My QSL cards arrived via UPS today, and they look great! The quality of the card stock, printing, and cutting is excellent, and the packing box was robust.

This is who I used: https://www.kb3ifhqslcards.com/

I supplied my own photo for the front, and took some of his back side designs and tweaked them around until I was satisfied, then sent that to him (Randy). He took what I did and added a couple of really nice small flourishes that I wouldn't have thought of. He sends a PDF proof to approve before going to print. The whole experience was great, and I recommend him as a good person to do business with.

1. not always.
not much anymore.
if asked, I will send one.  If it's DX, especially rare DX, I'll try to get one, even if it takes a few bucks.


2. I make them here -- http://www.radioqth.net/qslcards  I made a bunch up a few years ago with my M1 Garand on them. Many ARFROM hams got them.
this pic...


3.  Lotw is the standard, some say it's too hard to setup, but even a caveman like me can do it. eQSL is  ghay and full of BS QSO's

4. ARRL. QSL service  "Bureau" aka "buro"

http://www.arrl.org/qsl-service  It's fun to get a big envelope of DX cards, even if they are from common lands like Germany, and Italy.


here's some examples of some colorful ones I've got.















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worked the ISS space station on an FT7900 mobile, driving to the rifle range to shoot Garands



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My very first QSO, 10m SSB, right after I opened the letter with my new callsign. ( just a pup back then )




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back when I was trying to pass my 13wmp CW test, I worked this old timer.

I forced myself to call CQ on 40m CQ to get my speed up.




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worked this one twice with my TARHEEL II and FT-857 mobile (10m & 12M)




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ARFCOM'er Piccolo









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Almost all of these were worked with a modest 100 watt station and dipoles or trap vertical antennas.
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@Brundoggie

Your card is one of the coolest ones I've ever received.

For those wondering about my card, what makes it unique is that it is made from Hawaiian Koa wood.

Attached File


The QSO info is on the other side.

BEST QSL I ever received!!!

I just stumbled into making an error, so will detail that so other newbies might avoid the same mistake.

I recently had a nice QSO with a guy in Tripoli, Lebanon, which was pretty cool. Naturally, I was curious about getting a paper QSL card from him. On his QRZ page, it said (I have removed details to avoid finger pointing):

Please QSL direct  only to:
Name Name-Call Sign
123 Street Address
City, State, USA Zipcode

So...

I sent my QSL card for the contact with Lebanon to Mr. Name Name, and thought nothing more about it.

Then... Drama!

TL;DR: Be sure to check the QRZ page of anyone acting on behalf of a contact, to make sure you have all the info you need.

It turns out that I was supposed to visit Mr. Name Name's QRZ page for additional instructions about how to get a QSL card for my Lebanese QSO. Those instructions would have caused me to include a SASE; something that I did not do, because I had never visited Mr. Name Name's page. I mean, why would I? I didn't have a QSO with Mr. Name Name. I thought I had all the info I needed, as reproduced above. So, I continue on my merry way, oblivious as usual...

Time passes and I get an email from Mr. Name Name pointing out that I was supposed to include a SASE as was clearly stated on Name Name's QRZ page, and did I want to send one or paypal a dollar, and that it wasn't his place to supply postage or envelopes. I was surprised, but what the hell do I know, so I wrote back  saying I would decide the next day and let him know after I check what the paypal fee would be for that, and by the way, there was nothing on the Lebanon QRZ page about a SASE, so sorry I didn't know. This led to a few more emails back and forth, with me feeling it necessary to say that it never occurred to me to visit Name Name's page because I never had a QSO with him.

So, it turns out that Mr. Name Name acts as a "bureau" for a whole bunch of people, and does it for free because he likes doing it. He said I should go to his page and see how it is supposed to be done "properly", so I did that, and it was clearly stated what was required. I would have had no problem with this, had I understood what was being done.  

In the meantime he told me he would send out the card anyway. I told him to wait and I would send him a SASE, but he had already dropped it into the mail, so I said I'd send him a buck, but he said not to worry about it and not to bother. I think I will still send him a buck.

Emoto, I just looked and I'm positive that your Lebanon QSO is the same as mine. I can't remember if I sent a card yet or not -- my notes are at home. I normally send self-addressed envelopes and "Green stamps" to all my DX, so if I've mailed one to this guy, surely I included a stamped envelope for this guy's manager.

He is a QSL MANAGER.  There are a lot of them around albeit fewer than in previous years.  Most of them handle a dozen or so DX stations and who knows how many QSL cards every month.  I was manager for a friend stationed in South Korea and just that one was a lot of effort.

Sending an SASE for a manager is standard practice.  It always has been.  If they had to pay postage out of their own pocket or address envelopes all day long they wouldn't do it for very long.

If you included a SASE, or SAE and a buck, you're all set.

When I hit a DX, I always look very closely at their QSL card instructions, to make sure I get it right. Sometimes, I email them to make sure I understand what they need.

But, since the guy handling it was in the US and it simply said to send to him, that is all I did. I know better now.

I won't post all the details here because there are a number of people that could get into trouble for their part in it but the messiest time I had getting a QSL card was from XXXXX.

I was warned that mail theft was likely.

I asked the embassy and they refused to drop one in the local mail for me even though I offered to send it unsealed so they could inspect it.

I asked around to someone I knew that knew someone that knew someone that knew someone else and by the time it was over the operator in XXXXXX got a DHL mailer addressed to me.

Bingo!

Of course the mailer also included a number of OTHER QSL cards for other operators here in the States.

I never asked why he did that but he did. The mailer had about 6 cards in it including mine.

Piccolo Q. Dumbshit sent all 5 of them to the rightful hams with a note of explanation and never did get so much as a single thank you of any kind from any of them.

I didn't expect a large cash award or being invited over to the house to fuck their sisters but a simple, free email would have been nice.

I heard their sisters were all fat anyway.

FYI: When you mail "green stamps", check each one for any markings, wear and tear. They should basically look like new to be exchanged for a local currency in most countries. A bill will be rejected, even if it looks new but there is a small tear on one of the edges.

Excellent point.

I remember your story about getting a QSL card from one of the "...stans". It was hilarious.

I got sixty one dollar bills from the bank last week to renew my supply in my radio desk drawer. I know for  a fact that I sent a couple of ratty ones from the batch before this one. I hope they work.

Yeah. A lot of guys stuck their necks out trying to help me get paper confirmation from the QSO. Like I said earlier I can't post the details here but if anyone a youse guys meet up with me I'll tell you AFTER I swear you to secrecy.

A couple of years ago I got $100 from the bank and the idiot woman asked me, "Are you having a garage sale?"

"No. Bubbles is workin' at the club Saturday night!"

The teller next to her said, "Bubbles, huh? I'll buy you the first round!"

She blushed until somebody's grandmother took her down completely. She was a topheavy octogenarian with her enormous boobs in a bullet bra that was probably made out of some kind of seat belt materiel. She stuck her boobs aout and asked, "Hey are they having a wet-T-shirt contest, too?"

That old lady stole the entire show!

My cousin's daughter was my teller that day, so I said that I was going to a topless bar that night and my wife said, "He is not."

I got an email from a guy in Serbia this morning saying in broken English that he got my QSL card but I hadn't sent any "$$$". No shit, Sherlock. If you want green stamps, at least take the effort to say so on your QRZ page. I have NO problem sending a few bucks for a DX QSL card, but they need to specify it. I then suggest PayPal and he responds with an email address to send it to. I send $3 to it and immediately get an email from PayPal saying that the dude doesn't even have an account and has 10 days to sign up and claim the funds. I sent him a final email telling him to keep my card and not to bother sending me one if he can't get PayPal going on his end. I'm not going to pout over a card from Serbia -- I've had QSO's with a half dozen guys from that country. Sure one will send one.

Your wife won that round.

Regarding QSL card in$tructions, it is kind of amazing that these guys don't always say what they need.

I have sent emails to a few DX QSOs asking if the way QRZ has their address is how I should address the envelope. I also ask if they "have any other requirements, because I know postage can be a burden". I have gotten back replies ranging from "yes, please send 2 GS" to "no, this is a hobby and I enjoy it" so you never know.

That's the reason my QRZ web page specifies BURO or SASE.

Suppose it's a DX that comes with an SAE and $2.00?

I haven't purchased QSL cards this time around, but I'm not in HF yet.

I have "Eyeball Cards" which I enjoy giving out, but I'm undecided about QSL's.

The most I ever sent was $5 to my first and only contact with Mongolia, because I really wanted his card. Other DX got $1.

Google "cheap QSLs". (I have Style EB1 Eyeball Cards) which I think look good with my 2X2 and serve the purpose very well.

I just ordered some really nice color ones from Custom QSL now to get my HF rig back up and running again and make some contacts to send out my custom card.  I send cards because I like to get them and see what they have for cards and hopefully send back.  I try to do the special events and don't mind sending a SASE to get a card back.  I think I even paid for a few special event cards but I don't track how much I have spent.   Cards was one of the reasons I like this hobby.

Honestly, QSL cards don't have to be complicated or professionally done unless you want to.  For years I designed my own that were printed n my inkjet onto postcard stock.   Still do that when I work away from my home QTH.  he more personalized the better.

I'm leaning towards going this way.  I saw one guys' QRZ page who was adamant about "NOT doing QSL cards of ANY kind so don't even ask."  That's a little extreme for me.  The cards are cool and all, but I don't really want to get too involved in it.  I think I've got eQSL set up to use one of their free ones for now.

I think it hits different people differently. For me, I can handle the expense of sending them, because I might only send out a handful of cards a week, if that. No big deal, and I enjoy doing it.

On the other hand, those guys overseas who are on the receiving end of big pile-ups every time they say CQ, you might be talking about hundreds of contacts a week who might want a card. Not only would that be very time-consuming to fill in the cards, but the expense would add up to something significant for many, even more so in countries where postage is very expensive. For that reason, I don't mind kicking some greenstamps their way.

True story.

Sending a five when the station requests $3 and a note expressing appreciation goes a long way in creating goodwill.

Goodwill is what this hobby is all about.

Amen, brother.

Sudan is my 299th and Uzbekistan is my 300th confirmation for DXCC. I used OQRS and PayPal for confirmation because neither have reliable mail services nor did the operators want my card. By sending $3.00 each via OQRS, I had both of their QSL cards within a month.

That is an impressive achievement and something to take pride in. I can only aspire to make 300. I love OQRS! I had a QSO with a station in Iceland less than 36 hours ago and the gentleman emailed me a photo of my card and addressed envelope and said he was getting ready to drop it in the mail.

Those are really cool, Bob. Thanks for the mention of OQRS; I did not know about it until now.



At the rate you've been going, I have no doubt that you will hit big numbers in not too long. Especially if the cycle continues to get better.

Strange things going on last night. It was the first day that I didn't make a QSO. I had a station I Mexico booming in S9+10 and I tried forever to make contact, but was never called on. It would have been my third QSO from there -- for some reason, I can't get a Mexican confirmation. I finally had to pull the plug when lightning and rain rolled in. I tried a station in England before that, and he never did hear me.

My Mexican confirmed QSO I do remember saying to him I did need a card for DXCC when we spoke. The pileup on him had not started. He had called CQ and I was the first, kind of a fluke.

He said that he'd handle it immediately and get one out ASAP and he did.

I sent him mine with the obligatory green stamps out the following morning and maybe a week (possibly less) later his showed. I'm sure he sent it long before he got my card and money.

It's also a good idea to email ahead. The email guys give on their QRZ page is generally good.

I got a QSL card from a Dutch station today that had a full-color, bare-breasted woman on it.

Strictly for educational purposes, I should probably take a look at that.

Well, if you still have my number, send a text so I can reply.

I need to get some QSL cards made up.

This guy was pretty painless to deal with: https://www.kb3ifhqslcards.com/

You wouldn't happen to be in North Dakota, would you?

I need North Dakota to unofficially have worked all states. I still need confirmations from Missouri and Michigan though.

+1

For a fee I could be!

Like the Iranian station I worked several years ago....he wanted $10.00 for a LoTW upload and no card.

Report that kind of shit on DX Summit.

Might take me awhile but mission accepted....

Am starting to amass a collection of QSL cards. What do you guys do with them? I mean do you display them somehow? If so, how? I enjoy every single QSL card I receive, and it would be nice to have them displayed in some way.

I have a bunch in a photo album. I also scan them and have them as a rotating desktop backdrop.

Just got my first batch of QSL cards. Sent some out this past Friday and plan to send them to others I’ve spoken to since March. I’m only sending them to DX contacts so far. I only spend maybe 4 hours a week (weekend evenings) on the radio so I only make about 1-2 DX contacts a week if I’m lucky. Not too onerous to send out via my local post office.

We’ll see where this goes. I do LOTW and QRZ and NEVER thought I’d do paper QSL cards…but the bug hit me over the last couple months so I got a batch. If/when I get some, I’ll decorate the ham shack wall.

Took almost 2 months roundtrip for this one that arrived today.

I talk to Jim all the time, very easy to get from here.  Did he send you a coin called Tangaroa?