Duplicate Detection #
Duplicate detection is a critical feature of World Radio League to help you keep a clean record of contacts, as well as ensure you don’t accidentally log duplicates when contesting or during an activity such as POTA.
WRL provides duplicate detection for various different scenarios:
- Logging -> When you are logging, WRL will
- ADIF Import -> WRL will automatically exclude duplicates from Import, and you should not attempt to keep duplicate records in WRL. This is critical to keep clean logs and accurate analytics.
- Integrations -> WRL will automatically exclude duplicates from import integrations such as LoTW and QRZ. This is critical to keep clean logs within World Radio League
Examples of Duplicate Detection During Logging #
Duplicate Detection Rules #
Duplicate detection rules can vary depending on the scenario.
| Scenario | When It Applies | What Makes It a Duplicate | Example |
| Contest | Contact is part of a contest | Same their callsign, same my callsign, same band, same mode, same contest logbook | If you (K1XYZ) log ‘W1ABC on 20m SSB’ in Contest X, and you already logged ‘W1ABC on 20m SSB’ in Contest X earlier, it’s a duplicate. |
| PARK/Activity-Based | Contact is part of a PARK/activity activation (not in contest) | Same their callsign, same my callsign, same band, same mode, same logbook (activation), on the same calendar day, AND parks must match (see exceptions below) | If you (K1XYZ) log ‘W1ABC on 20m SSB’ in Activation 1 on Jan 15th, and you already logged ‘W1ABC on 20m SSB’ in Activation 1 on Jan 15th with matching parks, it’s a duplicate. But logging them in Activation 2 on the same day is OK! |
| Normal | Regular contact (not contest, not PARK/activity) | Same their callsign, same my callsign, same band, same mode, within 15 minutes | If you (K1XYZ) log ‘W1ABC on 20m SSB’ at 2:00 PM, and you already logged ‘W1ABC on 20m SSB’ between 1:45 PM and 2:15 PM, it’s a duplicate. |
| PARK Exception: Their Park Distinction | Both contacts have “Their Park” (contact is at a park) AND the parks are distinct | NOT a duplicate | Contact 1: K1XYZ contacts W1ABC at park K-0123. Contact 2: K1XYZ contacts W1ABC at park K-0456 Result: NOT duplicates (different “Their Park” values) |
| PARK Exception: My Park Distinction | Both contacts have “My Park” (operator is at a park) AND the parks are distinct | NOT a duplicate | Contact 1: K1XYZ (at park K-0123) contacts W1ABC Contact 2: K1XYZ (at park K-0456) contacts W1ABC Result: NOT duplicates (operator moved to different park) |
| PARK Exception: Contest Override | Contact is part of a contest | Contest rules take precedence (park distinction ignored) | Contact 1: K1XYZ (at park K-0123) contacts W1ABC in Contest X Contact 2: K1XYZ (at park K-0456) contacts W1ABC in Contest X Result: DUPLICATE (contest rules override) |
Duplicates for Club / Multi-Operating Logging #
If you have multiple users logged into the same account, such as logging as a club, duplicate detection will still work!
This is perfect if you are running a club station and want to ensure you are not logging the same operators again across the club.
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