QSL Cards and LoTW

For generations, hams have followed up a good contact by mailing a card. It says, in effect, “Yes, we really did talk, and here are the details.” Those cards still fill shoeboxes and shack walls, but today most confirmations travel over the internet.

This article explains the paper and electronic ways to confirm a contact, so you can choose what suits you. Some hams love the cards, some only want award credit, and many do a bit of both.

What a QSL Is

QSL is a Q-code meaning “I acknowledge receipt,” and a QSL card is the written version of that acknowledgment. Nothing in the rules requires you to send one. It is a courtesy, and it is also the proof that award programs ask for when you claim credit for a contact.

A paper card shows your callsign in large print, the other station’s callsign, and the details of the contact. Those details normally include the date and time in UTC, the band or frequency, the mode and the signal report. Many hams add their location, grid square, equipment or a photo. The key is accuracy: an award checker will compare your card with the other station’s log, and a wrong date or time can make the card useless.

The QSL Bureau

Bureaus exist to move cards between countries cheaply. Instead of paying international postage for each card, hams send cards in bulk to a national bureau, which ships them to bureaus in other countries. It can take many months, sometimes longer, but the cost per card is small.

• Outgoing Cards: In the United States, the ARRL Outgoing QSL Service sends cards to other countries for ARRL members. Check ARRL’s Outgoing QSL Service page for current instructions and fees before you mail anything.
• Incoming Cards: Cards arriving from other countries go to volunteer-run bureaus, one for each US call area, which sort them by callsign. You collect yours by keeping self-addressed stamped envelopes, or a money credit, on file with your call area’s bureau.

ARRL says the incoming bureaus are free and open to any US ham, member or not. Each bureau sets its own details, and some accept only money credits, so check ARRL’s Incoming QSL Bureau page for your call area. Never send your envelopes to the outgoing service. The bureaus are for cards to and from other countries, not for contacts inside the US.

Going Direct

Sending direct means mailing your card straight to the other station, or to the person who handles its cards, with a self-addressed envelope and enough to cover return postage. It costs more than the bureau but usually comes back much sooner. For mail to another country, the return postage must work in that country, so follow the station’s own instructions.

Busy DX stations and expeditions often use a QSL manager, another ham who answers cards on their behalf. The station’s own website or its listing on a callsign lookup site usually names the manager. Many managers and expeditions also offer an Online QSL Request System, or OQRS. You find your contact in their online log, choose a bureau or direct card, and pay any postage online instead of mailing an envelope.

Logbook of The World

Logbook of The World, or LoTW, is ARRL’s electronic confirmation system. You and the other station each upload a digitally signed log. When the two records agree, LoTW marks the contact as confirmed. There is no card, but the confirmation is accepted for ARRL’s DXCC, WAS and VUCC awards, and it can be passed to CQ for its WAZ and WPX awards.

Joining, uploading and viewing your confirmations are free, and you do not need to be an ARRL member. A fee applies only when you use confirmations to apply for award credit. Getting set up goes like this:

1. Download and install TQSL, ARRL’s free signing program.
2. Use TQSL to request a callsign certificate and an LoTW account.
3. Prove your identity. For a US callsign, ARRL mails a postcard with a code to the address on your FCC license, so update that address in the FCC’s ULS first if it is out of date. Hams licensed elsewhere usually send copies of their license and one other official document instead.
4. Load the certificate that ARRL emails you into TQSL, and set up a station location describing where you operate.
5. Sign and upload your log, either from TQSL or straight from your logging program.

Certificates expire after three years, and ARRL sends a reminder by email before that happens. Keep a backup of your certificate, because you need it to sign logs on a new computer. Full instructions are on the LoTW help pages at lotw.arrl.org.

Other Online Logs

eQSL is a separate service that exchanges electronic images of QSL cards and runs its own awards. Some award programs accept eQSL confirmations and others do not. ARRL’s DXCC rules, for example, accept paper cards and LoTW but not eQSL, so always check the rules of the award you are chasing.

Club Log is an online log service popular with DXers. It offers log matching, DXCC charts, a most wanted list of rare places, and the OQRS that many expeditions use for card requests. The QRZ site also has an online logbook. These are handy tools, but they are separate from LoTW and do not replace it for ARRL awards.

ADIF, the Common Language

ADIF, the Amateur Data Interchange Format, is an open standard that lets logging programs and online services swap contact records. An ADIF file usually ends in .adi. Almost every logger can export one, and almost every service can import one.

That means you only need to keep one accurate log. Export it as ADIF and you can upload the same contacts to LoTW, Club Log or anywhere else. If you ever change logging programs, ADIF is how you carry your history with you. Look up any unfamiliar term in our ham dictionary.

Getting Started

• Log Carefully: Record the date and time in UTC, and the band and mode, for every contact.
• Sign Up for LoTW Early: The postcard takes time to arrive, so start before you need it.
• Upload Often: Many logging programs can sign and upload new contacts to LoTW for you.
• Print a Few Cards: Keep some paper cards for special contacts and for stations that still prefer them.
• Answer Cards You Receive: Returning the courtesy is part of what keeps the tradition going.