QSL Managers

DX stations, especially the rare ones, receive thousands of QSL cards. So, if you really want a return on your QSL, then it is imperative that you package your outgoing QSL card properly.

Consider who is receiving your card…
Are *you* considered “rare DX” to the person who is receiving your QSL card?
Especially in the case of stateside hams, most times the answer to this question is an emphatic “no”. If this is the case, and if you expect a return QSL, you must make provisions for that return. At an absolute minimum, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to help ensure a returned QSL card. If you send your QSL card as a postcard, you can expect not to see a return QSL in most cases. (If you do, consider yourself lucky!)

Packaging your outgoing QSL (direct or via QSL Manager)

Correct date and time on the QSL – It is important that the exact date and time are entered on your outgoing QSL card. If you make an error, you risk getting your card back from the QSL Manager with “NIL” (Not In Log) written on it. If you do get the DX stations’ QSL card despite an incorrect date/time, consider yourself fortunate … the QSL Manager took the time to search the log for your QSO! One of the most common reasons why dates and times are incorrect is that the QSL’er has failed to use UTC date and time!
QSL Card Design – As suggested by Bob Locher, W9KNI, in his book “The Complete DX’er”, it is advantageous to have your callsign on the same side of your QSL card as the QSO information. By doing so, the QSL Manager doesn’t have to flip back and forth from one side of your QSL to the other as he/she verifies QSO information. This decreases the chance that the QSL Manager might get your callsign wrong. Nobody wants to get back a QSL card from a rare DX station, just to find that it’s not YOUR callsign on the card!
Pre-glued SASE Envelopes – Can you imagine having to lick three hundred envelopes in one day? By using SASE’s that are pre-glued, you are making the QSL Manager’s job much easier. These types of envelopes have a “wax-paper” strip along the pre-glued portion. All the QSL Manager has to do is to peel off the strip and seal the envelope. [Note: For the most part, I have seen such envelopes coming only out of Japan … it will be nice when they are more readily available in the U.S.]Use a piece of wax paper – Include a sheet of wax paper on the inside of the nested envelope. This prevents the envelope from “self adhering” during transit to the DX station or Mgr. This is especially useful when sending to tropical areas or when you know the envelope is traveling via air where moisture can be present. (Thanks, Dale H. Cole K9TTT, for the tip!)
Return Address on SASE’s – Many SASE’s received by QSL Managers do not have return addresses on them. Since the QSL Manager deals with many SASE’s, it’s unlikely he/she is going to put their own address as a “return address” on the envelope. It is suggested that the QSL’er put the QSL Manager’s address on the top-left corner of the SASE. This is cheap insurance to help keep your QSL card out of the postal service’s “dead letter” file.
Pre-stamped SASE – If you are able to obtain the correct postage stamps for the country of the card recipient, it is suggested that you affix the stamps to the SASE. There are two benefits to doing this:
(1) You make the QSL Manager’s job easier, since he/she will not have the extra task of doing postage for your card
(2) Your card will likely be sent out as soon as it is processed (it won’t have wait in a queue for postage).
NOTE: If you pre-stamp your SASE, be sure to affix enough postage. And, if you do not pre-stamp, as always you must include appropriate compensation to cover all postage expense!
Direction of the fold of the SASE– In many cases, you are required to fold your SASE so that it will fit into your outgoing envelope. When you insert the folded SASE into the envelope, do so with the “fold” downwards. In other words, don’t allow the fold to be up at the top of the inside of the envelope.
If the fold is at the top, then the SASE could possibly be sliced in half as the QSL Manager uses his/her letter opener. As a QSL Manager, I have sliced several SASE’s in half — although they can be taped back together, it’s not much fun to go dig the tape out and perform surgery.
Callsigns on Envelopes – Unfortunately, in some countries, postal workers have earned a less than honest reputation. In these cases, any envelope that is identified as containing “ham radio contents” could be stolen. Apparently, these thieves have discovered that stealing green stamps (dollar bills) that are often included in the envelopes can be a profitable business. So, if your “To” envelope or SASE will travel through potentially “unsafe” postal systems, your envelope will have a better chance at making it through if you avoid putting your callsign on the outside of it.
However, it is a good idea to put your callsign on this INSIDE flap of the SASE. That way if the QSL manager gets your envelope mixed up with another envelope, he doesn’t have to research your name to find out what callsign it belongs to. Written inside, under the flap, mail thieves won’t see it! (Thanks, N6VHF, for the tip!)
Avoid sending your card as “registered” or “certified” mail– When a card is sent as registered or certified, it is inconvenient for the QSL Manager to have to go down to the Post Office to retrieve it. And, since it takes a bit longer to receive the card (as it awaits the QSL Manager at the local Post Office), this process delays the return of your awaited QSL card. The only time that you should send registered or certified mail is if this process is the only way of guaranteeing that the envelope is handled properly through your country’s postal system.
Include collectible stamps in your envelope – If you have any domestic stamps that are less common in your country, and if the QSL Manager, to whom you are sending the QSL request, resides in another country, include these stamps in your envelope. Chances are good that the QSL Manager collects stamps, and he/she will likely appreciate your contribution to the collection.