WHAT IS A QSL CARD?

QSL CARDS
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
• Background
-
•
- - • •• - •
• Card Development
• QSL'ing
• Where are we going?
•••
•
-•
WHAT IS A QSL CARD?
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
• QSL is telegrapher’s shorthand for –
• “I acknowledge your transmission”
• ARRL message form –
• Can you acknowledge receipt?
• A QSL card is confirmation of a
contact
Why would you want
a QSL Card?
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
• Confirmation of a 2-way contact
• QSL cards needed for certain
awards
• Tradition and fun!
Traditional Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Card from 70’s to approx. 1986
06/06/2013
QSL Design
4
What is on a QSL card?
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
• Call signs
• Location – address, grid square,
ITU and CQ zone
• Time & Date
• Frequency
• Mode
• Signal Report
What is on a QSL card?
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
• Membership in a club
• Email address
• Organisations you are affiliated
with
QSL Suggestions
- • - • - - • - - •• • • • • - • - - • •• - • ••• • - •
 Call on both sides or at least with
QSO information
 Allow for at least 4 QSOs per card
 Make the boxes large enough to
write in
 Show time/date as UTC
 Design for other call signs (VX etc)
Stickers?
06/06/2013
QSL Design
7
What is NOT on a QSL
card?
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
• Religious or political
statements
• Risque pictures/drawings
• Off-colour remarks or humour
• Anything generally offensive
•
-•
QSL Bureaus
- • - • - - • - - ••
–
–
–
–
–
–
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
QSL to RAC outgoing Bureau
QSL to foreign Bureau
Not all DX use the bureau
Can take months to years
Least expensive
Good return rate
•••
•
-•
QSL Direct
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
• Can send direct to DX station
• Some DX have QSL managers
– Not that expensive
• You pay postage both ways
(SASE)
• Good return rates
• Good turnaround time
•
-•
HINTS
- • - • - - • - - ••
•
•
•
•
•
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Write legibly
Use professionally printed cards
Send SASE with US$2 - 3
IRC obsolete
DON’T put callsign on envelope
(invitation to theft in some
countries)
QSL Mistakes
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
RevA too cluttered
RevB double sided but
Black font not clear,
Data on back but NO
UTC for time, wrong
size boxes
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
QSL Mistakes
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
Font colour still wrong but now less cluttered
•
-•
QSL Mistakes
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
• Used QSL design software. Same issues as VE7MID R2
QSL Mistakes
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Where to start!
Box sizes still wrong, way too cluttered, No pen works!
QSL Mistakes
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
I started with the antenna but went to the elephants
despite the picture being out of focus
QSL Mistakes
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
Left my Draft, Right Proof
Note improvement in clarity
Note improvement in boxes
No call on front so can use a
sticker on the back for new
calls
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - •• • • • • - • - - • •• - •
 Criteria for new card
•••
•
-•
Two sided using my own photo
Show Club affiliations
Remarks field
Accommodate labels
06/06/2013
QSL Design
18
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
 Found a couple of programs on the Internet
 QSL Maker at www.QSL.net/wb8rcr/
 Didn’t do exactly what I wanted
 QSL Design & Print at www.va3hj.ca/
 Was more to my liking
06/06/2013
QSL Design
19
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Taken from my sundeck
06/06/2013
QSL Design
20
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
QSL Design & Print Program
06/06/2013
QSL Design
21
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Front printed by QSL Concepts
06/06/2013
QSL Design
22
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Reverse printed by QSL Concepts
06/06/2013
QSL Design
23
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
- • - • - - • - - ••
06/06/2013
• •••
-
•
QSL Design
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
28
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Now what about label printing?
Extract the ADIF records from Logger32
Design a suitable custom label
Print the labels on Avery stock
06/06/2013
QSL Design
30
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
Logger32’s
export log
panel
06/06/2013
• •••
-
•
QSL Design
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
31
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
So how to design a custom label?
A third party utility named Logprint
Uses ADIF log files
Written by Charles Sutton W1MCP
06/06/2013
QSL Design
32
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Label Printing – The Result
06/06/2013
QSL Design
33
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
The completed card
06/06/2013
QSL Design
34
This is the Future
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
 Log Book of the World (LOTW)
 Run by ARRL (500 million Q’s)
 Generates ARRL and some CQ awards
 Highly secure as call is verified
 EQSL
 Own awards and verification
 Club log
 If requested will send QSL card directly
06/06/2013
QSL Design
35
Resources
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
 DIY QSL sheets
 Harvest American www.QSLPaper.com
 Software (Do it yourself)




QSLDesignAndPrint http://www.va3hj.ca/
QSL Maker
QSL Wizard
Any program that can handle graphics
 Printers
 BF Technical Arts [email protected]
 QSL Concepts [email protected]
 LZ1JZ www.lz1jz.com
06/06/2013
QSL Design
36
QSL Design
- • - • - - • - - ••
• •••
-
•
- - • •• - •
•••
•
-•
Thank You!!
Questions?
06/06/2013
QSL Design
37