Re: the QSL debate

["Sonny M. Ashimori" <sonny@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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Hello again everyone

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

I seldom write reception reports for QSLs myself these days, but I'm no
less excited about those colorful little pieces of paper, of which I have
about 1200 if I remember right, as I was when I received my first from
Radio Peking, then Radio Moscow a week later, back in April 1978.

Jorma Mantyla wrote:
>QSL's also have some value; they are far from being worthless.
>However, it is very difficult to measure the value of a QSL.  For
>me they have no commercial value, and for me the value on ranking
>lists is at least questionable.

After all, come to think of it, most of the things that really matter and
we cherish in our lives have no commercial value. I'm sure glad QSLs aren't
like some treasure that money can buy or can be sold for money. QSLs don't
have to be rare to be special to us. It's all in the heart of the DXer.

>I think the value of QSL is mostly cultural and historical.

Well, I think it's more purely personal. Seems like the odds are against us
when we expect the world to recognize how we cherish these "useless" cards
and letters.

>I have QSL's from such stations as Radio Veronica, Radio Espana
>Independiente, Radio Euzkadi, Radio Volga, Radio Berlin International,
>VoA Hue (South Vietnam 760 kHz), Radio Voice of the Gospel, KSBU
>Okinawa 1360 kHz, KGEI San Francisco, WNBC New York 660 kHz (heard
>during the last weeks they were on AM), Radio Grenada SW, Radio
>Discovery 15045 kHz etc.

I too have some of these, plus SuperRock KYOI Saipan (ca. 1985), Radio Aum
Shinrikyo, Radio Station Peace and Progress, Radio Vilnius from the
Lithuanian *SSR*, even Radio RSA and Beijing and Moscow....

If you want to see how valuable QSLs can be, look how this debate has
carried on! Never mind do they prove anything. Never mind do others
understand. We sure love our QSLs, don't we? And isn't that all that
matters, gentlemen?

Sonny

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Sonny M. Ashimori
<mailto: sonny@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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