[Dx-qsl] Delayed QSLs

[Fred Laun K3ZO]

From time to time I have seen posts on here about how a QSL was 
suddenly and unexpectedly received many years following the QSO it was 
confirming.  Now I find myself in the position of generating a few
such cases.

My old friend and mentor Ed Bissell, W3AU, died recently, and I asked
his ex-neighbor Bill Leavitt, W3AZ, not to throw out any QSLs or other 
papers of Ed's before I had a chance to look through them.  Last week
Bill delivered three big boxes of Ed's QSLs and documents to me.

Among the artifacts I picked through was a large manila envelope 
marked "K3EST" on the outside.  Bob Cox, K3EST, was my QSL manager 
when I was HS1ABD back in 1978-79-80,  and for a time Bob's call book 
address was at W3AU's QTH, since Bob for many years organized Ed's 
multi-multi contest efforts.   So when I opened this manila envelope 
almost everything in it was QSL requests for HS1ABD. I guess this 
particular bunch of QSL requests was lost in Ed's papers and Bob never 
got the envelope marked for eventual delivery to him. 

I still have all my HS1ABD logs and plenty of QSL blanks, so at this 
late date I proceeded to answer this bunch of QSLs.  When I receive 
and answer a QSL request I mark the QSO in question in the log, so in 
a few cases I was able to note that the station in question had tried 
a second time and had gotten my QSL that time.  But for about 90 
percent of these requests, there was no such indication in my log.

All the requests were direct requests, with three exceptions.
There were two shipments from the former W1EP QSL Service.  The late 
W1EP operated a QSL service very similar to the one operated by WF5E 
these days.  I have sent direct replies to the stations whose cards 
were forwarded to me by W1EP.  

Also included was a direct airmail shipment from the Czech (OK) QSL 
Bureau with a whole bunch of cards from OK hams inside.  I have 
answered these through the bureau.

In all cases I checked the operator name on the QSL card against the 
current holder of the call as listed on my Buckmaster Hamcall CD-ROM.
In most cases the holder is still the same person though the address 
has changed -- we are a very mobile society.  So I used the current 
address.  In two cases it appeared that the son had taken over his 
father's call on his father's death, so the cards were sent to the 
son.  And, sadly, in three or four cases it appears that the operator 
has become a Silent Key since he sent his QSL request, so there was 
no evident way for me to send the reply out.

By the way in 1980 I see that SASE's required 18 cents US postage.  
Yes, rates have doubled in 23 years.  I happened to have a bunch of 10 
cent and three cent stamps laying around so I was able to make up the 
difference on the SASE's with one of the former and three of the 
latter.

So if you receive one of these QSLs, "now you know the rest of the 
story"  (with apologies to Paul Harvey).  By the way, for anyone who 
never did get an HS1ABD QSL for a QSO you had with me there in 1978-
80, as I say, I have plenty of blanks and all the logs, so drop me a 
card and I'll send an answer right back.  And no, at this late date I 
don't require an SASE or IRC.  Just send me the card and if I get it 
direct I'll send you one back direct if you're in the log.

I have exchanged e-mails with the current holder of HS1ABD, by the 
way, but he only works 2 meter FM at present.  My current Thailand
call sign is HS0ZAR.

73, Fred Laun, K3ZO