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QSL card
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Sweden
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SM7DKF
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Scania
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A direct paper
QSL cards via post can cost more than 4 US$
How much is my QSL card
worth???
Sending paper QSL cards is not cheap today
QSL
card via Bureau
A paper QSL card
via bureau cost more than 1.70 SEK ~¼ US$.
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Buy 1000 printed QSL cards, it costs
about 700 SEK
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~1.00 SEK/card
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Printing label with QSO information
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~0.50 SEK/card
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QSL cost via SSA bureau
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=0.30 SEK/card
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Sending a package with 300 cards with
post costs 55 SEK
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~0.20 SEK/card
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===========
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Total cost
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~2 SEK/card
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Ask
for a direct cards
A paper QSL card
direct cost about 57.00 SEK >6 US$.
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Buy 1000 printed QSL cards, it costs
about 700 SEK
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~1.00 SEK/card
|
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Printing label with QSO information
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~0.50 SEK/card
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Printing adress label for return
envelope
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~0.50 SEK
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Simple postage outside Sweden
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=36.00
SEK
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Printing adress label
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~0.50 SEK
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Enclose SASE normally two US$ (one
US$ ~9.50 SEK)
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=19.00 SEK
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===========
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Total cost
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~57 SEK
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Make
a special QSL card and reply for incoming direct QSL
A special paper
QSL card reply cost about 39.00 SEK >4 US$.
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Buy 1000 printed QSL cards, and send
out about 50 %
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~2.00 SEK/card
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Printing label with QSO information
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~0.50 SEK/card
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Simple postage outside Sweden
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=36.00 SEK
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===========
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Total cost
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~39.00 SEK
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Sending electronic QSL cards is cheap but ...
There are two competive
electronic QSL system eQSL and ARRL LoTW.
eQSL
First out was
eQSL that look like the old fashion paper QSL system. It is an electronic
system with possibility to save an electronic QSL cards or to print out a
paper copy. There is a big disadvantage with eQSL. ARRL and most diploma
programs don't accept eQSL. which means that you can't participate in hunting
DXCC, IOTA and other common diplomas.
Log
of The World
Better late than
never, ARRL are back in business with Log of the World (LoTW). This system is
valid for the common diplomas. But if you collect QSL cards forget it. It's a
fully electronic QSL application without any possibility to save or print a
received QSL card.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that
electronic QSL cards have come to stay. Many computer logging programs
supports one or both of the new electronic QSL systems. The cost for direct
paper QSL is too high, even QSL card via bureau is not cheap. It's up to
yourself how much you want to pay for your QSL cards. I can only hope that in
the future both systems will be accepted for all diplomas.
At
the keyboard
Ronnie
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