[CQ-Contest] Signing/verifying QSLs

[Bruce Sawyer]

>I am blanket QSLing VY2TT QSOs. (I have clearly printed "NO REPLY QSL
NEEDED" on each card, so...."

But each person who did the favor of giving VY2TT a QSO during contests will
now be penalized by having to pay the postage to receive a QSL card he
likely neither needs nor wants.  And then comes the time penalty of
searching for that "NO REPLY NEEDED" notice which often is so difficult to
find.  I'm sure this saves Ken time, because now he doesn't have to process
any incoming cards.  But he saved his time by shifting the burden over to
everybody else who helped him during the contest.

It is this practice, multiplied by hundreds of contesters, which led me long
ago to swear off bureau cards.  I don't even send the bureau money to
forward them to me, and trust they put them right where they belong:  in the
trash.  Fortunately, I do have a QSL manager for my ZF operations who is
willing to sort through the stacks of bureau cards like Ken's and try to
find the ones which do request a response, then answer them.  For the life
of me, though, I can't understand where he finds the patience to do that.
But I'm glad he does, because I'm certain there are some people who do need
confirmation on ZF and for whom postage for direct QSLs could be a hardship.
His job would be a lot easier, though, if so many contesters (many of whom
are on this reflector) didn't follow Ken's lead in this and shift the cost
and time burden off to the people who gave them points during contests.

Bruce, N6NT