Re: [IRCA] QSL'ing: a couple more thoughts

[mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx (Patrick Martin)]

Jim,

Yes, QSLs are the icing on the cake. They always have been. Sure, taping
the station will prove you heard it, and like many I do have hundreds of
IDs of stations on tapes. I don't count them though. I just record them
so when I send out a report I can prove to the station easily I did
receive their station. Then if I need to send a follow up, having the
tape there, it is easy to send it out again. 
   At one time when I started QSLing back in 1965, it was the thing of
how many stations I can get QSL'd. But now after QSLing for so many
years, it is the historical value. I QSL stations under all call letter
changes. It is neat to have a station QSL'd through all of that history.
Often, I know more about a station's history that the people that work
there.
Following station history has become a side-line to DXing for me. The
QSL collection goes hand in hand with that too.
    Just recently touring KAST Astoria, I was commenting to the GM who
gave the tour to the IRCA convention, about KAST coming by side car in
1925 from Klamath Falls and setting up in Astoria. The station came on
in 1922 in K Falls. George Resola, their CE back in the 60s told me all
about that. The station was on 1230 then too.  It later moved to 1370 in
the 30s. The GM did not know all of that. He mentioned he knew the
station was around in the 30s though. But there is a lot of history that
does go into QSLing.
   In the past,  several CEs have typed me up a complete history of the
station. Amazing stuff.  Unfortunately with changes, a lot of that has
been lost. 
  Looking through the QSLs, I have so many that the stations don't even
exist any longer. It is especially neat to have have a letter or QSL
card from those stations. They are a piece of broadcasting history.  I
can't imagine what it was like to QSL in the early days like Ernie
Cooper. I am sure he had many "long gone" stations QSL'd. Like Ernie, as
he stated once, it is really neat to be sitting and looking through the
QSLs on a rainy day. 

73,

Patrick
 

Patrick Martin
KAVT Reception Manager

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