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| Reviews Summary for ARRL - Logbook of the World - LoTW |
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Reviews: 320
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Average rating: 3.3/5
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MSRP: $00.00
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Description: LoTW ... is a repository of log records submitted by users from around the world. When both participants in a QSO submit matching QSO records to LoTW, the result is a QSL that can be used for ARRL award credit.
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More info: http://www.arrl.org/lotw/
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write your own review of the ARRL - Logbook of the World - LoTW.
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K5WW
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Rating: 2/5
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Feb 8, 2010 21:53
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The programmers suck
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Pardon my French, but that is truly how I feel.
I was one of many beta testers, about a year or so before the LoTW program went live. I fully supported the concept, and I still do. But, while the front line support people do their utmost best to help every user who has common problems; the behind the scenes crew does not care one bit.
I've had serious problems with my database, and for 18 (eighteen, yes) months now the programmers have happily ignored them, despite numerous requests.
It's gone so far that I recently managed to apply for and receive a Worked All States award that I didn't even deserve, see: http://k5ww.com/WP/?p=1552 . Ridiculous...
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N4MJG
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 14, 2010 04:02
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Not bad could be better !
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The program that i was using is not too bad,i been told that have to wait for the card for password whatever i needed for.my friend of mine saying he needed contact from me which i haven't see the card yet ! i wish i've have the card already instead of waiting like for ever..
73
Jackie
N4MJG
WWW.N4MJG.COM
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W7RJR
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 13, 2010 21:01
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Improved
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've used LOTW since it was first introduced. My first impression of it was just OK because the setup was so incredibly convoluted. I have had some problems with certificates being lost and expired, problems with it only working on the computer that was used to create the certificate, etc. Beyond these setup difficulties I have found it to be functional, a great idea and it works as advertised. Unfortunately LOTW needs to track more awards in order to be of great value. The program setup has improved over the years no longer requiring a post card be sent to you. Additionally, I have found the LOTW staff to be more knowledgable and respond quicker than before.
If you are having problems drop them an email. You may be surprised how helpful they have become.
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K4IA
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 13, 2010 20:40
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Inexcusable
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I just received notice I needed to renew my certificate. Oh no. Nothing fits. I need to download the program on a new computer but I don't have any of the magic cookies on this computer so it doesn't work. There is no way to retrieve a lost password. This is the most unfriendly program I have ever seen and far more trouble than it is worth.
Get a clue - get user friendly.
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VU2CDP
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 21, 2009 10:40
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Reliable and fast!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Accept it as a complementary tool to paper-chasing where you can still confirm QSOs in the likelihood of cards going missing in the mail. Setup process is a pain and therefore the 4 rating. It would be wiser to incorporate the T-QSL key as a standard plug-in with all logging programs and generate signed logs without the rigmarole of generating ADIF files, signing them and uploading them on the server.
Unless that happens or another convenient option is provided, we will continue to have few takers to this otherwise fool-proof QSLing system. I still rate it highly over eQSL which is a bit of a joke with ghost QSOs requesting QSLs.
PS: i still want your card! :)
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KF4LVC
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 2, 2009 12:47
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Fair, but needs updating and streamlining.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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OK. LoTW is actually a great tool for QSO/QSL log confirmations. It does what it is advertised to do. However, after using it for several years now, I find that quite a number of my log entries simply do not have some of the "extra" info that I would like to see.
I have used several free and commercial logging programs and I always try to keep an updated log file in different formats, including ADIF...the standard for LoTW (actually it will convert this to a TQ5 or TQ8 for uploading). Most programs will allow one to include notes and even comments to be applied to a QSL contact. I have settled on Ham Radio Deluxe as my logging program, since it does so much, not the least of which is connecting with internet logging sites such as eQSL and LoTW.
Here is where I feel LoTW needs some updating. Many of these programs allow hams to add so much more information than just the simple contact data. Some of this information can, and does, get saved into the ADIF file. However, only the very basic contact data ever makes it into your LoTW entries. Understandably, LoTW is a HUGE database and must keep all entries to a minimum, but I do not think any appreciable extra space would be taken up by one more field for your contact comments. Certainly, this field should be limited to say, 10 or 15 characters, but it would be nice to have the ability to leave some sort of "TNX for QSO" or other note for the station contacted. Actually, there is a column for some sort of comment, but it seems that nearly NONE of my original comments ever get uploaded with my log entries.
I understand that LoTW is NOT a substitute for a good ol' fashioned QSL card, but it is meant to confirm contacts. Sometimes a small note about a specific item will help the contacted station remember the QSO. It also gives us an opportunity to convey something more meaningfully personal than just contact date/time/band, etc.
Also, the web display for your log entries is very Spartan. Again, I understand the need to make the web content as "viewable" as possible, or as compatible as possible, given the probability that there are some areas of the world that do not have the latest computer technology. But I think that the web interface can be streamlined and the display can be made much more palatable without compromising compatibility. Even a "View in text/simple mode" control button or link could easily be added to the site upon log-in, for anyone who may not be able to view the "prettier" version. Along with this, I think that the search feature for your log entries needs some attention. Often, when I choose "View most recent log entries", the list generated (15 rows, by default, I think) seems to always erroneously choose items going back to the beginning of my log! I'm not quite sure if the problem would be in the older ADIF files I sent long ago, or if the search query in LoTW is not keying on the entry dates as one may think. This makes me question how the back end of LoTW is working, as it appears that it may not be "looking" at the data in the same way it presents it on the screen; in other words it does not seem to be WYSIWG from the user to the back end and vice versa. Though this is not a real problem, it can be a little frustrating when you want to quickly look at your entries in LoTW and it doesn't display what you asked.
Bottom line: LoTW is actually a great effort from ARRL to make one large database of cross-referenced logs so that confirmation becomes automated. It is also great to have a repository for your log entries, should you ever loose your electronic entries and need to reclaim them. I would recommend that every Amateur Radio Operator get signed up with LoTW. However, I also feel that the guys over at ARRL could put a little more time into the web interface. Presentation is everything, as they say. I think that LoTW does not present itself as well as it should, so that it reflects its true usefulness. It simply is not very attractive. A nice face-lift on the site and a couple of tweaks....and then I think more folks would be inclined to use LoTW.
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K2AFY
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 30, 2009 10:16
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Good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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LoTW works as it is intended. Held off on the 5 due to the amount of time to get it up and running. It is not difficult to set up or use just the back and forth of getting the certificate information.
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NI0C
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 19, 2009 11:17
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Best way to verify a QSO
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've been a LoTW user since the beginning, and have watched the number of QSO's and QSL's continue to grow. Over 25% of my uploaded QSO's are confirmed, with over 1000 band entities and 276 different DXCC entities confirmed in LoTW.
I especially like the double blind log submission such that a LoTW QSL really proves that both parties in a claimed QSO agree that the QSO did take place.
I still very much enjoy my paper QSL's and nice digital QSL images available from eQSL. But nothing beats LoTW for a fast and reliable confirmation. I recently worked a UA0 station on 160m, and found the LoTW confirmation in the system only a couple of days after the QSO.
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N3QVB
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 23, 2009 12:21
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Works great
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've been using LoTW for 1-1/2 years and I really like it. At first I was hesitant to try it, hearing all about how complex and difficult the setup was. I quickly realized all the hoops they make you jump through (although not that bad) are to prevent fraudulent use of the system. I found the setup procedure easier than expected. The logging program I use (DX Keeper)seamlessly uploads my contacts to LoTW, and there are other programs that do the same.
For those of us who still love getting QSL cards in the mail, this doesn't replace that, but it's an easy way to get confirmations and to submit for DXCC without having to sort the cards. I'm old school when it comes to QSL'ing, but I must say I like what LoTW does for me. Anybody hesitating because of the complexity of the setup, it's not that bad.
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W2XS
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 23, 2009 10:53
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Worked with N3FJP
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After reading these reviews, I was apprehensive about the process. But I followed the instructions on the ARRL LOTW pages and received my postcard in the mail with the special password. That password allowed me to complete the tQSL certificate process, which then led to the receipt of an email with another password. After reading the LOTW help page on the N3FJP website, I entered the emailed password into the N3FJP logging software and let ACLOG do the work. A little while later, 3000 QSO's in the log had been marked as "QSL Received". I am still learing what this is all about, but so far so good.
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