QSL cards themselves are a part of the cost equation of QSLing.The cost of 1000 QSLs can range anywhere from $30 (or less) for'plain' cards to over $100 for really nice color photo glossy cards. Ipersonally use color photo cards because I think it increases the'thrill' of receiving a card. But if you are looking to lower yourQSLing costs, use the plain inexpensive cards. They all count the same towardsDXCC, WAZ, etc.

When ordering QSLs, use a design that will allow you to putinformation for more than one QSO on a card. It's cheaper to send one cardconfirming say three QSOs instead of sending three separate cards.

If you are a member of a DX Club and go on a DXpedition, ask theclub if they will sponsor the QSL cards. A bunch of us from the SouthernCalifornia DX Club went on a DXpedition for last years CQWW contest. The clubvery generously sponsored 8000 color picture QSLs. In return, we put the clublogo and web page address on the card. Clubs love to get their name out thereand it can also help attract new members. We also gave a slide show presentationon our DXpedition at a club meeting (which hopefully also has the benefit ofgetting other members more interested in going on their own DXpeditions!).

If you are a QSL manager for one or more DX stations, considergoing the route of W3HC and establishing a 'QSL fund' (seehttp://www.qsl.net/w3hc). Mac seems to be very successful with this method.While many people mail in donations for the big DXpeditions, many people arealso happy to chip in ten bucks or whatever to help provide QSLs for a foreignham that maybe can't afford cards but wants to help his fellow hams with a QSLfor a new country. Your call gets printed on the QSL card as a sponsor.

RECEIVING YOUR QSL BUREAU CARDS

Burro card sorters are some of the nicest guys you'll ever meet!If you live in a large population area and belong to a DX Club, there is a goodchance that your letter sorter may also a member of the club, or that there issomebody in the club that is friends with your letter sorter. See if it ispossible for the sorter or one of his friends who attends club meetings todeliver the cards to you at a club meeting instead of mailing them. (the lettersorter for my old callsign hand delivered ONE CARD to me at field day lastweekend, what service!).

Many letter sorters keep 'books' that an IRS agent couldn'teven find problems with! Heck, the W5 bureau even has a web page telling you howmany cards and envelopes people have on file! Many sorters keep track of silentkeys, postage, dates of mailings and other notifications, etc. They are usuallyvery detailed and try to optimize everything. (by the way, many sorters also paymoney out of their own pockets to send notices, pay for supplies, etc.) I wouldbe really surprised if a letter sorter would not consider mailing a large quantityof cards to somebody using something other than a standard mail rate. Without myasking, I have received burro cards using priority mail (only $3.20 for twopounds!). If you receive a lot of cards using 'standard postal rates',send a letter to your sorter to see if they can make an exception and usepriority mail or something cheaper. (I was a letter sorter at one time).

SENDING BUREAU CARDS

Folks, the ARRL isn't the only show in town. Consider makingdirect mailings to the DX bureaus. You already have to separate all of the cardsby country to use the ARRL outgoing burro anyway! If you have say 70 cards goingto Japan, Germany, Russia, etc.. set the cards for each country aside and mailthem directly to that countries incoming QSL bureau. A list of all QSL bureauaddresses can be found at http://www.iaru.org/iaruqsl.html. YOU DO NOT HAVE TOUSE EXPENSIVE AIR MAIL! Fb leads extractor keygen crack office 2010. I just called the local post office, and it only costs$2.48 to mail 8 ounces of cards (about 70 QSLs) via surface mail to Japan(versus $4.85 for air mail). There may be even cheaper postal rates that I'm notaware of. Not only will you avoid the $6 per pound fee of the ARRL outgoingbureau (plus postage to Newington), but your cards will be received much faster.You can easily save four dollars per pound or more using this method.

There are some clubs that will mail your cards to the ARRLoutgoing bureau as a 'membership benefit'. You still have to pay the$6 per pound, but the club bundles everybody's cards together (you bring them toa club meeting) and mails them in one big box. This will save you the postage ofmailing the cards. Check with your club to see if they have such a service.

I have also seen pictures and notes in a few magazines wheresome QSL bureau people have setup booths at various hamfests where people can drop-offand pick up cards.

MISCELLANEOUS

One other note on QSLing. One of the best bargains for DX QSLingis theWF5E DX QSL Service. You can find details at http://www.qsl.net/wf5e. Thebottom line is that for one dollar per five cards, Les will send them direct tothe QSL manager or DX station, and return them to you via the incoming bureau.Faster than using the bureau, and cheaper than sending direct!

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Hi Ron,
Many sending SASEs either leave the return address on the SASE blank or they place the dx station's address.
Well, since I want the dx station's QSL card, I for years have been placing my address in both the addressee and addressor's positions on the SASE.
This way, once placed in the mail, I will receive it. Should one of the addresses become unreadable then it will go to the other and either way I receive it. Once in the mail stream I do NOT want it to go back to the dx sender.
73 and good entities to you,
Ray Husher
W5EW

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