[Dx-qsl] Peter One

Wed May 31 23:43:24 EDT 2006

I actually do hand them over. And try the blue box. And the slot. And go 
back to handing them over. Cards all of you get do not get here. The Postal 
Inspectors had me sending them mail to examine it to be sure my handwriting 
was neat enough among other abject federal stupidity ! I passed those tests 
too. And I now know why they are Inspectors and not Police. They are simply 
watching all of this... research non hams that have had this trouble 
sometime if you're bored silly.
I don't knwo how familiar you are with the geography and one horse road here 
(Route 6) but the POs here are spaced out by large distances. It's 30 
minutes round trip to mine. Then 45 minutes to the next one after that. But 
to provide humor to your Brewster idea, I'll analyze why Brewster might not 
be prudent.
We had a Box here for 23 years. In those 23 years we saw nonsense we never 
saw in Connecticut.
One day the weekly ads just stopped here two years ago. Their stated reason 
? They didn't know who owned the box.
Now let's see. You have to own property to get the free box. You have to 
have signed all their paperwork and shown your property evidence to get the 
free box. There were no fires, they did not move.
And the difference between week A when the ads came like every week for 23 
years and week B ?
They declared "oh, we don't know who owns the box." And then despite showing 
them, the ads proceeded to >>vanish<< for the next >>year<<.
All this for grocery ads addressed to BOXHOLDER PO BOX XXX BREWSTER, MA
No thanks ! You haven't lived on this part of Cape Cod...
(and this posits the question where DID all those triple coupons go every 
week they didn't know who owned the box ?)
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter W2IRT" <w2irt at comcast.net>
To: "Matt Cassarino" <cwoperator at comcast.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 11:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Dx-qsl] Peter One
> At 10:40 PM 05/31/2006, you wrote:
>>>Well, because all of mine were out a year or two before I posted that list 
>>! Of course no one remembers these posts day to day, but I don't know if 
>>you missed the email I sent you. I did said that those were not just 
>>mailed. I omitted cards that were 6 months or less except for a few 
>>accidents I identified on here.
>> I actually wasn't replying *specifically* to your post, but I suppose it 
> fits.
>> I don't know what to say with regard to those outstanding that long. My 
> only ones outstanding for more than 6 months are all to individuals in 
> eastern europe or other "dubious" locations, and invariably I've worked 
> others and no longer need their cards by that time.
>>>Unfortunately, I did all that you recommend since day one, but thanks for 
>>putting it out there because it's all good.
>> And needed. There are just too many hams out there who don't know how to 
> send a QSL request properly.
>>>This was my second time around at pursuing QSLs (first time was 15 years 
>>ago). Back then, I received every QSO bureau unless they said Manager. 
>>There was none of this QSLL stuff. And to send a card to a manager and not 
>>have it back in a few weeks was never an issue. Of course when I was doing 
>>the limited amount I was, there were lots more stations using US managers.
>>>>That was my experience and a few ham friends. Guys who worked alot maybe 
>>wouldn't see what I did.
>> Again, it's difficult to relate to what you're saying because it's not 
> been my experience nor that of any of the members of my club I've been 
> chatting with of late.
>>>I will say this hearing and being told both viewpoints... use the letter 
>>appearance or business mail appearance. My mail looked like business and 
>>got decimated.
>> How do you know your outgoing mail got "decimated" (which, actually means 
> 1 in 10 destroyed)? Here's a suggestion -- pay a few dollars to have some 
> custom envelopes made up. For your outgoing, use heavy-gauge paper, tinted 
> and pre-printed with the name of a fictitious official sounding company. I 
> got cute once and had a rubber stamp made that read
>> Kew Essel Card
>> in fancy script to look like a Law firm or accountancy office, etc. It got 
> more than a couple of funny replies, too!
>>>Waiting is fine, but my sole concern is what someone told me recently 
>>after the log was open 2 years and I waited the full time before getting 
>>him to see where my card was as an expermient. "The log is closed, here 
>>print this attachment yourself."
>> If you're after a DXpedition and it's been more than 6 to 8 months I'd 
> send a polite follow-up. I *seriously* doubt that your cards are being 
> deliberately held up by managers, but if they are, posting to that effect 
> on-list probably won't help your cause either!
>> I would, however, immediately start sending your requests out of a 
> different post office, and preferably from an office that has a 
> significant business population (near an industrial or office park, for 
> example). I hand-deliver every single card I send to a clerk at a wicket, 
> even if I could just give them to the postman, leave them in my kerbside 
> box or drop them in the lobby mail slot. Maybe get a box in a different 
> town (Brewster, maybe?)
>> My last postman was a drunkard; his mail cart, often times full, could be 
> found in front of the bar next to my apartment building from 11 am until 1 
> or 2 pm. Ghods only know how many cards wound up getting messed with as a 
> result. A PO box solved that once and for all.
>>>By the way, those two and OD5NH didn't get my card either. The latter 
>>times four !
>> 4 requests out, 3 back from Puzant if memory serves. Last one sent 
> 12-21-2005 received 02-03-2006. IRCs don't work in Lebanon -- I sent 2ドル 
> with the card, inside a tinted return envelope, surrounded by a piece of 
> newspaper, inside a tinted thick business envelope with a meter stamp.
>>>> Cheers,
>> Peter,
> W2IRT
>>