ARRLWeb: Some QSL Card Considerations

Trevor Morris handles the QSL card traffic at the ARRL Headquarters Outgoing QSL Service.

When Amateur Radio operators contact other stations, whether in some far flung location or relatively nearby, they often exchange QSL cards. QSL is a Morse code (CW) abbreviation for “I acknowledge receipt.” The cards sent back and forth provide proof of that contact, sometimes needed to qualify for various awards. An exchange of QSL cards also may follow a particularly enjoyable contact, or QSO.

Many types of QSL cards are available from commercial suppliers. There’s no one proper way to format the information they contain, although certain basic information is considered de rigueur. Cards may be simple black-and-white or multicolor design. The cost of run-of-the-mill QSL cards is something on the order of $20 US per 100, although prices vary widely. Cards will be less expensive if you order greater quantities and/or if they’re printed in one color. Some professionally printed multicolor glossy-finish cards are so impressive they might be considered works of art! Of course, these cost more. Unfortunately, most QSL recipients look at a card once, answer in kind if necessary then file it away in a box or drawer. The only time QSLs may again see the light of day is if they’re required as proof of contact for DXCC, WAS or other certificate or award.

For new amateurs, many of their first QSL cards may find a place on the wall of the radio shack; some veteran hams often refer to their QSL displays as “wallpaper.” Some like to mount special DX cards in a prominent spot. Wall space often runs out, however, and storage boxes become necessary. To accommodate the typical card, these will need to be about 6 inches wide (inside dimension) and maybe 12 inches long, with 2-1/2 to 3 inch sides.

I remember stringing together dozens of my first QSL cards and hanging them on the wall of my radio/bedroom, but it wasn’t long before I had to put together a box to hold those and all of the other cards I was receiving. About 50 to 55 cards can be stacked together per linear inch of box length and still leave enough “thumbing-through” room. I have been thumbing through QSL cards to add new ones to my collection for three quarters of a century now.

How exotic should a QSL card be? Remember, regardless of its beauty, the card likely still will wind up in a box or drawer. Some hams, possibly hoping to avoid damage to their cards during US Postal Service handling, send their QSLs in envelopes as first-class. This costs more than 60 percent above the post card rate, not considering the cost of the envelope, although it greatly increases the chances of a card’s arriving unblemished. Some hams also include a prepaid envelope for the return card.

I recall one instance where the card had no return address printed on it, so the return address had to be on the envelope! In another case I had to chase down the sender’s mailing address via the Internet.

A few amateurs file their received QSL cards in albums. If I thought my card might be going into an album and be seen by others over the years, I might spend the extra money to make sure mine arrived in immaculate shape. But again, isn’t a QSL card mostly a one-time deal that ends up in a box, rarely, if ever, to be read again?

In my opinion, the proper size for a QSL card is probably its most important feature. A standard post card measures 3-1/2×5-1/2 inches (8.9×14 cm). If all QSL cards are cut to this size, they stack together neatly in a 6 inch wide (inside dimension) box. If I receive QSLs larger than the “standard” height, I simply slice them down to the exact 3-1/2-inch thumbing-through height. In many cases this trimming cuts off some of card’s beauty and even some of the information on it. When adding newly received cards in their desired numerical and alphabetical order in a box, however, it’s more important to me that they fit in with the rest of the collection. I also trim one or both sides of QSL cards longer than 6 inches to fit into my storage boxes, although the necessity of doing this depends on the width of your boxes.

QSL cards that are considerably smaller than standard size are difficult to find when filed numerically; unless they’re really special for some reason, these may wind up in the round file. I do have one very small QSL card from old W6WIS. It shows Marilyn Monroe stretched out in a provocative pose on a sandy beach playing solitaire with big playing cards. The W6WIS call sign is printed across the bottom. I never did throw that one away, but then it’s a real beauty!

When thumbing through a collection of cards, I find it very annoying if the call sign is printed somewhere other than at the top of the card. I believe all QSL cards should have the call sign printed at the top. For me, this is almost as important as standardized height. When a card has a small or hard-to-read call sign down in the middle or other location, I usually print the call sign along the top edge of the card with a felt pen so I can identify it without trouble.

If receiving cards from DX or other stations for award credit is a main goal of your Amateur Radio life, you probably don’t want to waste time filling out a lot of superfluous information on your outgoing QSL cards. That’s time much better spent cruising the bands.

Figure 1 -- The author sends this straightforward QSL card to DX stations.

Figure 1 depicts the type of card I send to DX stations. It requires filling in a minimum of information blanks, thereby saving time. Such a card may or may not include additional pre-printed information. Since I print my own cards, the number of words and lines isn’t a consideration. I also play around with different colors for different sections of the card, but I like to start out with the good old red, white and blue of the USA at the top!

The call sign is printed in easy-to-read block characters -- nothing, cute, fancy or hard to read, and always at the top of the card. Of the seven suggested printed lines shown, essentially only one contains blanks to be filled in for what is likely of most interest to the other operator. At least it’s the information I always like to see on QSLs.

The first three printed lines should display your name and complete mailing address, including street, apartment number, city, state, ZIP/postal code and country. Next comes the county or parish (county hunters want this info), grid locator and your e-mail address. I include my Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) number here.

The fourth line includes items that must be filled out: Call sign of the station to which the QSL is going, signal report (in standard RST/RS format); band or frequency used, mode used, time in UTC, and the month, day, and year of the QSO.

A fifth printed line might list your station equipment. When filling out the card, you can simply underline or circle the gear that applies -- or cross out that which does not.

A sixth printed line might show the radio organizations to which you belong and perhaps your license class, saving time adding this information manually.

The bottom line should include the usual “TNX/PSE QSL, 73” line and a signature blank. You also might want to include the year you were first licensed plus short items of interest, such as previous call signs or the radiotelegraph keys or other devices you use. Omit this if you want a simpler card for cost reasons.

Another twist is to shift the printed call sign and address information to the left or right on the card and add a small map of your state or country in the remaining white space. A little star can indicate your QTH. A photo of you or your shack is always interesting, too. The call sign might be printed at the top but to one side and the address information can be printed next to it.

It is nice to have a special QSL card to acknowledge some of those really interesting QSOs you have -- QSOs that last half an hour or more and were really great “ragchews,” for instance.

Figure 2 -- This version includes all the basic information that the author’s simpler DX card does -- and more. Stateside stations who receive this type of QSL card may find the personal information of interest.

Figure 2 is an example of a somewhat-overdone friendly card. It includes all the basic information that my simpler DX card does -- and more. You might add your telephone number plus details about your station. Print personal information at the bottom of the card. This could include such things as your line of work, family, other hobbies and interests, various operating awards you’ve earned, famous landmarks or sites near your location, and so on. Information like this can be most interesting to the QSL receiver. I usually leave cards like this that I receive on the operating position for a few days, so I can reread them before filing them away.

I also prefer to use Pacific Time on cards verifying more local contacts. It’s always interesting to know the time of day at both ends of the QSO. The same could apply regarding cards going out to DX stations, but you should always include the time in UTC.

Although it wasn’t always that way, mailing QSL cards directly today has become quite expensive. I still have a stack of “penny postcard” QSL cards from the 1930s. The few of the old timers I work these days really enjoy getting back one of their old 1930s QSL cards! This would probably be true of any QSL that’s 50 or more years old.

The ARRL Outgoing QSL Service is one way to relay your QSL cards to foreign countries at greatly reduced cost. Some amateurs also will accept groups of DX QSL cards to forward, if they’re in a package. They will send them on to the appropriate country for a reasonable price when they have enough cards going there to make it worthwhile. This costs less than mailing directly to the DX country yourself. Check Amateur Radio publications for such relaying services.

The ARRL’s Logbook of The World (LoTW) has been in operation since 2000. DXers, contesters and award chasers with Internet access make use of it to confirm contacts without having to exchange hard-copy QSL cards. It’s become quite popular and is certainly much less costly than direct mail, especially for proof of contact for awards. The September 2005 QST article, “Logbook of the World — 75 Million QSOs Can’t be Wrong!” by H. Ward Silver, N0AX, explains how it works. Many radio amateurs still prefer to exchange cards, however, even if they also take advantage of LoTW.

Why not try rolling your own QSLs? You will find it more than a little interesting. If you have a computer, a (color) printer and a good paper cutter, you can have a lot of fun creating your own QSL cards. They might be printed on inexpensive 4×6-inch card stock, but shiny white or other light-colored card stock can yield some really striking results. The two cards explained above contain many things you might want to print. But better yet, let yourself go and come up with some really colorful, out-of-this-world designs for cards that are easy to read as well as the necessary information -- plus your own ideas.

If you don’t typically send a lot of cards, don’t print too many at a time. You may find you will want to change your card in some way from time to time. Just be sure they all have your call sign at the top and cut to exactly 3-1/2 inches in height. If your printer’s ink tends to run when it gets wet (like mine does), try spraying some clear enamel on the face of the card. That works for me.

It’s even possible to e-mail QSL cards you’ve created yourself, provided you know the e-mail address of the other station and how to fill in the blanks. These are essentially cost-free. One caveat, however: ARRL does not accept e-mailed QSL cards for award credit.

Bob Shrader, W6BNB, of Sebastopol, California, received his call sign in 1931. He began his radio career as an around-the-world shipboard radio operator in 1933, went into police CW and phone work in 1939, was in charge of Deck Cadet radio theory and code training at the Kings Point US Merchant Marine Academy during WWII, and returned from radio teaching at Laney College in Oakland, California in 1969. He is the author of the well-known McGraw-Hill text Electronic Communication, as well as a number of QST articles.