Qsl Cards Ham Radio

If you know a Ham Radio operator, ask him to save you stamps from his QSL cards(confirmation of radio contact). The foreign ones are mailed in envelopes. Check with radio clubs in your area. Go to one of there meetings.

At estate sales, watch for pre-1930 QSL cards, as they are VERY much in demand. The top item is printed on the back of a 1c government postal card; note the 192- date space at upper right. The bottom item is a printed card designed to be sent in an envelope, also 1920s vintage.

Other desirable QSLs are the shipboard ham stations which proliferated in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent Soviet waters in the 1950s and 1960s, during early explorations for oil and minerals.

Finally, watch for QSLs from Jordan's King Hussein (d. 1999), an enthusiastic and prolific ham, who reportedly CQed every day in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Doug, Very nice QSL cards thanks for sharing. I got my license in 2010 when I retired. Its a fun hobby.
I'm K4YYY (Yankee Yankee Yankee)The yankee living in SC.

Ah, what memories those cards bring back. Best I ever did on a QSL card was from Mongolia. It was a very short contact but the card with the Mongolian stamp was a real surprise. The stamp is in the album.
These days a lot of it is instant digital QSL'n via the internet.


73
Chuck
W9NWR

before seriously collecting stamps I collected QSL cards from radio stations around the world. It was called DXing, and I would get up just before sunrise and try and listen to far away stations mostly on the AM band. One morning in 1965 or 1966 I received Radio Caroline, a pirate radio station off the coast of UK. I received a QSL card letter in the mail. I long ago lost my collection that I made growing up on the south shore of Long Island.

I used to do alot of shortwave listening as well. Do you remember some stations had programs about stamps?
I know Radio Berlin International (from East Germany) had a listener stamp club.

Ajnabii - When I was around 11 years old I got my grandfathers old Philco radio. I listened to short wave on it. I do remember some stamp shows, maybe Radio Bulgaria had one. They had a powerful signal and had lots of topical shows.

Today I will show a ham radio QSL card mailed from Hong Kong to Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, from my collection.

Linus

...and mine from Australia


From Cinderella specialist Mr. Art Mongon. (2005)

I've posted these elsewhere on the forum before, but here are a couple of QSL cards featuring the Japanese pop trio Candies, which I bought at WESTPEX a few years ago. The Japanese ham operator was obviously a big fan of the group. They confirm the same broadcast, but apparently one was mailed in an envelope and the other was not.

I stumbled onto this topic, with "QSL" catching my interest. I was WB6PVZ in high school and still have the cards I collected. One of my best friends was WB6PVI - we studied for the general's exam together and took the test the same day, hence the similar call signs, I guess. Neither of us kept at it after high school (graduated in 1967). I never thought to ask him if he still has his cards.

This post will cause me to seek out the cards I have a post an interesting one or two.

Thanks!

Bobby T and all,

I am still active ham, N9DHX. You will be amazed how the technology and equipment has changed from then to now. Have two albums of QSL cards, most sent via the bureau under a cover envelope, from all over the world earned running QRP with a two watt transmitter back in the BC era - before computers.

73's Russ

A recent article in La Posta magazine (in interest of transparency, I am on staff there).
http://www.lapostapub.com/articles/LP285c.html

Don

I/we (our high school radio club) ran a Viking Ranger, 100 watts, at first with with a fixed dipole, but later with an ajustable quad antenna. We were successful in reaching into Europe, South America and Russia on a regular basis. Never quite made it to "WAS" (worked all states). I enjoyed sending code more than talking over the microphone. Of those in our club, only four ever got licenses and only two of us went on to general status. I have often wondered if I went back to it (I still know the code, though would be extremely slow to start with) would I be able to get my old call sign back? Or do those get reassigned?

Bobby T,

You can request your old call sign under the vanity call program. It all depends on if it is available today or has been taken over by another active ham. Look on QRZ.com to see if yur old call sign is active. If it ois not listed there, it is probably yours for the taking. However, you will need to retest to be relicensed. 73's Russ

Thanks Hoosierboy - I went through QRZ site and learned that my former call letters HAVE been reassigned to someone in San Francisco. I probably would not be re-testing any time soon in any case, but it is interesting to know the answer.