Removing Password Protection from a Callsign Certificate
The Callsign Certificate that the ARRL issues to an LoTW user authenticates contacts submitted by that user. A Callsign Certificate can optionally be password-protected. LoTW users are expected to protect their Callsign Certificates so that contacts are not fabricated. Therefore, the ARRL strongly recommends that Callsign Certificates maintained on shared or public computers be password-protected.
If you have password-protected a Callsign Certificate that is not maintained on a shared or public computer, you can remove the password protection:
- start TQSL
- select TQSL's Callsign Certificates tab
- click on the Callsign Certificate whose password you wish to remove, and then click the Save the callsign certificate for button to the right
- In the Enter the name for the new Certificate Container file window, specify the name and location of a new file into which the certificate will be saved, and then click the Save button in the lower-right corner (this file will be used in step 8 below)
- a Certificate Container Password window will prompt you to enter a password; leave both the New password and Enter again to confirm textboxes empty, and click the Ok button
- an Enter password window will prompt you to enter a password to unlock the Callsign Certificate, type the password used to protect the Callsign Certificate
- click the Load a Callsign Certificate button
- in the Select Certificate File window that appears,
- set the selector in the lower-right corner to Callsign Certificate container files (.p12)
- select the file you created in step 4 above and click the Open button
- in the New Password window that appears, leave both the New password and Enter again to confirm textboxes empty and click the Ok button
- in the Load Certificate File window, click the Finish button