[CQ-Contest] QSL'ing

[Ramirez, Kenneth EXCH]

Hi Fred,
   Congratulations on the QSL efficiency. Unfortunately some of us 
have a few minor problem that keeps us from being as efficient as you 
are:
1- 	If I asked my wife to help out with the QSL chores she would laugh 
in my face and we probably wouldn't have sex for another 6 months.
2- 	At age 36 I still find myself having to work 40 hour plus work 
weeks. This leaves very little time for other activities. (Getting on 
the air comes to mind)
Retirement is great isn't it!
3-My 5 year old son takes up a great amount of my free time. Until he 
learns how to write and until I can convince him that the QSLs I 
slipped into his
homework pile are actually homework tasks I will continue to fall 
behind in my QSL chores.
4- 	Until I hit the lottery jackpot I won't be able to afford a 
secretary to store and file all my QSL cards the way I would like them 
to be stored.
5- 	I don't really enjoy filling out QSL cards. I only do so because I 
feel obligated. I have never NOT replied to someone's QSL card. QSLing 
just happens to fall at the bottom of my list of things to do.
     I still find it hard to believe that some stations will black 
list certain contest stations because they don't qsl. If they thought 
about the BIG picture of life they might just figure out that there is 
more to it than receiving a QSL card from yet another USA station. For 
those of you  who believe that a piece of paper is worth more than 
on-the-air friendships ponder this. When you die, all of your QSL 
cards will be thrown away in the trash. Nobody will care if you had a 
card for the Andaman Islands or not. It will be laying right next to 
the rotting banana peel and old newspapers at the landfill. Your 
on-the-air contact memories will go with you to the grave.
         73 Ken N4UK

----------
From:  Fred Laun K3ZO[SMTP:aalaun at ibm.net]
Sent:  Thursday, November 06, 1997 11:34 PM
To:  Contest Reflector
Subject:  [CQ-Contest] QSL'ing

 Behind as usual, but I had to get my two cents' worth in on this 
one.

I am an active contester and though not making as many QSO's as the
multiops I routinely  run off 1500-2500 QSO's in each of the seven 
major DX
Contests each year.  Plus I enjoy getting into the regional and
single-country DX contests as well (with the exception of the WAE) so 
that
is several thousand more contest QSO's each year.  Plus I operate each 
year
for about a month from HS0ZAR which runs up another 2000 or so QSO's 
annually.

Like ON4UN I love QSL'ing.  And I don't use labels but I (or the XYL) 
fill
out each QSL by hand.

I keep a record of all stations I have worked outside the continental 
48
with my K3ZO call in 11 analog books (because the system was started 
14
years before I had a computer and I don't feel like doing the 
keypunching
necessary to data-process it up to date) which are at my operating
position.  If I hear a particular station  I can look up the call
immediately in this set of books.  If I am doing general DX'ing I only 
call
stations self-defined as "rare" and which I have never worked before 
on any
band.  (I make exceptions to this rule on 6 meters).  That is why you 
will
frequently see me spot a station on packet that I am not working at 
the time.

At the end of each contest I do the following:

1) Use a search-and-replace program to slash all of the zeroes in the
callsigns of the stations I have worked.

2) Print out a copy of my log which goes into a binder.  A new binder 
is
started each year.

3) Have Word-Perfect sort my contest log in alphanumeric callsign 
order.

4) Go through this sort with my system of 11 books and mark each log 
entry
which is a never-before-worked callsign (Yes VX3EJ will get a QSL even 
if I
have worked VE3EJ before).

5) Deliver the completed log to the XYL who proceeds to fill out an
expensive, multi-colored QSL -- which I have printed in Thailand -- 
for
each entry.

When I receive a direct QSL which requests my QSL, I answer the QSL
directly whether or not return postage is received, and whether or not 
I
have already sent a card to that station via the Bureau.

When I receive a bureau shipment (thanks NY3Y for taking such good 
care of
me!) I do the following:

1.  I sort the cards into four categories:

   a.  QSL's which say "Tks QSL"  -- filed with no further action.
   b.  QSL's for K3ZO
   c.  QSL's for HS0ZAR
   d.  QSL's for other stations which have come to me by mistake.

2. I begin answering cards for K3ZO, using the PVRC club cards which a 
lot
of us in PVRC use.  I start with the binder for the current  year and 
work
backwards.  As I pull cards to be answered out of the Bureau box, I 
sort
them by year of QSO, while at the same time answering immediately 
those
which are in the binder for the current year. I then go through each 
year's
binder in turn until I am finished.

3.  I begin answering cards for HS0ZAR, where the QSO sheets are in a
separate binder.
My HS0ZAR QSL's were also printed in Thailand, and though not 
expensive I
think they are reasonably original and attractive.

4.  I go through the cards in category (d) above.  If they were meant 
for
some other USA station but were sent to me by mistake, I mail them to 
that
station at my expense.
If someone had me down as manager for someone I am not manager for or 
for
someone I am no longer manager for, I do have a series of labels 
which
explains the problem and returns the card through the bureau back to 
the
sender.  If someone busted my call, there is a label for that problem 
also
and the card is returned to the sender without action.  Ditto with 
those
who are not in my log.  (Yes, I check the log entry faithfully for 
every
QSO before I answer).

5.  All SWL cards are answered in the same manner they are received, 
but I
do not keep any of them except the odd one from a UA9 on 160 meters, 
etc.
etc.

All of the non-lower-48 QSLs I have received for my K3ZO, W9SZR and 
W9SZR/3
calls are filed in alphanumeric order by callsign in 80 metal file 
drawers
(no I am not a stockholder in Steelmaster but I should be).

I admit that the QSL's I have received for my HI8XAL, HS1ABD, HK3NBB,
LU5HFI, HS0ZAR operations etc are not yet so filed BUT SOMEDAY THEY 
WILL
BE!

Now fellows, if I can do all of this, I find it hard to believe that 
you
can't at least answer the direct cards you receive!

73, Fred


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