Topband: Remotes

[Steve Harrison]

On 2/6/2024 1:34 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> Because of what I view as this abuse of the Bureau, I stopped sending
> JA cards about ten years ago.

Five years ago, when I was first beginning to finally accumulate paper
cards for my finally-applied-for-first DXCC, thanks to OQRS (in the end,
I did have to reluctantly use LoTW to apply), the JA cards were some of
those my 98-yr-old father most liked to examine most closely. Unlike
W/K/VE cards, I don't know that I've received all that many JA cards
that looked exactly like one another, other than perhaps the
usually-pastel colors.

To me, the biggest problem with paper cards, these days, is finding the
good ole-fashioned display sleeves with which to hang them on my walls.
When visitors came to my shack, their eyes weren't drawn to the several
CQ or ARRL contest certificates or other such mundane operating awards
that mean nothing to anybody but another contester or DXer; instead,
they almost immediately go over to awe at the various colorful QSL
cards, many with pretty pictures on the front. When I would explain the
ones for topband (obligatory topband content 8-), they would be
astounded that one could actually talk to somebody halfway around the
world almost on the AM broadcast band with just a little dinky wire
antenna and the several pieces of equipment on my desk.

Steve, K0XP