What use is an F-call?

On previous occasions I've discussed the QSL system in Amateur Radio. It's a mechanism that uses what's known as out-of-band communications to confirm contacts. For over a hundred years that has been mostly in the form of QSL cards. Since the introduction of the Internet, websites and pervasive computing, some of the confirmations have been moved from card to electron.

I've had about 29 countries confirmed electronically and two via card. Until about 10 minutes ago I was convinced that electronic QSL confirmation was the way to go. Before I explain why, there is a place for both, electronic confirmation is simple, cheap and often very quick. QSL cards on the other hand are involved, sometimes costly and often take a long time.

I'm sitting at my desk with a stack of QSL cards for the VI103WIA callsign which was activated during the Wireless Institute Conference which was held here in Fremantle in May of 2013. These cards are about contacts made a long time ago, though I've had it told that some QSL cards can take more than a decade, these were a little faster than that.

I'm looking at these cards, each a little story told by an operator who shares my hobby, a person who is interested in Amateur Radio, who lives with their family in some far-flung country, who took the time to acknowledge that they made contact with a callsign back here in Western Australia. I wasn't the operator for each of these contacts, but I did operate that callsign and I shared some of the on-air experiences.

The two countries that I have confirmed with cards directly sent to me are memories of a contact made. I recall when I was sitting in a particular location, with my radio, trying to talk to the world and here is a card saying that it really happened and that there was another person on the other side of the contact.

You can think of this as sentimental cods-wallop, and for some it might well prove to be that, but for me, it connects me more to the world of Amateur Radio and some of the long history that it represents.

I'll continue to use electronic QSL, I mean there's still a thrill to see a confirmation of a contact made with Amsterdam Island, even if it's just a tick in a box on a computer screen, but I'll cherish the contacts sent to me via card, either direct or via the Bureau.

If only I'd written down what my very first QSO was. Now go and make some contacts and send out some cards.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB