[amsat-bb] Re: VUCC & LoTW

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi Jeff!

> I got the LoTW VUCC set up without a problem.  I had already uploaded 545
> satellite QSOs over the past couple of years so they were waiting to be
> used.  Well, after getting everything in order I have a grand total
> of.....21 matches, or 3.85% of my satellite log.
> <snip>
> After seeing this disappointing results,
> I know we, in the Amateur Satellite community, can do better.

I don't know if I would call it "disappointing", considering that LOTW
just got set up for VUCC.  Except for other awards like WAS or
DXCC, VHF/UHF operators (including us on the satellites) really
had no incentive to upload anything to LOTW.  ARRL has been
talking about adding VUCC support to LOTW for a while, and
setting target dates to roll that out over the past couple of years -
then seeing the dates slip.  I can't fault anyone for not putting
those QSOs into LOTW right away.  It will happen, and I count
myself as someone who will get their satellite QSOs loaded into
LOTW.  Be patient...

One thing that hasn't been mentioned a lot with the recent changes
to LOTW is the ability to define a station location in more than one
grid.  This was not possible in the past, but now you can add up to
4 grids for a station location.  This is huge for someone like me,
who has thousands of grid-boundary QSOs that would have required
extra QSO records to properly represent those QSOs in the past.
QSOs done on other boundary lines (county, state/province, or
national) still require multiple QSO records in LOTW from both
stations to properly represent those QSOs.  That is a manageable
number for me and my log (around 100 QSOs out of almost 10000
on the satellites on those other types of boundaries).

73!






Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/