QSL Via The Bureau

The NJDXA Web Site has become a popular visiting place for many amateurs, especially those with a "2" call. QSL Bureau information is readily available on the Web Site by clicking on the links indicated. On the Home Page itself, there are links to the Bureau Manager, K2CO as well as the Assistant Bureau Manager, K2NJ. The e-mail address for the QSL Bureau is bureau@njdxa.org and your inquiries should be directed there. Likewise, these links are available in this section (QSL Bureau News) so that our subscribers can ask questions or inform us of address changes.

Please do NOT include messages to the QSL Bureau Managers in the Guest Book? Our Guest Book is a public forum where your comments are posted on a bulletin board. It doesn't make sense to post your personal questions or QTH information on a public bulletin board. So, please, when you have information or you wish to contact the Bureau about a problem, use the e-mail links provided in several places on the Site for your convenience. Send your message to k2co@njdxa.org or to bureau@njdxa.org. Reserve the Guest Book for comments you wish to make about our Site, or just plain greetings. We do take suggestions for improvement seriously. The cooperation of all of our subscribers is sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

The efficient operation of the QSL Bureau requires a set of basic guidelines established on various levels. First, there is the Standard Operating Guide (S.O.G.) for Bureau Managers established by the ARRL. Then each Bureau formulates it's own set of rules depending on how it functions. For example, some Bureaus accept self-addressed and stamped envelopes from their subscribers. Others require the purchase of postage credits. In some QSL Bureaus, both methods are acceptable. The Second District QSL Bureau will not accept self-addressed and stamped envelopes. We sell postage credits at the current rate of 50 cents with a minimum purchase of $5.00. We make every effort to maximize our subscriber's benefit by holding cards for weight or by shipping large numbers of cards by Priority Mail.

Once a year, we must take a credit inventory. Each Letter-Manager will mail every card in his file, even if it means mailing only one card. If we do not do this, we cannot accurately calculate our liability to our subscribers.

In the process of making annual mailings (if there are cards in the file), we also purge accounts that have been inactive for a period of five (5) years. The QSL Bureau will notify active subscribers when their postage credits begin to run low. We also send notification to non-subscribers if we receive cards for a non-existent account. Finally, we purge any account that has been inactive for 5 years, sweeping the remaining postage credits (if there are any) into the general fund. We still maintain a record of the account. Only the remaining credits are removed because of changes in postage rates, etc. If a subscriber "wakes up" and becomes active once more, we will restore any credits that were purged (at prevailing value) provided the subscriber can produce proof of purchase of those credits (cancelled check or a money order receipt).

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For any amateur radio operator who is interested in chasing DX, the QSL Bureau plays a significant role in your QSL activities. The ARRL Outgoing QSL Service will save you considerable money in postage for your outgoing cards. Likewise, the incoming QSL Bureaus like ours, The ARRL Second District QSL Bureau, can also be a money saver. We receive bulk shipments of foreign QSL cards from those countries where a QSL Bureau is operating. Other cards are sent by foreign amateurs directly to the ARRL (where the cards are trans-shipped to the individual Bureaus) or to the individual incoming QSL Bureaus in the United States and possessions. Each Bureau determines its own rules or management style according to the wishes of the volunteers who handle the cards.

Recently, the ARRL has eliminated the requirement that the incoming QSL Bureaus accept self addressed and stamped envelopes for the return of accumulated DX cards at the Bureaus. This is a welcome change for the Bureaus. Although some Bureaus still accept s.a.s.e.s, we do not. We require subscribers to purchase Postage Credits. Our Bureau uses the Postage Credit System. We will provide the necessary envelopes and the postage. Our suggested minimum is $5.00 for 10 Postage Credits. Each credit represents one ounce of mailing. Therefore, 10 credits can be used up in one ten-ounce mailing. On the other hand, it can represent as many as ten 1-ounce mailings. Any combination in between is possible. We try to hold cards for weight. This means that we will not mail you one or two QSLs. We will wait for about 5 to 7 cards which makes one ounce. In this manner, we are efficient and conservative of our subscribers' Postage Credit money. Once per year, however, we make a mailing of everything or anything in our files. Even one card will be mailed if it is the last mailing of the year. We must do a credit inventory at year's end so we can produce accurate figures for our financial statement and budget review.

Please seek out the correct information for using the incoming QSL Bureau system. Verify by sending an e-mail message to the Bureau Manager of the QSL Bureau that services your call district. You will receive a prompt response.

For those who have a "2" call, the following procedure is acceptable:> P> Postage Credits
Log on to our Web site and download the QSL Bureau Subscription Form. Print this form on your printer. Complete the form or use a blank sheet of paper. Pint your call, name and address and e-mail address. Draw a check in the minimum amount of $5.00 and make the check payable to NJDXA. Print your call on your check. Mail the Subscription Form or the sheet of paper and the check to the QSL Bureau address given below. The $5.00 will buy you ten postage credits. Each credit represents the envelope and the first-class stamp necessary for a one-ounce mailing. Thus, for $5.00, you can receive one 10-ounce mailing or ten 1-ounce mailings or any combination in between.

We MUST have a separate subscription for each call. If you are subscribing for more than one call, you can include all of the money involved in one check. Simply have separate slips of paper in the envelope indicating the call, name and address for each individual for whom subscriptions are desired. If you include your e-mail address, it will make it easier for us to communicate with you if that becomes necessary.

The QSL Bureau address is:
North Jersey DX Association
P.O. Box 599
Morris Plains, NJ 07950-0599

Do you have credits on file?

Probably a result of the recent increase in security involving the postal systems, the volume of cards reaching the various bureaus has been erratic. One week we will find a few packets of cards and the following week we need a pickup truck to carry the mail home..

Our readers should be aware of the delays that are part of the Bureau System worldwide. Cards are sent to us by the least expensive means possible. The less the postage costs, the slower the delivery. Please be patient. Under normal circumstances, it takes a few months to add new postage credits to a subscriber's file. Cards take much longer.

Background

Part of the enjoyment of contacting other amateurs throughout the world is the final courtesy of the QSO - the QSL card. In addition to the necessity of verification of contacts for awards, many amateurs enjoy collecting QSL cards. The Bureau system was initiated to help keep the costs of exchanging cards at a reasonable level. Although you may think that the United States postage rates are high, we enjoy the least costly and most reliable postal service in the world. Thus, the Bureaus play an important role in the worldwide distribution of QSLs.

In each country where a QSL Bureau is established, local amateurs have organized the operation in a businesslike fashion. Cards are sorted by the prefix of the stations to which they are addressed. They are then shipped in bulk packages to the Bureaus of the countries to which these cards have been directed. Unfortunately, there are many countries which do not have organized QSL Bureaus. QSL cards for these countries must be sent by direct mail. The January 1994 issue of "QST" lists those countries served by the ARRL Outgoing QSL Service, i.e., the countries that have a Bureau. This service is restricted to ARRL members. The ARRL DX QSL Bureaus (in-coming) have no such restriction. They are open to all amateurs and serve as distribution centers for foreign cards addressed to stateside amateurs. At the present time, there are 14 District Bureaus and one for incoming SWL cards. Let's see what is involved in the operation of a District QSL Bureau, specifically, the Second District Bureau.

The ARRL Second District QSL Bureau has been operated by the North Jersey DX Association since 1957. Methods and policies have been refined and modified over the years in response to an increasing volume of cards. Further changes were made when computerization became a necessity. Today, with 43 volunteer workers, the NJDXA sorts and distributes approximately one million QSL cards per year.

QSL cards are shipped to us directly from foreign Bureaus, from foreign amateurs, and from the ARRL. Mail is picked up by the Bureau Manager at the local post office at least twice a week. The first-class mail is separated from the packages of cards. This first-class mail includes subscriptions to the Bureau, requests for information, change of address notifications, and personal letters directed to either the Bureau Manager or to one of the Bureau volunteers. Our Bureau sells postage credits at the current rate of ten credits for $5.00. A postage credit includes the envelope and the postage for a one ounce mailing. Each additional ounce in the envelope costs another postage credit. For subscribers who receive many cards, we will use Priority Mail which will allow us to send two or three pounds of cards for a very reasonable fee and the Postal Service will deliver the package in two days. This can save a considerable amount in terms of postage credits for our subscribers. The small difference between our charges for postage credits and the actual cost of a stamp and an envelope goes toward administrative expenses such as rubber bands, paper clips, stationery, envelopes, printing costs, telephone, and bank charges. As a result, we are classified as a non-profit organization [501 (c) 7] by the Internal Revenue Service.

Our Bureau has one Bureau Manager, two Assistant Bureau Managers, 14 Primary Sorters, and 26 Letter-Managers. Each person has a specific responsibility. The Bureau Managers collect the mail, enter credits in the subscribers files in our computer database, prepare monthly reports, re-sort and redistribute missorted cards, reply to inquiries, respond to complaints and other correspondence, distribute newly purchased credits, and transact all other business which pertains to the management of the Bureau. After the newly purchased credits have been entered in the computer, the number of postage credits is also written on the outside of the envelope in which they were received. Notes and address changes are also placed in their original envelopes and marked accordingly. These envelopes are filed alphabetically in a sorting rack until they are taken to the monthly meeting for distribution to the individual Letter-Managers.

The 14 Primary Sorters receive at least one full grocery bag of cards each month which they must sort twice. They sort first by the first suffix letter and again by the second suffix letter. The sorted cards are then rubber-banded and labeled, brought by the Primary Sorter to the next meeting of the organization, and then placed in the proper Letter-Managers' bags. The Newly purchased credits and other mail along with computer reports are also distributed to the Letter-Managers at the monthly meeting. The Letter-Managers have the responsibility of updating their subscriber files with this information. They then do a final sort of the cards in their bag, stuff and address envelopes, apply the necessary postage, and finally mail the cards to the subscribers.

There are a few requirements which our Bureau has set forth for subscribers. The first is to allow at least two months for the processing and distribution of newly purchased credits. One of the most common complaints we receive is from a subscriber who had recently sent money only to receive a shipment of cards a few days later with a note stating that the credit balance is somewhat less than the subscriber thinks it should be. This only means that the mailing was done before the Letter-Manager had received the new postage credits for that subscriber. If we receive a subscription (or renewal) one day after our meeting, those credits will not be in the hands of the Letter Manager for one whole month. Furthermore, the Letter-Manager may not have the time to update his file for a week or two or even longer. With family obligations, illness, vacations, work schedules or other priorities, the Bureau work is often delayed even further. Therefore we ask our subscribers to be patient and to allow a minimum of two months for credits to be added to the subscriber's account.

Another common problem is failure to enclose a self-addressed and stamped envelope when requesting information. This is a courtesy and should be extended to any non-profit organization from which you expect a response. Subscribers should also be aware that a their Letter-Manager may ask them for a supply of address labels. Computer-generated labels are best. The tiny ones that arrive in the mail have a poor quality glue and frequently fall off the envelopes. If you send us labels, make sure they are big enough and of reasonable quality.

The District Bureaus do not handle US-to-US (contiguous 48 states) QSL cards. Most Bureaus will, however, distribute US cards addressed to a DX station via a US QSL Manager. We will handle cards originating from a US station and addressed to a US station serving as a QSL manager for a DX station.

We make every effort to be conservative of our subscribers' postage credits. In that regard, we will rarely mail one or two cards. In general, we hold cards for weight so that the subscribers get the most value for their postage dollars. We usually hold cards for at least 6 months after notification that a subscription has expired. After that time, we will destroy unclaimed cards.

Finally, exchanging QSL cards via the Bureau System is a very slow process. We frequently see cards which were for contacts made more than a year ago. In fact, some cards are for contacts that are several years old. The key word in dealing with any Bureau is patience. If subscribers realize that the work is being done by volunteers and that these people are entitled to have some time for their own enjoyment of this hobby, then the delays in the receipt of cards would be more easily explained. Cooperation between the subscriber and the Bureau is most important.

Each District Bureau establishes its own policies and management style. Depending upon how the volunteers are organized, monthly meetings may not be a convenient method of distributing the workload. Some Bureaus meet at a central location and all Bureau work is accomplished in one place. Others prefer to mail cards to the volunteers who do the sorting and final mailing from their homes. In another case, the Bureau Manager personally delivers cards to the volunteers every week. The Second District Bureau has developed a system which works for us.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me a note.
Ron Levy, K2CO