This is one of a series of “Notes” I published on Facebook. Since Facebook has discontinued the Notes feature, I am publishing that series here on my blog.

QSLing, or exchanging of QSL cards goes back to the earliest days of ham radio. It is often said “a QSL is the final courtesy of a QSO”, which hints at the importance that has always been placed on this aspect of ham radio as a hobby. Traditionally a QSL is a postcard which confirms that radio communication was carried out between two stations. QSL cards have the callsign of the station issuing the card, information about the station location and owner, and possibly other information printed on the card. The callsign of the station contacted, along with date, time, band, mode and signal report is handwritten or otherwise filled into areas of the card reserved for this before being sent out. The front and back of my N1BUG QSL card can be seen in the cover photo. Why do hams exchange QSL cards? Some do it because they like to get and collect QSLs to commemorate memorable QSOs (contacts, conversations). Some QSL cards are truly works of art. Others feature breathtaking photos of exotic places. Others collect QSL cards for contact verification when applying for operating achievement awards such as Worked All States (WAS), Worked All Zones (WAZ), or DX Century Club (DXCC). These awards are not issued on the honor system. One must show some evidence that they did in fact establish radio contact with the locations they are claiming. QSL cards are the traditional means of verification.

How does this work? Suppose I make radio contact with a station in Iceland, and that for whatever reason I want a QSL card from that station to confirm or commemorate the contact. I will fill in his callsign and the contact details – date, time, band, mode, signal report and perhaps a personal comment on one of my station QSL cards. I will check a box on my card which says “Please QSL” to indicate I want a card in return. I will then mail my card to the other operator along with some means of paying for the cost of return postage. Why do we send return postage? Suppose the ham in Iceland makes several hundred or even several thousand contacts in a year and many of the stations contacted want his QSL card. If the Icelandic ham had to pay for postage to send each of those cards it could easily cost the equivalent of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This could easily put the cost of ham radio out of the reach of many or force them to not respond to QSL requests! Chances are he doesn’t need my card for anything (he probably has a huge collection already), but I do need his. So, as a courtesy I will cover the cost of postage for the return card. When the other operator gets my card he will fill in the QSO details on one of his QSL cards (probably checking the “Thanks for QSL” box), then mail it to me. I may display it in my shack or file it away for later use in applying for awards, depending on my goals and interests.

When sending cards within the U.S. it is customary to send a self addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to cover return postage costs and to save the other operator the time of writing my address on an envelope. Remember, most active stations get many such requests and most people don’t have unlimited time for this hobby. When sending QSLs to other countries there are a few options on how to pay for return postage. In the past the International Reply Coupon (IRC) was a popular choice. An IRC could be sent with the QSL and in most countries that IRC could be exchanged for the correct amount of postage to return one piece of first class mail to the country of origin. The IRC has diminished greatly in popularity (some would say it has become all but unusable), because the USPS no longer sells them and because many countries no longer accept them. The most popular method today is to send US one dollar bills to pay for return postage. In ham radio QSL parlance we call them green stamps. They can be exchanged for local currency in most countries, but do your homework before sending them! In a few countries, one can get into a lot of trouble for the mere possession of US currency! I do not know where to find a comprehensive list of such places, but keep reading for tips how to know what to send or not send. Be aware that $1 is not enough to cover the cost of returning a card from most countries, just as it now costs over $1 to buy a stamp to mail something out of the US. $2 may still be enough in some countries but many require $3 and I believe some are now $4. Obviously this gets expensive – at current rates, $1.20 for the stamp to mail something out, $3 to cover the cost of getting a reply. Another method that is gaining in popularity is to send stamps from the DX operator’s own country along with your QSL. There is at least one service (William Plum DX Supplies) making such stamps available to hams.

Recognizing the high cost of exchanging QSLs, many countries participate in a network of QSL bureaus. Here is how this works. If I contact many DX stations whose QSLs I want, I can fill out all of the QSLs, sort them by country of destination, and along with a modest fee send them to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Outgoing QSL Bureau. The bureau will then combine my outgoing cards with those of many other US hams and send them in batches to QSL bureaus in other countries for distribution to hams in each country. Incoming QSLs through the system are handled by a number of regional bureaus across the country. In order to receive incoming QSLs through the bureau system, I periodically send money to the W1 QSL Bureau. They receive thousands of QSLs destined for US hams in the first call area (W1), which comprises the six New England states. They get these cards from bureaus around the world. The incoming QSLs are sorted by destination station, and when they have accumulated a reasonable number that are going to my station or a certain amount of time has passed since their last mailing to me, they mail them to me (using some of the postage credit on my account). Exchanging QSLs through the bureau system is much cheaper than going direct, but it takes more time. The amount of time required to get a QSL card this way can be months or even years. Bear in mind not all countries have a QSL bureau, and not all hams in any given country use the bureau if it has one. Many hams use the bureau to obtain QSLs they would like to have, but are in no hurry for. Note that the ARRL bureau is for sending cards to other countries and cannot be used for sending cards to other US stations.

Some hams, particularly those in rare or semi-rare countries, have a QSL manager. This is a person who handles the chore of responding to QSL requests f0r the ham, who may not have enough time to do it. In some cases, hams have QSL managers because delivery of mail in their country is not entirely reliable. The QSL manager may or may not live in the same country as the ham using his services. Sometimes you get lucky and the ham you just worked in that rare country has a QSL manager in the US! This is great, as it costs you less and you usually get your wanted QSL card in less time.

So how you do you know where to send your QSL for that DX station you just worked? You need to look it up. I usually start with QRZ.com. If the DX station has a listing there, it will likely tell you how to QSL that station, be it direct, via bureau or via a manager. Often it will tell you what methods are accepted for return postage and what not to send. Not all stations are listed on QRZ.com. For those you need to look further. There are DX newsletters to which you can subscribe which often give QSL information for rare stations and DXpeditions. Some of them have back issues available online. Sites such as DXNews.com and DXcoffee.com can be valuable resources for finding QSL information. A good source for DXpedition QSL info is ng3k.com, particulary his ADXO (Announced DX Operations) pages. In short, the avid DXer with an interest in QSL cards needs to have a variety of resources from which to gather information.

When sending cards to other countries, there are a few things to keep in mind. Mail isn’t as safe in many places as it is in the US. Putting callsigns on the envelope suggests that it may contain a QSL and some US $1 bills – which may then get stolen! The best advice is don’t put callsigns on the envelope, just names and addresses (that of the station you are sending it to and your return address, of course). Try to hide what is inside so it can’t be clearly seen if the envelope is held up to a bright light. You may want to use security envelopes or wrap a couple sheets of paper around your QSL and funds for return postage before placing it in the envelope. Whatever you do, write clearly and legibly when filling out your QSL card and addressing the envelope. Remember this may be going to, or through, places where English is not the primary language and even to places that use a totally different alphabet! Don’t expect them to decipher a scribbled address. Sending a self addressed envelope for the return QSL may save the other operator some time in replying, but US sized envelopes are not acceptable in all countries. William Plum DX Supplies sells envelopes specifically for this purpose.

With postage costs escalating and in view of the fact many only want QSL cards for contact verification in applying for awards (as opposed to collecting the cards themselves), modern technology has provided an alternative: electronic QSLing. There are two major services in operation today: eQSL and ARRL’s Logbook of The World (LoTW). Each has its advantages and disadvantages, which should be considered in selecting which service(s) to use.

LoTW confirmations are currently good for ARRL awards (WAS, DXCC, VUCC) and the CQ WPX award – but not for others. There is no cost to sign up and participate in LoTW but there is a nominal fee of 12 cents per QSL for any you decide to use for awards applications. The LoTW sign up process has drawn heavy criticism on grounds that it is too difficult. Paperwork is often challenging for me but I didn’t find anything difficult about the LoTW sign up process, and the documentation leads you through it step by step. The registration process is designed to avoid fraud so that some integrity may remain in the awards system. It is not an “instant gratification” process. It takes about a week since it does involve a postcard through the US mail for one part of it. You only have to go through this process once. Once you are signed up, using LoTW is usually very easy. Most hams today log all of the contacts they make using one of several different logging programs that are available. Major logging programs automate the process of uploading contacts to LoTW. With the one I use (DXKeeper) it is as easy as a click or two. There is no printable “QSL card” with a LoTW contact verification. It is strictly an electronic acknowledgement that the contact is confirmed.

The other major online QSL system, eQSL, has a somewhat easier registration process. Confirmations through eQSL count for CQ awards and perhaps others, but cannot be used to apply for ARRL awards. eQSL allows each station to design their own electronic QSL “card”, and receiving stations can print out and keep a copy for each contact confirmed through the system. Most major logging programs automate the process of uploading contacts to eQSL.

It is important to choose which service(s) best meet your objectives. My main awards focus is DXCC and I like contesting. I use LoTW because confirmations there can be used for the DXCC awards and because uploading all of my QSOs there greatly reduces the number of QSL card requests I get through the mail. Otherwise I would be overwhelmed due to the number of contacts I make while contesting. By the way, award application fees are often less for electronic applications than for paper ones which require more processing on the part of the organization issuing the award. I send for paper QSL cards when I work stations needed for DXCC who do not use LoTW. I also like to get paper QSLs for major DXpeditions even if they use LoTW (most do), because often those QSLs are something extra special with pictures of the rare and exotic places and once in a lifetime adventures. Some are multi-sided fold-out cards or even small booklets with pictures and story of a great DX adventure.

QSL cards from rare locations and DXpeditions. Top left: a bi-fold QSL card from a base in Antarctica. Top right: front of a QSL from 3Y0X Peter I Island DXpedition. Second row: middle of fold-out 3Y0X QSL. Third row: Bi-fold card from BS7H Scarborough Reef DXpedition. Bottom: middle of a 32 page QSL card “booklet” telling the story of the VP6DX Ducie Island Dxpedition.

One other method deserves mention. A system called Online QSL Request System (OQRS) is becoming quite popular, especially for DXpeditions. A DXpedition is by definition a temporary ham radio operation from some rare and often remote place. The person or people who went on a DXpedition does not need your QSL card, but very likely you need theirs. Many of them now post their logs online and offer OQRS through various systems. The way this works is you go to their onling log site, enter your callsign and it will show you all contacts you made with that DXpedition. It will then offer you a chance to “order” QSLs for some or all of those contacts. You may have to fill in the details such as date and time for each QSO. Usually there is a nominal fee involved. It may seem high but bear in mind this is one way of helping to pay for a trip that was done for your benefit and likely cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars! The advantage for you is that you usually get your card(s) much quicker than any other method. Many DXpeditions now use Club Log for their online log and OQRS. Any station can upload logs to Clug Log. If you participate, this makes OQRS even easier. Since Club Log has both the DXpedition log and your log, it already knows all details of the matching QSOs! All you have to do is select the ones you want QSLs for and complete the transaction by making payment. For those like me who hate paperwork, this is the ultimate in simplicity and convenience on getting those rare DXpdition QSLs. I used Club Log OQRS for my recent contacts with K5P (Palmyra), VP8STI (South Sandwich), and VP8SGI (South Georgia).

You have a number of choices when having QSL cards printed for your station. Many printing services offer generic card designs customized with your callsign, name, and location. Others will design a card from your photo or artwork, or you can do all the design work yourself and just have them print a batch of cards. I designed my QSL card myself and submitted it to UX5UO Print. For less than $100 I got 1,000 full color double sided cards featuring photos from a hiking trip to Mount Katahdin. Cards can be ordered from many printers in smaller quantity, and generic designs are cheaper than color photo cards. Of course you can design and print your own if you want. QSL cards don’t have to be fancy. In fact, some are very basic but still do the job of confirming QSOs. Because the people you contact will be wanting your card for a variety of purposes, I suggest you put the following on your card as a minimum: your callsign, name, and mailing address; state and country (if not obvious from the address), county, CQ zone, ITU zone, and grid square. Additional information may apply in some cases. If you live on an island which counts for Islands on the Air (IOTA), for example, you might want to put its IOTA number on your card.

Examples of basic QSL cards. Top: Single color, two sided card (reverse not shown). Bottom left: Single color single sided card. Bottom right: two color single sided card.