Sometimes happiness is in the cards

They are courtesy cards for ham radio operators, valued collectibles for shortwave listeners and a welcome throwback to a simpler time.

QSL cards - radio postcards that have a rich history - are a hobby within a hobby. Among the biggest collectors are ham radio operators, who proudly display them as proof of distant contacts, The cards themselves are often referred to as "wallpaper," because hams have a tendency to cover entire walls with them.

My first QSL card, Radio Moscow 1975

Shortwave listeners are also known to chase paper, which is becoming more difficult to do as the number of international broadcasters thins out. Still, shortwave stations are more than glad to acknowledge reception reports with distinctive cards that often reflect local scenery, culture and customs. It's a good idea to include an SASE and return postage in the form of two American greenbacks to cover the cost.

Owing to the digital age, ham operators can exchange QSL cards instantly via the internet, through a service called eQSL.cc. Digital images arrive in the user’s inbox and can be printed by the recipient, or just viewed on a monitor. The downside is that the cards don’t count for every award program outside of eQSL, but they are accepted by both CQ Magazine and 10-10 International. 

A 1980s QSL from WRNO, New Orleans

My eQSL card

Personally speaking, I began collecting QSL cards as a teenager, using an old Gonset G-33 tube receiver that had seen better days. Although I was never sure of the exact frequency I was on, the radio picked up powerhouses like Radio Moscow, the BBC, Radio Japan and others. Chasing QSL cards became an addiction, and I soon had enough to cover my bulletin board.

VK5XE in Australia

Years later when I became a licensed ham, QSL cards began arriving all the time, mostly from the international bureaus that sort and ship cards all over the world. Most of my cards, numbering in the thousands, are stored in shoe boxes but my select favorites are in plastic sheets in a three-ring binder.

Even with more than 100 countries confirmed, I have noticeable gaps in my ham QSL collection. For example, I am missing most of the African continent as well as China and southeast Asia, where Vietnam, Thailand and Korea are considered rare catches.

One of my Mideast cards, A92HK in Bahrain

There are several organizations dedicated to preserving old, historic QSL cards.  Visit www.qslcollection.co.uk/ and also qslmuseum.com to view hundreds of ham and broadcasting cards dating back nearly 100 years.