Hi, My name is Dan, K9DNK. I just joined EQsl, and I would like to try and spread the word and get more people to join. It seems to me like this is a great Idea due to rising postage prices and such. I am just looking for ideas on spreading the word when most of the Ham Community is a little older, and sometimes stubborn, also they do not welcome change!!!

I'm really in to this I dea and would just like to make this a normal acceptable means of Confirmation!!!

By the way, Hello to all and thanx for providing this service, It makes me want to look even harder for new contacts.

Dan K9DNK

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K9DNK Daniel Burch

Wish there were more like you Daniel. I try to promote this site to all that I QSL or QSO with and on other forums. It would be good to get more DX members to join and bevome AG. We have an eQSL net every Sat. at 1900 UTC on 14.238mhz (20m) hosted by k4ppq (and sometimes I try and relay for him), so try to join us if you can.
73
Andy

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N1ORK/P Orest 'Andy' Zajac

I have a short message on my 73 macro, it says nice photo qsl at www.eqsl.cc

I send it with each qso,

de AA1IK

On the banks of the Suwannee River

Ernie Gregoire

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AA1IK Ernest Gregoire

I know LOTW may be, at first, difficult to understand and use. Some awards recognize LOTW some don't. eQSL is understood not to be as secure? But, some awards also accept eQSLs and many don't. However, eQSL is easy to use and provides actual QSL cards whether you want to print them or just save them as jpegs in a computer folder for display via an electronic picture frame or by other means. I use both just for these reasons.
So here's a suggestion.
How about LOTW and eQSL merge. We can use LOTW to provide the security and whatever other advantages they provide. And we can use eQSL to generate the electronic QSL cards/files that many of us enjoy. This would save a lot of $$ in postage, green stamps and IRQs. I know the ARRL didn't 'invent' eQSL so I may be dreaming a pipe dream here, but if all the members of both sites asked the administrators to consider this proposal, maybe something will come of it. Now wouldn't that be something? A secure system for verifying QSOs that also generates a custom QSL that many Hams enjoy collecting and many contest administrators will recognize this system for their awards.
Well, that's my feeling, what do others think?
I will also post this on the eQSL user group and forum.
73
Andy - n1ork

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N1ORK Orest 'Andy' Zajac

Andy wrote:
"...I know the ARRL didn't 'invent' eQSL so I may be dreaming a pipe dream here, but if all the members of both sites asked the administrators to consider this proposal, maybe something will come of it. Now wouldn't that be something? A secure system for verifying QSOs that also generates a custom QSL that many Hams enjoy collecting and many contest administrators will recognize this system for their awards..."

I don't see "security" as any kind of issue. If a dishonest award seeker
wanted to, he could simply print up QSL cards from imaginary QSOs
and submit them to the contest administrators.

I see it more as the first part of your statement above. ARRL didn't
invent eQSL. And perhaps eQSL is guilty of some of the same
kind of "my sandbox" thinking.

I think it would go a long way toward bridging the gap if
eQSL would accept paper cards (the old fashioned way) as
well as LOTW QSOs, toward the awards offered by eQSL.

If the "big picture" theory is "I made a QSO", then the proof
of that QSO should be able to come from any source, paper,
electronic or otherwise.

If you want the other guy to accept your method, you
should accept the other guy's method.


Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke
--
zero cost 2m, six element yagi
www.n0eq.com/trashbeam.htm

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N0EQ Craig Lumpy Lemke

Right on Lumpy!!!

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N1ORK Orest 'Andy' Zajac

I have noticed that on the ‘Members only” section of the RSGB web page there is the following statement.

Do you really need to send a card?
Before QSLing, please ask yourself if you need to send a card. The Society has a policy of discouraging the sending of QSL cards when they are not wanted. If your special event station or DXpedition practices 100 per cent QSL, this is wasteful of both time and effort. It also costs money for bureaux such as that operated by the RSGB who send cards from place to place, only for them to be destroyed on receipt. Consider systems such as Logbook of the World, which replace cardboard by electronic methods.

I was wondering if they have been approached and asked if they would also mention the excellent www.eQSL.cc service in the interest of fairness etc and if they would be prepared to put this suggestion of the use of an electronic QSL on a non-members section for all to read.
A further observation made in the interest on promoting www.eQSL.cc is that on the web pages of the main suppliers of amateur radio equipment here in the UK it seems only Martin Lynch www.hamradio.co.uk is a sponsor and advertises the service through the use of the eQSL finder (Well done Martin).
I believe it would be wrong to contact these companies or organisations directly without authorisation as of fear of upsetting anyone or “putting one’s foot in it”. However do we have a contact of someone that could do so and maybe be a point of contact in for such matters as well as being a focal point for organising things like an eQSL field days with local clubs, eSQL representation at local HAM rallies etc?

Anyway just my two cents but some feedback on the matter would be most appreciated.

Bill

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M6GPW Bill Keen
Edited by M6GPW Bill Keen on Oct 22, 2008 at 11:48 AM

Nice job Bill!
You're right, we need to advertize eQSL to other hams. Tonight I am going to our local CERT/EmComm meeting and I'm bringing my loosleaf notebook full of eQSLs that I've printed out. We just got a new bunch of Techs and Generals and I thought they may be interested in QSLing. I will try to show how easy it is to use eQSL not just for awards, but also for the eQSLs that you get. Hopefully, I'll get some new eQSL members.
73
Andy - n1ork

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N1ORK Orest 'Andy' Zajac

That’s a good idea and I will try to do the same. I wonder if the guardians of the eQSL system have any input after all we will be banging our heads against a brick wall without direct support.
In comparison I was involved in a forum for a NAV system and we had almost instant replies from representatives and on a few occasions from the Chief Executive directly. Almost overnight the product turned into a very well known product that tracks transponders in shipping and aircraft. It was the rapid build up of the community with direct support from its founders.
So come on guys give us some backing and guidance or can we approach the HAM Radio magazines and ask them to do an article on the benefits of the eQSL system directly?

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M6GPW Bill Keen
Edited by M6GPW Bill Keen on Oct 23, 2008 at 08:49 AM
Edited by M6GPW Bill Keen on Oct 25, 2008 at 03:51 PM

Well, at least got one new one from my Emcomm talk. He's Don N1DAJ and last I saw, was waiting for AG. Hope some more join also!
73

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N1ORK Orest 'Andy' Zajac

I don't use LotW because I think it is overkill... unnecessary pseudo-security.

I'm not going to use PKI to upload logs. This is amateur radio, not nuclear weapons research. If eQSL and LotW merged and used the LotW system, I'd just stop uploading electronic logs and only use paper QSL.

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VE3OIJ P. Darin Cowan
Edited by VE3OIJ P. Darin Cowan on Nov 27, 2008 at 11:06 PM

I agree with you Darin, LOTW is overkill. And, don't worry, I don't think they will ever merge. I only suggested it to see how others feel and because eQSL is not supported by the "ARRL award chasers". If LOTW went away tomorrow it would be ok with me. However, if eQSL were to fade away I would be very dissapointed. So it's up to the users of eQSL to recruit more new users and to encourage existing users to get AG and to continue using this great assett.
73
Andy - n1ork

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N1ORK Orest 'Andy' Zajac

My gosh how, just how do we get amateurs into the e-QSL system.   I'm in Europe right now and am amazed at the lack of DX (not rare!) e-QSL participation. I've sent a half-dozen cards.  Interesting photo too so the card might be more attractive when printed.  None of my Euro contacts were registered and no e-mail address provided.  Mine is sitting in various mail-boxes containing hundreds of unanswered cards from around the globe. Is e-QSL just too easy? Too inexpensive?  Are there just too many cards generated now? I realize not every radio amateur has a computer.  But most do these days, even if it isn't the latest wiz-bang model.  Mine is a nearly ten-year-old lap-top and cheap printer.   They still work. When I'm in the States, my state-side return rate is pretty decent. I don't know what to make of it.

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N2UGB Richard (Dick) Downey

ARRL definitely did NOT invent the eQSL. I invented it, and they immediately decided it was "not secure". Never mind that we invented the Authenticity Guaranteed program to verify identities and have the same security that banks and online brokerages offer. They copied us.

We have been prodding ARRL to accept our eQSLs since day one. They have refused. Next year we will have more members than they do, so it will soon become a moot point. We offer the same awards they do, but make it much less expensive to earn them.

We would love to work with ARRL. They have a profit to protect, and that's probably not going to change.

Because we offer eQSLs for free, we do not have a paid staff. If you want the RSGB to accept eQSLs, please contact them and suggest it. We don't have the manpower to do it all ourselves, unless we start charging everybody for membership.

73

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Of course, that's just my opinion... I could be wrong!

73,
Dave Morris, N5UP

Well, Dave, I'm glad you made it work !! I got lucky this evening on 40m, was tinkering around with an antenna up about 5 feet off the ground, sent a call into Russia, amazingly enough, I got a 599 back from Leo, I was shocked, but the best part was, I got the eQSL card minutes later ! Fastest DX QSL card I've ever recieved !! Those that aren't using this service, have no Idea what they are missing.

I don't see the ARRL chagning flavors any time soon, but at least that could be an advocate verses an opposition for such a great service.

73's
KE1HA

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KE1HA Gregory Beam

How about a n e-qsl contest

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GM7DAJ ROBERT HEPBURN

I think an eQSL contest would be a great idea to promote the system and help current members work towards their e-Awards.

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EC1CW Diego Varela Pedreira

similar is done by the EPC to promote their club and psk in general , right now on 31.Jan+1.Feb for PSK125 , but contest always need some manpower to check all logs and in case of trophies to find out a winner .

eQSL did that in the past by having a contest on CQ100 internet software for digital modes only , unfortunately not many feedbacks , but good idea anyway .

AS I always take part in EPC contest I surely love to do it at an eQSL contest if it happens one day .

As to the old clubs not accepting eQSL is an old story , at least in Germany I can see one simple reason that many hams are member just because of the QSL bureau " QSL via bureau " and if that QSL exchange would be transferred to the internet in a way that DXCC would accept eQSL they would loose many members , to me that is the only reason , afraid of loosing members . To write about security reason is a lough , in today's world everybody can print out any card he wish to have if he is willing to cheat . "Paper Card " is no better proof for honesty .

73 Uli

Edited by DG7LAE Uli Schmidt-Kufeke on Jan 27, 2009 at 07:21 PM

I always send sqsl's to the everyone i "work" during the "Canada day contest" and
other contests that i participate in, in in an effort to promote eQSL.cc.
I see a a lot of eQSL cards being sent on the psk-31 screen so i think the word is getting out.
I like to promote eQSL on our local vhf nets too.

73
Lewis

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VE3KKO
Lewis