QRZ Callsign Database Policy Change

My eyes are bleeding!

Levon, I see that you are a HRD user. The difference between actually visiting QRZ.com to look up a callsign and that of allowing HRD Logbook to do the work for you should be self evident. If you're currently using HRD Logbook for general logging, either enter (type) the callsign of the person you wish to work or click on any callsign in the cluster window and simply hit the QRZ button and all of that station's info boxes are automatically populated! Visiting the site would require one to manually transcribe information from QRZ to the ALE window in HRD Logbook. That's work that's simply unnecessary.


73,


Jon Pearl - W4ABC
www.w4abc.com

 

I'll wager that, as good as Google is, that whatever they come up with will NEVER be even close to qrz.com.

Well done, Fred. I agree 1000% with what you've done.

 

No he's not telling you that "JUST BUY A MEMBERSHIP" if you can't spare $30 a year I guess do it the hard way or buy a new lookup CD for lookups somewhere.

Fred thanks for giving me a great ride for the last 5 years hope to at least another 5 left. You have my most looked up web site a real asset to the ham community.

 

The difference is, that an unchallenged logging program can also be a 'bot'. That is the problem. Look again at the OP, and you will see that Fred has moved to prevent undue stress placed upon the system by these bots. I have HRD, correctly configured, I am a freebie member of QRZ.com, and my logger works fine, fills in all the feilds. If I want more look-ups then I need to pay Fred. Simple really

 

Man, you said it! But Governor? Fred Lloyd for President! ;-)

 

If anybody only needs to look up US and Canadian call signs there is a utility for UI-View that can also be used as a stand alone called FCCSrv. There are instructions which show you where to download the databases for free.

 

[TROLL ON]

Heck, I didn't even know you could do that - look up callsigns and all the QRZ data from within logging programs real-time, in-situ.

Now that I DO know that you can do that, I am wondering WHY I would want to?

I guess if I can look up everyone on the internet, read all their information, go to their web sites and facebook sites, etc. . . . then I don't even have to talk to them on the radio. There's nothing left to talk about.

Cool. I can just say "Yer five nine. 73s" and move onto the next one.


So do we now assume that whoever we contact on the air already knows my name and location? What happens if I ask someone their name and QTH - will they respond with disdain, call me a LID, and say "look me up on QRZed if you want to know anything about me."

Well, on the good side, maybe the auto QRZ lookup will replace macros in digital work.

Yeah, I'm becoming a grumpy old fart. I got into ham radio to talk to people. But now that's considered passe'.

[TROLL OFF]

 

Troll Success!

No, it doesn't replace a good rag chew. Yes, it does (or can) replace the mundane "you're 59 in Nowhereville, Kansas". It doesn't prevent a rag chew.

Personally, I like the auto-lookup precisely because it allows me to get past some of the mundane location data and get right to some good conversation. It speeds up the QSO just a bit so that the other operator has more time to tell me about their latest medical procedure, or to start complaining about the current state of ham radio and how all of this new-fangled tech and the no-code hams have ruined ham radio and how no one just wants to talk any longer.

In the end, it is just a tool. It can be free and you'll just have to log in, or you can pay a bit for access to the XML feed. Either way, use it, or don't...it is up to you.

73,

Dave
K3DCW

 

We can save even more time if we'd all just include a list of physical maladies on our QRZ bio pages.

Or maybe Fred could include a field in the XML record for that?

 

But on a serious note . . . I don't see what the hardship would be. I think the limit of 150 callsign page lookups per day for non-subscribing members is very generous. Anyone who wants to have automated lookups via the XML database as a convenience, then just pay the subscription price. $30 a year doesn't seem out of line with the content that's available in return. And as you pointed out, it's optional. Nobody is forcing anyone to pay $30 a year for this.

 

Thanks Fred, Everything working FB this morning!
73,
Steve, KB8VAO

 

Great News!

 

Congrats to you and your staff....great job....like someone else said, we need to stop the bots when we can. HRD works just fine with it, keep up the great work and happy Father's day if you are one and to all the other dads out there!
Leon

 

While this change might stop the bots, registration and login to see the name and QTH is a brute force approach that further limits the functionality of the site as did the requirement to login to see the detail and map. A more elegant approach utilized in other sites that present lookup databases is to convert the text portion to a bitmap image that would not be machine readable. For me at least, the more hoops I have to to jump through for basic function, the less likely I will be to click on an advertiser link.

 

I can't imagine someone referring you to QRZed for their name and location, unless it's in the middle of a big pile up for a DXpedition or something. In that situation, asking someone such information would be inconsiderate for the thousands of others who are calling. During general QSOs, I've heard them refer folks to QRZed for their QSL info, but not for their name and location. I'm not saying that some won't do it, just I've never heard it.

As for 73s, that may lead someone to believe you're a lid.