Sota qsl's

Hello all sota activators I just wanted to say thanks for all the sota activation qsl cards I have received in the past but would ask as I am no longer a member of the rsgb bureau now not to send any further cards as they would not find their way to me.
If any require a card from me, please send direct and I will pay return postage so no need to include $'s. 73 Don G0RQL.

1 Like

Hi Don

I don’t think that you have to be a member to receive cards from the RSGB bureau (this may have changed in recent years - not sure).

73 Richard G3CWI

There’s an “RSGB QSL Receive Service” for non-members, but it costs 12 quid a year (at present)…

1 Like

Talking of QSL’s
:smirk:
And bending the subject slightly.

Received another E Qsl off Tor for his Norwegian tour of his summits.
Yet another different Picture for a different summit.
Thank you Tor and they end up in your Box from QSO within 48 hrs.

:smiling_imp: wicked

Karl

Yes all change Richard they now run send one send all to illuminate the build up which means you get 1 or more cards for what ever size envelope
which becomes a bit costly.I have received 6 envelopes with 7 cards in each which is a bIt ridiculous when they would have held more,this has happened on more than one occasion.
You can still receive cards from the bureau without being a member but like all things you have to pay for that annually. Don.

Hi Don,

Did you put Large Letter stamps on your envelopes? A normal stamp only allows an item upto 5mm thick so that maybe why your only getting a few in each envelope. A Large Letter stamp allows upto 25mm thick and uoto 100g in weight.

73 Mick M0MDA

1 Like

Hi Mick,as an ex sub manager for quite a number of years I know how the bundles of cards arrive from the bureau and when you sort them you normally find something in the region of 6 to 8 for each member in the bundle I would think that is how the new manager sorts them and puts them in to envelopes.
I always laid them on a table in alphabetical order and on completion of the sort I would put them in to envelopes to their maximum weight and thickness believe me you can get a lot more in an A6 envelope with a second class stamp than I was receiving.
These problems arose with the send one send all which I do not disagree with but when there are a bulk of cards and envelopes I would expect them to be sorted in a more economical way.Don.

It must be very annoying if you are into collecting cards. So here is a picture of wonderful Victorian post box here in Edinburgh close to Arthur’s Seat for you to add to your collection of images and hopefully to brighten your day a little.

1 Like

Thanks Andy the last time I was in Scotland I photographed a Gold one,cant remember where it was.
Looked better than the common old red! 73 Don.

eQSL is a wonderfull way to exchange a confirmation … LA9XGA is a nice example of beautiful eQSL cards. I’m loading all the nice eQSL cards in a digital photo-frame and it’s playing continiously in my shack … much nicer than paper QSL’s in a book …
I encourage the use of eQSL !

73 seeya

ON4VT Danny

2 Likes

The gold ones were painted in the town where a British gold medal winner in the London Olympics was born or lived.

That,s right.

Except it’s not accepted for most award schemes.

Colin G8TMV

I agree Colin but how many of your paper QSL cards do you really ever use to submit for an award ?
And eQSL is FREE !!!

73 seeya

ON4VT Danny

I’ve given up on QSLing, e or real. If someone QSLs direct I nip down to the town, buy a postcard of the castle and write the details on that and post it back.

I must have sent, oh, at least 3 in the last 10 years.

I’m with you Danny - I recommend the use of the (free) eQSL service - I suspect some logging programs automatically use it. I do create and send individual QSL paper cards and send them direct (I don’t send via the bureau). For SOTA I use a picture of the summit the activation contact was from. Unless it’s changed, I think yu are allowed to upload one graphic to eQSL for free, otherwise there a large variety of standard graphics to chose from. Perhaps we can get the guys that run eQSL to put up a SOTA standard card?

As the scoring system confirms SOTA contacts, I was surprised to find that people were sending QSL cards for SOTA contacts, but it is nice to put on the wall HI.

By the way for those who don’t know, you can print out the eQSL cards to standard 6x4 photograph sized paper to create a paper QSL.

73 Ed.

P.S. you could also use eQSL cards received as as a slide show/screensaver/background on a Windows PC.

You say it Ed, eQSL is easy and fun …
I’ve been writing on it on www.on4vt.be
Also about SOTA eQSL cards …
And here is how to make a different card for every activation : PE4BAS Amateur Radio Weblog: How to setup multiple accounts in eQSL
I’m doing that for my WWFF activations too ( see QRZ.com page OT4V/P )
And eQSL is free but for a few dollars a year you can upload as many different cards as you want …
For SOTA and WWF awards not one paper card is required … so not one reason to not using it ! Most logging programs have the auto upload and if not, you can upload a full .ADIF file within a few mouse clicks.
If you don’t like it for your own, use it for the others ! In the WWFF program I’m getting about 70% of the QSO’s confirmed by eQSL !
And if you are not very keen with graphic programs, I’m very happy to make you a good looking eQSL card, I’ve made dozens for other hams …

73 seeya

Danny ON4VT

Cheers for that Danny, might hold you up to that one.
Now if you asked me 10 years ago, would not even looked at Eqsl for I liked me cards through the post.
Times have changed and funds don’t allow it any more especially when peeps asking $$$ all the time and price of postage now.

So since been back on air I Eqsl only. But if any one does send a card in the post I will return a card local view of the area with QSO details to confirm the Contact.

Karl

I respond to paper QSLs that I receive and I send out paper QSL cards where I need one back for an award.

For the awards that I’m interested in (DXCC and IOTA) there are only two options for confirmation. For DXCC they accept a paper card or a LotW confirmation. For IOTA they accept paper cards only, although they are working on an alternative.

So EQSL might be free, but it’s also useless to me.

Colin G8TMV

1 Like

Hi Colin, for IOTA what if you print out the eQSL cards and send those in - would that not be acceptable?

The US sponsored contests do seem to lock one into the LogBook of the World, ARRL system even though it was one on the last systems to be implemented and originally I think you had to be an ARRL member to use it - not the case now as far as I know.

73 Ed.