirmations.
But there have been errors in the LoTW confirmations also. At least
one rover didn't bother to set up for each of the grids he operated from
so I have a couple LoTW QSLs for the wrong grid/county, etc. At
least one op on each service has sent an attempt to get a QSL
but was answered 'not in log' from here. (The LoTW one sent a
separate email asking why he hadn't heard from me yet or I wouldn't
have known about it. He included the particulars of the QSO in the
email so I could have added him to the log if I had wanted to cheat.)
There was also a LoTW confirmation for a portable operation that
confirmed the wrong state, zone, grid, and county, and another
that confirmed the wrong grid in Canada. If the ARRL ever adds
VUCC to the awards available through LoTW I have collected at least
five grids there that I have never worked...
As for no security method at eQSL, not so- they do have you send
a copy of your license (which they check against the FCC database)
before they count any of your sent confirmations. There is a higher
error rate on eQSL (more misinformation) because it is easier to
get set up there than on LoTW and there are more inexperienced
users there. That would leave the receiver of such confirmations
in much the same place as I found myself back when I was a
novice, you could be dishonest and use the erroneous QSLs,
or not. As then, now I choose not to use them. YMMV...
Frankly I like to receive both LoTW and eQSLs for each contact.
Since the ARRL elected to leave a lot of the background info out of
the exchanged data, I like to see it on the eQSL card.
73,
Jim
w0eea@w0eea.com
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