Logbook Lost After Rare DX QSO

[W6DDX]

So, how many people here have had their logbooks lost, overwritten, accidentally deleted, corrupted, etc. after getting a rare DX QSO? Such as K4M Midway Island!

Arg, I can't believe myself. I know I am in their logbook as their site says so but apparently my logbook is gone. I reinstalled my OS and I think I forgot to backup the logbook. Now, since I don't have the QSO info and I never uploaded it to LoTW I am SOL for getting the QSL card.

I'd like to hear some similar stories so I don't have to feel like the only idiot that has done something so stupid.

[SV9OFO]

Sorry to read about that loss.

Well, I am a computer expert, I fix computers for a living, I consider myself being able to retrieve any data from any hdd except of the case of physical damage on the actual *disks*, yet I keep a handwritten log. Any clue on why?

Best way to avoid this is to have regular printouts of your logs and store them somewhere safe.

I lost a set of 10 QSO's on a plane paper that probably got recycled, while on field operation, well there were people that "thanked me for new one" but I haven't got their QSL to reply yet due to some messy situation of SV bureau asking $88 for the first year of subscription. Too much cash in too bad a year, So I only go direct or digital.


Just to comfort you a bit, at least the QSL will come since you actually did the QSO, are in their log and web page shows your call.

[W6DDX]

Yeah, I am a computer expert too. My daily job is IT security. I SHOULD have known better, but, I don't quite remember what a pencil looks like. As far as retrieving the data, that only works if the sectors have not been overwritten. I guarantee mine have many times over.

[SV9OFO]

Next time skip the CIA level multi-erase...

you could get a dump of the hdd or a direct open (there are some programs that read raw from disk) and have a hex search on the "blank space" for the header of your log's program database...

[NN3W]

I lost several thousand QSOs and QSLs owing to water damage back in the early/mid 1990s.

My only evidence of a QSO was a ARRL DXCC list which shows I had checked off a certain entity, an ARRL DXCC desk credit sheet, and my memory.

I went through the process of trying to reconfirm them all - had about a 60% success rate.

An expedition such as K4M which is very recent should have no problems reconfirming a QSO for you.

[WS2L]

I'm really sorry that you lost your log's, that is a shame. Myself, I still keep paper log's. I also use an electronic logbook so it is much easier to track QSO's for possible awards, that and I have been keeping a log since 1978 and can't kick the habit.

[WA6MHZ]

Very very sorry this happened to you, but it just anchors my argument that you can trust computers JUST AS FAR AS YOU CAN THROW THEM!!!!

I NEVER EVER would trust a computer to keep my log. I am 100% Paper logs since I made my 1st QSO back in 1968. There are times I will transfer the QSOs to a computer, but they are always securely in the logbook before I would do that.

The one logbook I lost was my Mobile Log I kept in the BlackWidowMobile. I was up to 60 DXCC Countries mobile when a RB broke into the Town Car trying to steal things. He couldn't get the mobile console apart, so he ripped the only thing he could find to carry. My LOGBOOK!!! OH, I bet he got alot for that fencing it!!!

Field Day is the Classic example of how ALL LOGS should be Paper first!
One year, up at Mt Laguna with the El Cajon club, they were trying out laptops and old style Floppy Disk computers at the dawn of the computer era.

Everyone else was tickled to log their contacts on the computers. I said PHOOEY!!!! on the computers and refused to participate in such tomfoolery. I logged all my contacts on a paper tablet.

As Field Day was about to end, They started to collect the disks with all the contacts on them.

SURPRIZE!!!!!!!!!!! The 15 meter log disk was BLANK!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well, they had plenty of contacts on 20 meters from my paper logs!

PHOOEY ON COMPUTERS!!!! I might play on the Internet on a computer, but I only trust REAL WORK to be done on Paper!

[KR2D]

This is the reason I upload my logs frequently to LOTW and eQSL. They don't store all of the info that is in DXKeeper, but they provide two independent off site backups of the important data.

[NN3W]

Exactly. LoTW is indeed a failsafe log repository.

[KB3TZK]

This is the reason I upload my logs frequently to LOTW and eQSL. They don't store all of the info that is in DXKeeper, but they provide two independent off site backups of the important data.

Careful there. The maintainers of LOTW have explicitly said that it is not meant to serve as a backup. Since the ARRL web site reorganization the page which used to say this has disappeared but you may be able to find it in the Google cache.

As for the general topic of discussion, I've never lost a log but that's because I'm a new ham. A few years ago, however, I had a hard disk crash which made me lose one week of work. I had a backup, which is why I lost only one week, but one week was too much. The fact of the matter was that I was lazy with performing backups. I've decided that any system which required me to manually perform backups was not good enough for me. I've learned my lesson and now my laptop automatically connects to a NAS I have at home and backs up what has changed between the last backup and the current run. The process works whether I'm actually home or somewhere else. The backups span several months but are incremental so if a file has not changed, it is not duplicated. I've not had a crash since I've installed the new system but I've used the system to perform complete restores when moving to new machines.