News

Dear Club Members

Since the beginning of the club we were aware of log errors. 

Some errors are due wrong transmission/reception/recording of the data. Those are expected and acceptable.

Others are due log manipulation/editing. These are also expected but not acceptable.

To mitigate the problems caused by these types of errors, we have some rules in place:

• "3 QSO rule", to avoid busted callsigns/typos
• DXCC/VUCC grid database, to filter both types of errors, based on DXCC and/or grid info.

Over the last 5 years, with more or less accuracy, those tools were good enough to keep the database in good standard, minimizing the impact of the errors.

However, over recent months we noticed something had changed: there were a large number of callsigns on the database, with several QSO, but made with a single station. 

That did not made much sense, but we had no reason to believe they were wrong. It was just a "strange feeling"...

On recent weeks, due the increase of the number of cases, we were able to find the source of the problem: some members have been wrongly using SQ8W tool to sort their logs! 

Instead of filtering the QO-100 QSO before converting, they uploaded the WHOLE log (HF, 6m, other sats, every single QSO they did!!!). 

The output file is usually FTx QSO, with grid square information, from all over the world! 

We can easily filter the DXCC outside QO-100 footprint but, because DXCC/Grids are ok, we had no means to filter out those QSO from DXCC inside the footprint.

Obviously, we had to take some additional measures. 

So, effective today (6 May 2026):

• all members with wrongly generated files (by SQ8W tool or other means), after notification, will have their full log on our database deleted.
• after a new log is uploaded to the database, if the file contains any DXCC outside the QO-100 footprint, ALL QSO on the file will be refused.
• the max number of QSO per upload  is now limited to 1000 QSO. This limit also applies to uploads in the last 7 days. If the file exceeds this number, ALL QSO on the file will be refused. New members can upload without this limitation in the first 7 days of membership.

Wojtek, SQ8W is also cooperating with us and has recently introduced some measures to mitigate this problem as well.

We hope you understand and support our decision.

Thank you.

73 QO-100 DX Club team