The Philip B. Petersen Collection Broadcast February 23, 1991

     All active radio amateurs have a specially printed QSL card that they send to other radio amateurs who generally reciprocate and send their QSL card in return.
     To QSL means to confirm.  This all started in the very early days of amateur radio when amateurs wanted confirmation that they, in fact, were able to communicate by Morse code without telegraph wires.  That is why it was then called "wireless telegraphy."  Now, it is called "radio."
     QSL cards are postcard size and all have the station call letters prominently displayed along with a technical description.  A space is included to make a brief report about the radio contact.
     Many radio amateurs display the received QSL cards on the walls in their station, commonly called the radio shack.  Most QSL cards are very colorful with many showing prominent places of interest, color photos of the station, or humorous cartoons.  Since they are designed and printed all over the world, there are seldom any two alike.
     QSL cards are sent by the thousands from those who compete for many awards offered by the American Radio Relay League.  The most popular are the ongoing and never-ending DX contests.  These awards are made to radio amateurs who can show QSL card confirmation from hundreds of different countries overseas.  Other awards are made for contacting each one of our fifty states, and some get awards for contacting amateurs in each one of the 3,076 counties that make up the United States.
     Radio amateurs operate all kinds of special event stations that send colorful QSL cards to celebrate all kinds of activities such as the Olympic games, expositions and historical events, to name a few.
     There are over one million radio amateurs around the world and about half of them are in the United States.  To save postage, most QSLs are sent in bulk mail by the American Radio Relay League to hundreds of countries where they are forwarded to the individual radio amateurs.  During 1990, over 1,700,000 QSLs were sent this way with many thousands more in the regular mail service.
     This tradition of exchanging QSL cards adds a more personal touch with people all over the world, many of whom become lasting friends.

February 23, 1991

** Broadcasts recordings preserved and presented here by Mr. Robert Buss and Mr. Bernie Ricciardi, Phil's friends and fellow Marconi Chapter 138 QCWA members **

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