Score points
Every contact (except repeats, see below) made during an op via the OTA bot
earns points. The points for all the contacts in a particular op
are added together to show the total score for that op. The points earned by
a contact between two operators are also added to the callsign totals
for both operators.
This page describes how and when those points are calculated. On this page we use “completed contact” and “QSO” interchangeably. In APRS OTA these two terms are synonyms for the same thing.
Every point comes from a stamp
A stamp represents a particular aspect of a completed contact, and each stamp is worth a certain number of points. A QSO’s score is the sum of the values of its stamps. There are no points for hosting an op, and no points for having a long op. Points are only awarded for confirmed QSOs.
When the host of an op confirms the contact with a QSL, the OTA bot looks at the now complete QSO and adds all the relevant stamps to the contact. The sum of the values of those stamps is the total score for that contact. Once the QSO is complete, the score is finalized and never adjusted or modified.
Certain combinations of stamps have a special name. For example, if a chaser is at sea, they contribute a Davy Jones stamp to the QSO. If the host is also at sea, instead of two Davy Jones stamps, there is a special combo named Full Fathom Five.
You can see the stamps and total score for a QSO in the op logbook and on the QSO page. There is a catalog of all the stamps and combos and their values.
Only your first contact on an op scores points
Your first confirmed QSO with a host during an op is the one that earns stamps and points. Chase the same op again and the second contact is logged, counts as a QSO and gets its own QSL card. But it does not earn any stamps or points.
All the SSIDs for your callsign are collapsed, because they are all you. W1XYZ-5 and W1XYZ-9 are one operator, so switching radios partway through an op does not qualify for a second scoring contact. When the host’s next op goes on the air, you can again score points by completing a new QSO with that host.
Both of you bank the whole score
A QSO is scored once, and the host and the chaser each add that score to their own total. There is no splitting, no halves, and no separate value for the two sides of a contact.
That holds even for a stamp only one of you earned. For example, if a chaser is afloat on a lake, they contribute the Nessie stamp to the QSO. The stamp shows which party was on the lake, but the points go to both of you.
Examples
Rule #3 requires a host to contact the OTA bot via RF. Being on RF earns a stamp worth one point, and therefore every QSO (that earns points, see above) has a score of at least one.
Here are a few examples:
| The contact | What it earns | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A host on RF, a chaser on APRS-IS | PTT, for the host | 1 |
| Both of you on RF | PTT for each party, shown as the combo Two-Way | 2 |
| Both of you on RF from different countries | Two-Way and Foreign Lands | 3 |
Notice that a combo doesn’t add additional points. Two-Way is worth 2 because it is two PTT stamps, and giving that pair a name changes no arithmetic. Combos are there because “Mark and Space” is more fun than two “PTT”.
Where your score shows up
While hosting an op, you can use the INFO command to find out how many points have been earned from that op:
And the end-of-op summary arrives either way, whether you end the op yourself with DONE or it runs out of time:
Remember, only the first QSO between two operators earns points in an op, so the number of points can be less than the number of QSOs.
On the website, the scores are shown in several places:
- An op’s page shows scores in several places. The scoreboard at the top shows the total score and summary of the stamps from all the contacts. The logbook shows the total score for each QSO and a breakdown of how that score was earned.
- A QSO’s page shows every stamp and combo that contact earned.
- Your callsign page carries your callsign total, from all of your QSOs whether you were the host or a chaser.
Future stamps and combos
It’s likely that in the future there will be new stamps. For example, there will probably be stamps for being on a SOTA summit or in a POTA park. These stamps will only be earned by contacts made after those stamps are available. Old contacts that happened to be made from a park will not retroactively gain the POTA stamp.
Combos do not earn their own points, they are just a fun name for a certain combination of stamps. Therefore, when new combos are added they will be retroactively applied to prior QSOs.