I've had a couple of overseas contacts tell me they QSL via QRZ.com which is great.

So you qsl them on QRZ and they never confirm. All it takes is a damned click.

I have one that is unseen by the person I sent it to and a couple that HAVE been seen yet are not confirmed. Chasing further down the line I see he has a couple hundred he has seen but has not had the courtesy to confirm.

It's bullshit. One way QSL.

They ought to name a street after some of these guys; One Way.

We're talking Europe and UK here...not Cuba, China or PRK.

Some of the Ham's overseas does not use QRZ for a logbook so that may be part of the problem. I know that some do and in my case also do not confirm the contact.  You might want to use Eqsl and see if any of you contacts sent you a card that way. You have to pay $1 per card and that includes postage. I have gotten quite a few that way and you can also send cards back.

I'm set up for eQSL.cc and QRZ.com

Incidentally when I send a QSL card overseas I ALWAYS make it clear that they do not have to send a paper card back and they can use eQSL or QRZ.com to save money.

A couple of times I let them know that they have a BOATLOAD of QSLs waiting for them at eQSL or QRZ and they can join for free.

Some of these guys during the actual contact tell me to QSL at QRZ and never bother to confirm. It really annoys me as it only takes a single click to qsl.

There are A-holes in every facet of life.

Just what is the deal with QSL cards these days? Used to be everything was done thru the ARRL. I've been doing the QRZ qsl thing, I signed up for and got the LOTW verification but damned if I've figured out how that works, then there is eQSL which I haven't even looked at. I'd like to one day do some of the basic awards WAS etc.
 

As I see it these days there are basically 2 kinds of QSL confirmation, paper and electronic.

Paper is paper. You mail your QSOs to each other. The post office then goes through rain and snow and gloom of night to get them to you.

Electronic is via computer.

To the best of my knowledge there are 3 main QSL bureaus. ARRL, QRZ.com and eQSL.cc.

If I am mistaken while they all have their seperate little awards programs I understand that they are transferrable to the ARRL for their awards programs and vice versa.

Personally, I am doing the Piccolo WAS program that works like this: When I confirm all states and have proof I will make my own little certificate and that is that.

Like a lot of things I do in life I do things for my own satisfaction.

I have accounts at QRZ and eQSL.

When I send a paper card I give the recipient the option of saving a little money by electronically QSLing me back.

Piccolo, sadly, this phenomenom is not limited to overseas HAMs.  I've got about 1K QSOs on LOTW.  Of those, only 289 have confirmed with QSLs.  The vast majority of my contacts have been in the States.  The same ratio applies to my QRZ account.  eQSL is even worse.  During our state QSO party, I made over thirty contacts.  At least a third of those were on 20 meters.  Yet not one of them has confirmed on eQSL.  This is preventing me from getting my eWAS for 20 meter phone, BTW.  I completely understand where you are coming from and share your frustration.

What states do ya need?

Pic. Often a DX station will mention that QSL info is at QRZ.com. That means you need to go to QRZ.com and look up the guys call. Frequently you'll find info there on whether he uses a QSL manager, does LoTW only as his mail gets stolen, can't figure out LoTW so uses eQSL, prefers paper as he likes to look at pretty cards, whatever. I've yet to run into a DX station that only does QRZ.com QSLs.

CS223. You really need to get LoTW up and running. There's step-by-step directions on the ARRL site that if followed exactly will get your key registered and have you up running in short order. From there you can take your LoTW QSLs, combine it with paper and submit the award.

If you QSL you pretty much have to "do it all". Electronic via LoTW and eQSL. Paper via direct and the bureau.

Electronic:
LoTW really isn't that hard to set up and maintain. Once set up, export your log in ADIF format, sign it with TQSL, and upload it to LoTW. LoTW matches up the QSOs in the background and poof, your QSLs are displayed. Click the awards tab and you can see where you stand on any of the ARRL awards. LoTW is my primary QSL service. It's security is top shelf and if you have a LoTW QSL it's rock solid.

eQSL is a bit easier to setup, like there isn't any extra steps except registering. I have HRD setup to automatically upload to eQSL when I enter the QSO in the log. eQSL security isn't near as good as LoTW. Here and there you will get a QSL request that is totally bogus. I use eQSL as a favor to the EU stations that for some reason love it.

The beauty of either electronic service is that it saves on mailing costs which is getting out of hand. Figure on $1 for domestic and $3.50 for DX. As one guy said who just got his DXCC, "For what I spent on DX QSL cards I could have bought myself a nice rig". I know what I spend and I second that.

Paper:
If you can't do electronic, sending a paper card direct is still a good way to QSL. Domestic is a no brainer. Put your card in an envelope along with a SASE and send it on. DX cards are a bit more difficult. Here you have to deal with IRCs since foreign post offices will not accept US stamps and there are other tips concerning foreign mailing that you will need to know. Also with some DX post offices you run the risk of the mail getting pilfered. Two prime examples are Asiatic Russia, most of the 'Stan countries, and some South American countries.

The bureau is an alternative for the mail system for DX stations. Send your cards to the central sorting service, the ARRL in the US, where they will be sorted by country prefix and then sent to the other countries incoming service. For the service to be useful you then have to set yourself up with the incoming bureau for your call district. This is nothing more than sending a half dozen SASE envelopes to the incoming bureau and waiting for the cards to come in. The big downside to the bureau is that it is real slow. I just got a batch in this week and some of those cards are for QSOs 12 months ago.

Something to think about is awards. There are two major issuers of awards in the US. ARRL and CQ. The ARRL only accepts paper and LoTW. CQ only accepts paper and eQSL. However this is soon to change. The ARRL has signed an agreement with CQ so CQ can use LoTW QSLs for their awards starting with the WPX award. This is a big deal. Even if you don't chase the awards, many do and they would appreciate it if you QSL in a format they can use for the award.

The are some other QSL services such as QRZ.com but I find it worthless for my needs. The QSL is no good for any award. Getting people to approve the QSL is a hassle as proven by Pic. I find it a distraction rather than a useful tool.

The ones I like are the guys that tell me they're woking me on 1100 watts. You can betyou will get no confirmation from them whatsoever. They have $99,874.11 for a huge linear amp yer do not have thrity cents for a stamp.

Then there is the other side of the coin. I QSO'd a wonderful southern belle and I paper and eQSL'd her. Then I snooped and found she really had no account there and had a couple of hundred eQSLs waiting. I wondered why until I opened the mailbox abnd got the prettiest little home made QSL card I have ever seen. I looked her up and found out she is quite active in the ham community and old school in that she paper qsls people.

I got Colorado QSO and I knew it was a retired old guy. He was pretty wary and said he had no QSL cards. So I sent him one of mine anyway along with a nice letter and $3 for postage explaining to him that even a note with his call sign and other pertinant data of the QSO would be greatly appreciated.

Two weeks later guess what came? A nice home made QSL card and a thank you note.

There are hams out there with old rig they keep running somehow that are on fixed incomes and on SSB you have to try and listen and think. Is this guy old and can't afford postage, etc?  You have to try being sensitive to who you are dealing with. Or at least try.

Still, it is as annoying as hell. It seems the poorer the state the faster they QSL. ME, MI QSL'd me on paper inside of 3-4 days.  I happened into a WV net one night and mentioned I could use a QSLfor my WAS project. Two days later about 3 or 4 cards from WV showed up.

Oregon? SOme guy ran on and on about how he'd get one right out to me. HA! Fat chance!

WAS three or four times is what the award ought to read.

Out of almost 1200 QSOs my QSL rate on LoTW is 48.9%, eQSL is 54.6% Close enough to being the same. For paper I have no hard numbers but it's very rare for a domestic paper QSL not get returned. DX is not as good but still over 90% with just a few countries skewing the numbers due to their thieving postal system.

Which gets back to what I said before. Lifesaver is chasing an award and it's up to those who work him to QSL in the method he prefers.

There are many of the old guard who are on fixed incomes and sending out cards is an expense they can do without. I get that. Had a DX contact that stated as much on his QRZ page. Repected his wishes and moved on. Just wish they would go electronic. Won't cost them a thing except a little time.
That's a fact Jack. Working towards Triple Play Award I know I've had to work every state on phone, CW, and digi at least twice to get the required LoTW QSLs. At one point I thought I had worked every ham in CA on phone who didn't use LoTW. I'm talking 15 to 20 contacts and not one used LoTW.

Sticking up a little for the Old Guard, I know one guy that runs Korean war/WW2 vintage stuff that can fix/rebuild just about any boat anchor you can bring back to the surface and hose the barnacles off of.

He can not do anything with transistors etc. and is not computer literate.

Guys like this get a pass.


A 40 YO with a 100K+ income and a 1.2KW linear doesn't.



ETA The ones that piss me off to no end are the two faced liars that will run on and on about how they will help you out with your project and run on and on and on about how they will get one out to you the following AM.

Nothing.

The reason they ran their mouths is because ther were a couple other guys on the frequency and wanted to impress people.

We're in violent agreement here. My very first HF QSO was with a gentleman who kept his logs on paper and didn't have a computer. Scrounged around and found a card to send me. When I got my cards his was the first one out. Hope he hasn't become a SK as he didn't return a letter I sent last year.

What I do is be proactive. If I need a card from them I make it within a day or two and send it out. I never wait for them. Sitting on the counter to go out tomorrow is 6 inch stack of directs for QSOs I've done in the last week. Got a bunch of new band/states from the RTTY contest over the weekend and about 4 new DX entities.

As the saying goes:
"The meek shall inherit the earth but they will never get a decent run frequency."

What I do is be proactive. If I need a card from them I make it within a day or two and send it out. I never wait for them. Sitting on the counter to go out tomorrow is 6 inch stack of directs for QSOs I've done in the last week. Got a bunch of new band/states from the RTTY contest over the weekend and about 4 new DX entities[/quote]

My general MO is that the instant signal reports etc are exchanged the card gets filled out and put aside.

After I shut the rig down I address the envelopes and seal MOST of the cards and stamp them.

The next AM while the coffee is brewing I wander out and put the outgoing cards in the mail box.

Over AM coffee I generally write the notes I include for the other cards that I thing need a note to go with them. They get sealed and tossed in th emailbox.

Every so often there is an exception. I had to bail out one morning and left one that needs a letter on the table. The instant I got home (at about 0130) I opened a beer and wrote the letter and dropped it in the box before I racked out.

The exception is when I am hilltopping. Then as soon as I hit the home QTH I start filling out the cards.

CO, SC and OK.  Thanks for asking

How about Bumfuck, Egypt? Need a QSL card from there?

All ya have to do is QSO me when I am hilltopping with the prc-320.

Ask some of these guys.

LOL.. Egypt would be cool.  It wouldn't help me for my eWAS but it would still be cool.  Catching you at work for a maritime mobile would be even better.

Lifesaver, email/IM me and we'll take care of SC real quick. I can LoTW the QSL to you as well.

ETA: Ok, I re-read your post and see now that eWAS is for eQSL.cc only. I have an old account that I'll try to see if I can get into. I've moved and changed callsigns since then so let me see what's up. I recall having trouble getting something changed over.

Speaking of QSLs... I just received an E-QSL.....from 2008.

"AJ4IK just sent you an eQSL for your QSO on September 09, 2008 at 01:50 UTC on 40M. "

lol

You know what the likely scenario of that is?

Someone tried to eQSL him and found out that 32674 other people had done the same thing and had gotten no confirmation. WHen he sent the guy a paper QSL he included a note telling him to check his eQSL in box.

He did and said, HOLY SHIT!!

and then he confirmed them.

An Arfcommer that hasn't been in eQSL in a while.

ANother possibility

Sure am glad I'm not an overseas jerk.

I got the key registered, post card & all that. I just haven't made it to the point of how & where I can log a contact.
 
 

I can sked SC for you...