Dave, I can appreciate each of the problems you mentioned. Where are the magic "answer genies" when we could use them? I will clarify one further point before moving on. This is that in no way am I trying to find fault with the folks at HQ who are running LoTW at this time. I believe they've done a pretty darned good job of salvaging the project in fine style. The overseas-use issue is in my mind the most important one related to bringing Logbook to its full potential in use and value to amateurs. We may not have planned nor want Logbook totally to replace QSL exchange, but the more it does just this or serves to supplement traditional QSLing, the greater the service it will provide to the amateur community. I believe, too, that the greater the service LoTW provides to the amateur community, the more rapidly we will recoup meaningful amounts of the considerable expense invested in the program. Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director 5065 Bethany Rd., Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel: 513-459-0142 ARRL Great Lakes Division ARRL, the Reason Amateur Radio is! Members, the Reason ARRL is! -----Original Message----- From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ [mailto:dsumner@arrl.org] Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 8:58 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:13394] Re: LoTW Jim, we agree on the need to greatly expand overseas participation. It is indeed a bit more bureaucratic for amateurs outside the US to register for LoTW, for the reason you cite: to maintain the integrity of the confirmation process. We can verify an FCC licensee's license status directly from FCC data. In most cases we can't do that for others. If we stopped requiring copies of licenses we would need some other system for verification such as trusted agents overseas. The principal problem in encouraging overseas participation has been the language barrier. We've made some headway in getting explanations of how to sign up for LoTW disseminated in languages other than English. A second issue is, of course, the need to add more awards. If you can only use LoTW credits for DXCC it isn't interesting to upload your US, German, Japanese, etc. QSOs. LoTW was never intended to completely replace the exchange of QSL cards. A QSL exchange after one's first QSO should still be the standard courtesy. 73, Dave K1ZZ _____ From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org] Sent: Fri 12/9/2005 1:07 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:13393] Re: LoTW Thanks for the clarification, Jim. 73 Joel -----Original Message----- From: Jim Weaver,K8JE [mailto:k8je@arrl.org] Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 9:41 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:13392] Re: LoTW Joel, My wording was less than totally clear. What I was trying to say is that it is not nearly so easy as I understand for many overseas DXers to register to use LoTW as it is for us . . . and some others. The issue, again as I understand it, is maintaining the integrity of LoTW as part of the DXCC program. I, too, have received many LoTW "acknowledgments," but to meet the ultimate goal for this innovative program, we need to get many, many additional overseas DXers signed up. Verstehen sie? Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director 5065 Bethany Rd., Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel: 513-459-0142 ARRL Great Lakes Division ARRL, the Reason Amateur Radio is! Members, the Reason ARRL is!