[Dx-qsl] Rec'd: 5H3EE

Thu Jul 12 12:40:40 EDT 2007

5H3EE: SAE+IRC; sent direct to Tanzania on June 28th (40 CW/SSB).
DX via LoTW:
CT6A
LA6FJA
SJ2W
GM4WZL
Maybe it's just a run of bad luck, I dunno, but I've been getting 
terrible returns since about February or March.
I usually send my card+SASE+decent donation to DXpeditions as soon as 
the operation is over, yet my cards seem to languish to the back of 
the queue. The last couple of years I typically got my QSL within a 
couple of days of their arriving to US addresses, yet with the last 
few big operations it seems that I've been at the very back of the 
pile (5A7A, YX0LIX, XF4DL and a bunch of others - now N8S, VU7RG/MY 
and STILL waiting for 3C0M, even after a 2nd request). Also smaller 
operations and individuals seem to be taking a lot longer now.
I've kept records of every card sent since November 2005 and until 
about December or January 2007 I typically got 30-40% back within 4 
weeks and well over 80% back within 3 months. it's a LOT less now. 
Maybe 60% of my direct requests since Feb. have been answered. Just 
wondering if anybody else is noticing the same pattern or do I have a 
black thundercloud hovering over my mailbox? On the other hand, 
luckily, LoTW has been a big help getting new bandfills and even a 
few All-Time New Ones confirmed (BS7H most notably and with 
*tremendous* thanks) so maybe it all comes out in the wash <g>.
Cheers,
Peter,
W2IRT 