How to Log Contacts and Chase Awards

Every contact you make should go into a log. In many countries it is a legal requirement, but the more compelling reason is that a contact you did not record did not happen as far as any award programme is concerned.

What to record

The minimum for a valid record is the date, the time in UTC, the call sign of the other station, the band, the mode and the signal report you exchanged. Anything beyond that — name, location, equipment — is useful context but not required.

ADIF — the interchange format

ADIF is the standard file format for moving a log between programs. Every serious logging application can import and export it, which means your log is never trapped in one piece of software. Export regularly and keep the file somewhere other than the computer that runs the log.

This matters more than it sounds. Years of contacts represent real effort, and a failed hard drive with no export is the end of them. A weekly ADIF export to an external location takes seconds.

Rig control

Connecting the radio to the logging software over a CAT interface means the frequency and mode are recorded automatically. This removes the largest single source of logging errors — manual frequency entry — and it is worth the effort of setting up.

Confirmations and awards

An award requires confirmation, not just a log entry. Confirmation can be a paper QSL card, or an electronic confirmation through one of the online services. Most major award programmes accept both, but the rules differ and it is worth reading them before you rely on one route.

• Paper QSL cards sent direct or through a national bureau remain the traditional evidence.
• Electronic confirmation services are faster and are accepted by most major programmes.
• Award rules specify which confirmations count, and the rules change — check before claiming.
• Track confirmations as they arrive, not at the end of a campaign.