Wednesday 18 December 2013

Amateur Radio for profit: QSL scammers




This is not a new topic, but it is one that cannot be ignored.  There seems to be an alarming number of amateurs causing untold frustration when it comes to replying to QSLs.

I have wasted enough time and money pursuing QSL cards from these individuals wich seemingly receive our cards with the included return postage (green stamps), but have no intention of sending their card in return.

There are a few warning signs and maybe we need to be aware that the chances of receiving a QSL card in return are slim:


  • Most of the guilty ones are resident in the country and not visitors on an expedition.
  • The do not use LoTW, but often have fancy profiles on QRZ.com
  • They do not use QSL managers.
  • Often, no email address is listed.
  • If they have email addresses, they do not reply to queries.
  • Googling these calls, often helps to reveal the frustrations of others.


I am pretty tired of being ripped off by these con artists.

Maybe the DX fraternity should unite: No LoTW no QSO ……..






4 comments:

  1. If Only I could get LOTW to work.I think your senior pilots licence was less hassle. Maybe I am doing something wrong, so I got our IT and software engineers to sort it out. Still no luck. I am aware that there are millions of amateurs that have got it working, maybe I am just the only one who cannot. Hence I use eqsl, which is a compromise and no DXCC involved, but at the end of the day, I trust myself, not to log spurious contacts or QSO's.I know who I have spoken to and log it religiously, That is enough gratification for me.BTW I live in Sutherland which you no doubt overfly regularly, our post is intermittent at best and our very friendly post office staff give the thousand yard stare when mentioning IRC and the same applies to our only bank when requesting $.
    Thanks for all the effort you have put in to keep the forum a pleasure to visit, hope you are not fatigued by it all and will continue in that position for many years.
    73
    Vic Moore
    ZS3VIC

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  2. You are absolutely right Pierre, some DX stations did not reply to cards even e-mails. Their only action is keeping the green stamps... Since, many stations do not use LOTW I am sending the cards via registered post mail (https://sites.google.com/site/sv1grn/qsl/my-unanswered-qsl-cards). Who knows maybe I'll get some answers.
    I wish to you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Hapy New Year.
    73

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  3. Thanks for the feedback received thus far.

    Unfortunately the registered mail is not fool proof either. For example have a situation with EP3SMH on my 3rd attempt using registered mail I got my QSL card and SAE and return postage delivered to Seyed. To date still no QSL card received in return. So where does that leave me?

    Another problem is rearing its ugly head, I have used OQRS and PayPal on numerous other stations and still I do not get a good return rate. Not sure who and what is going to be blamed now since there is no bulky mail to attract attention or “postage” to be stolen.

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  4. I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
    It looks like LOTW is the answer, everyday more & more radiohams are joining, I am using it and I am satisfied. Thanks many log programmes (mine is Logger32) identifies the LOTW user and I select to try them first.Unfortunately rare DX stations (especially $ hunters) still do not adopt LOTW 73

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