[NLRS] Reconstructing my trashed contest logs

[John P. Toscano]

Scott wrote:

>
>
> Had a major software failure and a dose of cranial rectitus and lost 
> most of my contest log for the Sept. VHFQSO Contest.  If y'all could 
> check your logs and send QSO info for our contact, I will reconstruct 
> as much as I can.  I worked a couple of y'all while mobile in EN35 and 
> most from home in EN45.  All help appreciated!  So far I have 
> reconstructed 5 QSOs and 3 unique grids.  Any hope I can take first 
> place???
>
> Thanks!!
>
Well, I checked my log and did not find any entries with you in it, so I 
can't be of any help there.

It does raise a question in my mind, however, of what to do with an 
incomplete log.  Should you send it in anyway, or not?  The reason I 
even ask is because if the League ever starts closely scrutinizing logs 
and trying to match them up with one another, it could conceivably be a 
problem where station "X" has you in their log but your log fails to 
show station "X" in it because the log is incomplete.  In this case, 
station "X" could get penalized for both the QSO and extra deductions 
for the "false" entry.  As far as I know, they DON'T check the logs this 
way in the VHF and up contests now, but I think that one of the ideas 
behind the "contest robot" is not only to make it easier for the 
contesters to get their logs submitted, but also to assist the League in 
(someday?) doing a computerized check of the logs against one another.  
(I'm not trying to cry, like Chicken Little, that "the sky is falling", 
and I certainly have no inside information on the matter.  But since I 
am *NOT* an HF contester, but do read the NCJ, where they talk about 
"Golden Logs" (logs with zero errors in them), I get the impression that 
at least some of the HF contests have log scrutiny that is as complete 
as they can make it...)  Now if station "X" says they had a QSO with 
station "Y", but station "Y" does not submit a log at all, there can't 
be a penalty to station "X" because casual contest participants are not 
required to submit a log.  But if station "Y" has submitted a log that 
doesn't include a QSO with station "X", that's where the rub can come 
(at least in theory).

On the other hand, we certainly *DO* want folks to submit their logs to 
demonstrate ongoing interest in the contests, and individual as well as 
club-oriented activity, so please don't take this comment the wrong 
way.  It is really more of a QUESTION than anything else, and probably 
nothing to worry about at present.  Of course, if you submitted a rover 
log with 6,750,000 points in it, they might go ahead and scrutinize it 
even now!  :)

73 de W0JT, and thanks to everyone that I *did* manage to work this past 
weekend!