[Dx-qsl] Rcvd: S50C VY1JA ZF2AF

Fri Apr 26 14:19:00 2002

The SWL request brings up a question. Did he simply give you a 
freq/date/time and station worked? And will you send him a QSL based on 
those facts alone? 
 I have received several such requests and did not confirm them. As a 
former member of the North American Shortwave Association, and being the 
number three person in the world for confirmed countries as a Broiadcast SWL, 
I do not belive that todays SWLers give enough information to prove their 
reception of signals. For instance, lets say that as ET3USA, I worked 
WA5UKR and UKR gave me a 57 signal report, used my callsign and said goodby. 
Weeks later, I receive a card from the SWL who says he heard me working 
WA5UKR on 20 meters at xx time on yy day etc, and wants a card from me. Did 
he hear me? No idea, if thats all the info he gives me. He could have 
simply heard WA5UKR giving me info, thus getting my call , knowing the freq 
and time. So, if you accept a card with the info on it- did he really hear 
you???
 I have received several cards, as mentioned above, which did not fulfill 
the real requriements of proof. What is proof? Well it has to be more than 
date/time/freq/station worked- for the above reason. I return their cards 
explaining this, and ask them to resend me the card, and supply more info. 
What was I talking about, did I say what type of equipment I was using? 
Antenna? Did I mention the weather? Something other than hello/goodbye? 
You wouldnt ( I hope) send out a QSL card to a ham, without checking his card 
info against your logs would you? Thats proof of 2-way contact. One-way 
contact is harder to prove, but to make them valid, they should be able to 
give you real proof of reception. 
 During my earlier days, as a SWL, we didnt send cards, but instead sent a 
letter, giving the broadcast band, time, date, RS report, and several 
instances of what we had heard: I.E.
0300Zulu Male announcer gave station ID "Radio Kenya International:
0302 Female trio gave stations theme song
0304 Male read ad for Foresters Beer
0306 Male announcer gave weather reprot. "Rain storm in Duella area,
 heading NNE and expected to be in Burula in half an hour.
etc etc etc for about 15 minutes worth of what we actually observed the 
station to
 be saying.
Now that is proof.
 I dont ask for a 15 minute, word for word detail on reports, but at least 
SOMETHING other than siganl reports. That way I KNOW they did hear ME.
 Not having read any of the SWL journals recently, I dont know if they are 
still teaching proper reporting, but I demand it. And so should you, if it 
is to mean anything at all.
HA arnt I?
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