[CQ-Contest] QSL Bureau Fee Structure

[Pete Smith]

Bruce's (N6NT's) comments provoke this response...

This spring, I experimented with QSLing every unique QSO (every QSO with a
station not QSLed before on a given band and mode) made in the last 2 years
of fairly active contesting.  My 28-lb shipment cost me $112 in bureau fees
and about $20 in parcel post, if I remember correctly).  The entire boxful
was sorted by standard prefix (the XJs in with the VEs, etc.).  I doubt
very much that my shipment cost the outgoing bureau $9/lb -- In fact, I bet
that rate, if correct, is so high largely because of the handling
associated with typical 100-200 card shipments.  

I will NOT send a card that is not unique, as defined above, and I won't
reply to the second, third or fourth card from a given station on a given
band and mode.  I agree that doing so imposes an unnecessary burden on the
whole system, even if per-pound costs are covered.  But I don't think
there's anything wrong with "pre-emptive QSLing" of "uniques", and that in
fact it's entirely consistent with the basic idea of QSLing at all.
Besides, I want to make darned sure that no -140 dBm DX station ever has
cause to complain that N4ZR wouldn't confirm West Virginia for him ;^}.
      

73,  Pete Smith N4ZR
In wild, wonderful, fairly rare WEST Virginia


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