[NLRS] Log Checking Reports, Penalties

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

If you sent in a paper log like I have, it may be that the error was in 
transcription and we'll never work that one out. I REFUSE to use the 
computer on the air because even my laptop raises my noise floor with 
antennas on the roof tripod. So my log is on paper and I carefully make 
a more legible copy for submission. But if the rules against certain 
computer techniques were not in force (if its been in a computer it MUST 
be in Cabrillo format) I could, as I did before that rule use a spread 
sheet after the contest to type an absolutely readable log and use the 
sorting functions on the call columns and grid (probably in those days 
section) columns to find duplicates and the first grids per band, and 
then sort on date/time to get it back into the original order. But 
that's not allowed. So I SEND PAPER, when I participate. Being shown 
with a -1 score has not encouraged UHF contest activity from out here 
near the Boondocks.

Activity is not great here, I have a VHF contest certificate for 1 band 
(2m) from a 2 band operation where I'm sure the 2m score was under 200 
points out of a 15K entry (6 was really good). I see in this contest 
report that one of the Midwest Division class winners had a score of 18 
points.

Last I looked my -1 score has been deleted. I only sent the log in (on a 
post card) to encourage activity. With it gone that possible 
encouragement is gone. I'd have been better off napping or drinking the 
entire weekend than listening to hours and hours of noise sometimes 
modulated by mouse motions on the laptop.

I think the log checking machinery is too aggressive about errors unless 
all QSOs are made by robots or robotic (like JT) software, then what 
operator skills are in use?

73, Jerry, K0CQ

On 2/7/2014 2:03 PM, John (JK) Kalenowsky, K9JK wrote:
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> Ron (or other NLRSers who might be interested),
>
> If you are an ARRL Member with your call registered on the arrl.org web site, you can access your Log Checking reports on-line at the http://www.arrl.org/contest-log-checking-reports web page. It will show your 'history' of Log Checking reports back as far as 2001 but it's only been since June 2006 for the VHF Contests and 2009 for the August UHF. If you're not a member or not registered, I believe the Contest Branch will send reports to you upon request (though with the contest branch currently being managed by the SeanDanWard team who have other responsibilities ar HQ, you may not get an immediate response to your request).
>
>
> For QSOs with 'busted calls' (such as if you logged K0ABC but the station worked was W0ABC) or Not-In-Log, also know as NIL (you logged W0ABC correctly but W0ABC didn't log the QSO in his log), a penalty of an additional QSO removed is assessed IN ADDITION to the loss of the un-matched QSO. This can cause the number of QSOs shown to be less than the number of Multipliers shown. In extreme cases, this can lead to negative numbers of QSOs on some bands (I think that may have happened to Jon, W0ZQ, once) and even negative scores as I suspect Jerry, K0CQ, will remind us has happened to him(but negative scores are usually not shows in the results.)
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> I hope that helps/explains.
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> 73, JK
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>