On 1/31/2023 5:40 PM, Mike Flowers wrote:

Hi Dave,

I’m just curious why a pre-paid, online application requesting that digital credits in LotW be applied to my DXCC account would be
constrained by some clerical process.

Issuance of the award still requires human action - even though all
the credits are "online". There is still a question whether the
application is for a new award (certificate) or an endorsement (new
"sticker") and there are issues of generating any mailing, etc.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

On 1/31/2023 5:40 PM, Mike Flowers wrote:

Hi Dave,
I’m just curious why a pre-paid, online application requesting that digital
credits in LotW be applied to my DXCC account would be constrained by some
clerical process.
I understand the paper application processing required for QSL cards, but
puzzled by the delay in something that seems entirely digital.
I’m wondering if you have any insights.
Thanks!
-- 73 de Mike Flowers, K6MKF, NCDXC - "It's about DX!"

On Jan 31, 2023, at 2:31 PM, Dave AA6YQ <aa6yq@...> wrote:

+ AA6YQ comments below

Huh ?!?!? A qso I made last night and uploaded was confirmed this morning

+ If you're referring to the recent post from Bill NY9H, that refers to the delay in obtaining DXCC award credits in response to submitting a DXCC award application containing QSL cards and LoTW confirmations. It does not refer to the time it takes for the LoTW Server to process submitted QSOs.

+ My one-card WAS application submitted on November 25 was not processed until early January. The ARRL has increased staffing in the awards department.

73,

Dave, AA6YQ

+ AA6YQ comments below

I’m just curious why a pre-paid, online application requesting that digital credits in LotW be applied to my DXCC account would be constrained by some clerical process.

I understand the paper application processing required for QSL cards, but puzzled by the delay in something that seems entirely digital.

I’m wondering if you have any insights.

+ I know nothing about the architecture or operation of the ARRL's DXCC system. What I know is that it is badly obsolete, and that both of the ARRL's attempts to replace it have failed - the first via an outside contractor, the second by internal developers.

+ The interoperation between LoTW and the DXCC, VUCC, and WAS systems is awkward and inconsistent. When I display my DXCC status in LoTW, for example, all confirmations are included: QSL cards, as well as LoTW confirmation. My WAS status viewed in LoTW, in contrast, does not reflect confirmations from submitted QSL cards. To my knowledge, there is no way to view WAS award progress online that includes both QSL card and LoTW confirmations.

+ Back in 2016 when I was a member of the ARRL-LoTW Committee, we proposed a roadmap that included the development of a personalizable and localizable "RadioSport Web Presence" that would provide users with consistent access to and management of all of their ARRL-sponsored awards - hiding all of the implementation and security details. In 2017, ARRL Management re-assigned the developers who would have done this work to the League's second attempt to re-implement the DXCC system (which also failed) and to deploying Personify - a commercial "Association Management" software product. The ARRL paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire Personify and then spent 4 years attempting to roll it out - only to then discover that its password rules were inconsistent with those of the authentication mechanism it replaced, preventing 10-20% of ARRL members from being able to log in to ARRL.org. But we can now "renew, purchase, and donate in a single transaction", according to the ARRL press release issued when Personify was finally deployed.

73,

Dave, AA6YQ

Hi Dave,

+ AA6YQ comments below

Huh ?!?!? A qso I made last night and uploaded was confirmed this morning

+ If you're referring to the recent post from Bill NY9H, that refers to the delay in obtaining DXCC award credits in response to submitting a DXCC award application containing QSL cards and LoTW confirmations. It does not refer to the time it takes for the LoTW Server to process submitted QSOs.

+ My one-card WAS application submitted on November 25 was not processed until early January. The ARRL has increased staffing in the awards department.

       73,

              Dave, AA6YQ

Huh ?!?!? A qso I made last night and uploaded was confirmed this morning

i GOT THIS FROM ARRL

Hello Bill:

You have done nothing wrong.  We have a three week processing delay.  I apologize for this.

Thank you.

Sharon

Sharon Taratula
Awards Manager

--

+ AA6YQ comments below

Yes, I had been doing quite well managing uploading and syncing with LoTW until this problem arose late last week. Two things I may have done to upset the apple cart. I installed the new LoTW configuration file on the LoTW site.

+ Doing that would not cause the problem you reported.

And I manually attempted to enter QSL Card confirmations from DX stations where I had also received an LoTW confirmation/verification of QSOs previously.

+ Doing that would not cause the reported problem either. I assume that you updated the "QSL Rcvd" item of each QSO for which you received a QSL card confirmation. DXKeeper's LoTW automation is driven by each QSO's "LoTW QSL Sent" and "LoTW QSL Rcvd" items.

Of course, I read the pop-up window which said "No QSOs were processed because some QSOs were duplicates or invalid"  BUT I failed to read the entire text file which popped up separately.  It tells me I have an "invalid call sign certificate for W0GAS in entity USA. Signing aborted. No records to upload." So once I paid attention to the messages I figured out what was wrong. In my foundering about looking for the new configuration file for LoTW I must have asked for a new certificate. Then when it came I should have installed it. After a set time, the old certificate must have become invalid.

+ When you request a new Callsign Certificate for a callsign, the existing Callsign Certificate for that callsign is immediately invalidated. Thus there's a gap between requesting a new Callsign Certificate and receiving that Callsign Certificate during which you cannot submit QSOs to LoTW.

Since I subsequently found the way to update the configuration file, I never installed the new certificate. That was the issue. Now it is installed and I can upload to LoTW.

+ Good!

       73,

             Dave, AA6YQ

Yes, I had been doing quite well managing uploading and syncing with LoTW until this problem arose late last week. Two things I may have done to upset the apple cart. I installed the new LoTW configuration file on the LoTW site. And I manually attempted to enter QSL Card confirmations from DX stations where I had also received an LoTW confirmation/verification of QSOs previously.

Of course, I read the pop-up window which said "No QSOs were processed because some QSOs were duplicates or invalid"  BUT I failed to read the entire text file which popped up separately.  It tells me I have an "invalid call sign certificate for W0GAS in entity USA. Signing aborted. No records to upload." So once I paid attention to the messages I figured out what was wrong. In my foundering about looking for the new configuration file for LoTW I must have asked for a new certificate. Then when it came I should have installed it. After a set time, the old certificate must have become invalid. Since I subsequently found the way to update the configuration file, I never installed the new certificate. That was the issue. Now it is installed and I can upload to LoTW.

Thanks for jumping in. I need to be sure to read the information the program provides. 

+ AA6YQ comments below

I have been trying to upload to LoTW with no success. I must have messed something up.

+ Does that mean that you were previously able to submit QSOs from DXKeeper to LoTW? 

I followed the instructions to correct the problem by clearing the QSL Q and using the cntrl Sync Lotw QSOs command. That took several minutes. No joy.

+ Invoking "Sync LoTW QSOs" directs LoTW to report newly-accepted QSOs; it does not submit QSOs to LoTW. 

 Then I tried 

1. on the Main window's QSL tab, set the "QSL Via" panel to LoTW

2. filter the Log Page Display with the SQL expression

LEN(APP_DXKEEPER_LOTW_QSL_SENT)=0

No QSOs resulted from the query

+ That's appropriate: no logged QSO should have an empty APP_DXKEEPER_LOTW_QSL_SENT item:

   - for newly-logged or imported QSOs, this item should be set to 'R' (meaning "requested")

   - for QSOs submitted to to LoTW but not yet accepted by LoTW, this item should be set to 'U' (meaning "uploaded")

   - for QSOs accepted by LoTW, this item should be set to 'Y' (meaning "yes")

+ If you haven't yet reviewed these articles, I suggest that you do so

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/QSLingLotW

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/ConfigureLotW

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/UploadLotW

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/DownloadLotW

     73,

          Dave, AA6YQ

I have been trying to upload to LoTW with no success. I must have messed something up. I followed the instructions to correct the problem by clearing the QSL Q and using the cntrl Sync Lotw QSOs command. That took several minutes. No joy. Then I tried 

1. on the Main window's QSL tab, set the "QSL Via" panel to LoTW

2. filter the Log Page Display with the SQL expression

LEN(APP_DXKEEPER_LOTW_QSL_SENT)=0

No QSOs resulted from the query. So I was unable to sync them.

Any suggestions?