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K2WH
08-16-2002, 01:07 AM
I don't know how others feel about Eqsl, but I am stongly against the idea of computer QSL's. #Yes, I am what some would call an OT but, that's me. #I like the card in the mail the old fashioned way.

Every now and then, I go on the site to erase the EQSL's sent to me by misinformed hams and then delete my registration shortly thereafter. #This time, I cruised around the site to see if anything had changed since the last time (last year) I was on the site to clear out electronic cards. #A screen popped up and stated I had not fowarded a contribution/donation to Eqsl to support the service. #I was very surprised the owners were not at all shy asking for money for the service and I guess, it's their venture and they are entitled to it. #But, I looked at some of the donations and was dumbfounded by some of the amounts! #Look at this.

From Eqsl site:

"Our special thanks to A41LZ ($600.00), W6BH ($600.00), HK3JBA ($300.00), K6CEG ($225.00), K6OWL ($220.00), JA3AGZ ($215.00), SP6EKS ($210.00), JA1KSO ($200.00), JD1BHA ($200.00), W7GG ($200.00), and many others... (View entire Donor Honor Roll) #

How You Can Help:

We have always wanted to keep our international eQSL card centre available at no charge and open to any ham. Amateur Radio exists in countries where average annual incomes vary widely. You may be paying more annually just for your Internet connection than the ham in that last QSO on 20m earns in an entire year!

Revenues to support the servers, disk drives, software, software development, and network bandwidth of eQSL.cc comes from a select group of advertisers in the amateur radio market and from voluntary donations by individual amateur radio operators. You can help keep the basic service free of charge for everyone so we only have to charge for special, custom services.

If you are enjoying this service, why not make a small donation of $20 or $25 every year to help defray costs. Top donors are acknowledged in the left-hand column of the home page. Many hams who believe in this new method in QSLing are donating $35, $50, or even $100 to help support us and ensure that we are able to provide a secure eQSL system that everyone can trust and enjoy. And now, PayPal even allows you to make a small donation every month, to help us all year long.

You can now donation on behalf of another user!
Simply change the callsign to the one you wish to donation for, and complete the form, and we will make your donation to that person's account! #
4 Ways To Donate

End of text...........

Needless to say, I was very surprised at the amounts some hams are giving when it would be much easier to spend $ 50 for 1000 printed cards. #Eqsl seems to be doing a bang up business for something that generally is not accepted as legitimate in the amateur world.

What do you think?

K2WH

ke5wj
08-16-2002, 01:50 AM
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (K2WH @ Aug. 15 2002,21<!--emo&amp;http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">.... #Eqsl seems to be doing a bang up business for something that generally is not accepted as legitimate in the amateur world.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I think you pretty well summed it up.

73,

n0xu
08-16-2002, 03:20 AM
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (K2WH @ Aug. 14 2002,19<!--emo&amp;http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">(View entire Donor Honor Roll)[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Clever bit of marketing, that &quot;Donor Honor Roll&quot;. I might say &quot;Chump honor roll&quot;...Sounds to me like the guys at eqsl.com are cleaning up.

08-16-2002, 03:59 AM
Hey, to each their own. Those donors obviously think they are getting value for their money so they donate.

EQSL'ing is an OK idea and some like it over old fashioned
cardboard snail mail cards. So.. they like supporting the new and improved technolgy and they put their moneywhere their mouths are. Good for them.

For those of us who choose not to use eQSL we don't have to donate.

C'ie la vie!
Viva la difference'!
73

Chuck K3FT

K9STH
08-16-2002, 04:51 AM
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depends on which &quot;side&quot; you are on, none of the organizations that sponsor the major awards will accept anything except &quot;hard&quot; copy for QSL purposes. Technically, every QSL, be it a card or letter, is supposed to have an &quot;original&quot; signature of the operator or QSL manager. However, this is one thing that most of the award committees &quot;overlook&quot;.

By the way, there are even other things than a card or letter that can be used for a QSL. I remember seeing photos of a coconut that had the correct information written on it for a QSL. W5YI got his start printing QSL cards when he lived in Richardson, Texas. Then, he started making some of plastic either in the shape of the 48 contiguous (SP?) states or in the shape of the State of Texas. These were quite a novelty, but he didn't sell many. He used several amateurs who were members of the Richardson Wireless Klub as his samples. I still have a number with one of my calls on them.

I do know that it is a bit of a job to look at, and verify, a stack of QSL cards. Although I was the FM Editor of CQ at the time, I was working a lot of DX contests, etc. So, Cowan Publishing (owner of CQ Magazine at the time) added me to their list of people who could verify cards for WAZ, WPX, and the like. I didn't &quot;approve&quot; that many stacks (mostly from amateurs in the 5th call area since I was - still am - in Texas). But, I was supposed to look for even minor discrepencies and to reject any card that did not meet &quot;standards&quot;. Fortunately, I never had to &quot;disallow&quot; any cards.

In principle, the idea of an electronic QSL is a good idea. Unfortunately, with present Internet security, etc., there is a definite possibility that the information could be &quot;faked&quot;. There are definitely a few amateurs out there who would generate fake QSL cards just to get the &quot;wall paper&quot;. Just like years ago when a few amateurs would fake hard copy QSL cards just to get the last few contacts for a major award.

Glen, K9STH

KB1GYQ
08-16-2002, 02:03 PM
They (eqsl) are about as upright as Al Gore... He claimed to have invented the internet, ya right; they claim to hold a patent on electronic confirmation... well, sending a digitally signed email is &quot;prior art&quot; for the same thing... I feel their money grubbing is against the spirit of amateur radio!

KC7MAW
08-17-2002, 12:17 PM
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (K9STH @ Aug. 15 2002,21:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">In principle, the idea of an electronic QSL is a good idea. #Unfortunately, with present Internet security, etc., there is a definite possibility that the information could be &quot;faked&quot;. #.

Glen, K9STH[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Also with present Technology it would be very easy to fake a hard copy (paper) qsl too.

K9STH
08-17-2002, 03:37 PM
Actually, it is not that much easier today to fake QSL cards than in the past. There were some very good &quot;fakes&quot; back in the 1960s! If someone wants to &quot;fake&quot; a card they will do it. Unfortunately, there seems to be a definite group of individuals who take &quot;pride&quot; in making things &quot;happen&quot; on the Internet that are not right. So far, this group has not gotten into the non electronic area.

I am not against electronic QSL cards. However, until the organizations that promote the awards start accepting them, they will do no good.

Glen, K9STH

KD4LEI
08-18-2002, 05:50 AM
I applied for an account and to this day I have not received the other part of accessing my &quot;account.&quot; Has anyone else had this problem? #Because I have a major problem with them now. #No responses to my e-mails to fix the issue, so screw em! #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif