[Dx-qsl] Bureau

Wed Feb 26 08:57:00 2003

Bill,

Yup, you're old fashioned, or if you prefer, of the old school.

The simple answer is that as postage and printing costs have been rising,
some QSL managers are declining to pay the ever-increasing costs to send
cards to their outgoing bureau and/or receive cards from their incoming
bureau (which may be one and the same).

Some of the bureau problems seem to be coming about because several DX'ers
become impatient.   When they don't get a bureau response in 6 months (or
less in some cases), they send a 2nd card via the bureau, then a 3rd... and
the manager ends up having to deal with duplicates that arrive after he has
responded to the original card, slowly winding it's way back.  Problem is,
sometimes that original request or reply disappears or is lost enroute... so
how do you know?

It is laudable that many QSL managers send the extra funds (if any) to the
DX station(s) in question, and/or use the extra funds to provide
additional/improved antennas/equipment for the DX.  I find it interesting to
note that many of those QSL managers who are quite public about doing so
(such as Steve KU9C) also have no problem handling cards via the bureau
(outside of excessive duplicates as noted).

I don't know what the answer is.  It would be nice if we could ask the ARRL
to lower the outgoing QSL Bureau costs, but that means their costs rise and
have to be made up somewhere else, and that doesn't solve the problem in
other parts of the world.  It would be nice if we could get the postal folks
around the world to cut us a break on QSL mailing costs based on the
quantity that so many of us send out over the course of a year.   It would
be nice if we could stop postal thieves in many areas of the world who (for
whatever reason) pillage QSL requests for dollars and IRC's, which gives
some DX a bad name for non-response and drives up our overall costs.  There
are many more things that would be nice, but they ain't gonna happen.

Logbook of the World may be one partial answer, since so many QSL card
requests are tied in to the major awards available (such as WAS, DXCC, VUCC,
WAC, and they're many derivatives).  This system, potentially, will allow us
to securely store logs on-line for verification purposes.  But, while
systems like LotW and others that are or may become available will cut down
on the number of physical cards being mailed, they don't directly address
the continuing problem(s) faced by the DX QSL Manager, and those who deal
with them.
73, ron wn3vaw

"Igor, would you give me a hand with the bags?"
"Certainly!  You take the blonde, and I'll take the one in the turban!"
-- Young Frankenstein

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Hawkins" <[email protected]>
To: "Jim Zahradnicek" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 8:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Dx-qsl] Bureau

snip>   I have been reading with interest about QSL managers not willing to
pay out of their own pocket to return cards via the bureau.

Good day all--
I have been chasing dx QSLs for about 45 years now and I guess I am old
fashioned, but I always thought  (until the past couple of years!) that a
manager was a volunteer who helped "poor" dx stations get out cards faster
than the dx can. If the dx can afford to pay for card printing and other
expenses, so much the better but if not, the manager would be responsible
for the cards, shipping to bureaus, time required, etc. This meant answering
direct sase cards direct-not by bureau and keeping any money-and bureau
requests are answered by bureau. Extra money (a good idea) sent with
requests would go to offset the "volunteered" expenses, not to buy groceries
and cars!
If the volunteer can't do this, he shouldn't volunteer!

QSLing for big buck dxpeditions are another ballgame.

Oh well, the world is changing but I am slow to adjust.

Bill W5EC

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