Updating your QRZ.COM Information

[kd5lwu]

Please it would be great if every ham you talked to on the bands and/or emailed were reminded to go to http://www.qrz.com and update their information, especially their email address. There's nothing more frustrating then after a contact going to QRZ and finding either a dead email address, or none at all. I work many bands and modes and email is a quick quiet way to pass messages, etc. Example - I often work ISSTV and if I can't send a pix I will email them to help figure out the problem. I also have an Echolink node (24336) on my repeater here in Cortez, Colorado and after a contact will check QRZ for accuracy of information given to me during the contact. This is a very quick, and good, way to verify that the person was who they said they were! Please no flames! Thanks

[AA7BQ]

As the owner of QRZ.COM I'd like to thank everybody who has come to our site to provide information about themselves. Both myself and our group of volunteer editors work hard to keep the site running as smoothly as possible.

Occasionally, some hams will report difficulty in updating their information, lost passwords, or confusing instructions. We realize that it's not always as easy as we'd like, but, the extra steps necessary to register or re-register exist so that we can maintain a reasonable level of system security.

It would be very nice if we could just trust everybody to do the right thing however we do see a fair number of people who abuse the privilege of updating information and at its worst, people who attempt to impersonate legitimate users and make false postings. We've seen it all.

So, when you attempt to update your info and find that it's more difficult than it should be, or, if you just can't figure it out, be sure and send us an email. Remember that the QRZ Editors are your friends and they're here to help you. Write directly to them (not to me, please) at editor@qrz.com if you encounter difficulty in updating your information.

Speaking of the job of being an editor at QRZ, it's often frustrating and difficult in itself. We get an unbelievable number of emails from people who say that they are having some sort of problem, and yet they fail to mention even the most basic information (like their callsign) about themselves. All too often we have to send yet another email to them just to ask them to give us their callsign.

So, please help us as we help you. If you're having trouble updating information on QRZ, write to the editor@qrz.com and be sure and mention your CALLSIGN and, if different, your LOGIN NAME. We'll do our best as always to get you going right away.

Thanks and 73,

-fred AA7BQ

[w6th]

I added my email address as wife suggested yesterday and now qrz.com suggests.

I hope I do not get all of these filthy sex adds and unwanted emails for this change. But then again other ways will be found to send me unwanted emails.

However you are correct and we should all make the necessary change.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #W6th

[k7unz]

Just a couple of comments about this...

First, posting anything in voluntary.

Second, believe it or not...not everyone KNOWS about QRZ.COM and there are still a lot of hams who don't even have a computer, let alone internet.

Third, have had an e-mail address posted in the past, I removed (and had to change it!http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif it due to the tons of spam it attracted. This is a ripe location for those spam address collection programs to feed!

73, Jim

[g7god]

My personal QRZ peeve is with the way it handles UK callsigns in particular. As an example, if a certain good friend of mine was to operate in Scotland, he would correctly and legally give his callsign out as GM0KUC but if anybody looked that up on QRZ they would be told that he isn't there. However, if they look him up as living in England and enter his home callsign of G0KUC (note the M has gone), they would find details for him.

At the moment, the only way round this is for each UK ham to add entries for ALL of the UK prefixes other than their own, like I have done with mine. Refer to GM7GOD, GW7GOD, etc, to see what needs to be done.

Best wishes from Riley G7GOD / KB8PPG

[g7god]

As K7UNZ stated...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Third, have had an e-mail address posted in the past, I removed (and had to change it! it due to the tons of spam it attracted. This is a ripe location for those spam address collection programs to feed![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

It wouldn't be all that hard to kill this problem dead. All that's required is the trick used by many ISP's to prevent spam robots from signing up - rather than present the email address as text in the HTML document, present it as an inline image on a dotted background. Humans can easily read suchlike images, but spam robots are hopeless at them, and even professional OCR programs costing several hundred notes apiece seriously struggle with these.

Best wishes from Riley G7GOD / KB8PPG

[g7god]

Hi Anthony.

As you're having problems logging in, I've forwarded my reply to the forum with your comments enclosed. Hopefully, your login problems will soon be sorted out. I've restricted this post to the comments relevant to the current topic.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">As G7GOD said...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">As K7UNZ stated...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Third, have had an e-mail address posted in the past, I removed (and had to change it! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif it due to the tons of Spam it attracted. This is a ripe location for those Spam address collection programs to feed![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

It wouldn't be all that hard to kill this problem dead. All that's required is the trick used by many ISP's to prevent Spam robots from signing up - rather than present the email address as text in the HTML document, present it as an inline image on a dotted background. Humans can easily read suchlike images, but spam robots are hopeless at them, and even professional OCR programs costing several hundred notes apiece seriously struggle with these.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

I have read similar thoughts in other public forums, and there is really no easy answer. Because if, in the HTML, their e-mail is presented, it's still ripped off by the autobots. So, if an image is used but the HTML uses that as a clickable "mailto" link, then the basic text on the page has your e-mail and the robots will get it just as easily.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

That's also easily solved, and already in use at force 9 to stop the mailbots harvesting the whois database system. The basic procedure used by force 9 (see http://www.f9.co.uk/ for their website) depends on certain characteristics of the whois system. However, it would be fairly simple to modify it for our purpose. I would suggest the following procedure to be followed every time somebody asks for a QRZ page that includes an email address:

<ul> Generate the actual email address to be displayed as a multi-coloured image on a background of random multicoloured dots. This will prevent the web robot from reading the image, but will still permit humans to transcribe it.

Generate the HTML mailto: link that surrounds the image as a text string generated on the fly that encodes both the callsign requested and the time that request was made, with the domain being @forward.qrz.com or some similar domain. This would produce a link similar to <span style='color:Red'>mailto:qwert54321yuiop@forward.qrz.com</span> for use when somebody clicked on the link, or a spam robot harvested that particular page.

Have the mail host that responds to emails for @forward.qrz.com check the age since that particular address was generated, and bounce any that were generated more than 6 hours ago, forwarding those it doesn't bounce to the real email address.

[/list]This simple procedure would make QRZ a hopeless source of email addresses for the Spam robots as any addresses they harvested would cease to work within six hours. However, somebody looking up their details on QRZ and clicking on the generated email link would be unlikely to take six hours to compose their email.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Most comprehensive is the use of Java to create multi-segmented pieces that when clicked Java kicks in and builds the resulting address in e-mail. But I'm sure that can be hacked too.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

If all the parts are present, then the robots can get them.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Simplest is to just use plain text #- #anthony at ieba dot com #- #and the end user can type it in.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Some of the Spam robots can already handle that trick, so it's getting next to useless. Likewise, the trick of putting NOSPAM in the middle of your email address for users to edit out is handled by some of the spambots as well.

Best wishes from Riley G7GOD / KB8PPG
---
* Nothing as pretty as a smile, nothing as ugly as a frown.

[w0nka]

Not everyone uses QRZ.com to look up callsigns. I know a guy who still uses BOOKS. Just this week he bought a computer and a callbook CD-ROM.

It sounds like a solicitation to view QRZ.com to me. I would be offended if someone told me I need to update my e-mail address. You should have gotten his info on the air. If I want to QSL, I always ask them if they are current in the database. Each time. Maybe he just moved, or spending winter in Florida.

My 2¢. #Shane

[WB6DGN]

I have never received a single bit of spam, nor a single unwanted email as a result of registering with qrz. They must be doing something right! Most of the junk originates with your ISP. If you're getting an inordinate amount of junk, consider changing your ISP. I was with one ISP for over a year and never received a single piece of unwanted mail. My new ISP is also taking an agressive approach to spam, but, as yet, is not as effective as the previous one (but a darn site cheaper!!http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif. To restate, qrz has not given me the least problem, all unwanted mail has been the result of other sources.

[kd5lwu]

I am not connected with QRZ except as a user so am not doing a plug for them! I have been a member for many years and never had spam from listing my email address here. I appreciate the services that QRZ provides, especially tghe callsigb database. If you do not wish to have other hams to have your email address that's fine, but for those that do (and obviously some did - but now is wrong address) please update your info and remind others to do so also. Most more than likely know that a email address may also be listed at fcc.gov if you provided one on your license application. 73 Johnny

[KB9VSB]

Not every one who earns an amateur radio license wants their address and email address made public to everyone. We would love to assume that every ham operator is an honest, modle citizen but lets face it this is the real world and just because someone we talk to on the radio is a ham it dosen't constitute us giving up our right to privacy and our freedoms of speech.Sometimes our email adress are abused , yes even by other hams,and if we choose not to update them that is our buisness.There is nothing in the F.C.C. rule book that say's we must bow down to the wishes of qrz.Don't get me wrong www.qrz.com is a very usefull privelage but it is exactly that a privelage.

[kd5lwu]

Your Correct on everything but one. QRZ did not ask me to post this thread (no bowing down to the wishes of QRZ pretended or intended by me) and I had no ideal that they were going to post on this thread. Everyone has free choice, that's what America is about - suggestions,acceptance, rejection - we can all choose. I am sure there are some hams here that would appreciate someone reminding them to change their email address from a dead one to and active one, or to be told about QRZ (someone here said many hams don't know about QRZ) and the fine service they provide hams. I appreciate your post KB9VSC and some second thoughts you provided. Please remember all, I did not start this thread to evaluate QRZ or what they do Thanks and 73

If any members are having SPAM problems try downloading www.mailwaher.net. It's an excellent program. #I use it all the time.. Retrieves your e-mail directly from the server before it gets on the computer. #You can then delete or blacklist any spam or @#$%^&*(* e-mail. #My spam has been reduced bvy 90% in the first month. #Some still try but I keep bouncing it back. #It does stop them. #By the way, this is a FREE program. #Best price.

BB, K5HDG

[nf9a]

Y'know Guys and Gals, I've been reading some of the you have written about QRZ and some of it is good but the most bitchin' I've read amounts to a hill of beans. If You don't want to keep your E-Mail ad current or your address for snail mail DON'T...Geez Its a free country. But you use the QRZ for lookups?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif How much did it cost ya. Ya right My Point exactly its free. So knock off the bitchin' these guys are trying to keep us informed. Give em a lil slack QRZ staff Thanks Much de nf9a

[WB6BLD]

On my QSL.slow site I use a bit of trickery to at least slow down spammers.

I have NEVER had any spam traceable to QRZ.com.

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

- Jim, WB6BLD

[wa8vnz]

I cannot ever remember receiving spam that apeared to reslut from a listing on qrz.com. #I do get tons of spam with other callsigns in the address header though and all of them have arrl.net as part of their address. #Some are obviously not amateur callsigns and would not be valid on arrl.net, and were probably robot generated. #Having occasion to change my call and arrl.net address, noticed an almost immediate reduction of spam using the ham callsigns in the address almost 100% and within a single day and continuing on to the present.

This is not to rag on the arrl as I love the email reflector. #It doesn't get any easier to pass your ham related email address than telling the other guy "my call at arrl.net", but it is obvious that the ARRL could go a long way in improving the downside of this service.

Bottom line, in my experience, very little if any spam that I receive, can I attribute to qrz.com, and much of my spam directed at my ham callsign can be traced directly #to the arrl reflector.

Just my experience....Mark

[n8zux]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif Well i posted my e-mail address at first, then I went to sneakemail, I was tracing the spam source, and in reality why should I spend time blocking spam ? I downloaded some anti-spamware recently, even used a anonomizer then my computer crashed. by the way I refuse to show an e-mail address and I hold a seondary and a third. I don't care what anyone else says but if they want my spam-mail fowarded I'll be glad to send all of it. after so many peices they probably goe quazy !! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif then someone then figgures out how to bypass Spam filters. round and round and round , getting dizzy from spam & anti-spam.

Nuff sed