[Dx4win] How much QSL manager data is useful?

[Jim Reisert AD1C]

Hi Folks,

Before I started working on the DX4WIN QSL manager database, there were about
6,600 records.  Today it's getting close to 30,000 records.

Some people sent me their DX4WIN.CTY files so I could merge the data into the
master file.  Some of them had over 100,000 QSL manager records.  I assume they
loaded one of the databases like ON6DP or OZ7C (I think there was an Italian
one floating around as well).  I threw these records out.  I tend not to trust
the BIG databases because they tend to have a high error rate (on the order of
10%).

I just did a little experiment with the ON6DP database:

In my log of over 70,000 QSOs (going back to 1975), about 1/2 the DX (non-USA)
QSOs (not calls) do not have QSL managers listed.  If I remove the calls
unlikely to have managers (i.e. fixed stations like G3, OH2, SM5, etc.), this
reduces to 7,760 QSOs with possible unknown managers.  I then assigned QSL
managers from the ON6DP database, and found that 2,500 QSOs had managers listed
that are NOT listed in the DX4WIN QSL manager database.

What does all this mean?  Based on my log alone, the database needs to grow
another 10% in order to assign missing QSL managers to my log.

Where is all this leading:

- Do you want a large QSL manager database in DX4WIN or a smaller one?

- Is quality or quantity more important?  If you're unsure if the route is
good, you could always look it up somewhere else?

- Do you want only recent managers (i.e. going back to the last 10 years), or
something that goes back 20 or 30 years or even more?

- Do you not even care, because you use the GOLIST or QRZ.COM or another means
for finding QSL manager information?

Just some things to think about.

73 - Jim AD1C


--
Jim Reisert AD1C, 7 Charlemont Court, North Chelmsford, MA 01863
USA +978-251-9933, <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>, http://www.ad1c.us