Paper qsl's are indeed anachronistic. They are also wasteful of resources,
including the money it requires to print and mail them to the corners of the
earth.
We have E Mail, let's use it! Electronic acknowledgement with E-signatures
are at least as reliable as any paper qsl card, as the latter can be
altered, forged, or otherwise corrupted, too. It would seem to be fairly
simple to set up E-bureaus as well. These would assist in areas where the
internet has not fully blossomed. For example, there could be an E-bureau
for Kenya, located wherever there is internet access, and an E-QSL volunteer
manager. Logs are verified and entries are made electronically, off goes
the email, and the job is done. Certainly less time consuming than the
present cumbersome paper system. Many hams will have an even simpler
process. They can send directly from their computers, (including automatic
generation of cards presently available through many programs) or just drop
by the local club "node", pop in a disk, or enter the cards manually there.
The point is, with the continual growth in internet access, there is no
reason not to begin an electronic replacement for this old process NOW.
Those who relish the old cards can still collect them, as many of us still
operate AM with old tube rigs, etc. But let's bring QSL'ing into the 21st
century.
John WD4MUR (until Gate two results)
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