Without any import (or export for that matter), I don’t see any reason to use “the most advanced logbook on the planet”. As a software developer myself, it pains me to see all the gold plating on WRL without the basic operations that QRZ already has. QRZ might have a terrible interface (as about 99% of all ham related web sites), but it does allow me to import and export ADI files.
If you are looking for people to start using a site for logging, then you need to allow them to import the logs they already have first.
Like it or not LOTW is used by a lot of hams and most if not all logging applications log to it directly in real time. If you want to get traction, you really need to pay more attention to how people are logging today. I don’t see a lot of value in a siloed online only logger with no import, export, or integration to LOTW (or QRZ for that matter).
Now, as far as the quality of almost all the ham related logging and other sites out there, they are almost all horrible. POTA.app and Cloudlog are the only exceptions IMO. Cloudlog is excellent and has a slew of useful features (and some not so useful), however it’s a pain to setup unless you do this for a living.
When I got in Amateur Radio I was amazed at how terrible the software is in general. Much of it feels ~20 years old, which is much longer in Internet time. My first inclination was to build something better myself. The saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has never been more true than when speaking of online ham logging sites. The problem is that it is broken.
I like the concept and I had a lot of hope when I saw a more modern effort happening, but like I said, I don’t see the utility. I hope this feedback wasn’t too negative. I love the enthusiasm and share much of it myself!
@W4GIT I totally get it! If the logbook doesn’t meet your needs, there is no pressure to use it at all!
We just launched in beta less than two months ago, so we’re brand new. There are a lot of new features we need to add → import/export, integrations etc.
But we’ve already built a unique experience unlike anything else out there, and we’re launching faster too.
In any case, thanks for checking us out. Perhaps check back in with us in a few months
Thanks for the feedback David! We’re absolutely working on Import / Export.
For Import, we are taking our time to make sure we do it right. Specifically, we are designing our software to account for three main dependencies:
QSO Confirmation We need to ensure confirmations are working well, so that upon import all confirmations are taken care of appropriately
Deduplication Deduplication is a major dependency for import. We need to make sure upon import, duplicates are appropriately managed to avoid a mess that has to be cleaned up later
Scalability We have many users waiting on importing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of QSOs - we’re doing appropriate volume testing and code updates to manage cloud costs and scalability.
That’s some behind the scenes info on the work the team is doing here. Check back in a few months, since it sounds like we don’t meet your requirements today. Thanks for checking us out!
This is my first logging software/ website i ah e really tried. So far so good, i like the logging page it is intuative to me. I was looking throught the chats about the import export function.
My question is: Is there an option or going to be an option to upload contacts to POTA? Or something ofnthat nature.
I am a brand new General ( got it Nov 1, 2023). So all of this for me is trial and error. Including all the radio stuff.
That’s exactly right! Our Export feature is nearly finished. Once we have that feature ready, you’ll be able to export the ADIF from WRL, then import into POTA.
We’re also considering a 1-click POTA integration (@N4ML is leading the effort there!)
I think the word “Beta” says what it is. software is released in a perpetual beta state, meaning that it is continuously being updated and improved, and is never considered to be a fully completed product. This approach allows for a more agile development process and enables the software to be released and used by users earlier in the development cycle.
“Good things come to those who wait”
I exported my log from QRZ and attempted to import the ADIF to WRL. The log is only 1634 contacts so is well under the free account limit. Nice UI but the import fails without any reason provided other than a “something went wrong” notificaiton. It’d be helpful to have some context for the failure message.
Exactly right! That’s the approach we want to take - continuous improvement and always building new things. New features that are released may have some small bugs, but we will always fix them as soon as possible.
We made a fix and your import is in now! Thanks so much for letting us know, we found a small bug and it is now fixed for all users. Take a look and let us know
Just after the import option was ready to be tried out, I imported my QRZ logbook into WRL and had no issue like yours. It did import with errors but at least it imported.
There were duplicates and missing RST’s. These discoveries were relayed back to the developers for investigation. I’ll soon delete the first imported try that i saved as a separate log in WRL and re-import when I have time and see what that looks like
I’m going to remain a free member for awhile and see where all of this goes. If you develop the ability to import from other sources, I’ll become a paying member. Aside from the import function, I think you already have a head start over qrz.com. Keep up the good work.
OK Bob, thanks for the email… It is looking good, …always nice to see another effort to help the new hams get started in this great hobby which i’ve had since 1957 when I was a novice with KN3CAL here in central PA… Keep up the great work…See you on the CW bands some day in the AM…73’s Dave
