| | QSL Managers | | 'VIA QSL MGR' - QSL Managers |
Sponsored by WINQSL
You heard that rare DX station tell the pile-up that cards are being accepted by his QSL Manager, but the QSB was coming in and you didn't quite catch that callsign. No fear! QRZ is here! The QRZ QSL database contains manager references to over 68,000 DX callsigns. Enjoy and Good DX Hunting! This search page accepts partial callsigns too! For example, to find all QSL managers for 4U0 callsigns, you can simply enter '4U0' in the callsign box. The system will also search for the managers as well - just type in the manager's callsign and see how many stations he QSL's for. Updates Please email all QSL route or manager updates to DF6EX
Our special thanks to Manfred Meier, DF6EX, for providing the QSL Manager database.
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| | QSL Bureaus and Services |
Sometimes, when it's tough to locate a direct address or a QSL Manager for a DX station, a 'bureau' or 'service' can be used instead. Depending on the bureau or service, there will likely be some restrictions and/or costs involved with using it. Although typically slower than QSL'ing direct, the use of bureaus and services will often offer a greater chance of getting your hands on that elusive QSL card!QSL Bureaus
QSL Services - Airmail and Nesting Envelopes, and Foreign Stamps!
Available from:
Bill Plum
12 Glenn Road
Flemington, NJ 08822-3322 USA
Telephone: (908)788-1020
Fax: (908)782-2612
Call to request a price sheet to be faxed to you.
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- James Mackey - Rubber Stamps, QSL Cards, Foreign Postage, Envelopes, Etc.
James Mackey
P.O. Box 270569
West Hartford, CT 06127-0569 USA
Telephone: (860)521-7254
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- QSLCard.Com - Electronic QSL card exchange on the Internet
- WF5E Outgoing QSL Service - Private QSL Bureau - much quicker than conventional bureaus!
Are you trying to figure out what country a particular callsign is from? Take a look at ITU's Table of Allocation of Int'l Call Sign Series!
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| | QSL Card Designers and Printers |
Not all of us have the artistic ability to create our own attractive QSL cards. However, you're sure to find a company below which can produce everything from simple and inexpensive cards, to fancy multi-color glossy cards with custom pictures and text!- FDS Graphics - Full Colour QSL Cards (G8RCZ)
- Kamko QSL Cards - Artsci Publishing
- Marcum's QSL's (KA6GND)
- QSL Cards by Artist (KD4WVK)
- QSL Print Service (SQ5AXY)
- The Sign Man (10-10 Cards)
Looking for a way to organize and/or display your QSL cards? Check out Hamstuff by W7NN! Wanna' try your hand at designing your own QSL card? Check out WB8RCR's QSL Maker!
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| | Tips for QSL'ers | DX stations, especially the rare ones, receive thousands of QSL cards. So, if you really want a return on your QSL, then it is imperative that you package your outgoing QSL card properly.Consider who is receiving your card... Are *you* considered 'rare DX' to the person who is receiving your QSL card?
Especially in the case of stateside hams, most times the answer to this question is an emphatic 'no'. If this is the case, and if you expect a return QSL, you must make provisions for that return. At an absolute minimum, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to help ensure a returned QSL card. If you send your QSL card as a postcard, you can expect not to see a return QSL in most cases. (If you do, consider yourself lucky!) Packaging your outgoing QSL (direct or via QSL Manager) - Correct date and time on the QSL - It is important that the exact date and time are entered on your outgoing QSL card. If you make an error, you risk getting your card back from the QSL Manager with 'NIL' (Not In Log) written on it. If you do get the DX stations' QSL card despite an incorrect date/time, consider yourself fortunate ... the QSL Manager took the time to search the log for your QSO! One of the most common reasons why dates and times are incorrect is that the QSL'er has failed to use UTC date and time!
- QSL Card Design - As suggested by Bob Locher, W9KNI, in his book 'The Complete DX'er', it is advantageous to have your callsign on the same side of your QSL card as the QSO information. By doing so, the QSL Manager doesn't have to flip back and forth from one side of your QSL to the other as he/she verifies QSO information. This decreases the chance that the QSL Manager might get your callsign wrong. Nobody wants to get back a QSL card from a rare DX station, just to find that it's not YOUR callsign on the card!
- Pre-glued SASE Envelopes - Can you imagine having to lick three hundred envelopes in one day? By using SASE's that are pre-glued, you are making the QSL Manager's job much easier. These types of envelopes have a 'wax-paper' strip along the pre-glued portion. All the QSL Manager has to do is to peel off the strip and seal the envelope. [Note: For the most part, I have seen such envelopes coming only out of Japan ... it will be nice when they are more readily available in the U.S.]
- Use a piece of wax paper - Include a sheet of wax paper on the inside of the nested envelope. This prevents the envelope from 'self adhering' during transit to the DX station or Mgr. This is especially useful when sending to tropical areas or when you know the envelope is traveling via air where moisture can be present. (Thanks, Dale H. Cole K9TTT, for the tip!)
- Return Address on SASE's - Many SASE's received by QSL Managers do not have return addresses on them. Since the QSL Manager deals with many SASE's, it's unlikely he/she is going to put their own address as a 'return address' on the envelope. It is suggested that the QSL'er put the QSL Manager's address on the top-left corner of the SASE. This is cheap insurance to help keep your QSL card out of the postal service's 'dead letter' file.
- Pre-stamped SASE - If you are able to obtain the correct postage stamps for the country of the card recipient, it is suggested that you affix the stamps to the SASE. There are two benefits to doing this:
(1) You make the QSL Manager's job easier, since he/she will not have the extra task of doing postage for your card
(2) Your card will likely be sent out as soon as it is processed (it won't have wait in a queue for postage).
NOTE: If you pre-stamp your SASE, be sure to affix enough postage. And, if you do not pre-stamp, as always you must include appropriate compensation to cover all postage expense!
- Direction of the fold of the SASE- In many cases, you are required to fold your SASE so that it will fit into your outgoing envelope. When you insert the folded SASE into the envelope, do so with the 'fold' downwards. In other words, don't allow the fold to be up at the top of the inside of the envelope.
If the fold is at the top, then the SASE could possibly be sliced in half as the QSL Manager uses his/her letter opener. As a QSL Manager, I have sliced several SASE's in half -- although they can be taped back together, it's not much fun to go dig the tape out and perform surgery.
- Callsigns on Envelopes - Unfortunately, in some countries, postal workers have earned a less than honest reputation. In these cases, any envelope that is identified as containing 'ham radio contents' could be stolen. Apparently, these thieves have discovered that stealing green stamps (dollar bills) that are often included in the envelopes can be a profitable business. So, if your 'To' envelope or SASE will travel through potentially 'unsafe' postal systems, your envelope will have a better chance at making it through if you avoid putting your callsign on the outside of it.
However, it is a good idea to put your callsign on this INSIDE flap of the SASE. That way if the QSL manager gets your envelope mixed up with another envelope, he doesn't have to research your name to find out what callsign it belongs to. Written inside, under the flap, mail thieves won't see it! (Thanks, N6VHF, for the tip!)
- Avoid sending your card as 'registered' or 'certified' mail- When a card is sent as registered or certified, it is inconvenient for the QSL Manager to have to go down to the Post Office to retrieve it. And, since it takes a bit longer to receive the card (as it awaits the QSL Manager at the local Post Office), this process delays the return of your awaited QSL card. The only time that you should send registered or certified mail is if this process is the only way of guaranteeing that the envelope is handled properly through your country's postal system.
- Include collectible stamps in your envelope - If you have any domestic stamps that are less common in your country, and if the QSL Manager, to whom you are sending the QSL request, resides in another country, include these stamps in your envelope. Chances are good that the QSL Manager collects stamps, and he/she will likely appreciate your contribution to the collection.
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To qualify for a QSL card, broadcast stations often require that the listener has listened to the station over a period of time. However as budgets for HF broadcast stations are being cut, QSL cards are becoming more difficult to obtain. Collecting QSL Cards. Collecting QSL cards can be an interesting addition to the hobby of amateur radio. QSL Sleeves These protective sleeves are a great way to display and protect your favorite QSL Cards and Certificates. The QSL Sleeves hold the standard 5.5' x 3.5' QSL Card. Fits in a standard 3 ring binder.
RadioQSL – Custom QSL Cards
Once you start making contacts, other amateurs will want to swap QSL cards with you, even if you just talk to them on the local repeater. The purpose of a QSL card is to confirm that you had a contact with another amateur. For sure, you’ll want to have some cards printed up if you operate on the shortwave bands. Sometimes, amateur radio operators call swapping QSL cards “the final courtesy.”
See Full List On Rsgb.org
Once you get started swapping QSL cards, you may get hooked on QSLing, and it certainly can be an enjoyable part of the hobby. Many designs are distinctive, and they are fun to show off to friends and family. When I speak to groups about amateur radio, I always bring a selection of QSL cards that I’ve received. They can be very impressive.
Another reason to collect QSL cards is that they’re often needed to qualify for awards and certificates. You can, for example, get the Worked All States Award from the ARRL by submitting a QSL card from a station that you contacted in each of the 50 states.
Collecting QSLs can be fun, even if you don’t plan to apply for an award. I have, for example, started a small collection of QSL cards from stations whose callsigns spell words. I now have more than 150 such QSL cards including cards from W8HOG, WB4DAD, N4HAY, and KD8EGG. I agree that it’s kind of odd, but it’s fun, too.
Where to get QSL cards
There are many companies that print QSL cards. Here are some in no particular order, and with no endorsement implied:
All of these companies offer stock designs, but can also print custom designs. I suggest starting out with one of the stock designs and then consider a custom design once you’ve run out of the first printing. You can design your own, like I did, or perhaps get a professional designer, like Jeff, K1NSS, to design one for you. Here’s a QSL that he designed for KA2HTV:
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