TX5T Austral Islands ALL 616 direct letters will be posted Wednesday 29th March 2017.
OQRS Open Please use OQRS for your QSL request.
We ask you to please not send us any cards Via Bureau as they are not required.
Archive - March 2017
Are you about to embark on a new DXpedition project? Or a holiday station or maybe you are going to be or are operating from a place that demads high QSL traffic?
United Radio QSL Bureau is here to look after all your QSL management needs.
What can I provide?
1) I can look after all your QSL requirements from Holiday station, IOTA to major expedition status.
2) I handle RSGB Incoming Bureau, Direct QSLing, LoTW, OQRS and Direct Via Paypal.
3) Professional QSL design & printing by ON5UR Max to ensure the highest quality QSL cards.
4) For DX’peditions I can offer free QSL cards if you use my QSL services. Contact me for more information
5) United Radio QSL Bureau runs its own OUTGOING QSL Bureau. Available for ANYONE to use. (60p per
6) For QSL managers and DX Teams we can provide access to the most competitive postal rates in the industry.
United Radio QSL Bureau together with ON5UR Maxi-Print can provide your DXpedition with a one stop QSL service that has the highest reputation in the Amateur Radio community.
Email tim@M0URX.com
Tel: +44 (0) 7976 292980
What makes this QSL Management Bureau such an excellent service?
Firstly I can offer FREE high quality QSL printing for ALL MAJOR DXpedition Teams and also FREE high quality QSL printing to SOME holiday and IOTA stations using my service where $ contributions have been enclosed. Our QSL service will give YOU “attention to detail”.
2017 QSL Policy $2 Direct Letter or $3 Direct OQRS – Bureau OQRS FREE.
Our new OQRS offers a variety of tools designed to help the DXpedition Teams, the QSL manager and also the DXer. You can read more about our OQRS on my Blog posts below.
UK QSL Manager? Dealing with your own mailings? We can help reduce your postal costs with our International Mailing Contract.
Thank you to Dennis F5VHY for the donation of IRC’s in support of our Outgoing QSL Bureau.
Do you have any old out of date IRC’s?
By sending your old out of date IRC’s to the United Radio QSL Bureau you will be helping keeping our QSL Bureau going.
Just 300 old out of date International Reply Coupons is enough to post 20,000 Bureau cards to world IARU Bureaus.
We receive many emails about our QSL work, thank you for all positive comments that is really appreciated. It is clear though that for some, OQRS (Online QSL Request System) is a bit of a mystery and need a little help, so here are some of your questions answered.
Q. I thought there was only one OQRS?
A. Many of you will be familiar with Club Log OQRS which is the most widely used OQRS. But there are many QSL managers and DXpedition teams that have their own OQRS on the web too.
Q. Why don’t we all use Club Log OQRS?
A. DXpeditions have many varied requirements for their QSL work, so do many DX chasers, so Club Log can’t please everyone all of the time. With many clients around the world, I would need access to about 100 different Club Log accounts to do my QSL work so this is why I have my own OQRS, all the logs that I am QSL manager for, on one account. (I also support Club Log 100%)
Q. Do I need to send you my QSL?
A. No No No, that is the whole idea of OQRS. For DXpeditions they do not need ANY incoming QSL cards, especially through the incoming Bureau that just creates extra work and huge costs for everyone. “Request it Don’t Send It USE OQRS” Then update your log to tell you no outgoing QSL was needed.
Q. My call sign is not in log how can I get this corrected?
A. On our OQRS Log Search you will see a “Busted / Missing Call Request form” Fill in that form and it will be sent to my work queue and I will reply to you directly. Please do not email me! ALWAYS check the “Last QSO in log date / time” The log may be waiting a log update!
Q. How do I pay for my QSL?
A. OQRS is fully integrated with PayPal you can see exactly how much the QSL will cost you in your own currency on the PayPal page. PayPal also allows Credit Card payment and payment transfers from your bank account.
Q. How do I know that you have sent my direct / bureau QSL?
A. When you use Log search and click “Request QSL” you will see the progress status of your request this may be “In Queue” or “Buro Sent” or “Direct Sent” OQRS Requested. Here you will also see the LoTW status.
If you see “Buro QSL Sent” Please DO NOT request another.
Q. When requesting a QSL what is the “QSL Via” box for?
A. Only use this if you have a QSL manager and want your bureau QSL sent to your manager.
It is NOT for your email address, or for greetings and NEVER put M0URX or your QSL will be sent to me.
DARC members can put the DOK number here.
Q. What if i have lost my QSO details? can you help?
A. No! Sorry i do not give out QSO details. You must back up your log regularly by ADIF on and off site. You should set up an account with CLUB LOG and upload your logs. That can be a one of your back ups so if you have a HDD crash then you will have not lost any data. There is now no excuse for you to lose your log!
Q. When will my QSL be posted?
A. If you are requesting a recent DXpedition QSL, remember please that QSL cards have to be designed, photographs need to be chosen, logos in high resolution sought, it can take some time to get everything in place. Printing usually takes 5 days then the QSL cards need to be shipped to the QSL manager.
If the QSL cards are in stock with your QSL manager, then posting can be a weekly process, or sometimes quicker if there is a sizeable mailing ready.
Bespoke QSL Management Cloud Platform 1st March 2017
With computers well entrenched in DXing and amateur radio in general the underappreciated QSL managers that work in the background are the recipients of thousands of e-mails (mostly all inquiring – sometimes complaining – about one or more missing QSOs), an untold number of snail mail pieces containing even more snail mail pieces, currency, IRCs, postage stamps and one or more QSL cards, even some with QSL cards for multiple DX stations or DX operators. This avalanche of paper is time consuming and labor intensive, sometimes requiring teams of volunteers to process. Add to this the hundreds of DX logs (in various formats), millions of DX contacts, donor lists, and consolidated DX club log submissions, all of which require accurate accounting and more importantly preservation.
QSL managers use different methods to recover their operating costs which include items such as toner, labels, envelopes, and sometimes pizza lunches for the volunteer teams. Some managers personally absorb the cost while others pass the cost to the DX-pedition.
In late 2014 Pista HA5AO and Gene K5GS began discussing an OQRS / QSL management platform specifically for the QSL managers that handle our projects. While Michael Wells G7VJR ClubLog is an outstanding application which made significant positive contributions to the hobby and introduced many new concepts in confirming contacts, we were looking for something that addressed the backend QSL management processes. The complexities of handling tens of thousands of QSL cards, e-mails, Not in Log / busted calls requests, returned postal mail pieces and a host of other tasks which were done manually for so many years needed to change.
We began by collecting requirements and creating detailed process flowcharts. Pista coded the application and we soon had a skeleton platform that offered some flexibility as well as functionality. The usual and familiar DX Log Search and OQRS functions were delivered in Phase 1.
After a number of enhancements and tests we switched it on for the 2015 TX3X DX-pedition. Of course, no amount of testing will uncover every bug. We learned what users expect and how they use OQRS software. Realizing we needed input from people with more experience than either of us in handing large volumes of confirmation requests we contacted Tim Beaumont M0URX (who previously handled cards for us) and his QSL Manager partner Charles Wilmott M0OXO. After e-mails and Skype conference calls we had a comprehensive list of process steps, additional requirements and a written agreement on how to proceed. As the new requirements were sorted, prioritized and coded each was tested by the team.
A mailing of all 238 letters will be posted on Friday 3rd March, mostly ZC4A & ZC4ZM QSL cards plus others.
Our OQRS is open for all call signs that I am manager for please use OQRS for all your QSL requests.
Please also remember that we do not need your incoming bureau cards, so PLEASE only use OQRS if you want to use the Bureau route.