QSL Cards Still Going Strong

Ham radio operator's calling card

Ham radio operators have been exchanging QSL cards for generations.

Amateur radio operators exchange QSL cards to confirm two-way radio contact between stations. The QSL card derived its name from the Q code "QSL".¹ 'QSL?' (note the question mark) means "Do you confirm receipt of my transmission?" while 'QSL' (without a question mark) means "I confirm receipt of your transmission.

Each card contains details about one or more contacts, the station and its operator. At a minimum, this includes the call sign of both stations participating in the contact, the time and date when it occurred (usually specified in UTC), the radio frequency or Band used, the mode of transmission used, and a signal report. ²

QSL cards are a ham radio operator's calling card and are frequently an expression of individual creativity — from a photo of the operator at his station to original artwork, images of the operator's home town or surrounding countryside, etc. They are frequently created with a good dose of individual pride. Consequently, the collecting of QSL cards of especially interesting designs has become an add-on hobby to the simple gathering of printed documentation of a ham's communications over the course of his or her radio career. The QSL Museum has galleries of cards.

ARRL is the National Association for Ham Radio

ARRL is the national association for Amateur Radio in the US. Founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim as The American Radio Relay League, ARRL is a noncommercial organization of radio amateurs. ARRL numbers within its ranks the vast majority of active radio amateurs in the nation and has a proud history of achievement as the standard-bearer in amateur affairs. ARRL’s underpinnings as Amateur Radio’s witness, partner and forum are defined by five pillars: Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership. ³

Old QSL Cards— QSL CARDS FROM THE PAST

By  W8JYZ has a master list of 56,000 QSL Cards.⁴

1. The Q-code is a standardised collection of three-letter codes that each start with the letter "Q". It is an operating signal initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication and later adopted by other radio services, especially amateur radio.

2. I am a member of the Athens Radio Club. We did a special event—N1D— in recognition of the University of Georgia Football Championship. Here is the QSL card for that event.

3. American Radio Relay League. The ARRL has approximately 161,000 members. Over 2,000 Amateur Radio clubs are members of the ARRL Affiliated Club Program.

4. The legacy of "Old Time" Ham Radio Operators can be found in the QSL Cards they left behind. The Website, QSL CARDS FROM THE PAST is dedicated to those Old Time Radio Operators.
I have a Collection of Old (US and Canadian) Ham Radio QSL Cards dating from the early 1920s. A complete list of Old QSL Cards now totaling more than 56 THOUSAND can be accessed by clicking on the Master File Database Link . Over 22 Hundred Online Scans of Old QSL Cards are also available by clicking on the required Scan Link

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