[SEDXC] Latvia YL QSLing

[Don Nesbitt]

Hi Clark - been a long time since I chased down errant qsl's - but - maybe the way around this is to work Latvia in one of the many DX contests.  My suggestion is made for two primary reasons:

First: a lot of "club" stations enter DX contests and they usually do qsl via the "buro" or via a QSL manager and QSL managers are pretty good at responding.

Second:  many DX stations entering contests upload their logs to LOTW and that's an easy confirmation without the hassle of trying to get a card although, if you are like me, you really like to have the card.

During a contest (or for any other time you're home) I'd crank up VE7CC software;  set an "alarm" for "YL" and work as many as I could.

For instance, I just did a "sh/dx yl" with Ve7cc running and turned up three different stations as being spotted a number of times recently on various bands - YL2QW, YL3FT and YL2SM.

You might try emailing one of them and ask about the best QSL route or even a sked - but I'm sure many will poo-poo you for working a needed country on a "sked!"  Heaven forbid!

At one point, I had a multi-lingual friend of mine draft a note (including a confirmation of our QSO that all they had to do was verify and sign) for me in a station's native language (can't remember which country) - sent if off with IRC's or $$ (can't remember which) and got a confirmation in return very quickly.

Now if things go as usual, about the time you go to extraordinary efforts to obtain a card (make Skype calls, contact "friends" in neighboring countries, etc.) a half-dozen YL cards will show up in your next envelope from the bureau!  Always seems to happen that way!

GL, have fun es gud dxing -- Don N4HH


--- On Tue, 10/7/08, Clark Macaulay <clarkmacaulay at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Clark Macaulay <clarkmacaulay at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [SEDXC] Latvia YL QSLing
> To: SEDXC at contesting.com
> Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 11:14 AM
> Folks, I'd like to tap the collective wisdom. What has
> been your recent experience in QSLing to Latvia?
>  
> I need Latvia and sent a QSL with IRC 1 year ago with no
> response.  Emails to the ham have not generated a response
> so I don't know what happened.  I have two other
> QSO's I can try and get confirmed and when I checked my
> three IRC website tables Latvia is not listed.  I see that
> YL is handled by the buro.  I am reluctant to send $$ but
> am not sure IRCs are easy to use there. I have always sent
> QSLs direct to countries I do not have confirmed but I'm
> wondering if the buro is the best way to go here.  
>  
> What would you suggest?
>  
> 73 de Clark KE4RQ   
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