[AMRadio] QSL cards

[w5sum at glowbugs.com]

Morning Men
Easter weekend and we're still here. The last 3 years in a row the 
Shreveport ( Caddo Parish ) area has been steamrollered by 
tornadoes but we were spared this time!!

Okay, lets talk about QSL cards. I wonder, how many of you still 
like to send and recieve QSL cards? I surely do. I am trying to work 
all states on 75M AM. I understand this will be tough but I shall 
endeavor to persevere!!

Now.. the sobering statistics. In the last two years I have sent 
many many qsl cards. I got to doing some math yesterday and 
came to the conclusion that I have gotten only a 14% return on my 
cards.

This is a darned shame. I ALWAYS send out a SASE. How hard 
could it possibly be to put a card in that envelope and mail it back?
I understand that there may be some folks that don't keep QSL 
cards or possibly can't afford to have them printed. In that case, 
how hard could it be to take a 3 X 5 index card, put your callsign 
on it, pencil in the QSO info, and mail it back? 

Okay, lets say you pay $30 for a hundred nice cards. Okay that 
.30 apiece for cards. Postage is .68 ( sending and the sase), and
an envelope for the sase oh.. maybe .10 each. So.. you may think, 
what is this guy whining about.. thats less that $1.15 for each card 
and sase he has mailed. Well brother, you mulitiply that by a 
hundred cards that youve sent out and NOT gotten a return on, and 
you realize you have wasted over a hundred bucks!!!

Personally I think it is in the spirit of amateur radio, and particularly
that of the AM operators to at least acknowlege a card sent by 
another AM'er.  Like I said, how hard could it be to send a 3X5 card
with the QSO stats on it? LOL

so far I have sent out 6 cards to Arkansas ( multiple cards to a 
couple of folks ) and have never gotten a card back LOL.. 

anyway.. thoughts ya'll?

73's de W5SUM