The Lost Art of QSLing?

[W1UJR]

The recent NPR program on ham radio, which discusses QSL cards, gave me pause.

QSL exchange is a long and time honored tradition in amateur radio.
I have many old QSL cards which I have picked up at hamfests and antique shops which are just wonderful for the artwork and personal notes.
Some of the cards from the 1920s and 1930s are indeed art in and of itself.
Clearly many of the hams of the day took great pains to have a unique and memorable card.
In the days of the “Gentleman Ham” it was considered the “last courtesy”.

In these days of email and instant communication I wonder if QSLing is becoming a lost art, like keeping a written logbook.
So to that end, I am interested in others thoughts are on this matter.
 
Is the QSL card going to the go the way of the handwritten letter?

Do you QSL, and if so, when?  

Homemade card or generic?









.

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Your Right Bruce,

 It's a Shame, and I am Guilty...I need to get back in the groove again and order some up.

[John Holotko]

I so rarely get on the air these days that I haven't sent or received a QSL card in years. I did receive a QSL card a few years ago from a ham I never worked.  back in the mid-late 80's and early 90's I sent/received lots of QSL's mostly for CW work.

With the internet I was thinking of setting up an electronic QSL. Stations I work would be able to visit my website, sign in and get an instant electronic QSL card that they can view on screen or print out on a printer. or, if they want they can request an old fashioned QSL sent via snail mail.

But I hardly get on so I haven't bothered to set it up. Not much use to me if I hardly use it.

[Jim, W5JO]

With the internet I was thinking of setting up an electronic QSL. Stations I work would be able to visit my website, sign in and get an instant electronic QSL card that they can view on screen or print out on a printer. or, if they want they can request an old fashioned QSL sent via snail mail.quote]

Some one is already doing this John.  I don't remember the site or call of the location.  One of the problems is that DX chasers will get on and make up a contact for a state, grid or location they need and generate an electronic QSL.  Some people answer them even though no contact was ever made.  

That is why the ARRL took such a long look at electronic QSL.

[km1r]

I must be a minority on the bands.

I QSL EVERY  first QSO and after that if the other guy wants a card for a second third, etc QSO,  I'll send one, no sweat.  

EVERY dx QSO gets a card, unless the guy tells me not to!

As long as I am on the air, I'll QSL.  Even after 47 years in this hobby, getting a QSL in the mail is still one of the fun things about ham radio.

Even have 4 styles of cards to send  (depends on my mood !).

I hear the "ARRL logbook of the world "  (or something like that), eliminates the need for cards. Not sure...Can someone straighten me out on this?

73!

Mike KM1R

[John Holotko]

With the internet I was thinking of setting up an electronic QSL. Stations I work would be able to visit my website, sign in and get an instant electronic QSL card that they can view on screen or print out on a printer. or, if they want they can request an old fashioned QSL sent via snail mail.quote]

Some one is already doing this John.  I don't remember the site or call of the location.  One of the problems is that DX chasers will get on and make up a contact for a state, grid or location they need and generate an electronic QSL.  Some people answer them even though no contact was ever made.  

That is why the ARRL took such a long look at electronic QSL.

Okay then I have a solution.  It would be easy to set up an "eligibility database". The only stations who would be able to get an electronic QSL out of my system are those whom I have entered into the "eligibility database", i.er. stations that I have actually worked.

Stations whom I haven't worked and who want a QSL card anyway can get a "listeners only" i.e. SWL QSL card. This card would be specifically for stations who have monitored me but did not actually make contact.  with me. The context of the card would make that clear.

It will take a little more work to set this up but it should help prevent ruthless contesters from declaring me as a phony contact.. Then again, considering I don;t get on the air much it probably wouldn't be worth my time to set all this up.  It's just as easy for me to send a card the old fashioned way every once in a while.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

It will take a little more work to set this up but it should help prevent ruthless contesters from declaring me as a phony contact.. Then again, considering I don;t get on the air much it probably wouldn't be worth my time to set all this up.  It's just as easy for me to send a card the old fashioned way every once in a while.

Contesters don't need your QSL card.

Electronic QSLing is already here. It's called eQSL.
Here's the site:
http://www.eqsl.cc/qslcard/index.cfm

Generally I only send out cards for 6 meter contacts and only if I receive one first. After two large shoe boxes full of received cards, QSLing doesn't get my blood hot anymore. If someone need s one for confirmation, I'll send one out, but I don't go out of my way anymore to collect them. If I was more ambitious, I'd probably have my DXCC certificate for 6 meters if I went after the cards. My last count on 6 meter countries worked was 117.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I must be a minority on the bands.

I QSL EVERY  first QSO and after that if the other guy wants a card for a second third, etc QSO,  I'll send one, no sweat.  

EVERY dx QSO gets a card, unless the guy tells me not to!

As long as I am on the air, I'll QSL.  Even after 47 years in this hobby, getting a QSL in the mail is still one of the fun things about ham radio.

Even have 4 styles of cards to send  (depends on my mood !).

I hear the "ARRL logbook of the world "  (or something like that), eliminates the need for cards. Not sure...Can someone straighten me out on this?

73!

Mike KM1R

Logbook of the World info is here:
http://www.arrl.org/lotw/

[John Holotko]

It will take a little more work to set this up but it should help prevent ruthless contesters from declaring me as a phony contact.. Then again, considering I don;t get on the air much it probably wouldn't be worth my time to set all this up.  It's just as easy for me to send a card the old fashioned way every once in a while.

Contesters don't need your QSL card.

Electronic QSLing is already here. It's called eQSL.
Here's the site:
http://www.eqsl.cc/qslcard/index.cfm

Yeah, but one look at their website and I certainly won't patronize their service. I don;t like the patented crap. All this guy did was write some cold fusion scripts and tie it into a database (probably free MySQL). The fact they gave this guy a patent on doing this is laughable, but these days the US patent office will give you a patent on 1 + 1 = 2.  Then on top of it he's pushing the patent issue. Screw em. If ever I need electronic QSLing I'll roll my own in PHP or Perl. Cold fusion bites.

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Ya know even today there's still something about getting a card in the mail, it's still there.. I had a printer here in Canonsburg i have to get back down there and see if his kid can't print up some for me the old man i knew passed on and he always had an interest in radio but never paned out, but the boy took over and he said he's print up anything i want. So...time to get off my arse i guess...

[John Holotko]

Ya know even today there's still something about getting a card in the mail, it's still there.. I had a printer here in Canonsburg i have to get back down there and see if his kid can't print up some for me the old man i knew passed on and he always had an interest in radio but never paned out, but the boy took over and he said he's print up anything i want. So...time to get off my arse i guess...

I agree, there is something to actually getting a real card  in the mail as opposed to an electronic card/.

[AB3L]

I suppose that postal rates might deter some from participating is sending the QSL's.  :?:
I don't get on too much but did make an effort to make some contacts on the AWA weekend. Out of my meager list of seven contacts I only got three returns from my sent cards. A little disappointing but that's the way it goes.

I have recently purchased some "thirties" era cards on the Eplace and found it pretty cool to see some hand derived artwork on the cards. Some took on a cartoon look.

The process of QSLing seemed very personal and "classy"back then even down to the beautifull penmanship.

[k4kyv]

Never really cared for QSL'ing, even though it is a longtime amateur tradition.  I don't have any cards on hand now, but I think I still have one made up in the computer somewhere that I can print out and send, but I rarely even do that.  If QSL'ing has become a lost art, it is one that I don't miss.

Sometimes I'll get on a cw kick, and work a bunch of DX on 40m at night.  (Wouldn't 40 be a hot DX phone band, peaking to Europe during prime evening hours in the USA, if it weren't for those damn broadcast stations and US subbands?) Following a single session on 40m cw, within a few weeks, I can expect a pile of QSL cards to accumulate from the USPS.  Even with the best of intentions, they usually get put aside and I rarely get around to answering them.

QSL'ing only held my interest until the new wore off ham radio after being licensed for a couple of years.  I'm sure I have worked all states several times over, and probably have all the cards somewhere, but never got round to sending them in for the certificate.

Usually, if someone sends me one of theirs and I do answer it, I admittedly just lazily copy the info off their card and drop mine in the snailmail box.  I'm sure a lot of other hams do the same thing, especially since paper logs are no longer required by the FCC.  I suspect it would be very easy to get bogus award certificates by simply sending filled in QSL cards to hams you never worked, until enough of them returned cards without verifying the QSO data.  I'll bet that has been done more than once.

[W1GFH]

Love the old QSL's with art by "Gil" Gildersleeve, W1CJD....

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Bruce, it's odd you should mention this. I was just thinking about 'real' cards again over the weekend. Back in the early 90s, someone on 75 had gotten folks back into sending cards, I went off the air around that time so I missed out. Still have my old logs (somewhere).

Not only do I like the actual cards, I prefer them over anything else. Seems something along the lines of e-qsling got going a number of years ago, but to me that's as bad as getting those photocopy-looking cards on copy paper. Fine for those who like it.

In fact, just to be a sucker for punisment, I tried to get my cards sent with stamps on them, like postcards. Nothing like having the postmark and a stamp of the era onboard. If someone requested or sent an envelope for sending, that was fine too. As much as people warned me about cards being trashed in the mail, I only received one or two with some slight amount of a crinkle or scuff. The 1-Area 'Buro' handled the DX stuff, I just sent envelopes and postage for returns.

I have recently purchased some "thirties" era cards on the Eplace and found it pretty cool to see some hand derived artwork on the cards. Some took on a cartoon look.

I recall talking with someone about this a few years ago, but for the life of me can't remember who or where. I recall seeing some samples online, using old style typesetting(?), old looking stock and so on. Anyone remember who was doing this? I emailed him and can't remember, so hopefully someone else can!

Yep, there's just something about a hand-written log and the QSL cards to match it. almost like getting to be a part of the history of radio to some degree.

'KAQ