Q I know that the ARRL Contest Branch is checking logs very carefully these days. My question, however, is what happens when I work someone in a contest and that person doesn’t turn in a log? Will the log checkers throw out that contact?
A No. The contacts in your log are only matched against contacts in logs actually received. The Contest Branch is well aware of the fact that many hams participate in contests, yet do not turn in logs. For example, Sweepstakes is an excellent contest if you are hunting for new states to complete your Worked All States award. You could probably work all 50 states during Sweepstakes by just pouncing on the stations you need—and never turning in a log after the contest.
On the other hand, if your contest log contains a high number of contacts with stations that apparently did not turn in logs, it might raise a red flag. The Contest Branch may opt to “spot check” your log. This would involve contacting some of the stations to verify that they really worked you.
From QST March 2000
