Public Logs: Pros and Cons
This is a subject that has been in the back of my mind for quite a while now. Public logs. What are they? If you are a contester, then you probably already know. When you submit your log upon entering many contests, you must agree to allow your complete log to be published online. CQ has been doing this in the CQWW contests since 2012. I understand ARRL has begun doing it as well more recently. If you want your score submitted, you do not have a choice. Your full log will be made public (except for “check logs,” which are not entered in competition and are used only for log-checking purposes – ed).
Public logs are mostly a “contester thing.” From a DXer’s point of view, publicly displaying a full log such as a DXpedition log has always been considered to be unethical. This is something where contester and DXer policies cross paths and is worth opening a discussion. To be up front, I see both sides of the issue. But as you will see, the reasons for each side are quite different.
To start, as a part-time contester, I decided to ask my old good friend John Crovelli, W2GD/P4ØW, to weigh in from a contester’s point of view. I’ve known John since my late teens when I was a little more active in contests and we organized a Contest Club called the “Wireless Institute of the Northeast” (WIN). John is in the CQ Contest Hall of Fame (1999) and is a past president of the Frankford Radio Club (FRC). He has won numerous contests and has participated in the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) a number of times. He frequently enters contests from Aruba as P4ØW. John was also
