Bureau Mailing Time

8 February 2018

It is time once again to send our outgoing QSL bureau service to the IARU Bureaus. So what exactly does that mean and what is involved?

Since our last bureau dispatch in September 2017, we have received several thousand bureau requests on our Online QSL Request System, and received an incoming bureau dispatch from the RSGB. All cards have been processed and placed in Bureau boxes ready for the next mailing.

We can also send your outgoing bureau cards too! I have received a number of packages from hams to post with our mailing.

Here at the United Radio QSL Bureau we do not believe that bureau means slow! No it doesn’t. The IARU Bureaus for each national society process the bureau cards and send the cards to their members. The UR QSL Bureau uses a product called “M-Bag” it is for Print Media only, but gives a significant discount on parcel prices. It is significant that the Air Mail Priority M-Bag service is only a dollar or so more expensive than surface mail bag, this means that we can get our mailing to the IARU Bureaus in less than 7 days as apposed to up to 12 weeks using surface mail.
M-Bag service is available from many cuntries and is the cheapest way to ship large quantities of QSL cards internationally.

Since 2010 we have sent over a quarter of a million bureau QSL cards, many of the bureaus report back to us when they receive our package which we very much appreciate and encourage, we know that the bureaus sort and process our cards very quickly with the Ukraine bureau doing quite an amazing job every time with the first reports of cards delivered to the recipient hams. It can only take 3 weeks to get those cards delivered from the date they leave us here in the UK. Bulgaria, Russian Federation and Austria also come high on our fast service list. If you get a fast bureau card from us then please drop me an email.

So, stocked up with cardboard boxes, rolls of packing tape, customs labels & mail bags we hope you will soon be receiving the bureau cards through your bureau dispatches.

You can also support our QSL Bureau work by posting us your old out of date IRCs. We can sell them and use the money to fund the bureau costs. You can also donate using PayPal when you make a bureau request.

Thank you to all the donations of IRCs already received, you can see a list by clicking on the link.

Last QSO in Log? Not in log?

29 January 2018

Last QSO in Log: When using OQRS you can always see on the Log Search page:
Last QSO in the log: 28 Jan 2018 13:59 UTC

So if your QSO is AFTER the last QSO in log you must wait for the next log update!

Not in log?: If your QSO is BEFORE the “last QSO in log” date and is missing, use the blue button “Not in log” here you can fill in the details of the missing QSO and this will be sent to my work queue. 
Please do not send me emails about busted calls. Please use the “Busted Call Centre” on OQRS! Thank you.

ZC4A QRV January 2018

22 January 2018
K1024 QSL-ZC4A

5B4AGN, Bob, reports that he will again be QRV as ZC4A from January 24 – 31.

Plans are to be QRV on 1.8 through 28 MHz, mostly on CW with some SSB and Data activity. They will have two or three stations (Elecraft K3s with amplifiers) active using mostly verticals.

QSL via OQRS to M0URX.  Please do not send any cards through the bureau. Only use OQRS

The ZC4A Team members are:
5B4AFM Stavros, 5B4AGN Bob, G3AB Andy, G3WPH Mike, G3XTT Don and G6MC Neil. 

A new QSL card will be designed for this activity.

UPDATE 03/02/2018 ZC4A CQWW-160m contest log now added to OQRS. If you have already made a DIRECT OQRS and need the 160m Q added? please email me QSO details. Bureau? Please just add the 160m Q to your existing request on OQRS. A new QSL card will be designed soon…

Old International Reply Coupons

22 January 2018
IRC OLD


United Radio QSL Bureau is looking for those old out of date International Reply Coupons. Do you have any? You may have some of the recent ones that expired on 31/12/2017 or you may have some really old yellow IRCs?

Please do not throw them away but instead you are welcome to donate them to us for our Outgoing QSL Bureau dispatches. This will help us keep posting your bureau cards and keep the service free for you for the future.

 

PJ4V CQ-WPX SSB 2018

22 January 2018
K800 QSL-PJ4V-2

PJ4V will be the call sign used by a team of five operators in Bonaire for the CQ-WPX SSB contest in March.
DK6SP Philipp, M0SDV Jamie, PJ4DX Steve, PJ4KY Bert and PJ4NX Peter will be manning the stations.

QSL Via M0URX OQRS
K800 QSL-PJ4V-2-Back


OQRS Some helpful hints

31 December 2017
Log Search


For many of you requesting QSL cards using OQRS is still a bit of a mystery. So today i will try to take you through some stages of the OQRS to help and guide you through.

1) Log search page. – Firstly you will see in red bold text the “Last QSO in the Log” date and time. If your QSO is after that time you must wait for the next log update.

If your QSO is before that time but does not appear in the log, then click on the blue box that says “Not in log?” This will take you to our Not in log page where you can enter the QSO details and this will be sent to my work desk for checking. Please do NOT send me emails as the only way we can respond is if you use our system correctly.

To request the QSOs with the geen ticks, click on the blue box “Request QSL(OQRS)”

Request QSL
2) QSL Request Page – On the right hand side of the check boxes you will see the status of the QSL request written in green. Here you can see that the LoTW upload has been completed and that a Direct QSL has been sent.

If you have previously been sent a Bureau QSL for that QSO we will NOT send another.
Please only request ONCE for Bureau. If you lost the QSL or you failed to collect from the Bureau then please use Direct QSL route.
To request your QSO just tick the check box and enter the date and time and proceed to Step 2.

OQRS- 2

3) QSL Step 2. 
Enter and confirm your email address so that i can email you if there is any problem.

“Your QSL Manager (If any)” This box should remain empty if you DO NOT HAVE a QSL manager.

Please do NOT write anything else in this Box.
DO not write any email in this box.
This box is to route your QSL to your QSL manager if you have one. If you are member of DARC you can enter your DOK number here.

Please remember you can ALWAYS check back on the Log Search page to see the status of your QSL request. Which will either be “In Queue” or “Sent” or blank if not requested.

When you have requested your QSL on OQRS, it is very important that YOU DO NOT send a paper Bureau QSL. You should always mark your log accordingly as QSL requested so that when your QSL arrives you do not send out another QSL request. It is very important to use the Bureau responsibly. Bureau is NOT free it does cost an enormous amount of money so your help in using OQRS correctly is a big step to reducing bureau costs. Thank you.

9M6XRO John – SK

5 December 2017
K800 QSL-9M6XRO-SebPortable

It is with much sadness to report that John Plenderleith, 9M6XRO, passed away yesterday 4th December, John was first licensed in 1960 as GM3OOK in Ayrshire, Scotland. He operated from Singapore for about 10 years as 9V1RS, then moved to the Isle of Man as GD3OOK, then to Norfolk as G3OOK, including several years /MM. John retired to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, in 2005 and after one year as 9M6/G3OOK became 9M6XRO.

John logged over 250 thousand QSOs with his personal call signs often travelling on DXpeditons as a team member, adding many more thousands of contacts from many rare locations. John’s favourite mode was CW, but was comfortable on any mode, recently trying his hand with FT8 which he gave many all over the world an ATNO, John’s CW was exceptional, he was so accurate that over the last 10 years I rarely had any busted call enquiries. I first met John in 2011 when we operated together as team members on 4W6A, John was one of the CW ops and was extremely dedicated to his CW seat and was happy sitting for many, many hours and only wanted to stop when it was time for a beer.

A keen contester, John was active on most weekend contests, also chased DXCC and had Mixed 326 DXCC confirmed. CW 309, Phone 270, Digital 244.

His previous calls included: 3DA0OK, Op at 4W6A, Op at 5W8A (2013), 7P8OK, Op at 9M4SLL (Spratly), 9V1RS, A25OOK, C91XO, CU2/G3OOK/P, EL0A, G3OOK, GD3OOK, GM3OOK, Op at N8A (2013 from American Samoa KH8), V8FRO, V85/9M6XRO, Op at W8A (2013 from American Samoa KH8), XU7XRO, YB9/GM3OOK, ZL/GD3OOK (OC-201), Op at ZL9HR and ZS6/GM3OOK.

9M6XRO member of CDXC, GMDX, ISWL 9M6-6982, RNARS 0437

A true gentleman, great CW operator and friend. RIP John.

VP6D Press Release 1

3 December 2017
VP6D cartoonized outlined booby yellow text 250 pixels square

For Immediate Release Press Release #1 Dec 1, 2017

Ducie Island 2018 DX-pedition (OC-182)

The Perseverance DX Group (pdxg.net) is pleased to announce their planned activation of Ducie Island (a Marine Protected Area), currently Clublog #29 most wanted. Planning has begun for an expedition in Oct/Nov, 2018.

Landing permission, visas and radio license have been issued. A team of 14 operators will be on the island for up to 14 days. The team will depart from Mangareva, French Polynesia aboard the expedition ship Braveheart. Seven (7) operating positions are planned for 160-10 meters, SSB/ CW/ Digital, including FT8.

The team includes: Dave K3EL, Pista HA5AO, Les W2LK, Heye DJ9RR, Mike WA6O, Jacky ZL3CW, Arnie N6HC, Steve W1SRD, Chris N6WM, Laci HA0NAR, Ricardo PY2PT, Walt N6XG, Gene K5GS, currently one open position to be filled.

Watch the usual DX sources we will announce additional details as they develop.
Website:  vp6d.com, Twitter and Facebook will also be available.
Please direct questions to:  [email protected]
73, Team Ducie – 2018

(United Radio QSL Bureau are proud to be able to support VP6D as Mailing Consultant.)

Bureau Update

3 December 2017
Sometimes QSL work can be challenging and changing times mean that we have to adapt to demands and also now national security. What this means is that many countries are tightening up security on sending “parcels”
There are new legislative requirements from certain countries security that have requested that when we send parcels to the IARU Bureaus we will need to send new “New Electronic Pre Advice Data” which include:

1) Name of recipient, telephone number, email address.
2) Name of sender, telephone number, email address.
3) As well as the usual description and value of the contents.
 
This has nothing to do with our carrier but will affect ALL carriers sending parcels to the affected countries of USA, Russia, Japan and Brazil, from April 2018 and ALL countries from April 2019.
I have consulted with the IARU who were unaware of the new changes, at this time the feedback I got from the IARU was that they did not feel that the IARU Bureaus would publically list this information.
 
So at this time I am unsure exactly how this is going to affect our outgoing Bureau dispatches from April 2018. At the very least it could mean that if IARU are not able to conform to these requirements, dispatches may be delayed at customs and at the very worst our Bureau dispatches may be subject to handling fees and surcharges for not meeting customs requirements. I suspect that many bureaus would then refuse to pay the charges and parcels would be sent back to us.
As yet we do not have the answers but could this be the death of the bureau QSL?