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How to Send QSL Cards

Amateur radio enthusiasts often send QSL cards to people they have conversed with on the airwaves. The term QSL is an abbreviation used in Morse code transmissions. It simply confirms that the conversation occurred. As contacts are made, personal information is exchanged so that cards can be sent. The cards usually consist of the user's call sign and maybe a handwritten note. In addition to being a souvenir from a contact, there are many contests that revolve around how many confirmed contacts an operator has made in different states or countries.

Things You'll Need

Contact information
Postage

Instructions

- 1
  Get your personal QSL card printed. A QSL card is about the size of a normal postcard, although many people have custom layouts of their own. Design your own and have a local printer print them. There are also many companies on the Internet that will print QSL cards in bulk quantities. A good QSL card should include your call sign, address and blanks for all the particulars of the conversation, such as time, date and frequency band.
- 2
  Make contacts with other amateur radio operators on the air. Exchange information so that a QSL card may be exchanged. Most QSLs are done directly by mail, but there are other alternatives. Some operators in remote locations make use of a QSL bureau to collect cards. A QSL bureau collects cards for the operators and then mails them at one time when a certain amount is reached. This saves on postage dramatically.
- 3
  Fill out the QSL card. Include all the details of the QSO, the ham radio slang for conversation. Note the time and date in Coordinated Universal Time. This eliminates the discrepancies across time zones and even the International Date Line. Record the frequency band, as well as the mode.
- 4
  If desired, include a personal note in the appropriate section of the QSL card. Thank the fellow operator for the pleasant conversation and invite the operator to talk to you again.
- 5
  Address the card to the remote operator and affix the necessary postage. Send the card in the mail and look forward to receiving QSL cards of your own as time goes along.

Ham Radio