There are as many QSL cards as there are people

w1eek writes...


"I am working my way slowly (as a snail) toward my WAS on six meter only. Because of the slowness of getting contacts, QSL cards are a treasured commodity. I eagerly search my P.O. box every day for that elusive and decorative (I hope) card confirming another state.




What I don't understand is a ham who receives a SASE and does not return the SASE with a card. I originally thought (being an optimist), that the ham might not have QSL cards, or a computer to generate a on-the-spot card. I was avoiding the thought that a ham might not give a damn, and would use the sent SASE for personal use. Whiting out the address would accomplish this. Then an interesting thing occurred.

I went to the P.O. box one morning about 10:00 EST and reached into the mass of newspapers, solicitors (I thought online solicitators was bad!), and bills (YUCK!) and I grabbed a SASE addressed to me . . . in my handwriting!!

With trembling hands I opened the envelope; being oh so careful not to tear or crumple the prize within. With bated breath, I pulled out the card . . .

What is this!! A 3x5 lined postcard?!? What a rip off! On the post card was the ham's call and scrawled down the card was all the information about our QSO. I was wondering if I should just throw it out or keep it in hopes that the ARRL would accept it.

I realized that as far as I knew, the ARRL would accept it. There weren't any mark outs on the card and all the pertinent information was there. The other thing was, the card was from the west coast and I lived on the east coast. Getting another opening that far on six meters might be a long time waiting. So I hung onto it. I felt bad not having a cool QSL card until I opened the QRZ web page and saw an article dipicting a "Black List" of QSLers that don't send cards . . .

It dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, the hand written QSL card was from a ham who didn't usually do confirmed contacts and was just on the air having a good time. Maybe, just maybe, this ham had a good enough heart to realize that I might need his QSO to get my WAS! Maybe, just maybe, I can change my pessimism about people in general and be a little more tolerant.

Maybe, just maybe . . ."