SWL Cards

[CryptoJoe]

Short Wave Listening Cards (I guess that is what it means)

I just ordered a batch of QSL cards (cards that ham radio operators exchange to confirm contacts) and included were a few SWL cards. Since I don’t operate on HF, yet, I’ll put them away for a while.

What I’m wondering is, has anyone ever sent one of these SWL cards to a ham radio operator, and if so, have you received a card in return?

73
Joe
N3PAQ

 

[Arcticpeak]

I haven't sent SWL QSL cards to anyone, but I receive SWL QSL cards from time to time form people that have heard me on the air.
I always reply. I guess most radioamateurs (who QSL) do the same.

 

[elk2370bruce]

I have had the pleasure of many amateur radio operators replying to my SWL reports. For those outside of the country, I always provide an IRC as simple courtesy and most often get a nice reply and QSL.

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Joe and all,

I have been an SWL from long before I became a ham and had cards made up with my Popular Electronics (magazine) SWL Club "callsign" WPE2MTN. I sent them to hams and nearly always got one in response with thanks for the RST reception report. There's no point in sending them to broadcast stations, they require a form letter with a SINPO reception report and a log of at least 1/2 hour's programming.

Now here's a kick, since you obviously have a computer you can design and print your own cards. I do mine and have several in the archives, too bad I can't post an image here as an example of what you can do with a good software image editor. Then again if you're curious go to www.qrz.com and look up my callsign.

 

[digitaljim6]

Warren - At the five stations (3 AMs and 2 FMs) I engineered for in N. Cal., reception reports ALWAYS got a response, even if the info couldn't be positively verified against our stations' logs.

Only one report in 3 years was from the U.S. (Colorado, I think) while the rest were from the Finland/Sweden/Norway region of Europe. Not bad for 1000 watts at the high end of the AM broadcast band.

We never insisted on form letters or "official" report formats. Most of the reports we received included short cassette tapes of the intercept with a notation of the date and time they were made.

Our response was either a "this is to confirm" or a "this acknowledges receipt" letter, depending on whether the report could be verified or not. The response was typed on station letterhead and included station technical details, origin of the programming heard, "Thank You!", etc.

I'm sure you would get responses from some broadcast stations without the rigid report requirements (maybe not from the large corporate broadcasters like Clear Channel, Infinity, Bonneville ...).

 

[runslow]

Hi Joe and all,

I have been an SWL from long before I became a ham and had cards made up with my Popular Electronics (magazine) SWL Club "callsign" WPE2MTN. I sent them to hams and nearly always got one in response with thanks for the RST reception report. There's no point in sending them to broadcast stations, they require a form letter with a SINPO reception report and a log of at least 1/2 hour's programming.

Now here's a kick, since you obviously have a computer you can design and print your own cards. I do mine and have several in the archives, too bad I can't post an image here as an example of what you can do with a good software image editor. Then again if you're curious go to www.qrz.com and look up my callsign.

Wow ... your post brought back some old memories. Didn't realize any of the "WPE" guys from the "PopTronics" SWL Club were still around. I was also a very avid SWL and collected many QSL cards, which I still have. My call was WPE4AVZ issued about 1960 or so.

Any other WPE call holders on RR.com?

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Jim and readers,

I was writing primarily about SW broadcasters, sorry I didn't make myself clear. Domestic broadcasters run the gamut so are very unpredictable, some years ago I got a whole string of unQSLs from a CE until I figured out the "correct" form. BTW, he and I ended up close friends because of it. (;->) Most have very lax requirements, all they care is that there is enough information for confirmation. (I have a stack of QSLs from all over the country, most of them legendary.) On the other hand a CE of a broadcast group is very hard to track down and then it's a coin toss whether or not he QSLs. More often than not the reception report ends up in the hands of the GM or the wastebasket beside the receptionist's desk. These people are totally clueless.

Times have changed, I don't bother with SW stations anymore because with all the relay stations going unanounced you never know where the signal is coming from. I don't bother with domestic broadcasters because I don't even listen to them anymore, no point in listening to the same four formats in every market all coming out of Houston. I don't bother with K1MAN...

Oh heck, with the high level of power line noise I don't do much MW or HF listening anymore but if luck is with me and opportunity knocks so I find myself in a quiet spot where I can put up some decent antennas
"I'll be bock!". Meanwhile there is the even greater challenge of all the goodies to be found above 30MHz.

Oh, one final note, I wish I could remember the data on the AM broadcast station that conducts an anual DX test. It's a 1KW daytimer that comes on at night in the dead of winter when noise is at a minimum requesting reports and is rather famous in DX circles. Like many CEs he's a ham so it figures he'd be doing something not normally done with the transmitter besides operating on 160M when the station is off the air.

On the other hand I know a ham who operates THREE 1KW AM broadcast transmitters (one at a time of course) into a grounded vertical folded unipole on 160M and blankets North America with his "clear channel" signal. Oh, his R-390 receiver is just as cool as the four 4-400As glowing behind the window in the front of the Collins 20V transmitter.

 

[USAPatriot]

When I had my Winradio I managed to get a fairly decent collect of Q cards from overseas. Some stations were difficult, some were not. Some required SINPO, some not, but most responded back to me. Being disabled it's not like writing up a report ate up valuable time, so that was ok. While not the toughest, Radio Taiwan had the best card...