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[CQ-Contest] QSL card - necessary/unnecessary and others

Subject: [CQ-Contest] QSL card - necessary/unnecessary and others
From: n7df@zianet.com (Larry N7DF)
Date: Tue May 8 11:28:16 2001

My present QSL policy is to answer all received QSLs via the method they =
come in. ( i.e. Cards received by the bureau are answered back through =
the bureau and cards received by snail mail go back the same way.)  A =
few cards are received by mail without an SASE but I send the answers =
back directly and pay the postage myself.  The only QSLs I originate are =
for the contacts I need confirmed for awards.  As I am starting over =
anew on all my awards since my retirement and permanent relocation to =
New Mexico, this is quite a few. Probably at least 75% of the QSOs =
needed for the awards will be made during contests. I use the various =
internet sources to find QSL managers and addresses.  For most of the =
not-so-rare countries I simply wait for cards through the bureau or send =
my cards through the bureau.  For DXpeditions or stations that are =
rarely heard, I QSL directly with SASE/green stamps.  I spent about $350 =
last year on QSLing.  I spent about $1200 on other amateur radio related =
expenses.  Since the awards are one of the main goals of my amateur =
radio activities I don't consider this an exceptionally high proportion =
of my costs for enjoying my hobby. One acquaintance of mine spent more =
than that on fishing lures!  (I think he caught about 25 fish with them) =
I sent about 1100 QSLs and received just about the same number. =
Actually, I received most of those through the bureau and sent answers =
back the same way.  Only about 150 were sent out through snail mail.  =
About half of those I originated and the rest were answers to cards sent =
to me with SASE.
The problem I have with the bureau QSLs is that so many are obviously =
just being sent en-mass by QSL printing programs from contest logs.  =
This is especially evident when a station dupes you three times in a =
contest and sends you QSLs for all four QSOs.
If stations would limit their sending QSLs to only those needed for =
awards it would make things a lot simpler and less expensive for =
everyone.  Otherwise, if they just want to send out masses of QSL cards =
to no particular purpose, they should indicate on the QSL card that no =
reply is expected.
As far as eQSLs are concerned, I really don't believe that printing QSL =
cards out from an internet site is anything like getting a piece of =
cardboard in your hands, or of any particular value. I just put my =
received cards in file boxes that are only opened to add more cards or =
to get out a group of cards to apply for an award.  No one I know of is =
interested in looking through them. Using an internet clearing house for =
confirming contacts for awards, on the other hand, may be a very =
practical option.  If everyone who wants to participate in this type of =
program would send in their logs in a standard format, such as Cabrillo, =
then the system could be used to verify the contacts.  Instead of the =
station applying for an award having the eQSLs printed and sending them =
in, they could identify to the eQSL service the contacts that they need =
verified and a certified list showing the log entries from both =
station's  logs could be sent to the award issuing entity. I wouldn't =
even mind paying a reasonable fee for such a service.  It would still be =
cheaper than the cost of individual QSLing. =20
I recently converted all my old contest logs into Cabrillo by simply =
running the .BIN files on the latest CT program.  I then stripped off =
the headers and copied them into a MSWord file in chronological order.  =
This is a very simple procedure to produce an easily searchable master =
log.  Mine is now nearly 1000 pages long but I can find any call in it =
within 5 seconds.  I even went through and corrected the calls =
identified as -B and -U in the UBN for the  2000 CQWWSSB.  That took =
less than 5 minutes.  If we had the eQSL system I proposed above in =
place I could put 93278 QSOs in it dating back to 1982.  If everyone =
else who has digital QSO files would do the same we would probably have =
at least 50% of all QSOs that will be used in confirming award credits =
on electronic file and available for verification without printed QSL =
cards.
The eQSL system is an obvious move in the progression of our hobby but =
it needs to be set up systematically.  I would like to propose that the =
IARU provide the leadership for the development of eQSLing.

73

N7DF
Larry
E=3DIR  It's not just a good idea
IT'S THE LAW!!!


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