[CQ-Contest] 5H3 Photo

[John Warren]

Please forgive my asking this question on the Contest Reflector, but the DX
Reflector is dead, dormant, in transition, or whatever...

I'm looking at an AP photo from our local newspaper of the demolished U.S.
Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Immediately to the right of the embassy
is a housing compound, with a good size tower and multi-element beam
clearly visible. Wonder who that belongs to?

I hope that none of our amateur friends were victims in 5Z4 or 5H3.

John, NT5C.




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>From Steven M. Wheatley" <ku9c at ix.netcom.com  Tue Aug 11 19:45:31 1998
From: Steven M. Wheatley" <ku9c at ix.netcom.com (Steven M. Wheatley)
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 14:45:31 -0400
Subject: [CQ-Contest] QSL Bureau Fee Structure
Message-ID: <01bdc558$373bc5e0$8ec5b8cd at dell-pentium-30>


Hi Steve,

just a quick comment, as I know you're working, or were working with the
ARRL.  It would be helpful for the efficiency of the bureau, and QSL
managers, to perhaps offer a sliding scale based on the quantity sent in to
the league to sort.  There is no doubt that $4/pound barely cover the
expenses for the 'average' dx-er, who sends in one or two pounds at a time,
and probably has cards for maybe 25-50 countries in the pile.

However, take the QSL manager.  I recently sent out 60 pounds of cards.  Of
that, about 4 went to the bureau.  I was able to send about 15 pounds to JA
bureau, using the 'surface' M Bag rate, which I believe is $1.45/pound.  I
find that the break-even weight for using the bureau versus going it direct
is about 1 to 1.5 pounds.  Thus, most of the major bureau countries I send
directly to (DL, G, I, F, JA, etc).

Its a bit of a pain, but these expenses usually come out of the greenstamps
that I receive as a manager, so I try to keep my out of pocket expenses
minimized.  I'd rather use the bureau, as I know that they also use M bag
rates when possible, and I have to believe that a few more pounds to some of
the countries may make the difference, which would drive the cost down.

No doubt they do one heck of a job.  I'm not complaining, and always have
gotten first class service from the folks there. However, I could give them
a lot more tonnage in qsl cards if it was closer to a break-even for me.
Just a thought.  Maybe a price/pound for one country, or a break in price if
you exceed some volume, such as 5 pounds, 10 pounds?@!

73
Steve KU9C

-----Original Message-----
From: Mendelsohn, Stephen A. <Stephen.A.Mendelsohn at abc.com>
To: 'Pete Smith' <n4zr at contesting.com>; CQ-CONTEST at contesting.com
<CQ-CONTEST at contesting.com>
Date: Tuesday, August 11, 1998 2:26 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] QSL Bureau Fee Structure


>
>Gentlemen;  while you counting the 32 cent stamps on the backs of the
>cards please consider the following minor points associated with the ARRL
>outgoing bureau:
>
>1 - The people who work there have to get paid.
>
>2 - There is a burden cost (lights, desks, associated equipment)
>     that must be paid.
>
>3 - The price of postage continues to rise whether you want to answer
>     QSLs or not.
>
>Taken together, the ARRL outoing QSL bureau represents one of the
>best reasons for being a League member if you're a DXer.
>It is a terrific benefit of membership.
>
>-73- Steve, W2ML
>
>
>
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>



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