After reading a radioamateur forum about strange requests for QSL I searched and researched a new possebility of QSLing via the
European QSL bureau (EBQ). There seems to be a independed QSL bureau here in Europe for years and they set up a own QSL exchange network. If you get an e-mail from the EBQ you can send a Self Adressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) to your country represantive and they will return your envelope with QSL. A excellent service. Though it still costs you as receiver some money, not much but...decide for yourself. It is much less then the amount of dollars some amateurs ask for their QSL. If you want to send QSL via this system you need to pay a yearly fee of 9 euro, in that case you will receive QSLs for free and you can send inside your country for free. Outside your country you need to pay some extra for postage. There is one other way, to be a member of the European Radio Amateur Organisation for 10 Euro a year. You get your cards every 3 months together with a news letter.
Links:
http://eurobureauqsl.org/
http://www.qslbureau.nl/
http://www.eurao.org/
My thoughts with the QSL Code Of Conduct in mind: Well, it is a nice initiative but still costs you money to get a QSL in return although not much compared to the service you get for it. If you receive/send cards via your QSL bureau you also have to pay a yearly fee that is most of the times much more then 10 euro or 9 euro. Though you don't have to pay extra postage for international QSL cards, you can send cards worldwide for free! I can understand that a network system like this costs some money. And it is excellent for individual radio operators in countries that don't have any QSL bureau. Well decide for yourself if this can carry the QSL Code Of Conduct logo!
