Replacing an Expired Callsign Certificate

If one of your Callsign Certificates expired before you renewed it, you can request a replacement using the procedure below. You can also use this procedure the obtain a replacement for a password-protected Callsign Certificate whose password you've forgotten.

These instructions assume that your Callsign Certificates reside in the folder C:\MyLoTWCertificates (if you've stored them in a different folder, adjust the instructions accordingly).

1.  Start TQSL; if you're not running the current version, you should upgrade before proceeding.
   
2.  Verify that the Callsign Certificate has expired by displaying its properties.
   
3.  If the Callsign Certificate has indeed expired, or if it's password-protected and you've forgotton the password, delete it.
   
4. Select the Callsign Certificate menu's Request New Callsign Certificate Request... command.
   
5. The Request a New Callsign Certificate dialog will appear:
 
  In this dialog,
    5.a Specify the callsign, DXCC entity, begin date, and end date
         5.a.1. Specify the callsign, without any portable identifiers
         5.a.2. Select the DXCC entity associated with the callsign
         5.a.3. Set the QSO begin date to the date of the first QSO made with the callsign
         5.a.4. For an active callsign, leave the QSO end date blank; for an inactive callsign, set the QSO end date to the date of the last QSO you made with this callsign 
         5.a.5. Click the Next button
    5.b Enter your name and address
         5.b.1. For US callsigns, the mailing address you enter must match your address in the FCC database
         5.b.2. Click the Next button
    5.c Enter your email address. Then click the Next button
    5.d You will be prompted to enter a password
         5.d.1. If you're using a shared computer, you should protect your Callsign Certificate by entering the same password in both textboxes; you'll be asked to provide this password each time you direct TQSL to digitally sign a log file. If you control access to the computer you're using, you can leave both textboxes empty, thereby avoiding the need to provide a password each time you direct TQSL to digitally sign a log file.
         5.d.2. Click the Next button
   5.eIf needed, TQSL will recommend the appropriate Callsign Certificate to validate your request:
      
      Click on the recommended Callsign Certificate, and then click the Finish button
    5.f If your computer has internet access, you will be asked if you want to upload this certificate request to LoTW; click the Yes button, and then select TQSL's Status Log tab to view results of the upload. If your computer does not have internet access,
         5.f.1. you will be prompted to save a file whose name is the callsign and whose extension is .tq5; save this .tq5 file in the folder C:\MyLotWCertificates
         5.f.2. this file will be referred to in these instructions as Callsign.tq5
    5.g Select the Callsign Certificates tab; an entry for your Callsign Certificate will be displayed with a pending icon:  (because the certificate is not yet functional).
    5.h If you did not upload the certificate request to LoTW in step 5.f, protect your pending Callsign Certificate, by directing TQSL to create a Backup File.
    5.i You can terminate TQSL by selecting its File menu's Exit command (on OS X, by selecting the Application menu's Quit tqsl command).
     
6. If you did not upload the Callsign.tq5 file to LoTW in step 5.f, move it to a computer with internet access, and upload it to the ARRL via https://lotw.arrl.org/lotwuser/upload ; use the Browse or Choose File button on this web page to navigate to the folder into which you saved the Callsign.tq5 file, and then click the Upload File button.


Make sure that your email address is correctly specified. Within 3 business days, you will receive an email message from the ARRL with your Callsign Certificate attached. 

If you do not receive an email message bearing your Callsign Certificate after 3 business days, do not submit another Callsign Certificate request; instead, send an email message to LoTW-help@arrl.org inquiring about the delayed response.

When you receive the emaill message with your Callsign Certificate attached, follow these instructions using the same computer you used for steps 1-6 above.