[CQ-Contest] vr98bg apology

[vk3ajj]

Hello again Reflectees,

It never ceases to amaze me how there are always people in the world who
will seek to defend the indefensible.

"I don't think it is in the rules anywhere that a station has to
qsl when he operates a contest. Sometimes unsolicited qsl cards
are a real pain in the a_ _!  Especially if you get 2 or 3
hundred of them."

"It took me over 2 yrs to get a card...via bureau...but it did come..he
does qsl.In all fairness, imagine the amount of qsls he must get world wide."

"Well speaking as a qualified "slacker" when it comes to QSLing, I would
bet that Brett has every intention to answer your QSL card.  As your email
suggested, Brett is probably a very busy guy.  My guess is he has every
intention of returning a QSL card to you when time permits.  I have QSLs
in a box right next to me here at work that are 2 years old.  You've just
given me the nudge I need to get them to the bureau."


Uummmm - as highlighted above this guy is getting hundreds, maybe thousands
of cards a year. Assuming each card includes one irc and / or greenstamp
this is not a bad part time source of income. No wonder this guy likes
contesting.

It is hard to believe that the above responses emanate from a reflector
where if a guy is running 5 watts over the legal limit during a test he is
declared a delinquent and is "hung, drawn and quartered". Mr vr98bg is in
essense soliciting money from fellow Hams and ironically certain of my
fellow reflectees leap to his defense. Unbelievable!!

Lets get a few points straight. These are not unsolicited qsls. I emailed
vr98bg shortly after making my 160M qso, thanked him for the new one and
sought qsl information. At this point Mr vr98bg could have pointed out that
he does not qsl. Instead i received a polite response advising me of the
route to which I could send the card. Mr vr98bg obviously has internet
access and therefore has the means to communicate to the dx community that
he does not qsl. The fact he elects not to do so and continues to make
thousands of qsos each year knowing full well that a significant percentage
of the hopeful will qsl direct is undoubted solicitation. I question if the
attitude of my fellow reflectees would be different if Mr vr98bg was
advertising the sale of a radio widget in QST, at the cost of a dollar, and
upon receiving thousands of purchase orders from eager buyers just pocketed
the money and plunged same into his contest station.    

I agree that hundreds of buro cards and indeed qsling generally can be
hassle. A guy of Mr vr98bg's rarity however would have no problem in
finding a qsl manager to tackle this chore. The fact he does not can only
suggest that he has become attached to the steady stream of ircs and
greenstamps. If he detests managers more than qsling itself, well, simply
tell the world not to send any cards and I will criticise no more.

As for the final words of reassurance - "I can possibly expect a return
card via the buro" and Mr vr98bg is probably a "well intentioned guy" I say
humbug. To begin with - sitting on buro cards is a differnet issue as no
money has been sent or solicited in this instance. Whenever I send a card
via the buro it is done with a "wish and a prayer" and if I receive a reply
it is considered a bonus. When I send a card direct with a greenstamp / irc
however I certainly expect the response (turnaround time) that I have paid
for. (Note I usually allow 6 months before even making a whimper of protest
and even this I consider generous - lets face it - this guy is not a major
dx-pedition and does not have to go through the extensive logistics
associated with getting a "sponsored" qsl card printed).  

Obviously I owe Mr Vr98bg an apology -  as long as he abides by contest
rules and remains "well intentioned" then I have no right to criticise his
"greenstamp" procuring activities. I wish him well in the coming cqww cw
test and suggest concentration on the higher bands where a larger
population of unsuspecting novices are known to proliferate. May his
greenstamp pile continue to grow with my blessing!!


Paul (vk3ajj)
  


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