Expensive QSOs

[G0BVZ]

The Amsterdam Is. dxpedition website says that so far they have raised around $351000 of their target  $450000.

I've read that so far the QSOs total is 160000.   You can never believe anything you read online, but if that figure is right then then so far each QSO will have cost over $2.80. That's pretty expensive.  Allowing for many more QSOs before they QRT sometime on the 12th., the cost may drop to a $2 / qso.

As a ham on a forum wrote "What do they mean, 'Donate'?  I'm not paying someone to go to exotic places and play radio. Where do I sign up?"

Vic /adding up on his fingers...

[DF5WW]

Nobody "must" donate ..... They will upload the log to LotW after 6 month and a paper QSL via the bureau you can get via OQRS by Clublog. A DXpedition like this costs a lot of money for each guy in the DXpedition. Normal that they ask for Donations ..... but they send via bureau and LotW too without any payment.

I don´t like guys like OA1F or 7X4AN  which need only $$$ for QSL (or theyr managers) and don´t upload verifications to the LotW since more than 2 years. That´s $$ grabbers .... not the most of all DXpeditions ....

[VE2TH]

Hello,

I agree 100% with both of you, nobody "must" donate. A donation for what ?

If it is for the QSL card or the confirmation of QSO's I agree with: 1- QSL BUREAU, LOTW, E-QSL

Almost all DXpedition have their sponsors, who can be seen on every QSL cards.
We can see every time all the names of the big companies. They loan or give antennas, transceivers, filters, the QSL cards printing, etc, etc.

The only thing they have to pay individually is their personnal transportation/hotel/meals back »& forth.
like any personal trip you can do in your life. Playing radio is an extra, like any activities  you can do in a regular trip.

Finally for them it is only a "SPECIAL" Holiday, which cost a lot of money,mainly due to the high cost of transportation but My feelings, very simply, about this issue fall along the lines of how I manage my personal finances. If I can't afford it, I don't go. No-one is "obligated" to insure that my expedition is funded. That said, I have no issue with someone asking me to help defray their costs, e.g., I am paying for my expedition.

If they want to lower their costs, there are different simple things they can do, and I'm sure no one else want to go without their Amplifier!!, If you have an amplifier, you need generators, Gerry can full of gas,

Imagine the cost of transportation just for these.

They forgot completly, that being close to salt water, it is 10 dB gain, ok ? the callsign, of the island, is another 10 dB gain, and if an operator is a YL, it is another 10 +++ dB gain.

Now, a must to read: N1DG - DXpetition Costs - Dayton Ohio 2012 or

TRAVERSING A MONEY STORM WHEN PLANNING A DXPEDITION BY: N1DG, DON GREENBAUM 19 MAY 2012

It is very interesting and instructive  to read at: http://dx-world.net/2012/dxpedition-costs/

 My feelings, very simply, about this issue fall along the lines of how I manage my personal finances. If I can't afford it, I don't go there.  No-one is "obligated" to insure that my DXexpedition is funded. That said, I have no issue with someone asking me to help defray their costs, e.g., I am paying for my expedition,


Michel VE2TH QRP...\ more to come   

[G0BVZ]

I don´t like guys like OA1F or 7X4AN  which need only $$$ for QSL (or theyr managers) and don´t upload verifications to the LotW since more than 2 years. That´s $$ grabbers .... not the most of all DXpeditions ....

I recently came across an OP who is -the way he tells it on QRZ- the only ham in West Virginia. Everybody in the world working for WAS asks him for QSL.  This is very expensive so NO IRC, no eQSL, no LOTW: only $2 will get his QSL.

I think that's a bit grabby: let's face it, if he has a QRZ page he has the ability to qsl electronically at no cost.   If absolutely broke -or out of cards- he could just write 'Confirmed', his callsign, the date and his signature on the QSL cards he receives and return them in bulk via buro.  That may seem strange now but it used to be standard practice way back when.

Vic

[VE2TH]

Yes Vic, there is more and more of those ham radio operator doing this way.

But right now there are around 225 DXCC countries with QSL bureau in the world, why not using it ?

But there are 78 DXCC countries without incoming or outgoing QSL bureau in the world.

Here they are:

  A3 Tonga
  A5 Bhutan
  A6 United Arab Emirates
  C2 Nauru
  C5 Gambia
  C6 Bahamas
  CN Morocco
  D2 Angola
  D4 Cape Verde
  E3 Eritrea
  E5 North & South Cook Islands
  HH Haiti
  HV Vatican
  J5 Guinea-Bissau
  J8 St. Vincent
  KG4 Guantanamo Bay
  KH0 Mariana Island
  KH1 Baker & Howland Islands
  KH4 Midway Island
  KH5 Palmyra & Jarvis Islands
  KH7K Kure Island
  KH9 Wake Island
  KP1 Desecheo Island
  P2 Papua New Guinea
  P5 North Korea
  PZ Suriname
  S0 Western Sahara
  S7 Seychelles
  S9 Sao Tome & Principe
  ST Sudan
  Su Egypt
  T2 Tuvalu
  T3 Kiribati
  T5 Somalia
  T8 Palau
  TJ Cameroon
  TL Central African Republic
  TN Congo
  TT Chad
  TU Cote d'Ivoire
  TY Benin
  V3 Belize
  V4 St. Kitts & Nevis
  V6 Micronesia
 
  V7 Marshall Islands
  VP2E Anguilla
         
  VP2M Montserrat
  XU Cambodia
  XW Laos
  XZ Myanmar
  YA Afghanistan
  Z2 Zimbabwe
  ZA Albania
  ZD7 St Helena
  ZD8 Ascension
  ZD9 Tristan da Cunha
  3B Agalega, Mauritius, Rodrigues
  3C0 Pagalu Island
  3C0 Equatorial Guinea
  3DA Swaziland
  3W Vietnam
  3X Guinea
  4J Azerbaijan
  4W Timor-Leste
  5A Lybia
  5R Madagascar
  5T Mauritania
  5U Niger
  5V Togo
  7O Yemen
  7P Lesotho
  7Q Malawi
  8Q Maldives
  9L Sierra Leone
  9N Nepal
  9U Burundi
  9X Rwanda

And some others which are not in the list.


Countries that currently deliver QSL cards only to members of that country's national radio society include the following:

Denmark,  France,  Germany,  Hungary,  Italy,
 
Japan , Monaco,  Norway,  Poland,  Portugal ,

Russia,  South Africa,  Sweden,  Zambia.-

Is it really true ? If yes it explain why we wait so many years to have a QSL from a Ham who is not a member of his Natinal Organization.

But how can we know he is not a member before sending our QSL ?

I'm sure this list is more exhaustive, don't you think ?


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Some countries like Canada, yes Canada, have incoming QSL bureau in each Provinces/territories.

You do not have to be a member of any  club to receive your cards via bureau, You only haved to pay enveloppes/stamps to the ham who received them in your Province and Bingo.

But you have to pay your due (subscription) to be a member of your National association. Then you will receive the Magazine once every two months and you can use the Outgoing QSL bureau.

In my idea, the Incoming and Outgoing QSL bureau should be at the same place, and you should be a member to use both.

That is one of the many reasons the Clubs membership is going down, everywhere. and I think, here in Canada it is worst.

More to come,

72 Michel\ back to my backlog......


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[G0BVZ]

Michel,
You are obviously master of this subject. I did not know there were 78 DXCC countries without incoming or outgoing QSL bureau. So many!! 

Electronic QSL is not an option in countries without extensive internet services, so no solution there, which is a shame.

Vic /thoughtful

[VE2TH]

Hello Vic,

Yes so many and you can find that on the ARRL web site.

Some countries have an incoming QSL bureau but no Outgoing at all, it is also a shame,
but sometimes it is boring, because we hear of that  many months/years later.

Check my next post about QSL'ing

72 Michel