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April 24, 2002
Despite our best efforts to accomodate ARRL's needs for security and accuracy, it appears they are not going to accept your eQSLs for DXCC.
It is their belief that electronic QSLs cannot be made secure enough to meet their requirements unless each one is encapsulated in
a digitally signed package.
Let me ask you something. Does your online bank require you to buy a digital signature? Does your online brokerage require a digital signature?
Does Amazon.com require anything other than a username and password? Does eBay require anything more than a username and password?
How about PayPal? So why does the League require military grade security? We use the same security technology that has been proven in tens of thousands
of the most successful eCommerce sites around the world. It's easy, it's simply, it's quick, and it's free. It's not what the League is pushing.
To avoid any further inconvenience to eQSL users, we are going to return to our original INBOX procedure/policy and continue to
provide hams and SWLs the fastest, least expensive, and most fun way of QSLing 100%.
We will therefore be doing the following:
- Eliminate the requirement to match Inbox and Outbox, and return to the fast eQSLs you know and love (Done! - 25Apr02)
- Open our message boards for your comments, reviews, and compatibility statistics on all the logging software currently on the market (Done! - 25Apr02)
- Make the Inbox even easier to use and navigate, allowing you to instantly view contacts for a single band or mode, etc.; (Done! - 03May02)
- Release our new custom eQSL Design Tool that will allow you to design your eQSL card online; (Done! - 30May02)
- Promote our equivalent to the DXCC, called eDX100, which will be just as challenging and respected; (Done! Our first recipient is 4Z4DX - 30Sep02)
- Establish an eAward for Grid Squares and one for Prefixes;
- Add many new graphics to our Image Library;
It pains us to have to give up the extraordinary amount of work we have done over the past year to try to gain acceptance
of your eQSLs by ARRL, but we believe now that we never had a chance to begin with. There is within ARRL a basic mistrust of
electronic storage and transmissions systems and the fear that a hacker could modify cards anywhere enroute, (even inside ARRL).
The only way to send in DXCC confirmations electronically will be via the Logbook of the World.
This will require a special logging program and a digital certificate issued by ARRL.
We have always listened to our users by conducting surveys, monitoring the message boards, and reading e-mail from you.
We tried our best to get your eQSLs accepted by ARRL, but now that it is clear it will not happen, we are going to
"put things back the way they were" and hope that it will make the eQSL experience more enjoyable for you.
If you are angered by the ARRL's decision not to accept your eQSLs, go to the ARRL Petition page and let them know.
73,
Dave Morris, N5UP
Founder and Webmaster, eQSL.cc
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