[Dx-qsl] rcvd 5X1RI

Fri May 12 16:48:26 EDT 2006

At 03:58 PM 05/12/2006, Matt Cassarino wrote:
>Yesterday I received 5X1RI from WD4ELG (sent 10 April 2006). This 
>was quite the saga. I sent one to Uganda last year. Nothing. One to 
>India when that was the QRZ instruction. Nothing. This was 
>successful but at what cost, so to speak ?

Of course, check pathfinder, QRZ and DX Summit comments, then make 
your best guess, but sometimes that's just the way it goes. Some 
really hard ones get confirmed on Logbook in an hour, some 
what-should-be "easy" ones take years. Look at VU4 -- one of the 
rarest of the rare, top-ten most wanted, etc...one station uploaded 
to LoTW as soon as he got home. Others you have to pull your hair out 
to get a card. Just the way the game goes.
>Also, I have no CE0Z sent 8 February to N2OO ?

Bob sent out a note saying the cards aren't back from the printer 
yet. Patience, padawan!
>I know they are just arriving, but no 3Y0X here (sent 8 February as 
>well to N2OO).

Bob, N2OO, is the same manager as CE0Z. Can you imagine the sheer 
volume of mail the man's gotta sort through? If you sent your request 
in early (as in the day they went QRT), and sent a donation to the 
operation, you should be getting yours soonish.
>I sent that at the same time as the card to I2YSB for 6O0N that vanished !

<yoda> So sure you are that vanished it has? </yoda>
Sounds to me like you have a serious case of hurry-up-itis <grin>!
 From personal experience of QSLing pretty heavily in the past 5 
years (from nothing to 7-band DXCC -- almost 8 and 9 next year, plus 
276 confirmed overall), I'd say don't even bat an eyelash if it's 
been 2 or 3 months, and don't be concerned till it's hit 6 months 
since you sent your request out.
Consider any major international DXpedition that makes upwards of 
20,000 QSOs will get probably 5,000 to 10,000 individual requests, at 
a bare minimum. A card has to be designed, usually using photographs 
taken during the trip (i.e. can't start designing till they're back 
and settled at home). Then, how long do you think it takes to print 
20,000 + QSLs (likely overseas), then ship those big heavy boxes to 
the US or manager's QTH? THEN, how long do you think it takes to 
slice open 10,000 envelopes, sort out who sent what, print up 
computer labels and affix them to cards or <gasp> write out 10,000 
cards by hand -- then stuff 10,000 return envelopes and get them all 
into the mailbox?
<rant>
And just a couple of observations to hams in general, based on the 
hundred or so requests I got from my C6A operation this year -- you 
wouldn't *believe* the number of well-intentioned statesiders who 
honestly don't know how to QSL properly, in a manner that's likely to 
(a) get past dishonest postal thieves along the way, and (b) make the 
job of the QSL manager easy! Folding up a number-10 envelope 3 ways, 
folding a 6 3/4 inside another 6 3/4 envelope, callsigns all over the 
place (addressee and return address), no stamp on the return envelope 
or money for postage from outside the US (only one from EU was like 
this, and I felt kind and sent his card back on my dime). It really 
got to be a hassle at times.
I can't tell you how much of a pleasure it was to get SASEs that were 
smaller in size than the outgoing envelope and not folded 2, 3 or 
even 4 times, cards with *legible* data on the same side as the 
callsign and somewhere, written on the card, a "thank you." At the 
very least, I'd strongly suggest sending your request in a #10 
envelope, with your SASE or SAE being either a number 9, or 7 or even 
6 3/4 size, and inserted flap down (yup, I sliced apart two that were 
in flap up).
</rant>
In any event, good luck in getting these confirmed, and if you don't 
have your 6O0N back in another month or two, maybe send another 
request. Things DO get lost, sad to say.
Cheers,
Peter,
W2IRT 