Last updated 2007-07-28
This QSL policy evolved over two decades of being a QSL manager. It is my best effort at maintaining a reliable QSL service, without having my entire life dominated by QSLing paperwork.
I fully accept that a minute percentage of individuals may be inconvenienced and may have to resort to sending a direct request, but I have accepted this compromise to eliminate a lot of custom paperwork associated with a handful of problematic requests.
1. Everyone will get a QSL card via the bureau for all non-duplicate contacts with ZS6EZ and stations whose QSLing is handled by him.
2. All logs will be submitted to the Logbook of the World as soon as possible.
3. All direct requests will be answered as by air mail if sufficient return postage is provided.
A more detailed explanation is provided below. If you have any doubts, you might get some comfort from the fact that ZS6EZ was a finalist in the Golist's Top 5 QSL Managers competition for 2003 and 2004.
Basic Policy:
Anyone who sends a direct air or surface mail request with sufficient return postage and a self-addressed envelope, will get a direct response either by air mail or by a courier service that mails the letter in the target country. Every effort is made to ensure a reasonable turnaround time.
Note: Unfortunately, my other obligations have left very little time for amateur radio since about 2000. Please keep in mind when you determine what "reasonable" turnaround time is, that you must surely take into account how much time passed between the QSO and the QSL...
Direct requests without sufficient postage and an SAE may be returned via the bureau if deemed necessary.If a direct request is not in the log, a serious effort is made to find near-matches at or near the time indicated. If the contact cannot be found, the card will be returned to the originator with an explanatory note. The return will take place directly if enough postage and an SAE have been provided. I have deviated from this policy in a handful of cases where the originator is blatantly requesting a bogus QSL; in such cases, the request simply lands in the trash. As an example I might mention an Israeli DXer who routinely requests DXpedition cards for several bands on which no contacts took place. There can be little doubt that his actions are deliberate and unethical, and he cannot expect sympathetic treatment. It is a pity that he appears at the top of several awards lists.
No registered mail is accepted. I do not routinely have problems with mail loss, so registered mail is quite unnecessary. Registered mail to a box number must obviously be collected at the counter. I collect my mail at night. I do not see my way open to use my precious leave time to go to the post office in office hours for a hobby. It's a 45 km round trip into dense city traffic.
Additional Policy for ZS6EZ QSOs
All direct requests without sufficient postage and SAE are simply verified for correctness in the log. If the log entry is correct, no further action is taken. If the entry is broken, it is fixed. If the contact is not in the log, the card is returned via the bureau. If the contact is in the log, the following paragraph will take care of you.
All non-duplicate contacts are confirmed by the bureau. If you work ZS6EZ each year in the CW contest on six bands, you will only get a card for each band once. If you work me again on SSB, you will get another card. However, you will not receive cards again if you re-work me on the same band-mode. Bureau shipments are typically produced at intervals of between six and 24 months.
Incoming bureau cards are not answered. If you're not in the log, I'm afraid you have a problem that can only be fixed by a direct request. Apologies if you're the one guy being inconvenienced, but this system saves me a huge amount of time and inconveniences only a miniscule fraction of the people who want cards.
Additional Policy for DXpedition QSOs
ZS8D:
All incoming non-duplicate bureau requests were answered via the bureau until 2005.
DXpeditions in 1992 and before (A25/ZS6BCR, H5AYB, V51Z, ZS0Z, ZS3Z, ZS6BCR/A22, ZS9Z):
All bureau requests were answered for at least five years after each operation. See important notice about ZS9Z below!
Callsigns active after 1993 (3DA0Z, 3DA6Z, 4U1ITU, 5H4IR, 5H9IR, 9G5CB, V51Z, ZS6Z, ZS6Z/4, ZS8IR, ZT6Z):
All non-duplicate contacts for which direct requests are not received in the first six to twelve months, are confirmed via the bureau. No incoming bureau requests are answered.
Specific Policy for ZS8MI
ZS8MI is a callsign used from Marion Island. The licence belongs to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the government agency running the meteorological station on the island. The callsign was used by three legitimate operators and by a short pirate operation. For many years before 1989, the callsign ZS2MI was used from the island.
The legitimate operators of ZS8MI were:
While most of the incoming requests for all these operations were apparently initially handled effectively, confusion reigned supreme. Any specific callsign could only be handled by one manager, and conflicting information was published. The result is that managers lost interest as they had to handle misdirected requests, and many DXers reported difficulty getting cards.
During the Nineties, I often dealt with ZS8MI cards that were directed to me in a last-ditch effort to get contacts confirmed. I always tried to help, but the amount of work was several times more than for typical contacts in my own logs. I eventually decided to try to get logs for all the operations, and to consolidate all QSLing at a single address.
After several years of trying, I eventually succeeded in 1999. The logs are in a mixture of paper and digital formats, and not very easily accessible, but they are apparently complete. The NCDXF stepped in to help, and donated QSL blanks featuring all the ZS8MI operations and ZS8IR to enable me to effectively deal with future requests.
I could then supply confirmations of all ZS8MI contacts. Several hundred such confirmations have already been sent out since 1999. Please feel free to send me a request if you still need confirmation of early ZS8MI contact.
Incidentally, when Chris de Beer ZS5IR went to Marion Island for a year in 1996, I was adamant that I would only handle his QSLing if he got his own callsign. It took some work to persuade the authorities, but he was eventually issued ZS8IR. The only other operation since then, by Deryck Yelverton ZS6DE, has also used a unique callsign (ZS8D).
The bottom line: With the NCDXF's help, all ZS8 operations can now be confirmed through a single route.
Unfortunately, during 2004 Ludwig Combrinck ZS6WLC decided to resurrect the ZS8MI callsign for his limited operation from Marion Island. I organised with ICASA that he could have any ZS8 callsign of his choice (e.g. ZS8M), but he insisted on using ZS8MI. So, we're back to Square One. QSL the 2004 operation via ZS6WLC. His QSL manager was ZS6M, who died not long after the activity. Ludwig is now handling the QSLs himself. Their Web page started off by demanding US$ 5 for "postage", but I see that it is now (2006) down to US$ 2.
Important notice about ZS9Z
I held the callsign ZS9Z from 1988 to 1994, until Walvis Bay was given to Namibia and the DXCC entity was deleted. The callsign was used repeatedly from Walvis Bay, and once as ZS9Z/ZS1 from Penguin Island.
In 2001, the callsign was re-issued to someone else. Initially, he did not list himself on any of the QSL databases, and did not notify the SARL of his identity. Fortunately, around March 2003 he suddenly appeared on QRZ.com. The callsign holder is Oleg Neruchev ZS1/UA3HK. He was active mainly in contests, on SSB only. You can reach him at Box 16291, Vlaeberg, 8018, South Africa. He does not seem to use the bureau.
Electronic QSLing
For a long time, I have had a dream that I would be able to do all my QSLing through the Internet. That way, I would not have to spend evenings at home sticking labels, licking envelopes and tearing stamp perforations. I also wouldn't have to occupy lots of shelf space with cardboard boxes. Instead, I would have a few CDs on a bookshelf. Electronic QSLing shows great promise, and I expect that within a few years you will be able to get DXCC credit within minutes of your QSO.
Around 2000, several people made early starts with electronic QSLing systems. However, none of these systems met the basic requirements for a legitimate system. They focus on replacing the picture postcard rather than on confirming the QSO. I'm sure we all agree that picture postcards are nice, but I'm equally sure we also all agree that the primary purpose of a QSL card is confirm a contact. All the early systems fail dismally in this respect. Perhaps the best of the early systems is eQSL.cc, established by Dave Morris N5UP. Dave's system is slick and provides nice picture postcards, but to my mind suffers from several long-term practical problems.
During 2000, I wrote a piece on electronic QSLing, highlighting some of the important issues and proposing a standard for electronic QSLs, based on the existing Cabrillo format. Although some of the information is now dated, the basic principles are still valid.
During 2002, I was involved in an early test of the ARRL's Logbook of the World. LoTW does not provide picture QSLs, but it does confirm contacts conveniently and reliably. eQSL.cc is much better as a means of exchanging picture postcards, but it has major loopholes when being used for confirming contacts, and the ARRL would be irresponsible to accept those "confirmations" for DXCC.
LotW has grown to a useful system. I jumped at the chance and submitted all the electronic logs I have, including more than 160 000 QSOs. A complete list is in the QSLing Status Report.
Email enquiries
During September 2000, I decided to stop answering email enquiries about QSLs. Over the preceding several months, I wasted much time on this practice, as a few individuals who boorishly demand information continued to harrass me. One individual, whose card had been was sent but did not reach him, had the audacity to complain about the fact that he'd sent 23 emails over a period of a few weeks. I deal with email at the office, and with QSL cards at home. Apart from the fact that email involves extra time at the office that I would prefer to avoid, answering questions is done from memory, or requires a lot of effort that involves carrying little pieces of paper to and fro. When occasionally my memory fails me and I give the wrong answer, I have to put up with invective that peels the paint off my walls. I'd much rather spend the energy answering the heaps of mail that arrive!
So: Sorry about this, but if you have a problem with a QSL, please resort to the time-proven technique of snail mail. As I do not routinely have problems with mail loss, no more than a handful of people will be inconvenienced.
Mailing Address
My only mailing address for ham radio purposes is:
Chris R. Burger
Box 4485
Pretoria
0001 South Africa.
No registered mail is accepted! If you absolutely, positively feel that you cannot live without sending me registered mail, please make arrangements by email for another address that you can use. I have a business address at which registered mail can be received in emergencies.
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