Fred Laun, K3ZO, who manages the NCDXA/ARRL Third Call Area Incoming QSL Bureau, advises operators who routinely send cards “via the bureau” to first check the DX station’s QRZ.com or personal websites first to find out if the DX station replies to cards sent via the bureau.

“Each month our bureau receives hundreds of cards for rare DX stations and DXpeditions who…state that they will not answer bureau cards,” he says. “We recognize that one reason people use the bureau is that they don’t have to check QRZ.com or another online lookup service before sending off the card.” Laun says his bureau spends many hours each month redirecting such cards to QSL managers or to the station’s own bureau, “and even after our efforts,” he adds, “almost all of these cards will not be answered anyway.”

The bottom line: “If an operator says he/she will not answer bureau cards, he/she in all likelihood means it,” Laun says. “That means that there is no cheap way to get around the [DX station’s QSLing] instructions.

He further notes that some operators have informed the bureau that they don’t want to get bureau QSL cards. His bureau sends most of those unwanted cards to Tom Roscoe, K8CX, for use on his Ham Gallery website, while it provides others to schools for classroom use. — Thanks to The Daily DX