[SFDXA] ARRL Launches Logbook of the World/WPX Award Integration

[Bill]

    ARRL Launches Logbook of the World/WPX Award Integration

**
07/02/2012

The wait is over! After weeks of beta testing, the ARRL launched the 
integration of Logbook of The World (*LoTW* 
<http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world>) -- its electronic 
confirmation system -- with /CQ/ Magazine's Worked All Prefixes (*WPX* 
<http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_wpx_awards/cq_wpx_awards.html>) 
Award on Monday, July 2. The WPX Award is the first of the 
/CQ/-sponsored awards that LoTW will support. More than 51,000 radio 
amateurs worldwide use Logbook of The World, and there are currently 
almost 432 million QSOs in the LoTW system.

"We had originally planned to introduce this new program in early April, 
but due to the introduction of the *new DXCC fee structure* 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-announces-new-dxcc-fee-structure> and our 
new *Online DXCC application* <https://p1k.arrl.org/onlinedxcc/>, we had 
to push the date back," explained ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold 
Kramer, WJ1B. "The ARRL's IT Department has been diligently working on 
this. Using information and feedback from our hand-selected group of 
beta testers, our programmers -- led by ARRL Information Technology 
Manager Michael Keane, K1MK -- have spent many hours making sure that 
this will be a smooth integration. We know the Amateur Radio community 
is excited about this new program and we wanted to make sure it had gone 
through a rigorous testing before launching it to the public. By 
partnering the WPX Award with our LoTW program, the ARRL is giving radio 
amateurs throughout the world an inexpensive and convenient means of 
gaining credits toward /CQ/'s popular operating awards."

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, concurred. "LoTW has 
significantly increased interest and participation in the ARRL's *DXCC* 
<http://www.arrl.org/dxcc/>, Worked All States (*WAS* 
<http://www.arrl.org/was/>) and *VUCC* <http://www.arrl.org/vucc/> 
awards programs," he said. "We anticipate a similarly positive response 
to the addition of /CQ/'s WPX Award. Amateurs will be able to spend more 
time operating and less time chasing QSL cards."

The process to apply for the WPX award via Logbook of The World is the 
same as applying for ARRL-sponsored awards (such as DXCC and Worked All 
States) via LoTW. Logbook users will notice that a WPX account has 
automatically been created for them on their LoTW awards page (/see 
photo below/). Anyone can sign up for an LoTW account. If you live in 
the US and plan on applying for ARRL-sponsored awards via LoTW, you must 
be an ARRL member (international amateurs do not need to be an ARRL 
member to apply for these awards via LoTW). Since the WPX award is a 
/CQ/-sponsored award, amateurs applying for this award via LoTW do not 
need to be ARRL members.

"This is an important milestone in a process that has been years in the 
making," said /CQ/ Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU. "The hams who participate 
in our award programs have been asking about using LoTW confirmations 
for /CQ/ awards ever since Logbook of The World came online. We are 
pleased to finally be able to begin providing them with this service, 
and look forward to the addition of the rest of CQ's awards, including 
Worked ALL Zones (*WAZ* 
<http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_waz_awards/index_cq_waz_award.html>), 
the USA-Counties Award (*USA-CA* 
<http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_usa_ca_awards/cq_usa_ca_awards.html>) 
and the */CQDX Awards 
<http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_dx_awards/cq_dx_award/cq_dx_award.html>/* 
over the coming months. We thank the League's IT staff for its hard work 
in making this a reality."

Amateurs wishing to apply for the WPX Award via Logbook of the World 
will pay 12 cents for each QSO they use in their application. A separate 
charge for the WPX Award (and endorsements) is payable to /CQ/: 
Subscribers will be charged $6 for each award, while non-subscribers 
will be charged $12 for each award. Endorsement stickers are $1 each.

Yaesu is the Principal Sponsor of the LoTW website.

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-launches-logbook-of-the-world-wpx-award-integration