Archive - December 2024

Newbie QSL’er or just unsure?

29 December 2024

My inbox is clearly showing me that there are a lot of newbies requesting QSL cards which is great for the hobby, you are most welcome here, also many that are not familiar with Online QSL Request Systems. Many of you are uncertain how to send a QSL, what is OQRS and many other questions i am being asked daily…. So here are some basic do’s and don’ts.

When Requesting a QSL ALWAYS:

  • Check on QRZ.com or DX websites for the QSL Policy.
  • Use Online QSL Request System when you can.
  • Make sure you add your address 100% correctly if prompted on OQRS.
  • Only use ONE QSL route.
    If posting a letter use US$ or €uro notes for return postage according to the QSL Policy.
When Requesting a QSL card NEVER:
  • Never Use more than one QSL route.
  • Never use IRCs, Stamps, Coins or other currencies unless asked to do so.
  • Never send Bureau cards Via M0URX – No route . USE OQRS ONLY!
  • Never send large, long or small or heavy envelopes for the return QSL.
Always consider searching for the answer to your questions BEFORE emailing the QSL manager. The chance is that the answer will either be on QRZ.com or the QSL managers website. In my case there is a search bar to enter your question.

Always keep an accurate log for your QSO’s and back up the log on and off site. It is not ethical to ask QSL managers for your date and time of the QSO. Don’t ever bother asking! I just laugh!

LoTW – Always check your LoTW account before accusing the QSL manager of not uploading. Logging software is notoriously unreliable with LoTW data. So only refer to data on LoTW account.

Always check the last QSO date and time of the log on OQRS. If your QSO is after that… WAIT until the log is updated. There is no need to send emails to the QSL manager.

What is Express LoTW? – Express LoTW is used by DXpeditions, it has two purposes. Firstly for those who do not want a QSL card, but do want the LoTW upload before the long wait that DXpeditions may impose on LoTW uploads. Secondly Bespoke OQRS uses Express LoTW tool to upload all Direct QSL requests to LoTW daily during a DXpedition.
“Express LoTW” – NO QSL 
“Express LoTW + Bureau QSL” = LoTW + Bureau QSL
“Direct QSL + Express LoTW” = Direct QSL + LoTW

Spain and Japan QSL Bureau Parcels

29 December 2024
In preparation for the next Bureau dispatch, we have been informed that Royal Mail will be discontinuing the product that we use for shipping bulk QSL card parcels to the Bureau. MB-1 or Mail Bag 1 is for Print Media items such as QSL cards. The reason that the product is being withdrawn on January 5th is that it no longer conforms to the new customs rules and some customs are rejecting parcels using this product.
So to try to beat the deadline I have two parcels that i am shipping out on 30th December 2024.
Print Media product was the most cost effective way of posting Bureau parcels.
Spain 4216 g
Japan 6640 g

Happy Christmas 2024

18 December 2024

Happy Christmas from United Radio QSL Bureau. Best wishes for DX in 2025.
My office will remain open throughout the next couple of weeks for log updates, QSL requests and Missing call reports.

There is always work going on that you don’t see, and much of this work is for development, security and design so, extra thanks to:
Pista, HA5AO for continued project support.
Max, ON5UR for QSL designs and graphic support.
James, M0YOM BarclayJames for server management.
Charles, M0OXO for mailing support and QSL management.
Chris, G1VDP ongoing support.
Bhawan, for software coding.



Returned Letters

18 December 2024
Everything in the World changes in time, and sometimes changes do not improve quality of service levels and in many cases service levels get worse. Just 10 years ago when billions of letters a year were sent around the globe, I could be sure that  99% of the mail i sent out would arrive in very quick time, but in recent years the volumes of letters have decreased to a rate that most mailing companies in many countries have cut back on delivering to the door to a few days a week, no longer is a 6 day a week delivery the norm!
Not only have deliveries been cut back but also airline freight has been reduced because mailing companies are frightened of the consequences of not doing the right thing for the climate.
So where does that leave our QSL mailings? A couple of areas are of particular concern.  ITALY I am experiencing mail being returned as “unknown address” or “Incomplete Address” “Non reclaimed” In nearly every case the address to the Italian recipient was correct and only the Italian Post Office workers would be able to tell us why this is happening.
USA – A similar pattern can be observed by the USPS, NIXIE the USPS sorting machine seems to be very bad at routing internal USA mail, as the letters are rejected endorsed “Attempted – Not known Unable to Forward” Yet the addresses are 100% correct. So, sorting machines once made the job of sorting quicker but in reality, are becoming unreliable for routing our mail. 
These days nearly all mail is machine sorted and probably only ever is touched be humans when the postman delivers the letters. Do you remember years ago when it was actually quite common that mail got stolen? These days that just doesn’t happen, mail integrity & security is taken very seriously and often monitored by cameras at the mail centres.
The World Customs Organization new rules on shipping parcels now means that parcels can be as much time in customs as on the journey itself which causes is further uncertain delays to delivery times and extends those shipments further. 
One thing I would say is if a letter does not arrive with you, please do not assume i have not sent it, a simple polite inquiry is all that is needed, I do not expect one liners like: “where’s my QSL? I aint gotten it”, emails like that are sure to find my delete button quite rapidly!
As you may have seen in your own country steep price rises are commonplace now, mainly due to the fact that mailing volumes dropped, and it costs more per letter now for mailing companies to deliver to the door. Here, mail volumes outgoing vary due to the sunspot cycle of course, at the peak we are shipping out QSL letters by the hundreds. We have sought the very best mailing solutions contracts to keep our costs down and to provide you with a world-class service. 
It is our priority to get these QSL letters to you as fast as possible, we love QSL’ing, we want you to enjoy receiving the QSL cards from DX stations in the remotest places on Earth and promise to continue to serve your QSL needs into the future. 

Use OQRS

17 December 2024

Around 75% of letters received here either do not have any dollars enclosed, or the wrong amount, or contain IRC’s, stamps, coins or letters from Jesus telling me that God will look after me.
Sadly the most common is fraud,  where the stamp on the SAE is a used non-franked stamp that has been glued on to the envelope as seen here on the image. What people seem to fail to grasp, is that I DO NOT use stamps as we have an International mailing contract.
The bar code on the right of the stamp once used cannot be used again.

Please read the QSL Policy of the station that you are sending the QSL to. Enclose the correct US$ or € for the QSL exchange. Please do not send other less known currencies as the Bureau de Change has a minimum exchange value and I am not able to accept your QSL request.
Do not send me stamps, coins, IRC’s letters from Jesus or anything else other than the correct QSL Policy value.

Alternatively use Bespoke OQRS.

Mail to Canada Suspended

9 December 2024

Latest update: 5 December 2024
End date: To be advised
Incident: Industrial Action

Canada Post has been on strike since the morning of Friday, 15th November. The duration of the industrial action is unknown at this stage. Items already in the network will experience significant delays.   

All services to Canada are suspended from 19.00 Wednesday, 27th November until further notice.  

Canada Post has informed us items sent prior to the service suspension will be held by them until the end of strike action and will be delivered (first in, first out approach) once operations resume.   

We are in regular communication with Canada Post and will share updates as we receive them.