A QSL Card is a type of radio report acknowledgement in the amateur radio service. Normally it is an acknowledgement from a station that another station has received signals. It can be in the amateur radio service, CB radio, broadcast radio or TV or some other form of radio transmission - such as, for example, the hearing of a navigational beacon or a maritime weather fax transmission. Usually the card is in the form of a post card and sent through the mail.
QSL is derived from the Q-Code QSL?, which means "Do you confirm receipt of my transmission?". The Q-Code in reply is QSL with no question mark. On the card there are details about the transmission. Some people collect these cards and with a stamp on them, they have potential philatelic (i.e. stamp collection) value.
The card itself is rather cheap to produce (about $0.10 per unit) when ordered in quantity. It is the postage that is not cheap. To send a card from Canada to the USA, the cost is in the range of $1.07 (see postal rates). Usually when an amateur radio operator requests a QSL Card, they will enclose a few dollars to cover postage or a self-addressed and pre-stamped envelope (if they have Canadian stamps on hand). At one time they might include International Reply Coupons (IRCs). These coupons were introduced by the Universal Postal Union in 1906 but their use has been declining, so much so, that the Royal Mail (i.e. United Kingdom) and the United States Postal Service ceased selling IRCs in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Italy will be the next country to phase them out. Canada is still selling them. There is an interesting connection to IRCs and Charles Ponzi, after whom the Ponzi Scheme is named.
Generally YARS does send out QSL Cards when requested and we appreciate those that send a self-addressed stamped envelope, a few dollars to cover postage, Canadian postage or an IRC. The VE8 prefix in the club callsign is the second rarest in North America and much sought after by radio amateurs. For some this proof of contact is critical to various awards. For many amateurs the QSL Card holds great meaning. Unfortunately for YARS this means bulk processing.
There are ways to streamline QSL cards through the QSL Bureau offered by one's national amateur radio organization. For example consider the Radio Amateurs of Canada QSL Bureau . YARS does make some use of the RAC QSL Card Bureau but it makes much more use of direct mail through the postal system. We also make use of eQSL, an electronic QSL Card system.
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