K9WG
Member
Well Kevin, we will have to try a 10m QSO some afternoon and I will send you one of my premium QSL cards 
QSL cards and Old Fashioned HF Operating
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Well Kevin, we will have to try a 10m QSO some afternoon and I will send you one of my premium QSL cards
I actually no longer have an HF station setup as well I live in an apartment and after much trying it just seemed next to impossible to get an antenna that would radiate. I am very sad about that .. but I can work HF from my car, but that is something that will be happening in the summer time.
K4APR
Member
About ten years ago, I bought my first stack of QSL cards. They were simple card stock with black ink printing. Nothing special. Seven years later, I had only mailed around 25 of the 500 that I got in the order. I moved and with the change of address, the cards were pretty useless to me. After several years of bouncing around apartments, I have a home now and an actual HF station set up. The recent 10 meter openings have sparked a renewed HF interest in me. I just ordered a new batch of cards from The QSL Man a couple of weeks ago. I read reviews and him and the majority were happy with the cards, so I am kind of excited to see them, when they come in the mail.
As far as a favorite. When I was younger, I had an S-10 pickup. I was working at Radio Shack and we started to carry the HTX-10 10m mobile. I picked one up on sale and with my 25% discount. That, along with a Larsen 10m NMO mount antenna, I worked the world. The day I got the antenna, I was trimming/tuning it down from the 25MHz length it shipped as. Once I got it tuned, I called CQ. The first station to come back was in the Azores. I sent a card. Three years later, a "buro" envelope showed up in my mail, with the return card. I really like that card for several reasons.
To me, there is nothing cooler than getting a hand written (or even printed) card that was actually filled out in the person's home and they took the time to mail it to you. Not only did the radio waves travel that distance, but so did that card. I don't like eQSL cards for this reason alone. It's just not as personal. It doesn't take as much effort. I'm all for the classic QSL method!
As far as a favorite. When I was younger, I had an S-10 pickup. I was working at Radio Shack and we started to carry the HTX-10 10m mobile. I picked one up on sale and with my 25% discount. That, along with a Larsen 10m NMO mount antenna, I worked the world. The day I got the antenna, I was trimming/tuning it down from the 25MHz length it shipped as. Once I got it tuned, I called CQ. The first station to come back was in the Azores. I sent a card. Three years later, a "buro" envelope showed up in my mail, with the return card. I really like that card for several reasons.
To me, there is nothing cooler than getting a hand written (or even printed) card that was actually filled out in the person's home and they took the time to mail it to you. Not only did the radio waves travel that distance, but so did that card. I don't like eQSL cards for this reason alone. It's just not as personal. It doesn't take as much effort. I'm all for the classic QSL method!
I agree .. paper QSL cards are the only way to go. Any other way is just too impersonal. I have to go today to the post office and pick up my cards that are there for me.
I unfortunately cannot easily operate HF these days and this is the part that I will miss.
Thanks for the reply, your story is interesting.
Well I got my QSL cards and really I am quite happy about them.
I got the following ... OH/OX Greenland station ?, OE4 Austrian station, OX/OZ Greenland / Denmark station ? , E74 Bosnia Herzegovina station, OH Finland station, NU Massachusetts station, VE4 Manitoba station, VX Vancouver Winter Olympics special event station
I got the following ... OH/OX Greenland station ?, OE4 Austrian station, OX/OZ Greenland / Denmark station ? , E74 Bosnia Herzegovina station, OH Finland station, NU Massachusetts station, VE4 Manitoba station, VX Vancouver Winter Olympics special event station
I was licensed in the early 90's but have only gotten into HF over the past several months. I've never had QSL cards before, so I took the time to make my own in Photoshop. I've probably sent around ~40 of them out and have had a pretty decent return rate - maybe 60%.
I've only recently sent a couple of international ones out - direct so far - to a few contacts who have said they don't do the bureau. I used the USPS website to calculate postage (about a buck each), used "security" envelopes, and enclosed two $1 bills each. I can't afford to do too much of that.
I have a small pile of cards written up to go out through the ARRL bureau, I just haven't sent them yet. I need to send some envelopes for the incoming bureau as well... It's a lot to grasp - what size envelopes to use, how many to send them, how to set it up - especially since there are multiple bureaus (in addition to ARRL, AMSAT, 3905 net, 10-10, etc, if you want to participate in those, have their own bureaus with their own rules...)
I do upload to LoTW and will occasionally login to verify eQSL's, mainly as a courtesy to others (although it's nice that LoTW ties to ARRL awards in case I ever pursue any) - but I enjoy and prefer receiving a card in the mail. I also enjoy the short walk a few blocks to the mailbox to drop outgoing ones in - gives me an excuse to take a walk and have a few minutes to myself.
And finally, I'm sorry to say I no longer have the QSL card from my first contact. I was pretty young and was using my dad's shack. I never replied since I didn't have cards back then. I'm not sure what happened to the card or to whatever I used as a log. If anyone has kb8oiu in the logs from 20 or so years ago and never got a reply - let me know!
I've only recently sent a couple of international ones out - direct so far - to a few contacts who have said they don't do the bureau. I used the USPS website to calculate postage (about a buck each), used "security" envelopes, and enclosed two $1 bills each. I can't afford to do too much of that.
I have a small pile of cards written up to go out through the ARRL bureau, I just haven't sent them yet. I need to send some envelopes for the incoming bureau as well... It's a lot to grasp - what size envelopes to use, how many to send them, how to set it up - especially since there are multiple bureaus (in addition to ARRL, AMSAT, 3905 net, 10-10, etc, if you want to participate in those, have their own bureaus with their own rules...)
I do upload to LoTW and will occasionally login to verify eQSL's, mainly as a courtesy to others (although it's nice that LoTW ties to ARRL awards in case I ever pursue any) - but I enjoy and prefer receiving a card in the mail. I also enjoy the short walk a few blocks to the mailbox to drop outgoing ones in - gives me an excuse to take a walk and have a few minutes to myself.
And finally, I'm sorry to say I no longer have the QSL card from my first contact. I was pretty young and was using my dad's shack. I never replied since I didn't have cards back then. I'm not sure what happened to the card or to whatever I used as a log. If anyone has kb8oiu in the logs from 20 or so years ago and never got a reply - let me know!
elk2370bruce
Member
I have enjoyed both sending and receiving hard copy QSL's all the way bact to my Novice year (1959). What I really enjoy is giving a brandy new General his/her first hf contact. I have a special award letter (along with the QSL) that I send to all first-timers. Many of them (whether domestic or international) I speak with frequently.
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