[Dx-qsl] qsling

[AQuest1263@aol.com]

World-wide, the cost of postage, and the cost of IRC's, is rocketing.
The cost of printing, however, is going down and down.
And with computer logging, the time taken to answer cards is getting less and 
less.
OK, answering cards is a pain; most of the time spent is dealing with cards 
sent by idiots. And there are a lot of them in our hobby. These guys probably 
dont subscribe to this reflector.
There is no reason other than selfishness or laziness why a card properly 
sent with return equipment should not be answerd. A guy who sends a card 
direct with green stamps or whatever is spending money. And most of the 
little pistols who work the big guns didn't win the lottery last week.
To get round the cost problem, way back in the nineteen-twenties when the 
cost of postage was peanuts, the bureau was invented to cut down on costs. 
These days with a two to three year turnaround (don't argue) the bureau is a 
pain in the ass. And the ARRL don't help by charging you to send cards to the 
bureau. The RSGB don't;they are less affluent than the ARRL and still stay 
solvent. So long as QSL cards are part of the hobby, if you run a big station 
you've got to handle the cards like you handle the pile-ups.
Or we'll all end up on e-qsl, god help us, and lose the personal touch.
Amateur Radio for International Friendship? Who's kidding who?
No direct hate mail please. My mailbox is full already.
73
Tony G4UZN  (currently GQ4UZN if you want a nice card).