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A recent posting to the CQ-Contest email reflector discussed not working stations in contests to whom a QSL card with an SASE was sent. Do you think this is
Posted: Sep 01, 2003 (826 votes, 14 comments) by VE5ZX

Survey Results

a good idea 27% (227)

a bad idea 34% (277)

contest QSLs should not be expected 20% (162)

don't care 19% (160)

Survey Comments

Am I missing something?

These guys aren't serious, are they?
I can't imagine not working someone in a contest because he didn't QSL. The point is to get points, right? You don't get points by not working guys.
Now, maybe someone isn't really in the contest, but handing out a few points and hoping to snag a new country. In that case, sure--he should work (or not work) whoever he wants, for whatever reason.

(Unless I screw up, I QSL to everone who sends a card--via bureau if there's no SASE, direct if there is. The QSL policies described here seem pretty standard.)

Mike, W1JQ
Posted by w1jq on September 27, 2003

Logbook of the World (ARRL)

My speculation...
1) the majority of "contest QSLs" are from folks seeking awards
2) many "big-guns" get swamped with QSL requests... too many to process
3) electronic QSLing for the sake of awards would answer 1 & 2
4) many award-seekers and big-guns shy away from eqsl because the ARRL won't accept it for credit ....

Hopefully, the "Logbook of the World" project at the ARRL will answer all of this. If a big-gun can simply upload his log to the ARRL, the award seekers would cut back their requests - perhaps to a level that is managable....

Keep your fingers crossed.

Posted by N0HR on September 24, 2003

QSL Cards

I QSL 100% with or without an SASE as a card
has always been welcome for nearly forty years.
Posted by wa6bob on September 20, 2003

No QSL NO QSO

I wrote something on the QSL-Moral of contest stations and how I handle it quite a while ago. Waldemar wrote a very good article about this on his website:

http://www.qsl.net/dk3vn/f_QSLContestQSO.html

Check it out !
Posted by DF7ZS on September 16, 2003

Agree with K4XS 100%

I print labels and mail buro cards once a year. Any card rcvd w/SASE gets answered within a week. Any direct card w/o SASE goes in the garbage (my QSL policy stated clearly on my QRZ.COM page). There's no excuse not to QSL. Get a QSL mgr if you don't want to do it yourself. Seems there are guys always volunteering for that thankless job.

For you contesters that don't QSL - it does make a difference on the air. I've had stations work me on Sunday on several bands, with low serial numbers. I truly believe there's a group of stations that seek out guys who have replied to their QSLs. It's their way of saying thanks.
Posted by w2up on September 12, 2003

reply to an SAE/$ QSL

First to the eQSL folks. I love the idea of eQSL but at the moment its worthless as the ARRL will not accept eQSL cards. The only thing they are good for IS wallpaper at this point.
Second, I got into contesting only because I was looking for cards for my DXCC. I only did S&P. I found out I liked to contest and now contest for the fun of doing it but I'm still thrilled when I find someone I need. However a leftover from those early contest QSO's is that if I send someone an SAE with a greenstamp I will be mighty pissed if I don't receive a card back and I do have a list of stations/operators who I will not QSO with. They might not know that I never QSO'ed, or why, but I still do it just for the principle of it.
I also feel that if you went to a special DX location in order to take advantage of the rarity of it to generate QSO's then you should be prepared to deal with the consequences since a portion of those QSO's will be from folks who aren't contesters and are just looking for the card.

Posted by k4rfk on September 12, 2003

eQSL.cc

This may be only indirectly related, but why do DX stations sign up for eQSL and then refuse to use it? eQSL is fast, simple and free(just about) while direct and bureau are slow, cumbersome and expensive. Just upload your log and boom! your QSLing is done. I would think this should be a no-brainer.
(not an employee or volunteer staffer, just a very satisfied user).

Posted by W8SGZ on September 8, 2003

Hand QSL overload

You guys that talk about the responsibility of QSLing, HA! When I moved to South Dakota for the second time in 1986 we built a large station that operated continuously from 1986-1991. My radio club group activated the place in almost every contest and I put it on the air for FONE SS and another guy for CW. The station was active on VHF/UHF contests, 160, 10 meter you name it. We always enjoyed racking up big scores but I was the one burdoned with maintaining the station, paying for the station AND DOING THE QSLs. I flew for a living in those days and usually was only home a day or two a week. After the fall contest season, where every spare minute was spent flogging the station for the next contest, by January I had two more completely full brown paper grocery sacks packed with QSLs from guys wanting their WAS awards. Over time after stacking up a large row of bags I started noticing many SASE's now had outdated stamp amounts on them. I was always looking for that time to fill out those cards... Just sit down for a few moments and take on the 10,000+ cards that must have collected there...... eQSLing is the only way to make this amount of QSLing work for something as silly as WAS, 5BWAS and VUCC. Just drop the logs into the system and let a computer sort it out. So you guys with 10 QSLs on the kitchen table fill em out as they come in. Don't work the guys who don't QSL. Don't contest if you aren't ready to QSL, I don't care. The fun of this for me was Building, operating and winning. I always saved my paperwork for sitting in the John. Until you're walking in some other guy's shoes stay out of the mud.
Posted by K0DD on September 7, 2003

SASE QSL/NO QSO

Please Please Please use a greenback or the postage of the country you are wanting a qsl from! I have a stack of envelopes with US addresses on them with US stamps that are no good in Canada. These I answer via the burreau. This could be the reason why some are awaiting their Qsls. On a Navy pay cheque, I can not afford to reply directly to all I work.
Posted by VE3RCN on September 6, 2003

Mark Envelope

It would be helpful if the sender clearly marked on the envelope that it contains an SASE. This would allow recipients that don't want to QSL contest contacts to mark 'return to sender' on the envelope and put it back in the mail. This way the sender would not be out the cost of the SASE.
Posted by VE5ZX on September 5, 2003

SASE, NO QSL, NO QSO

As an active contester I get loads of QSLs. The bureau cards eventually get answered. The direct ones, if they have an SASE, get answered right away. There is no excuse for not answering a card with an SASE or a green stamp...none. A cheap QSL card costs around two cents or so. The guy who sent the card invested $.74 in postage plus envelopes and printing a card.

It is the right of any station to work or not work anyone in a contest. It is just plain rude and selfish not to answer a SASE card.
Posted by k4xs on September 4, 2003

Missing the point.

On-air prejudice has always been around in some form and I would class noQSL/NoQSO operators in the ranks of deliberate QRMers .. ie just ignore them.
To be fair, I do try to respond to all direct SASE QSL card requests, and eventually I get around to it. Thats why I keepoff air outside contests, as only the serious QSL card hunters will QSL a contest QSO. I still have over 50 unopened SASE's in my IN tray right now :-{

David VK2CZ / VK8AA
Sydney/Darwin
Posted by vk2cz on September 4, 2003

Not Really The Question

Quite a bit of that post on the reflector related to QSLing period, not just SASE. This includes people who QSL via the bureau, send a card through the mail without an SASE, and, my favorite, US stations who QSL other US stations, through the bureau.

I would question what criteria people are using for "no QSL" through the bureau. They must have a pretty darn good memory to know in the heat of the contest that they sent a QSL request to C6ARS via K8EP back for a CQ WW CW 2001 Q and they haven't received it yet. You know, the reply is probably spooled up with 1000 other cards ready to go out to the bureau and they won't get it until 2004.

Ed N1UR (how many days left until LoTW???)
Posted by N1UR on September 3, 2003

Bad Technique, but an Import Point

I answered the survey as "bad idea", but it doesn't completely express my opinion.

I certainly won't fault someone for choosing not to call a station in a contest (assuming they are S & Ping). They are certainly within their rights to choose the stations they want to work. I just don't think this techinque is particularly effective. The target stations won't realise the potential contacts they've lost.

Now, if these stations are calling CQ, and one of these contest stations calls in -- what do they do in that case?

I'm sure all active contesters have some number of unanswered QSLs. I know I have a few that have been waiting a few months, even those with SASEs. And I've answered DX QSLs that need to go out through the bureau that have been sitting far, far too long.

There are some cases that crop up -- what if you get a QSL and the station is not in your log? This happens far more often than you think. Or the card you receive has some egregious error, like the date or time is wrong, or has been labelled with the wrong band or mode.

If I can figure out the contact, I'll send a QSL, with the corrected, date / time, band / mode. If it isn't in my log, a card won't go out. If there's a SASE, I'll return the card to you with a note that says so.

In any case, I agree that all amatuers ought to have enough courtesy to reply to a QSL (with or without a SASE). And you'd think the guys who can afford to build a superstation can afford to QSL. The problem isn't likely one of money, but rather of time.

Posted by AA4LR on September 2, 2003

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