Posted: 3/28/2013 4:11:46 PM EDT
| Anyone done a recent QSL exchange with Cuba. If so, how? USPS no longer sells IRCs, Currency is illegal. Just wondering. |
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Yeah, a QSL manager is about your only bet so far as I know.
I had a QSO with Cuba in May of 2012. 
I'm trying to learn the ropes of CW and a Cuban station was my first CW DX. That was only a few weeks ago, so still waiting on the card. Both used managers from Spain. |
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I've always QSL'ed Cuba via managers. Even though IRC's cannot be purchased from the USPS, they can be obtained from U.S. managers. Alternately, while U.S. currency has issues with Cuba, Canadian currency is okay. Only problem is the smallest paper denomination is CAD$5. |
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It isn't that hard to do... There are a lot of Cuban ops that have QSL managers in Spain. Many of them have a less than one month turn around time too.
In addition CO8TW and CM5FZ upload to LoTW. 
ETA: excuse the shack mess. I am doing some re-configuring at the moment. Its a F-ing mess at the moment... |
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Quoted: I also have GITMO from 1993 (10m SSB) when I was a noob  I got the WAG award (Worked All Guantanamo) back in December 1997, long before anyone in the public knew where or what Guantanamo was (other than perhaps those who watched the movie "A Few Good Men"). IIRC, you needed to make five contacts and submit them to the awards manager. I recall the first time I heard a KG4 on the air. Huge pileup and I couldn't understand what the big deal was for a station with a novice (back then) 2x3 callsign (probably could have said the same for KC4AAA). Only after digging around did I discover KG4xxx was reserved and was a separate entity (country in those days). |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I also have GITMO from 1993 (10m SSB) when I was a noob
I got the WAG award (Worked All Guantanamo) back in December 1997, long before anyone in the public knew where or what Guantanamo was (other than perhaps those who watched the movie "A Few Good Men"). IIRC, you needed to make five contacts and submit them to the awards manager. I recall the first time I heard a KG4 on the air. Huge pileup and I couldn't understand what the big deal was for a station with a novice (back then) 2x3 callsign (probably could have said the same for KC4AAA). Only after digging around did I discover KG4xxx was reserved and was a separate entity (country in those days). My one and only contact with Club Gitmo was somewhat the same. Huge pileup for an "American" call sign. A few months later it showed up in LoTW and I was like WTF... |
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This weekend I was discussing with my brother why I like ham. I pointed to my rig and said, "Last night I talked to a guy in Puerto Rico on this." He smirked, pulled out his cell phone and said, "Last week I talked to a guy in Cuba on this."
He is in Guantanamo Bay pretty regularly. He has a couple more trips before he retires. If there is something he can do to help while he is there he would. Does it help to have someone on the ground? I'm very new and barely hanging on to this conversation. |
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Quoted: I recall the first time I heard a KG4 on the air. Huge pileup and I couldn't understand what the big deal was for a station with a novice (back then) 2x3 callsign (probably could have said the same for KC4AAA). Only after digging around did I discover KG4xxx was reserved and was a separate entity (country in those days). It's actually the 2x2 KG4 calls that are assigned to Guantanamo. Otherwise I'd have pileups every time I was on the air. 
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Quoted:
Do have one LoTW QSL with CO2VE. 20m Hellscriber. Do have cards from CO3CJ, CO3JN, CO6HZ, and CO8LY.
Anyone done a recent QSL exchange with Cuba. If so, how? USPS no longer sells IRCs, Currency is illegal. Just wondering. CO3CJ I did get direct by sending an IRC. The rest were through Spanish managers. |