One aspect of our hobby that I have always enjoyed is collecting QSL's. I
have a certain amount of interest in various operating awards. Currently my
goals are 6 and 2 meter WAS & DXCC and 80 and 160 meter DXCC. Overall, my
rate of return on QSL's sent is good for DX stations, but it is dismal for US
stations. I always include an SASE and a personal note, and generally engage
in the type of QSO the other person seems to be looking for, such as a quick
exhange of reports on AU or MS or an opening or a more lengthy QSO when
conditions are appropriate. In the past I have even included contact cards
already filled out with the QSO information so the repcient only had to sign
it and return it in the enclosed SASE.

I would like to hear others' opinions as to the reasons for not returning a
QSL and on how to improve the rate of return.

What is even worse is the rate of return for contest QSO's via Logbook
of the World which is free and almost effortless if one has a computer
log which contester's usually have.

Ron WA0KDS

pd wrote:

One aspect of our hobby that I have always enjoyed is collecting QSL's. I
have a certain amount of interest in various operating awards. Currently my
goals are 6 and 2 meter WAS & DXCC and 80 and 160 meter DXCC. Overall, my
rate of return on QSL's sent is good for DX stations, but it is dismal for US
stations. I always include an SASE and a personal note, and generally engage
in the type of QSO the other person seems to be looking for, such as a quick
exhange of reports on AU or MS or an opening or a more lengthy QSO when
conditions are appropriate. In the past I have even included contact cards
already filled out with the QSO information so the repcient only had to sign
it and return it in the enclosed SASE.

I would like to hear others' opinions as to the reasons for not returning a
QSL and on how to improve the rate of return.

"Ron" wrote in message ...
What is even worse is the rate of return for contest QSO's via Logbook of the
World which is free and almost effortless if one has a computer log which
contester's usually have.

My experience is just the opposite. I have just over 30,000 QSO's uploaded to
LoTW. My overall hit rate is 13%, but if I examine contest weekend dates only,
my hit rate is 24%. If I narrow the seach to just domestic contest weekends
(SS, NAQP, state QSO parties), the hit rate is 41%. That tells me that
contesters are far more involved in LoTW than is typical of the overall ham
community.

73, de Hans, K0HB

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 20:18:04 GMT, (pd) wrote:

One aspect of our hobby that I have always enjoyed is collecting QSL's. I
have a certain amount of interest in various operating awards. Currently my
goals are 6 and 2 meter WAS & DXCC and 80 and 160 meter DXCC. Overall, my
rate of return on QSL's sent is good for DX stations, but it is dismal for US
stations. I always include an SASE and a personal note, and generally engage
in the type of QSO the other person seems to be looking for, such as a quick
exhange of reports on AU or MS or an opening or a more lengthy QSO when
conditions are appropriate. In the past I have even included contact cards
already filled out with the QSO information so the repcient only had to sign
it and return it in the enclosed SASE.

I would like to hear others' opinions as to the reasons for not returning a
QSL and on how to improve the rate of return.

Welcome to ham radio in the 21st century.

I worked my first 2 meter MS QSO in about 1970. In those days, hams
were unfailingly polite and QSL rates were essentially 100%. I think
it was the expertise of the hams, and the difficulty of the QSOs that
made it important to memorialize the contacts.

I wasn't low-band DXing then, but I imagine that it was a similar
situation.

Today's new hams just don't have the courtesy to give a damn about a
QSL. After all, the packet cluster tuned their radio to the
frequency, the voice keyer made the call and it's time to move on. On
vhf, the new digital modes that allow a "QSO" to take place without
the participants actually hearing each other likely makes a QSL seem
like an anachronism.

I too am having a hard time with QSL returns but in this case it's
from DX. I need a few 80-meter cards for 5BDXCC and can't get them.
When I first started semi-seriously DXing in the late 70's my returns
were nearly 100%.

The 2 or 3 that I need for Honor Roll will likely come from
expeditions so I'll probably get them but otherwise, I feel for you
and don't know what the answer is.

Sorry to come across as a sour old fart, but that's the way I see it.

Yes QSLing for domestic contests is better than DX but 41 % is still
pretty poor considering the electronic log issue.



KØHB wrote:
"Ron" wrote in message ...

What is even worse is the rate of return for contest QSO's via Logbook of the
World which is free and almost effortless if one has a computer log which
contester's usually have.


My experience is just the opposite. I have just over 30,000 QSO's uploaded to
LoTW. My overall hit rate is 13%, but if I examine contest weekend dates only,
my hit rate is 24%. If I narrow the seach to just domestic contest weekends
(SS, NAQP, state QSO parties), the hit rate is 41%. That tells me that
contesters are far more involved in LoTW than is typical of the overall ham
community.

73, de Hans, K0HB

My experience is that DX stations generally QSL very well.

For USA stations on HF -- the Novice Tech return on CW is very high almost
100%.On the rest of the HF bands you have 3 types of HF folks:

1. DX chasers who will generally QSL -- rates good to very good

2. Ragchewers - particularly 80 and 40M -- these guys are on the band
nightly working the same old bunch for 50 years -- few QSL. However the DX
and DXers generally QSL Upper band rag chewers are fair to good.

3. Contesters HF -- fair - with the advent of computer logging and computer
label programs -- it has improved

For DX stations with QSL managers -- return rate is almost 100% - kudos to
these guys.

For DXpeditions -- almost 100%

For 6M lots of techs on and they don't have QSL cards -- indeed some don't
even log or they log in local time not UTC
I sent out 125 SASE QSL cards for 6M (VUCC) -- the return rate was about
0% - I gave up -- I know I have worked 225 grid squares -- tis good enough.

I worked Rhode Island on 6M a rare state from the west coast -- sent QSL's 3
times with SASE -- no answer -- sent e-mails -- no answers.
Finally after 2 years worked RI again -- got the card.

I have some generic cards (blank on the callsign) using these I will fill
out the card for the errant ham and ask them to sign it and return with the
SASE -- works about half the time.

And it helps to ask USA stations -- QSL Mutual, QSL SAE, QSL SASE, QSL NEVER
?? The rare states like Wyoming with maybe 1500 hams total really need
postage from you. They get hundreds of cards a year -- adds up.

I QSL 100% even tho I have 5 Band WAS, DXCC, Honor Roll, (all confirmed) and
thousands of JA an EU cards.

I use the ARRL Bureau for the common DX.

For the rare DX - Green stamps and IRC's. I always tip USA managers with a
dollar to help with QSL printing expenses

USA -- SASE where requested or for the rare states.

--
CL -- I QSL therefore I am






"pd" wrote in message
...
One aspect of our hobby that I have always enjoyed is collecting QSL's. I
have a certain amount of interest in various operating awards. Currently
my
goals are 6 and 2 meter WAS & DXCC and 80 and 160 meter DXCC. Overall, my
rate of return on QSL's sent is good for DX stations, but it is dismal for
US
stations. I always include an SASE and a personal note, and generally
engage
in the type of QSO the other person seems to be looking for, such as a
quick
exhange of reports on AU or MS or an opening or a more lengthy QSO when
conditions are appropriate. In the past I have even included contact
cards
already filled out with the QSO information so the repcient only had to
sign
it and return it in the enclosed SASE.

I would like to hear others' opinions as to the reasons for not returning
a
QSL and on how to improve the rate of return.

"Ron" wrote

Yes QSLing for domestic contests is better than DX but 41 % is still pretty
poor considering the electronic log issue.

I don't think it's poor at all, given that I experienced 1% "paper" QSL rate
before LoTW.

73, de Hans, K0HB

Some of us simply don't want to use electronic logs!!!

Ron wrote:

Yes QSLing for domestic contests is better than DX but 41 % is still
pretty poor considering the electronic log issue.



KØHB wrote:

"Ron" wrote in message
...

What is even worse is the rate of return for contest QSO's via
Logbook of the World which is free and almost effortless if one has a
computer log which contester's usually have.



My experience is just the opposite. I have just over 30,000 QSO's
uploaded to LoTW. My overall hit rate is 13%, but if I examine
contest weekend dates only, my hit rate is 24%. If I narrow the seach
to just domestic contest weekends (SS, NAQP, state QSO parties), the
hit rate is 41%. That tells me that contesters are far more involved
in LoTW than is typical of the overall ham community.

73, de Hans, K0HB

I've just looked at my return rate.
I've sent 3089 QSL's out and have received 1784 back. This works out to be
in round numbers 58%. This includes cards sent, direct, to managers, to the
bureau, and to LOTW. As for LOTW I have 7859 contacts with 688 QSL's for a
round number of 8%. I'm most interested in DX and don't rag chew that much
so most of my domestic QSL's are from the people I've worked in the PAQSO
parties. That's the only contest I do in a serious way but I do give out
contacts in many others. In fact most of the domestic QSL's I have on LOTW
are from the PAQSO party. Way to go PAQSO party people. I don't do e-QSL
though I was, at one time, listed there and may still be for all I know.
Anyway DX stations with state side managers just about 100%. DX stations
with European managers just about 100%. Eastern European managers, not as
good, I would guess about 75%. I don't know if its because of bad mail
systems or green stamp collecting. Asia is all over the map with some areas
very good, some very slow. Cards though the bureau, it's a very slow
process, and I still get replies to cards I sent out 3 years ago. I don't
know what my rate of return on bureau cards is. Anyway LOTW is a good way to
cut the cost, but I see some problems. As most hams were born with their
arms to short to reach their pockets, Dxpeditions are still going to use
paper QSL's just to encouraged the $5 and $20 donations to help cover the
costs. LOTW will just be used only at the end of the processes. And LOTW has
same problem as e-QSL, nothing to show at the next club meeting, no neat
stamps to give to my mother who collects them.
In the end the only thing that will improve the rate is the receiving
station caring enough about his reputation to do the right thing, and the
sending station making it as easy as possible for him to do the right thing,
So always send an return envelope, big enough for the larger cards that some
seem to like, (and I sure wish I could find a good inexpensive source for
them) with enough postage in a form that the DX station can easily use. One
other thing that helps is doing the best one can to get the address right.
The standards of addressing mail is not the same the world over, and
sometimes the address look a bit odd to us here in the USA. The DX stations
could help by looking at their address on QRZ.com and the others and
correcting them so their post offices can more easily handle them.

--
John Passaneau
State College Pa.



"pd" wrote in message
...
One aspect of our hobby that I have always enjoyed is collecting QSL's. I
have a certain amount of interest in various operating awards. Currently
my
goals are 6 and 2 meter WAS & DXCC and 80 and 160 meter DXCC. Overall, my
rate of return on QSL's sent is good for DX stations, but it is dismal for
US
stations. I always include an SASE and a personal note, and generally
engage
in the type of QSO the other person seems to be looking for, such as a
quick
exhange of reports on AU or MS or an opening or a more lengthy QSO when
conditions are appropriate. In the past I have even included contact
cards
already filled out with the QSO information so the repcient only had to
sign
it and return it in the enclosed SASE.

I would like to hear others' opinions as to the reasons for not returning
a
QSL and on how to improve the rate of return.

Hi Wes,

Please don't lose hope in us younger hams. I for one recently got back
into the hobby after about 10 years. I earned my novice back when I was
13 but grew out of it during my college years and KC4GHA finally
expired in '97. I started getting the bug back about a year ago when I
was working a grave shift and listening to a Uniden scanner to keep me
company. One night when a nasty rotating super cell was moving into the
Austin area, I monitored two hams tracking the storm. One of the hams
happened to be a morning weather anchor at a local station and was
relaying radar information back to the other ham in the field. Well
being an life long weather enthusiast, this did it for me! Skywarn
initially attracted me back into the hobby. I went to take my
technician exam primarily to be able to use 2m/70cm phone for Skywarn
activities with the CW portion of it as an after thought. However, when
I got to the testing facility and the VE examining team found out I
held a previous novice licence and knew the code, they weren't about to
let me get out of there without atleast trying to pass the code part of
the exam. So I took it and I passed! I could hardly believe it was
still with enough to bearly make enough characters in a row at 5 wpm!

This was enough for me to save up and try to get back on HF. I shopped
around for a while. I looked at all the new high tech IC-706's and all
the others that do virtually everything for you. I also looked at some
other older radios and with price also being a deciding factor I
finally settled for a used FT-101B with a bunch of accessories for
about $350. I've been using this setup with a Cliff Dweller dipole
through a MFJ tuner and I love it!!! I work almost exclusively CW,
usually on 40M. My station works beautifully. I'm one of those geeks
that actually *enjoys* tuning up the final amplifier! I really like the
nastagia of older equipment with lots of knobs and switches to mess
with in order to change frequencies.

So at the age of 31, I enjoy amatuer radio more than I ever have and I
take pride in every qso I make whether it be a few counties over or a
weak dx contact on the other side of the globe. And you bet I will send
a QSL to EVERY contact I make! I always enjoy getting QSL cards (when
they do come, hi).


73,
Matt