When I was much younger, (in the 1970's) I used to wait for the mailman to
see my QSL cards come in and save my paper-route $$ to buy stamps so I could
send return cards back out.
Now from Canada, it's obscenely expensive to send a card. Probably over
$3...I have a manager that looks after that now, so I don't even know
exactly (thanks Pete - VE3IKV)
Now, like many (most?) of you OT's and OF's, I have boxes and boxes and
boxes of QSL cards from pretty much every country (except maybe North
Korea).
I have only initiated about 4 or 5 QSL's in the past 8 or 9 years, for very
special contacts (crossband 4m/6m QSO's to EU, 6m and 160m Q's to Japan,
etc.)
I don't need more stuff for my family to pitch out when my key goes silent
and I do not apply for any CQ or ARRL (etc.) awards.
I know what I have worked and make note of it in a book (yes, a book) for
myself to look at.
Because I feel compelled though to "do the right thing" (for the other guy)
I tried a couple times back some years ago to get on LOTW. Both times it
failed.
One time the ARRL had trouble with my phone bill or power bill with the
spelling of my name or postal code or something equally stupid like that and
the other time I think I may have got registered or partially registered and
there was an issue with some .tqsl file or something like that and it would
just not work on any of my PC's.
I gave up.
Like I said, I don't chase awards, so unless the ARRL makes it *EASY*
(easier?) for non-USA stations to get on LOTW, so I can allow OTHERS get
THEIR awards, then I will invest
very little time, money or effort into making that happen. I upload to
clublog about once/year.
Maybe it's easier nowadays to get on LOTW- I don't know. It's probably been
at least 7-8 yrs since I last attempted it.
For direct QSL's, I now have a QSL manager.
Thanks for all the Q's
dit dit
Mike VE9AA "NB" and/or "FN66"..QSL via VE3IKV only...no bureau cards pse !
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
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