[UK-CONTEST] Contest QSLing policies

[Don Field]

Funnily enough I've always done handwritten cards, too (at least for my own
operations - not for FSDXA QSLing!). In the past few days I've handwritten
over 250 cards - 50 this morning before breakfast, for example (I'm off to
RSGB later in the week, so it will be handy to drop the cards off when I'm
there). Even looking them up on the PC, I don't find it takes that long.
When I do receive a card from someone, I tend to QSL all later contacts in
my log (for previously un-QSLed bands and modes) which saves time later if I
subsequently receive their card(s) for those QSOs. I wouldn't dream of
logging any way but on PC and haven't done for over 10 years - best thing I
ever did was get all historic logs onto PC. Paper log books really ARE a
chore! Right now the majority of the cards I am dealing with are from my
9G5FD operation last year - I have to assume these folk really do want the
card - past experience suggest that, from 6,000 QSOs, anything up to a half
will want their QSO confirmed (about 2,500 of those QSOs were int he WPX CW
contest and the percentage for those QSOs will be much lower than for QSOs
made outside the contest).

But I do agree that it's frustrating when big contest stations blanket QSL.
I understand why. W3LPL, for example, got a dreadful reputation at one stage
for not QSLing, so did a big catch-up exercise. But, in fairness, most such
stations make it perfectly clear on their cards that they don't want or
expect a card in return. That practice is now dying out - such stations tend
to put their logs on LoTW instead, and only answer direct cards.

Don G3XTT

On 8/7/06, Andy Swiffin <a.l.swiffin at dundee.ac.uk> wrote:
>
> "Nigel G3TXF" <nigel at G3TXF.com> wrote:
> > Hello Andy,
> >
> > If you receive a request for a QSL for either a contest or
> non-contest QSO,
> > please send a reply. It's as simple as that!
>
> > As you say, replying to QSLs should be not great chore if you use
> computer
> > logging and labels etc.
>
>
> Many thanks for the various contributions,
>
> I've decided on a policy that will probably be looked upon as cruel and
> unfair but I have my reasons:
>
> I seem to get a lot of qsls
> I don't blanket qsl and I don't use a computer log apart from for
> contests
> I don't intend to start using a computer to generate qsl labels due to
> not blanket qsling
> It therefore takes me quite some effort to produce a QSL - all of which
> are hand written, in addition I have to first lookup and verify the qso
> in the log.
>
> Many of the qsls I'm receiving have taken absolutely no effort to
> produce, they're simply printed labels.
> Many of these don't even have a signature or if they do its very 'mass
> produced' (a squiggle...)
>
> So my swingeing policy is:
> I will always reply to hand written cards.
> I will reply to printed cards _if_ they're properly signed _and_ have a
> clear mark (ring or underlining in pen)  around the PSE QSL.
>
> I won't reply to cards that have just the printed labels - it took them
> absolutely no effort to send it to me - why should I spend quite a bit
> of effort?  Many of these have a big PSE QSL - courtesy of their printer
> - sorry, no qsl.
>
> I now understand why quite a few people you see on qrz.com have a
> direct only policy!!  As soon as I can workout what my password was I'll
> go and update my page too!
>
> 73
> Andy
> the BQFH  (Like BOFH but qsler rather than operator)
>
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