Gang,
I remember the discussion coming up several times during last year
about this not for profit organization. In fact when you get your
first card or set of cards that come from them they call themselves
a 'not for profit orgainization' [sic]. But, hey it's the 90s. :-)
Those who sent me cards I'll be sending you one back through the buro
(Morse abbreviation for bureau).
Anyway a few cards came through them and they sent me the first set as
an introduction, which was very nice of them. Here is information and
you have to make the call as to how this is going to fly.
It doesn't cost you anything to get cards but the expense of sending them
4 #6 envelopes. You can send in just one envelope, but I figure while in the
process, why not do it for 4, their maximum allowable number that I see
in print. Or you can send them $5 and they will set you up with 10 SASEs.
The #6 envelope is the one that is 6 1/2" x 3 5/8" which those of us that
send out our cards first class use. Oh, make those 4 #6 SASE (Self
Addressed and Stamped Envelope) which requires that you put your name
and mailing address on each envelope with a 32 cent stamp in the upper
right hand corner. For the return address just put your call letters in
the upper lefthand corner and I would assume large enough to be seen
easily, but not too large that the USPS will cringe at it. :-) That will
get you cards when they arrive at this organization and they put about 8 to
10 cards per envelope, so if you aren't too active then it may be a while
before you get an envelope back.
If you are going to send out cards, then it costs you a nickel or $0.05 per
card in USofA currency. Sort the cards by district and suffix so that they
don't have a headache doing it themselves. Think of the other individual
and what they have to do to do this. If possible, put call of station card
is going to on back of QSL if it is blank or has address space. Mine has a
nice graphic on the back (artist at work) and thus does not have an address
space so will use a post-it (tm) to help the sorting crew at the buro.
Sort DX cards by prefix and number.
What I was thinking of also was an experiment. For the WIMPS (those of you
in the WARC Internet Monitoring and Propagation Study starting in April)
in this group (I am a WIMP bumper sticker) let's do the following. Let's
all mail in 4 envelopes and thereafter for every multiple of 20 WIMPS
contacts, send in a buck and the cards. They do send out DX cards for
5 cents each also for those of you going to do 200 countries at 200mW.
Getting this group to use them will do a few things that first come to mind:
1. They want a few thousand hams using them. We, as a relatively large
economic force, can up their numbers fast. Make them the official QRP-L
QSL BURO. :-) They do have on their home page a link to the QRP calling
frequencies, so they must be QRPers.
2. Could/should/will save you at least $0.15 to $0.27 cents per card for
postage and pay for extra cards. And you were going QSL 100% weren't
you?????? I knew you were. :-) QRPers are good QSLers. (tm)
3. Make it one stop shopping for mailing QSLs, cause I know how long it
takes to go get the address from a server, fill in the envelope, and go
drop each one into a mailbox. Save trees for antenna supports.
4. Save us all a great deal of expense this summer if we chose to QSL
and try to get QSLs back for the record or awards or whatever on new
bands for some of us. Fill in those hard to get states that never seem
to have anyone on or anyone that likes to QSL.
5. And you won't be getting cards that the USPS cruncher gets a hold of.
And it doesn't even do good origami. :-)
6. Hey, with all the money you might save, you can buy another rig and/or
parts.
7. Don't confuse this group with the ARRL incoming bureau which is to be
used for incoming DX cards only. Read the ARRL Operating Manual.
Their particulars:
USA QSL BUREAU, P.O. Box 814, Brewer, ME 04412-0814
http://members.aol.com/usburo/index.htm (note, there is no L at the end)
email: usburo@aol.com or aa1mf@aol.com
I browsed over to their home page. Hey, it's AOL, so it was a little bit
slow, but it does get there. :-)
This is not a push to use on the group them or anything else. Just a note
that I think they seem to provide a useful and productive service the
amateur community. I don't know of any competing group doing the same thing.
Chuck says 'check 'em out'. I don't get free service or special treatment
(at least I don't think so and don't want it) for this. Include a note with
you envelopes that you are a QRP-L'er. Let's see if they are paying
attention. :-)
Oh, and for those of you who thought it was cute to get some odd shaped
QSL and oversized QSL, check the dimensions. :-) I use a plastic shoe
box to hold the cards and there are about 4 cards that I had to take the
paper cutter to. ;-) AE4JM I remember doing this to. Oh, that hurt.
Remember: we are all using the same size envelope.
Send me email, don't post to the group, if you will use the buro or have
been using the buro. I'll set up a WIMPS area on my home page to show
all participants and those using the buro. By call area. This means if
you are a 6 in the 3 call area, you will be listed in the 6 area unless
you show me /3 in the call, etc. Put BURO in the subject line and
your call in the first non-blank line of the message as you want it to
appear in the list.
pse qsl via buro dit dit
Chuck Adams K5FO CP-60 adams@sgi.com
http://reality.sgi.com/employees/adams_dallas/
WIMPS: Qs=000 30m=0 17m=0 12m=0 States=00/00/00
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