[Dx-qsl] ramblings of an idle mind

[lwloen at myclearwave.net]

kz2i wrote:

> This is a little off topic, but it's a hot July day, the bands are dead
> (well, not really.  just worked TO8YY on 10m)...
>
> Is it me or are 6 meter operators the worst qslers in the US?

I don't know.  I haven't tried 6m.

I did do a 5BWAS, and I can report that it can take multiple efforts to
get the cards.

Some stateside people, especially VHFers, may not bother much with QSL
cards.  According to my VHF friends, you work a lot of the same people
over and over again.  So, maybe QSLing just isn't a priority.

One trick you might try:  Create _their_ card and ask them to sign it.  It
worked for me once or twice for DXCC and 5BWAS, why not VUCC?

That is, you create a prototype card, explain that you've QSLed once and
hope that if the station has time, could they please sign and return the
enclosed card?  They either sign, send one of their own after all, or you
know it's hopeless.

The scheme is sort of like county hunting QSLing.  You fill it out on the
"dx's" behalf and ask them to sign for you.  The only difference is that
it will be one contact and not a list of them.

Several ideas here:

You can buy 4x6 index cards (blank) at Walmart (thin, but just acceptable)
or you can go to the local FedEx/Kinkos, InstyPrint, Minuteman, OfficeMax
and buy a couple of sheets of "110 pound" bond paper at maybe 10 or 15
cents a sheet (four to a sheet) and run those through your printer.  You
get about four cards to a sheet, just cut them with something decent, not
scissors.

Even with the lousiest "shovelware" photo processing software, or even
Word, you can make up a couple of QSL cards and a plausible picture or,
perhaps better, don't bother with a picture at all.  You're not really
trying to fool anyone here nor should you be -- just make an acceptable
card.  In the end, all that's really required is written confirmation from
"the other guy".  Nowhere does it state the other guy has to make their
own card.

I know, I've used "county hunter" type cards in my 5BWAS and also, as
noted, various forms of "they filled in one of mine" in my DXCC apps.  One
was by accident (the DX themselves flipped my card over and had a stamp
made for themselves and then filled it all out) and the other planned.

And, as I noted, county hunter cards work and you provide everything
yourself but the DX' signature for those.

The most straightforward thing, then, is to take your own card (if single
sided) and put his QSO info on the back.  As long as the other guy signs
it , it's good.

I've had Hong Kong accepted with a hand scrawl of everything on the back
of one of my cards.  In that case, he was glad to do it as he was
complaining on the air that his printer wasn't sending him any cards (and
then noted parenthetically that no one thought to do what I did, namely
send a blank card).


Larry Wo0Z