Qsl cards

[sigord]

I was having a discussion in a NET with an old G3 who was convinced that in spite of the widespread use of Electronic QSLs, especially generated automatically by modern TXs for contests, he still believed the overall the majority of QSLs were still cards sent via various Bureaus.

Does any know which are the most prolific in use today card or electronic?

[M6PAP]

Well just for you I had a count up, at the moment I have an equal number of Card & Electronic!
So that don't help then!!
But have four card and one electronic pending, so at the moment G3 is right!!

[sigord]

In the past 2 years since I acquired the beginners Foundation licence after being content to just listen in for some 60 years, I have acquired about 12 electronic QSLs, but only 2 QSL cards by post. One of the latter was sent only because in the early days the guy from the US was probably not aware I had already received some on EQSL.

But apart from using VHF / UHF the only activity I have on HF is the dreaded Echolink to some using this PC. So unlike the stalwarts using HF by Radio, where they proudly receive QSLs as an achievement, I sometimes receive one purely as a courtesy by some guy pleased to have a long QSO with a Brit. So such as reports of signal strength and even frequency are really irrelevant. Also my QRX site entry states I do not use any by a post service Bureau, and only on the QRX and EQS L sites. So anyone would be unlikely to want to lash out postage to send me a card by post ----- nor I for that matter in return!

[G6NHU]

I like QSL cards. I like getting home and seeing that brown envelope which means I've got some new cards from the bureau or occasionally even getting the odd card direct.

However I don't think it'll be long before the number of electronic QSLs outnumber the physical cards and that stage may already have been reached. I upload every QSO I have to both LoTW and eQSL, normally within minutes of the end of the contact. I don't send a physical card out for every QSO as that would be seriously wasteful.

I'm quite sure that when I claim DXCC from the ARRL, it will be exclusively with electronic confirmations but despite that, it's still a thrill to receive a packet of cards in the post.

[M0TTB]

I'm pretty sure that eqsl's sent has surpassed paper cards.... eqsl is claiming something like 210 million eqsl's sent. The amount retrieved is probably a more relevant number

Return rates/qso matching seems to depends upon what you're interest is in amateur radio.... those who use data modes tend to send eqsl's as a matter of course, usually automated, where-as in the world of dx chasing eqsl's don't appear to be that common, and LoTW is increasingly used for qso matching and use for the more prestigious dx awards.
From about 2200 qso's uploaded to eqsl, I've had 450 eqsl back (133 dxcc), with LoTW i have 725 qso matches (190 dxcc).

I still prefer paper cards, and getting a paper card back from a new dxcc is far more important to me than any electronic confirmation... despite the fact my ARRL award submissions are solely LoTW.

[AB3NK]

In the USA if it costs me $.39 to send a QSL card and about $.10 to have them printed up, I would much rather prefer to get a real card over getting a EQSL...

EQSL is nice if all you want to do is collect areas on a map and keep them stored in a computer data base.
But when you really want to hold something in your hands, nothing beats the real thing.

As for not using the HF, my question is why not?

If the antenna is the issue, find a club that has a antenna.
If the radio is the issue - then buy one.
If the license is the issue, study and pass the test.

Two meters / 440 mhz is the kindergarden of ham radio.
It is the first place you go when you first get your license and the last place you go before you go to the great reward.
It does not require a large investment or large antenna's, but it usually doesn't talk very far either.

The HF - the radio and the antenna does all the work.
Even a mobile with a Tarheel antenna can talk thousands of miles with the right set up and install.

[TI2-NA7U]

I'd believe that paper cards are still more prevalent than electronic ones, but I'd expect that to gradually change over time. Yes, I'd prefer a paper QSL to an electronic one, except that after getting a couple of shoe boxes full of them and having to answer them, too, I'm not so keen on them anymore, unless they are something really special (of course, every ham thinks his/her card is special, hi).

Now that I am DX (in Costa Rica) QSL cards are not really practical at all for a number of reasons. First, I often work CW and find myself quickly under a pile-up. I can easily accumulate 50-100 QSOs a day casually operating and that's a heckuva lot of cards (if everyone mailed cards, they don't fortunately). Also, there is no buro here, U.S. stamped envelopes are worthless to me, and I'd have to stand in line at the PO to send them anyway (stamps are printed at the PO). I use a QSL manager, W6WU, but I still do get cards here via the U.S. or direct, but not many. I much prefer to use eQSL and LoTW instead and I get a very good return rate that way.

[M6PAP]

If you send a card direct by agreement with the other station including envelope & postage as requested how long do you give them before you remind them?
Looking through yesterday I have one from five months ago and another three up to a month ago that have not yet replied!

[K7KBN]

I was first licensed in the State of Nevada, USA. Nevada has quite a lot of active hams now, but in 1959 there were probably only ten of us in a state that's mostly uninhabited open space. So I got a LOT of QSLs, and I sent one out for each one received. Those cards are still here in my house, although I now live in Washington State. By actual count there are over twenty thousand cards, mostly from DX. So call it 20,000 received, and 20,000 sent from my station. I claim to have been the proximate cause of the Sahara Forest's demise.