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Reviews For: ARRL - Logbook of the World - LoTW

Category: Ham Logging Software

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Review Summary For : ARRL - Logbook of the World - LoTW
Reviews: 511MSRP: 00.00
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.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.arrl.org/lotw/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
153.75113.3
WA6KYR Rating: 2015-09-30
Software is great once installed Time Owned: N.A.
To install LOTW I contacted the ARRL years ago.
They were very helpful. Thanks to the ARRL for all they do to help our hobby in Congress.
K5BG Rating: 2015-09-30
What's Not To Like Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Been using LOTW since the ARRL put it in place.
127,000 QSO records
43,000 QSL records
Dating back to the year 2000 when I started some form of computer logging.
LOTW has been in use on numerous computers.
Always an easy change over.
ARRL has always been helpful and quick to help me out when "I" screwed up.
AND it's FREE !! What's not to like ?
73 and Good DX
Bob, K5BG
WA4FOM Rating: 2015-09-30
Aw, Hay-yul NO Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I don't care if the ARRL only likes LOTW. This product is absolute garbage, just like their QST reader (try getting support on that, by the way). Clearly, LOTW was conceived in the cesspools of the Seventh Level of Hell, and developed by a team of tin-foil-hat divas. The hoops one has to jump through just to get this abomination working should set off all manner of warning klaxons in one's head. And, my experience is that you have to repeat this mind-numbing procedure every few (3?) years.

I have reached a ripe old age where I refuse to entertain anything within what is supposed to be a "hobby" that causes so much frustration. I still enjoy filling out QSL cards the old-fashioned way, and will do so until the ARRL decides to perform an exorcism on this demon-haunted monstrosity. I want nothing to do with it for now.
K7VGW Rating: 2015-09-30
A paranoid mess to install Time Owned: N.A.
I've tried twice to jump through the ARRL hoops to install LOTW on my field operating laptop. First was the application process and password generation, followed by several days waiting for a postcard with another password and a download link for the .tq6 digital key.

Next came to requirement to download and install the "trusted qsl" app ... except the ARRL link from their instruction sheet was broken ... "404 Not Found." A Google search found a link at SourceForge (which is now a nest of adware and cookie tracking) and I'm good to go, right?

Wrong! I don't have email on my dedicated laptop which is used for digital ops and logging. I saved the .tq6 certificate file to a thumb drive, transferred it to the laptop, tried to load it into the trusted qsl app ... and was informed that I'm not allowed to install the certificate on a different computer than the one used to request the certificate.

I wiped the files. No LOTW for me. I'm not ready for this level of paranoia, ARRL ... and I'm not installing email on my laptop that is used exclusively for hamming just to satisfy your arcane, distrusting rules.

I'll take a look at eQSL. I really don't need ARRL paper anyway.
W2DDG Rating: 2015-08-16
Nope Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this set up for a few years and hardly use it because it's so unusable. I just received a notice that I need to "renew my security certificate". For what? and what's with all the "gates" you have to go through to use it? I'm a Ham, not crewing a nuclear submarine. I like the easy to use e-qsl. Needless to say, I won't be "renewing my security certificate", and I won't be looking back. Same with my ARRL membership. Didn't renew this year, and I won't be renewing. Their whole operation, and "magazine/catalog, kind of suck.

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Earlier 1-star review posted by W2DDG on 2012-08-13

Too cumbersome, not very helpful instructions, just received a message to update my certification as required every 3 years. No reason, just a order to do it. This whole thing, along with the ARRL and QST in general, have been a waste of my time. I'm dumping this and my useless ARRL membership. They may have been good back in the day, but they are a waste of time nowadays.
AI4N Rating: 2015-07-23
Don't Bother Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Like many others, I couldn't even get started. I contacted their so called support people and found them to be rude and condescending. I just finally gave up on the whole thing. There are better ways to waste your time.
SV9RMU Rating: 2015-07-17
Get Real! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have now tried to get LotW 2 times, just to help hams who want QSO confirmations through it, but I have given up trying. Can't comment on the functionality of LotW, because to get it even running in a PC is ridiculously hard and time consuming. And absolutely no useful help from ARRL! Why has ARRL made the setup so incredibly complicated? From the other comments here I gather that for US amateurs the process is easier (though not what one would expect from a software nowadays), but for anybody operating outside the US the setup is a no-go. Why must we send and receive stuff by snail mail? For instance from my QTH an airmail letter to US takes about 2 to 3 weeks, then the handling at ARRL (a month?) and then again another 2 or 3 weeks before I would receive a POSTCARD of all things! As others have commented, this is a hobby after all and no-one's life or property would be in danger with a lot less crazy security. As a good, functional example, see how eQSL works. Been working professionally with computers, including programming (among other things with machine language), since the early 1970's and LotW is like some badly designed SW from the 1980's. If I had programmed something like LotW even in my early programming days, The Boss would have told me to do the whole thing again, so that people can actually use it! So, unless ARRL makes some radical changes to LotW, I will not install it in any of my computers!!!!
WQ1H Rating: 2015-07-07
LoTW is perfect for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
First it is not a logging program where you can edit a QSO. That is the integrity of it. One upload a while back I realized that my QSO time was off by 1 hour. Simple. I corrected my log and uploaded again. Now I had QSLs for those QSOs. I use it for my off-site back up. And, I use it for the ARRL awards. It works on both my Windows 7 PC and my Mac. I have 3 Certificates on my computer. One for my wife. One for my grandson. One for me. I just select the operator, enter call sign and pass word then up load to the correct LoTW data base. I found it easy to set up.
N7KFD Rating: 2015-06-22
No problems here Time Owned: more than 12 months.

It's a free service to track my contacts and awards if I so desire, there must be something I can find to complain about.


Nope.

Setup was easy and my logging software uploads the contacts which was also an easy setup. I'm not a computer genius and I was able to do it, why are so many people struggling with this? Complain because there's to much security or use eQSL and complain because there's not enough. I don't get it.

There's a saying, "Rocket science is hard but the end results are really cool".
This isn't rocket science.


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Earlier 5-star review posted by N7KFD on 2014-05-18

I agree with KV1P, it's easy to setup and most logging programs make uploading and downloading seamless and version 2 makes it even easier to use as a stand alone setup. It's saved me a lot of money on postage and now QRZ has an interface for it. It beats the pants off of snail mail any day and I say thanks ARRL, keep up the good work!
WB8VLC Rating: 2015-06-13
Worst of the worst Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This program must have been written by the same people who wrote Health Care dot Guv.

It never worked on any of my machines, XP, WINDOZ 7 NOR on WINDOZ 8.

The stupid TSQL file or whatever that dumb thing was never worked either, the GUI never even displayed a menu list either just the crap empty opening screen.

No ARRL help either, will drop my stupid ARRL membership when it expires this year.