46 and counting…

QSL cards are written confirmation of either a two-way radio communication between two amateur radio stations or a one-way reception of a signal from a broadcasting radio (or television) station. They can also confirm the reception of a two-way radio communication (usually between amateur radio operators) by a third party (usually a short wave listener, or SWL for short).

Most cards are about the same size as a typical postcard and they are usually printed on paper or card. The cards themselves are usually exchanged via bureaux (often abbreviated to buro) run by respective national organisations or by direct mail within envelopes, although some are still sent through the mail as a standard postcard (as was the card received from Spanish station EA1VB shown on this page). An exchange of qsl cards is still considered the “done thing” by many amateurs following a radio contact.

A QSL card sent from one amateur radio operator to another contains details about the contact and his/her station. At a minimum this includes the call sign of both stations participating in the communication, the time and date of the contact (usually specified in GMT/UTC), the radio frequency (or band) used, the mode of transmission and a signal report.

QSL cards are an amateur radio operator’s calling card - designs vary from simple tabular layouts (of the style show in the older more traditional card) recording little more than details of the contact, to slick graphic designs showing pictures of the operator, his equipment or home town, original artwork, in fact pretty much anything at all! consequently the collecting of especially colourful or unique qsl cards has become an extension of the hobby beyond the simple printed records of a radio amateurs many contacts.

QSL cards are sent either direct, using the ordinary postal system, or via each country’s centralised amateur radio association QSL bureau, which saves considerable postage fees by sending large numbers of cards to other bureaux using parcel services, although with a considerable delay (cards can take several years to be replied to via some of the smaller/slower bureaux).

For rare countries, places with no reliable (or even existing) postal systems, and for expeditions to remote areas, a volunteer manager may handle the mailing of cards (for expeditions this may amount to thousands of cards and payment for at least the cost of return postage is usually expected). Suffice to say that QSLing is a bit of a black art and much has been written about how to maximise your returns. I use both my local bureau and direct methods and my returns are about average (around 75%).