[ADXA] [The Daily DX] Logbook of the World

[WOLF, EARNEST G]

ARRL "Logbook of the World" Goes Live!
 NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 15, 2003--"Logbook of the World" (LoTW)--the long-awaited QSL-cardless ARRL awards and contact credit system--has officially opened for business. Under development for more than two years, LoTW underwent a successful period of beta testing earlier this year. The system is open to all. 

"Although Logbook of the World is a tremendous resource for hams chasing DXCC, VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC), Worked All States (WAS) and other awards, we hope it will appeal to hams who are not currently active in these awards programs," said ARRL Chief Operating Officer Mark Wilson, K1RO. "The proliferation of logging software has stimulated activity and interest in contesting, and submitting log data and verifying award credits online is a logical next step." 

Wilson commended ARRL Web and Software Development Department Manager Jon Bloom, KE3Z, and the other contributors to the project "for their dedication and hard work that made Logbook a reality." 

First Things First 

Before submitting log data and putting LoTW to use to confirm contact credits, users must download the LoTW software and request a digital certificate that ties the participant's identity to a digital key. This means a stop at the ARRL Logbook of the World Web page. Data integrity has been a watchword of the LoTW since the project's conception, and that starts with a digital certificate, something all LoTW users must have. For a digital signature or certificate to be trustworthy, ARRL must first ensure the identity of the person to whom it's issued, and that will involve a combination of on-line filing and good old-fashioned snail mail. 

"We will need to verify you are who you say you are," ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, explains. "The security of the entire system depends heavily on the method used for verifying the user's identify." This first step is called authentication. 

For US amateurs, this process will rely on your mailing address in the FCC database. Users should make sure the FCC has their current mailing address. Amateurs can modify their address online or via US mail by using instructions available on the FCC Web site. ARRL members may submit license modifications through the ARRL VEC. 

For non-US amateurs, authentication will rely on other documentation, primarily a copy of the participant's Amateur Radio license and another official identifying document. Mail these copies to ARRL, Logbook of the World Administrator, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 USA. 

Assuming everything goes smoothly, US licensees requesting a digital certificate soon will receive a postcard in the mail that contains a password. They then should go to the LoTW Web site and enter the password to complete the processing of their certificate request. Instructions for locating the password are on the back of the postcard. The call sign you submit when entering your password must be the same as the one used to request your digital certificate. Once the password has been entered, the digital certificate will be e-mailed within a working day or two. 

Non-US stations will receive their digital certificate via e-mail once their documentation has been received at ARRL HQ and authenticated. 

Participants will be able to use their primary digital certificates to obtain additional certificates necessary to submit log data and obtain award credit for contacts made under formerly held call signs. 

Everyone who plans to use LoTW first must obtain a digital certificate. There are no exceptions. Any certificates issued during beta testing no longer are valid, and any log data submitted during LoTW testing has been deleted from the system along with those certificates. 

At the heart of the Logbook of the World concept will be a huge repository of log data provided by operators--from individual DXers and contesters to major DXpeditions--and maintained by ARRL. Mills says the system will benefit big and little guns alike by providing quick QSO credit for ARRL-sponsored awards--in particular DXCC. It's hoped LoTW eventually will be able to confirm contacts for awards offered by other organizations. 

The Quick Start Guide to LoTW 

In a nutshell, to use LoTW, participants must: 

  a.. Download the LoTW software. 

  b.. Submit a request for a digital certificate from ARRL. 

  c.. After receiving a password, upload your password and associated call sign on the LoTW Web site to receive your digital certificate. 

  d.. Use that digital certificate to "sign" either Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) or Cabrillo-formatted files. 

  e.. Submit those digitally signed files to LoTW via e-mail or upload them to the Web site. 

  f.. Receive a confirmation from LoTW acknowledging receipt of the log data. 

It's That Easy! 

Those who have submitted contest logs via e-mail will find this process to be nearly the same except for the added requirement to sign the log. Once your data have been accepted into LoTW you will be able to visit the LoTW Web site to see your data and any QSOs that have been confirmed via matching data from other stations' log submissions. 

Obtaining a digital certificate and uploading log data are free of charge. There will be a per-QSO charge for each contact credit used, but Mills expects it will be much less than the typical costs involved with exchanging paper QSL cards. 

When you use an LoTW confirmation for an award credit, the fee will be added to your account and shown in the user's record. The user will be able to pay for these charges on-line using a credit card. 

Some Important Points 

ARRL will not serve as the QSL manager for any station submitting logs to Logbook of the World. "If a contact is not in the log, you will need to work that out with the station involved," Mills said. 

An article, "Introducing Logbook of the World," by Wayne Mills, N7NG, appears in the October issue of QST. 

LoTW eventually will be able to search users' DXCC records and find new credits automatically. The program also will provide full viewing of users' DXCC records, automatically alert users to new awards achieved and offer comprehensive support for many other awards. 

Logging software developers can obtain documentation and a Windows DLL library--as well as complete source code for the TQSL software--at the SourceForge Web site (ed. http://sourceforge.net/projects/trustedqsl/). 

News and announcements will be posted to the Logbook of the World Web site (ed. http://www.arrl.org/lotw/). 


The above information came directly from the ARRL Web site.

--
Bernie McClenny, W3UR
Editor of The Daily DX, The Weekly DX and How's DX. http://www.dailydx.com



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