QSL for sale

This is a crosspost from: https://pe4bas.blogspot.com/2020/01/qsl-for-sale.html

QSL card on photo are not for sale....just a collection sample.

The title of this post says it all. In my opinion something bad has happened the last decade(s). Some of our fellow radio amateurs need to sell their QSL cards. In their opinion it is too expensive to exchange QSL, and in some occasions they are right. Ok, I know I've been writing about this in Nov. 2019 but it is still in my mind...

Online systems confirm your contact now, a QSL is not needed. 

However, there are still some paper QSL collectors left, although I expect that this will decrease. For those that still collect paper QSL cards the hobby is becoming very expensive, at least if you want those interesting QSLs from rare stations. There are also fellow radio amateurs that do ask money for their card because they don't want to send a QSL, most of them are contesters and make thousands of contacts every year. I really don't know why they ask money? Most of them have a QRZ.com page in which you can set your preferences and you can add a text as well. Just write you don't want to send QSL and QSL received will not be answered. This should be clear for those that still want to send a paper card.

Now, I was researching the QSL or confirmation method the DXCC stations have that I worked as "new ones" on 60m last year. Most of them do confirm by bureau/clublog OQRS/QSL manager OQRS/LOTW and eQSL. But a few of them do not, they only confirm direct, you have to buy your QSL in my opinion. Lets look at my list:

A50BOC - confirms via LOTW, via JH1AJT direct or clublog OQRS, no bureau. Cost: 3 USD
T6AA - confirms via LOTW - paper QSL possible. Cost: 3,50 USD
XW4XR - confirms via LOTW - paper QSL possible via E21EIC. Cost: 2 USD
J69DS - Only direct! Cost: 2 USD
CY9C - via clublog OQRS, no bureau. Cost: 4,50 USD
V31DL - confirms via LOTW - OQRS via clublog, no bureau. Cost: 3 USD
PJ6/NM1Y - Confirms via LOTW - direct paper QSL possible. Cost: 2 USD
3D2AG - Only direct. QSL request via paypal. Cost: 3 USD
8P2K - confirms via LOTW, via KU9C direct or clublog OQRS, no bureau. Cost: 3 USD

Total: 26 USD for 9 paper QSL cards (!)

6 stations do confirm via LOTW. If you are no paper card collector this will save you 16,50 USD.

Still, if you want to confirm J69DS, CY9C and 3D2AG you need to buy their cards. With CY9C at the top as the most expensive one! They do not confirm via LOTW. Why? Well, you decide for yourself...

Personally I think in case of asking money for a QSL for a good reason like helping people to buy medical supplies, food or other goods they need for a living it is ok with me. Some DXpeditions like the previous Mercy Ships DXpeditions in Africa are there to help people, this justifies asking money to confirm the contact. But for private stations or DXpeditions asking money!?!

If people want to do a DXpedition they should count the QSL confirmation in their budget as well. Most DXpeditions are doing that since it is possible to request for a bureau card most of the time. But sometimes, like the CY9C DXpedition in this example, it looks like they want to cover part of the costs. This are just examples for 60m contacts I worked during 2019. Sorry, but personally I don't understand? If you can't cover the costs don't go for a DXpedition and leave it to someone else who can. At least offer your fellow radio amateur hobbyists a confirmation via the free and valid LOTW but don't force everyone to buy your QSL card.

Sorry, if you as reader of this blog, have other opinions. I can imagine you want that QSL confirmation at any cost. Some people seem to have a lot of money to spend for their hobby, but most don't. However, in the end it is everyones own decision...

Just a reminder my QSL code of conduct logo/site:

Update 14-01-2020: Rectification and change of this post. I took A50BOC as (bad) example but received a LOTW confirmation today (coincidence?). When I did research for this post it was not clear to me they would confirm by LOTW it was not on their QRZ page, now it is. So I changed my post.

Buying QSL cards from DX stations

I received the confirmation paper QSL cards from my WRTC 2018 contacts via bureau last week. Now I ask myself, was it necessary? Is it a waste of paper? Yes, I did the request for these QSLs myself and I regret. What am I doing with all this paper? I don't really collect paper QSL anymore. Paper QSL is a thing from the past. There are other ways to confirm a contact now. I already have these contacts confirmed by LOTW. Think of eQSL, LOTW and many others. There is no need for a paper QSL anymore except for those who collect them.

Well. collect them or buy them? There is another trend going on in QSL world. Many stations are not a member from any club or society anymore and QSL bureaus are receiving less QSL cards every year. Those who still want that paper QSL in the past were proud to send them, QSL bureau or not, since the receiver would have the same costs to send a QSL in return. But these days it looks like it is big business. Not for those that want QSL exchange only but also for the post providers. Postage is expensive and a excuse for not sending any QSL. I see a trend that DX stations especially, even if they are not really rare, ask several US dollars for postage. I fact you can pay by paypal and that way it is just a matter of buying your confirmation. Personally I don't like that, I might be old fashion. But this is still a hobby and if I would buy all the QSL I need for DXCC confirmation that would a considerable amount of money. There are other ways but I know several (DX) stations that don't confirm at any online QSL service so if you want to have your contact confirmed you have to pay them first. So unfortunate....

The final courtesy of a QSO is the QSL....

These days that would be:

The final courtesy of a QSO is the confirmation...

Long time ago....

It has been a long time I wrote something on this QSL of Conduct site. It is also a long time ago amateurradio operators begun with the habit of exchanging QSL. This video shows how a vintage QSL is printed.

It remembers me of my 2 years graphic school years in the eighties. That's before I developed a interest in electronics. I've been working with a similair press and learned typesetting with my bare hands. I really can't remember much of that time but watching the video some of it came back in my mind. From a art point of view QSL cards can be a very valuable item to collect. Especially the antique ones. It's nice to see that they are still made...

QSL via bureau returning

For a while now I asked myself how on earth I can get QSL returned via bureau. Most of the time I only answer bureau cards. It has been very rare I send my QSL card first. Unfortenately I dumped a lot of less interesting cards in the garbage (oh my!) So from the 3 cards at the right I could not find DF8JE. I found the QSL manager from A61BM is IZ8CLM, it is printed on the card so it is my own fault. I will send the A61BM card again. The last card is from Z60WW, their card does not have a TNX/PSE QSL sign printed on it. I guess it is my fault, I tried to return a card. However it reached me via the bureau so I presumed I could return a QSL via bureau. It did happen before but those cards are all gone in the garbage, I didn't investigate why they had been returned. I remember 2 times the operator was SK. But others could be send via a QSL system like GlobalQSL. If you receive those cards via bureau and the station is not participating the return QSL will get back to you. It is important that it is clear how to return a card, print it on your card near the PSE/TNX QSL sentence. Otherwise others presume they can return a QSL card via bureau.

Treasured QSL

 Tell me, what are you doing with received paper QSL cards? Personally I never look at them once when I answer them and put them as received in my logbook. After that I never look at them again. Sometimes I scan the nice ones to keep them on the computer. I actually did throw a box full of cards away. Why keep them? I know people that have boxes full of cards stored on the attic. That means not 1000 or 2000 but more then 10000-20000 QSL cards they never look at.

Recently I wrote this on my QRZ page:

"QSL will always be answered 100% as long as you are in the log. SWL QSL welcome, please note the callsign of the station I was contacting and the right log info.

I prefer QSL via the digital way it is cheap, easy and much better for the environment."

Yes I prefer my QSL the digital way via the internet. I think paper QSL is nice and something you can touch. I still respect people that want my paper QSL card. I can imagine you find them valuable and when you make about a hundred QSO a year you can handle it and it is like you have a treasure in your hand when you receive them. But what about 2000-3000 QSL a year, imagine that. So much paper is not a treasure anymore but a weight that is burning your hobby budget. 

Digital QSL like eQSL and LOTW is much easier, cheaper and....when you think about it, much better for the environment.

But keep in mind one of the QSL Code Of Conduct rules:

• If you receive a QSL card via buro, reply via buro. If you receive QSL card direct, reply direct.

Of course if you receive a digital QSL reply the same way. And try to find out what sort of QSL someone prefers before sending that first QSL.

Approved code of conduct QSL

The QSL card code of conduct is based on a fair exchange of QSL cards. It is simple: answer your QSL the same way you received it. Remember that even in this internet age the QSL confirmation is still part of our radiohobby. It could be simple (eQSL, LotW, HRDlog etc.) or the hard way (paper QSL via direct). It is not what you prefer but what your opposite station prefers. Don't be selfish and do your QSL work properly! Read what I have to say on the QSL Card Code of Conduct page.

Some radio amateurs are completely fed up with QSL cards. Of course we can respect that but please let others clearly know via your QRZ.com page before they invest in a QSL card to you!

Remember: The final courtesy of a QSO is a QSL card!

Showed are cards that are approved for the QSL code of Conduct. They QSL 100%...

Recently received via bureau

C37N Andorra on 160, 80, 40, 20 and 15m SSB

RA9AE Asiatic Russia on 10m SSB and 40m CW

9Y4W Tobago on 15 and 20m SSB

TU2/F5LDY on 12m SSB

All confirmed via QSL bureau, no money involved. These QSL cards could carry the QSL Code Of Conduct logo.

Intrepid-DX Group bad QSL ideas

In a post on dxworld.net Paul N6PSE does propose a  way of QSLing that should lower the costs of QSLing for the forthcoming Intrepid-DX Group DX pedition. This is only a proposal of course but already there are a lot of people that disagree. I think this DX-group never heard about the QSL code of conduct. If they already think costs will become too large they shouldn't even think about another DX-pedition. Sorry guys, BAD idea. A QSL is the final courtesy of a QSO and should be FREE ! Promote your aid and support activities and try to get funding for it. If you don't have the money for a DX-pedition save some first before anouncing this kind of QSL proposal.

HK0NA OQRS Service

HK0NA Online QSL Request Service is how a proper DXpedition should QSL with the QSL Code Of Conduct in mind. They offer a free QSL card via the bureau and you can request them online. Of course someone that is not a member of a radio club or bureau has to wait till the logs are uploaded to LOTW.

Ham Radio Blacklist migrated to QSL Code Of Conduct

Since I didn't like "Ham Radio Blacklist" after all I migrated to "QSL Code Of Conduct". I didn't like the old blog name as it sounds very negative. And this new name is comparable with "DX code of Conduct". The QSL card keeps me thinking. Last week Franki ON5ZO and John AE5X wrote interesting things to read about QSLing. What is actually happening with your QSL card. Most do store them in boxes, and some put them on the wall of their radioshack. But what happens when you're (radio)life is over? Well, some of the (Dutch) cards will end in a museum probabely like the QSL card museum in the Netherlands. The manager for that museum is PA1AT Gerard who is also the regional QSL manager for the northern part of the Netherlands. This guy probabely loves QSL!

Controversial

I think the QSL subject as I see it will be very controversial sometimes. In my opinion QSL is something you send when you're proud of the QSO, your station and yourself as a outstanding licensed radioamateur. In the old days it was very common to reply to your QSL, actually it just was a gentlemens agreement to reply. It just was your duty to confirm the QSO with a QSL. But times change, HAM radio is not always the same. It's a good thing but can be also bad. In case of QSL there is more and more a change to confirm QSL via the internet by systems like Logbook Of The World and eQSL. That's the good thing. The bad thing though is that paper QSL is getting abandoned, there is a tendency going on that people ask money for a QSL. In my opinion that is a very BAD thing. In some cases I can imagine that a HAM radio operator would ask for money, but in most cases it is absolutely NOT necessary. Therefore I am developing a QSL Code Of Conduct. I try to make some rules that in my eyes are correct, but any input is welcome of course. The QCOC is made by radioamateurs for radioamateurs. I hope many of HAM radio ops will support this. What I will publish on this blog is not a blacklist of bad behaving radioamateurs that ask for money, but the opposite. A list of well QSLing amateurs. When I go through my QSL archives I already have a list of calls in mind that QSL 100% via bureau. But to be on this list you need to be a very good direct QSL sender as well.