[Dx-qsl] Peter One

Thu Jun 1 06:27:00 EDT 2006

For what its worth, I just got my K1B card about a month ago. That IS slow. 
John
John Page K4KWM
Hollow State since 1953
(ex W8PKU,N8BLB,NA8O)
>From: Peter W2IRT <w2irt at comcast.net>
>To: "dx-qsl-mailman.qth.net" <dx-qsl at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: Re: [Dx-qsl] Peter One
>Date: 2006年5月31日 22:19:50 -0400
>>Why is it that some folks feel that if they don't get their cards from 
>DXpeditions within the first week of them coming out then there's a problem 
>with postal thievery, dishonest managers, conspiracies, etc? Not to 
>personalize this at all, but in the last couple of years, I've seen a good 
>number with the same attitude.
>>I've analyzed my cards for the last 7 months now. Every time I do a run of 
>direct QSLs I use a custom report in DX Base to show what got sent that 
>particular day. I print it out and put it in a binder and every so often I 
>go back in to analyze the results. By and large, on a typical run of 15 to 
>20 direct cards, all but a few come back within 4 months.
>>Nov. 9th: 14/14
>Nov. 25th: 17/18 (no longer need the 18th, either)
>Dec. 21 29/34
>Jan 12th: 32/38
>Jan 23rd: 27/32
>Jan 25: 7/10
>Jan 30: 4/6 (those two are both understandably delayed -- injury to one OM 
>(get well soon, Thor!) and CE0Z cards not out yet).
>>>The simple fact is, sometimes your envelope sits on the top of the 
>manager's pile, sometimes it's on the bottom and usually it's somewhere in 
>the middle. I can't think of a single medium-scale (i.e. 6O0N, ) or 
>large-scale (PW0T, TI9M, K1B, etc) DXpedition I've worked since getting 
>into DXing in 2001 that I haven't eventually gotten a card back from. It 
>takes as long as it takes, no more, no less. Peter 1 was the fastest by a 
>huge margin. K1B took what seemed like forever, but I wasn't worried. Sure, 
>it gets frustrating when you see 100 guys make posts about getting their 
>rare-entity QSLs on this reflector and you have nothing but cobwebs in your 
>mailbox, but sometimes that's just the way it goes. My worst was TX0AT a 
>few years ago. I got my card about 3 months after they started coming out. 
>So what, I got it. Now, if I was sitting at 325 confirmed and need that one 
>rare one for Honor Roll, I may feel somewhat differently!!!
>>I would also recommend to anybody who has poor QSL return rates to examine 
>their outgoing requests as well. After I got back from C6A in March, you 
>wouldn't believe some of the QSL requests I got in. Make the manager's job 
>easier for him/her and you'll likely receive your reply quicker than one 
>requiring "special handling," a cryptologist to decipher card data from 
>poor handwriting, an origami specialist to unfold the return envelope that 
>was folded up a dozen times, etc. Leave your callsign off both envelopes, 
>use meter stickers from the post office for the "iffy" countries (or rent 
>your own postage meter if you send a lot of them), use nesting envelopes 
>(make your outbound a security-tinted number 10), print outgoing addresses 
>as labels instead of hand-addressing and make your mail piece look like 
>business correspondence.
>>If you STILL think there's a postal problem, and you're on a rural route or 
>get kerbside delivery only, rent a post office box to be certain that your 
>card doesn't get dropped in a mud puddle while it's out for delivery. My 
>postman sometimes leaves my mailbox flap open a tad at the top (it's not 
>spring loaded), hence my mail gets soaked in heavy rain, so I did, in fact, 
>rent a PO box. And a nice thing with boxes, if you don't like the service
>from your local post office, you can always rent a box in the next town 
>over!
>>>>>Matt Cassarino wrote:
>>>I think I get your meaning and it was wholly uncalled for and mocking.
>>>>>>So like what, I donate, join the clubs that sponsor the trips, and I have 
>>>get stressed waiting for some crotchity PITA to give me the business ?
>>Why are you letting this stress you out in the first place? It's just a 
>QSL, it's just a hobby! Nothing in ham radio is worth worrying yourself 
>sick over! I love DXing and love QSLing even more, but not to the point of 
>stress. Sure, I'm cheesed off because I can't get ER4DX or ER1QQ to confirm 
>40 and 80m Q's (they're the only ones I have any problem with), but I don't 
>let it get to me either.
>>>>>>Oh well.
>>>>>>>Matt Cassarino wrote:
>>>>>OK, thanks for the info guys... I'll continue to wait then.
>>>>>>>>>>I'd like to say this because recently I was snapped at by a very few 
>>>>>managers after waiting months with no reply.
><snip>
>>>>>(hey, it's summer and WABC !) like G3TXF, W3HNK, others and women. I 
>>>>>have heart failure and cardiomyopathy at 32 and don't ask for any 
>>>>>SPECIAL treatment. But my family has no use for my QSLs.
>>>>>>>>>>So on the other hand, I don't expect to get stuck at the end of any 
>>>>>piles because I dared ask and becaus esomeone sees my age and assumes I 
>>>>>have 70 years to wait as punishment for my transgression.
>>>>>>>>>>Not when hundreds of guys couldn't care less who / what / where you 
>>>>>are.
>>>>>>>>>>Meaning, I don't believe for a minute US mail doesn't get where I'm 
>>>>>sending it if it's addressed to this country.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cheers,
>>>>>>>>Peter,
>>>>W2IRT
>>>>&quot;Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got...till 
>it's gone.&quot; from Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell) but also true about 
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