Intrepid-DX Group – guest post

[IK0ZCW]

The Intrepid-DX Group will soon announce our next DXpedition.

This is the same group that brought you YI9PSE, ST0R and most recently, ET3AA.

We are considering a new QSL return model that we wish to share with our “audience” before we make such an implementation. As funding for DXpeditions these days is always a challenge, we are looking at ways to increase our revenue and lower our costs.

Our past experience shows us that the majority of our contacts are made by EU stations, however the majority of support comes from North America. North America has embraced LoTW while many stations in EU/Asia have not.

The bulk of our QSL requests have come in the form of Bureau cards from EU and Asia stations. There is a cost to the DXpedition to return the many thousands of bureau cards that we receive. There is the cost of the cards themselves, the time required to prepare and print the return labels and the cost to ship the cards out to the various bureaus. There is essentially no revenue or benefit to the DXpedition for processing bureau cards.

We hope that the changes that we are considering will help lower our costs to QSL, and will further motivate EU and Asia stations to embrace LoTW.

Here is what we are proposing as a means to QSL with the Intrepid-DX Group:

1) On Line QSL System (OQRS) with a small donation of $5. (No SASE, IRC or mailing required)

2) A direct QSL card with IRC/SASE gets a returned QSL card. (No donation required)

3) We are considering an upload to LoTW for all contacts at approximately 90 days following the DXpedition. (No donation required)

4) We would not receive, nor would we return any contacts via QSL cards to the Bureaus. (No Bureau card processing)

We realize this is a change from much of the tradition around the QSL process, however we need to control the costs to conduct a DXpedition and we welcome the opportunity to promote LoTW as a means to QSL with us.

Please let us know your thoughts,

Thank you,

Paul N6PSE