LoTW Setup Guide: Upload Your Logs to Logbook of the World

Last verified: 2026-10-18 | TQSL version: 2.8.6

Logbook of The World (LoTW) is ARRL’s free electronic QSL confirmation system. It doesn’t replace paper QSL cards — it gives you digital confirmations that count toward ARRL awards (DXCC, WAS, VUCC). Setup takes some patience the first time, but you only do it once.

What You Need Before Starting

  • A valid amateur radio callsign
  • A computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) where you’ll keep using TQSL — the certificate is tied to this machine
  • An email address you can access

Step 1: Download and Install TQSL

TQSL (Trusted QSL) is the free signing software. Download it from ARRL:

  • Official page: http://www.arrl.org/tqsl-download
  • Current version: 2.8.6 (verified 2026-10-18 via SourceForge)
  • Windows: tqsl-2.8.6.msi
  • Mac: tqsl-2.8.6.pkg (Intel and Apple Silicon)
  • Linux: source tarball, or install via Flathub: org.arrl.trustedqsl

Install it normally. Do not use “Run as Administrator” on Windows — this causes permission problems later.

TQSL includes translations for Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

Step 2: Request Your Callsign Certificate

  1. Open TQSL. On first launch, it asks if you want to apply for a Callsign Certificate — click Yes. (If you dismissed it: go to the Callsign Certificates tab → Request New Callsign Certificate.)
  2. Your details: Enter your callsign and name. Most users select “My current personal callsign.”
  3. QSO date range — read this carefully. The wizard asks for a QSO begin date. Set it to the date of your first-ever QSO with this callsign. Any QSO older than this date can never be uploaded. Leave the end date blank.
  4. Location: Your DXCC entity is auto-filled from your callsign. Verify it’s correct.
  5. Email: Enter the address where ARRL will send your certificate.
  6. Click Finish. TQSL generates the request and saves a .tq5 file (the unsigned certificate request). Your private key stays on this computer.

Step 3: Submit the Request to ARRL

Upload the .tq5 file via the link on ARRL’s “Get Started” page.

What happens next depends on where you’re licensed:

US hams (FCC-licensed)

  • ARRL checks your request against the FCC ULS database.
  • ARRL mails a postcard to the address on your FCC license. It contains an 8-digit postcard password.
  • Go to https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw/password and enter your callsign + postcard password.
  • Your FCC ULS mailing address must be current — the postcard goes there and nowhere else.
  • Typical total time: 1–3 weeks (postcard transit is the bottleneck).

Non-US hams (including China)

  • Wait for ARRL’s email requesting identity documents. Don’t send documents before they ask.
  • Email a scan or photo of (a) your amateur radio license and (b) one government-issued document showing your name and address (driver’s license, utility bill, passport) to LoTWhelp@arrl.org.
  • You may black out sensitive numbers (ID numbers, account numbers) — ARRL explicitly permits this.
  • Alternative: hand documents to an in-country ARRL DXCC Card Checker in person, or mail copies to ARRL HQ by registered post.
  • Typical total time: 2–4 weeks (manual staff review, no postcard involved).

After verification, ARRL emails you two things: your LoTW account password and your Callsign Certificate as a .tq6 file (attachment).

Step 4: Install the Certificate

  1. Save the .tq6 file from ARRL’s email on the same computer that created the request.
  2. Double-clicking the .tq6 file usually opens TQSL and installs it. If not: TQSL → Callsign Certificates tab → Load Callsign Certificate from File → select the .tq6 file → Open → Yes → Finish.
  3. Success: the certificate entry changes from a red slashed circle (unsigned) to a gold medal icon (valid).
  4. Back up immediately. TQSL’s backup creates a .tbk file containing your certificates, private keys, and station locations. The .tq6 file alone cannot restore your setup. Store the .tbk somewhere safe (a cloud-synced folder works).

Step 5: Define Your Station Location

In TQSL: Station menu → Add Station Location (or the Station Locations tab → Create a new Station Location).

  • Callsign: select yours from the dropdown.
  • DXCC entity: auto-filled, verify it.
  • Grid square: 4 characters (e.g., OL62) or 6 (e.g., OL62qo).
  • ITU zone / CQ zone: look them up on QRZ.com if unsure. Leave blank rather than guess — a wrong zone overwrites your QSO partners’ correct data.
  • IOTA reference: optional, leave blank unless you’re on an island.
  • US only: State, then County (dropdowns, in that order).
  • Name it descriptively (e.g., BG7BAG-Home-OL62) — this matters if you ever operate portable.

The station location is the geographic fingerprint on every QSO you sign. Your partners’ award credit (WAS, VUCC) depends on its accuracy.

Step 6: Sign and Upload Your Log

  1. Export an ADIF (.adi) file from your logging software. First time: your whole log. After that: only new QSOs.
  2. In TQSL, click “Sign a log and upload it automatically to LoTW.”
  3. Select your Station Location → OK.
  4. Select the .adi file → Open. TQSL saves the signed file with a .tq8 extension by default.
  5. Confirm the signing prompt (Yes). Enter your private-key password if you set one.
  6. TQSL signs and uploads. The definitive success message in the Status Log: “File queued for processing. After reading this message, you may close this program.”
  7. Log in at lotw.arrl.org with your callsign + LoTW account password to see your QSOs and confirmations.

Offline option: sign to a .tq8 file on the offline machine, carry it to an online computer, and upload via the LoTW website → Upload tab.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

| Mistake | What goes wrong |

|—|—|

| QSO begin date left at default | All older QSOs permanently un-uploadable |

| Wrong end date entered | QSOs after that date get rejected |

| Guessing CQ/ITU zone or grid | Wrong data propagates to everyone you worked |

| Loading .tq6 on a different computer | Fails — private key only exists on the requesting machine |

| No .tbk backup | Computer crash means repeating the entire weeks-long process |

| Stale FCC address (US) | Postcard goes to the wrong address, process stalls |

| Sending ID documents before ARRL asks (non-US) | Just wait for the request email |

| Confusing postcard password with LoTW account password | Postcard password is one-time; the emailed password is your permanent login |

| Satellite QSOs missing PROP_MODE=SAT + SAT_NAME in ADIF | Rejected for satellite award credit |

For Chinese Hams Specifically

Chinese amateurs follow the non-US path: after ARRL’s request email, send scans of your 业余无线电台执照 (amateur radio station license) plus one government ID to LoTWhelp@arrl.org. Black out ID numbers on the scan — ARRL allows this. Expect 2–4 weeks for manual review.

*This guide was verified against multiple independent sources on 2026-10-18. TQSL version and ARRL procedures change over time — if something doesn’t match, check http://www.arrl.org/tqsl-download for the latest.*