There has been a lot of talk lately about the system issues with Logbook of the World.
The Noise Blankers membership thinks LOTW is a fantastic tool, but obviously limited in its current state. We know the ARRL staff are working diligently to bring LOTW up to speed.
We put on our thinking caps and came up with a few ideas:
Gary, WBØRUR, found someone willing to help:
On a serious note, the Noise Blankers have always advocated LOTW as the best QSL system available. Paperless, fast, secure, and more affordable than postage– it’s a great asset to the community. The LOTW and its present system have served us well for many years. LOTW adoption rates have seen very positive growth, but have ultimately begun to tax the system, leading to sluggish processing times and system reliability concerns.
Today the ARRL released a new LOTW status page (http://www.arrl.org/logbook-queue-status). This is a great move to provide transparency to the community around processing times. The next step is to lay out a plan for a new, top-class solution that will benefit members for years to come. It’s time to give it the resources appropriate for the world-standard QSL system.
But a plan needs funds, of course! We encourage the ARRL create a fund for the specific purpose of delivering the next-generation LOTW to the world of amateur radio. Make it easy to see donation progress add up to the goal. Amateurs could rally around it and see their money go directly to something that is a great asset for those in the hobby that seek the thrill of confirming a rare DX contact or getting a QSL for that last state needed for their WAS award!
The Noise Blankers Radio Group would be happy to donate $20 per member to such a fund if it existed. Wouldn’t you?
