Postal systems will always have a few letters that get lost for many reasons, incorrect address, badly written addresses, incorrect format, machines damaging letters, incorrect delivery, although mail theft now is so low that it hasn’t even figured in my losses for many years.Working with the Royal Mail gave me an insight to why mail goes missing, I realized that there are many ways that we can minimize losses of QSL mailings dramatically by understanding how it all works.
Letters are no longer hand sorted, well very few are anyway. Letters are machine read and machine sorted. So it is critical that you follow these guidelines. So, let’s be clear!
We have designed our Bespoke OQRS with all this in mind to get the QSL to YOU safely. Learning from mail that has been returned especially from the USA where the sorting machines are often not able to sort mail that is not formatted correctly.
As automation increases globally to ever faster and better AI, the more formatting will change in time.
- Envelopes should always have the recipients address in the lower left of the envelope.
- Addresses should be printed (not handwritten) using Arial 12 point as the preference.
- Return address in small print on top left of envelope.
- Left align the text (no centered or ‘stepped’ lines).
- Stamp or mailing imprint top right of envelope.
- Always use the full address including the full digits of Zip Code and your country name.
- Addresses should be written in the format that the machines recognize. There is a very good help page on Royal Mail website for this purpose. These formats take into consideration how mail is machine read in the destination country.
- Use standard C6 envelopes 80 – 100 gsm. No other size or shape.
- Avoid copying PayPal addresses which are often in local language and type that can’t be read by sorting machines.
- Every postal authority will have its recommendations such as here at USPS. My specific instructions above are for the sending of QSL cards in envelopes from wherever you are posting from in the World.
Here at the United Radio QSL Bureau we have very few letters that go missing due to our work in QSL management over the years. If for whatever reason your letter from us does not arrive let us know as soon as possible. But please be polite!
Two Bureau packages have been re-posted to Turkey and Belarus after they were returned from their respective Customs for no “Pre-Advice Electronic Data” The IARU are reluctant to provide the data we need to send Bureau parcels because the IARU believe that this data contravenes GDPR regulations.
Robert ZB2TT reports that he is back in Gibraltar and has updated me with a missing 6m log from May. This is now on OQRS and LoTW. Monday’s are always a big day for log uploads here and just this morning i have updated log files for 5B4AHL, PJ4DX, PJ4EL, PJ4EVA, PJ4NX, VK100AF & VK8NSB.
QSL cards have been posted to 103 World Bureaus – Monday 5th July 2021
A big week as far as i am concerned for Bespoke OQRS as we upgrade to Version 5.6.0. The main reason for this update was to introduce the capability for Satellite operation for the first time. I would certainly like to hear from you if you are planning a Satellite DXpediton? Bespoke OQRS is here for Satellite DXpeditions! …. Make us your first choice!
A few months ago I considered closing the Bureau option on some of my call signs on OQRS as the demands and costs are getting unsustainable. I actually decided NOT to do that and at this current time, all Bureau cards are now ready to be dispatched in the next couple of weeks.
The QSL room here at the United Radio QSL Management Bureau remains busy. VK100AF – VI100AF continues to air the call signs to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force. There are 47 operators taking part right across the Australian States, each operator has the call sign for two or three days each and at the end of the operating schedule will send me the log update for uploading onto The Bespoke OQRS, Online QSL Request System, and LoTW. Each log is checked carefully before uploading to ensure format is the same on all logs. Each log update records the call signs of the Special Even Stations operator so that when you check the log search for your call sign, you can also see who the operator was that you worked and therefore which State in Australia that you worked too. Every day the log updates are uploaded to LoTW using a separate “Station Location” for each participating activator so that you will get confirmation of the Grid Locator, CQ / ITU Zones and State for each QSO. There are now over 29,000 Q’s in the VK100 event station logs.
There are also lots of other call signs very active in May, 5Z4VJ Andy continues to add abut 1,000 Qs every week from his station in Nairobi, Kenya, in a Tweet from Andy this evening he says:
Eva PJ4EVA was chomping at the bit so I handed over to her at 2048. I saw that she also worked many familiar UK calls. I was back on at 2156 and by 2236 the DX opening was over, although Caribbean and a few US stations were still coming in with strong signals.
Just an update now on QSL mailings, we are still seeing the effects of Covid-19 restrictions in many countries worldwide with some delay to a number