SOTA QSL cards

In reply to F6ENO:
Thank you for the many and varied replies. This has been an interesting exercise and the responses range from activators and chasers who consider it a point of honour to always QSL 100% to every station contacted, whilst others can see no point in SOTA QSL cards whatsoever, which are not required to confirm contacts.

However, it is also obvious that some activators take great deal of pride and time producing unique photographic souvenir cards of every individual SOTA, which is a source of great personal satisfaction to them and of great interest to some chasers.

The answer to my question “Do activators expect a card from a chaser for every multiple card received” would appear to be “No”. I guess it is up to individual choice.

The general consensus seems to be that it is courteous to reply to cards received for first SOTA contacts or special occasions and this seems to be a good compromise.

I am QSL manager for GX0OOO, GC0OOO, GS0OOO (etc) and our policy is not to automatically send out QSL cards for SOTA contacts, but we always reply to any cards received via the Bureau or direct as we can appreciate that some operators like to collect Prefixes, WAB areas or UK counties.

73 Roy
G4SSH

In reply to G4SSH:
Thanks Roy for your reply,

Now, I understand a bit more about Sota.
As you know, I’m a newcomer in SOTA; I started only one year ago.
I was wrong when thinking that SOTA was an amateur actvity like others.
I missed some important points as:

  • Sota doesn’t need any QSO confirmation. Good idea ! I agree with this. For me, the QSL card was not sent to confirm the QSO but for the fun since, after 32 ham years, it’s always a pleasure for me to receive a card; I thougt it was the same for other guys.

  • Sota is a run to points. Fine ! for those who like competition. I do like competition, contests and so on, but, as you know, I’m not for the “599 K” of for the “four and down”. I’ll never win any radio race, but I don’t care.

Well Roy, I do not wish replies to my several cards of course ! Only one will be apreciated. I did’nt know that you were GX0OOO manager when, few months ago, I sent some cards to John in direct. I reveived back some nice QSL cards from John’s expeditions, fine !.

And for now, I will go back to my computer to stand up the new 2008 french summits data base… Last year, we spent several months for that work (thanks to Les G3VQO, Andy F5AKL and Ghislain F6CEL) and hope our job was appreciated by SOTA community.

73 Alain
F6ENO

I send a QSL card to every station I work for the first time.

If receive a card from an activator then I confirm this of course.

Peter

In reply to all:

Dear Sota friends, Om’s,

At this moment we send to all stations with we make a QSO, long or short, during our Belgian sota round ON/ON-001 ----> ON/ON-008 a QSL-card. The frontside of the card is always the same but the backside has contained other information.Later if we draw to the neighbouring countries, perhaps the card will change always. Probably it becomes by each sota-reference another front.

Personally I gladly receive a QSL-card from each worked station. It is also an affirmative that the QSO was successful.

THE QSO IS SHORT - BUT QSL CARDS ARE FOREVER

73
Luc ON6DSL and Nick ON3DSN
Father and son

Sri for my bad English !