[South Florida DX Association] "Logbook of the World" - March 7th 2002 - Remember?

[Bill]

"Logbook of the World" Will Complement QSL Tradition

NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 7, 2002--ARRL's "Logbook of the World" (LOTW) electronic contact-verification program will spark "a culture
change" when it's introduced later this year, predicts Project Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG. Once LOTW is operational, participants
will be able to qualify for awards such as DXCC or WAS without having to first secure verification in the form of hard-copy QSL
cards. But Mills--who heads ARRL's Membership Services Department--is quick to add that LOTW will complement the conventional
exchange of QSL cards, not replace it.

"We will not do away with accepting QSL cards in the traditional manner," Mills says. "We're not replacing the whole paper QSL
scheme with Logbook of the World."

Neither will Logbook of the World provide a means to get QSLs--electronic or otherwise--although Mills believes LOTW could
incorporate such a feature or work in cooperation with other organizations to provide cards sometime in the future.

"This is really a system to offer credits for awards--and not just our awards," Mills explained. He hopes to enlist the
participation of other organizations that grant operating awards, such as CQ and RSGB. Central to the LOTW concept is a huge
repository of constantly updated log data provided by individual DXers, contesters and DXpeditions and maintained by ARRL. Once it's
up and running, Logbook of the World will be able to provide quick contact credit. Mills adds that the system will be open to
all--ARRL members and nonmembers--and will benefit operators at all participation levels.

Registering and uploading electronic log data to LOTW will be free. The only time users will incur charges is when they wish to
apply contact credits toward a particular award program, such as DXCC, WAS or VUCC.


Software developer Mark Simcik, WA1VVB, is working on the Logbook of the World project. [ARRL Photo]


Software development for The Logbook of the World continues. "We're well into the software implementation phase for the logbook
server," said ARRL Web/Software Development Department Manager Jon Bloom, KE3Z. Hardware has been ordered, and initial testing is
under way. Bloom said he expects to begin full system testing this spring.

"What we have spent most of our development time on up till now has been the security systems--the security certificates and the
like," Bloom said. "The security part is the linchpin of the system."

Both Bloom and Mills emphasize that every effort will be made to ensure the integrity of the log data that reside in Logbook of the
World. Registrants will have to positively identify themselves via off-line, hard-copy means before being issued a secure--and
free--digital signature and granted password access.

On a practical level, once they are registered issued digital certificates, those electing to take part in LOTW would routinely
upload their electronic log files--either as Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) or Cabrillo files. The ARRL will provide free
software to handle ADIF or Cabrillo uploads; it's also working with logging software developers to include this capability. In
simple terms, the Logbook system then would determine if its database contained any contact "matches" with the log data submitted.
If so, a user then could apply any credits generated to particular awards at a per-credit fee that's not yet been determined. Mills
said the cost would be in line with the fees ARRL award participants now must pay.


ARRL Web/Software Development Department Manager Jon Bloom, KE3Z. [ARRL Photo]


In situations where an operator disputes a failure to match, Mills said, the operators involved would have to resolve the situation
off-line. "If there's not a match, you'll have to deal directly with the operator," Mills said. "Operators will continue to be
responsible for dealing with QSOs that don't show up in the other station's log."

At least in its initial stages, LOTW will accept only relatively recent contact data from participants--primarily for reasons of
traffic control, Bloom said. Eventually, participants might be able to "backfill" the database with older contact data.

Bloom and Mills believe that Logbook of the World will improve the integrity of the confirmation process. "It will remove some of
the human factors that lead to errors," Bloom said. And, Mills added, Logbook will minimize opportunities to purposely "game the
system" or to outright cheat--something that's not always possible to detect even with paper QSL submittals.

As far as exchanging cards--and Mills recognizes that many hams enjoy DXing primarily to collect QSLs for their wall--amateurs would
still be able to solicit QSLs--even electronic cards, although these still may not be used to apply for ARRL awards.

Spearheading software development along with Bloom is Web Applications Developer Mark Simcik, WA1VVB. Mills said that he hopes to be
able to announce a specific inauguration date for Logbook of the World within a few months.