QSL page

QSL Verification Cards

The term 'QSL' is taken from the amateur radio ‘Q’ code. QSL means acknowledgment or verification. In this context confirmation of a reception report by way of a QSL card - a postcard for radio enthusiasts.

QSL AM - these are a few of the QSL cards I have received for short-wave DXing over many years.

DRM QSL Cards

Since DRM broadcast started I have sent reception reports to DRM station. Many as a result of requests broadcast by the short wave radio station concerned. These reports help the broadcaster to plot the transmitter coverage area and receive comments on the technical quality of the broadcast. As DRM is new the broadcasters are having to learn what this digital mode is capable of.

Ideally the QSL card should confirm the frequency and time of the broadcast, state the DRM transmission mode but most importantly confirm the location of the transmitter used for the broadcast. Not all QSL cards have all this detail. I have one QSL card were all of the verification details have been left blank.

I have received QSL cards that show incorrect details. I appreciate that the number of DRM reception reports will be a fraction of those received compared to the AM broadcasts. However it is disappointing having gone to the trouble of writing a reception report to have incorrect verification details as the main point of QSL cards is to prove that a certain broadcast was received.

A certain amount of patience is required as broadcasters response times vary enormously from only a few days to over a year! For some broadcasters it has been necessary to send follow-up e-mails before getting any response.

All DRM decoder software have a record/logging function which saves technical information on the DRM broadcast to a text file. Information includes a minute by minute log of the signal-to-noise ratio (average) and the number of audio and data frames correctly received. This file is sent to the broadcaster.

For example the Fraunhofer software produces -

DRMSoftwareRadio-MERLIN-00000xxx
Software Version 2.0.34
Starttime (UTC)  2004-01-06 15:57:01
Frequency        6095 kHz
Latitude         51°46'N
Longitude        0°56'W
Label            RTL DRM
Bitrate          20.88 kbps
Mode             B
Bandwidth        10 kHz
Comment          RTL

MINUTE SNR  SYNC AUDIO   TYPE
  0000   19  150  1500/10   0
  0001   20  150  1500/10   0
  0002   20  150  1500/10   0
  0003   19  150  1500/10   0
  0004   19  150  1500/10   0

SNR min: 19.2, max: 19.7

where
MINUTE minute by minute signal analysis.
SNR    average signal to noise ratio.
SYNC   number of FAC frames received correctly.
AUDIO  error free frames received per transmission
       frame.
TYPE   0 = audio.

Reception log shows perfect reception for this RTL broadcast from Junglinster, Luxembourg, no need for subjective SINPO codes in the digital age.
 

All reception reports were sent by e-mail, but not all reception reports produced a QSL card -

  • BBC World Service told me they no longer send out QSL cards.
  • Radio Sawa acknowledged my reception report but as they had only started broadcasting they didn’t have any QSL cards.
  • Radio Kuwait report sent to the e-mail address given on their web site returned with a ‘relaying denied’ error message.
  • WRN English sent me a mug and some stickers.
  • Radio Romania International report sent to the e-mail address stated on the RRI website were returned with the following message -
    The following message to <eng@rri.ro> was undeliverable.
    The reason for the problem:
    5.1.0 - Unknown address error 553-"5.3.0 We don't accept junk mail."
    The following message to <engl@rri.ro> was undeliverable.
    The reason for the problem:
    5.1.0 - Unknown address error 553-"5.3.0 We don't accept junk mail."
    RTE no response to a detailed reception report for their long wave DRM trails which took place in August 2007.

    • RTE04

    Received acknowledgment for the following reception report and still waiting for QSL card.

  • TDPradio [Flevo report - 9850 kHz November 2003], after 103 days received an e-mail from Ludo confirming the report and requesting that I send postage if I wanted a QSL card. Posted a IRC (International Reply Coupon) in March 2004 to pay for return postage. No response to several follow up e-mails requesting QSL card :o(
     

QSL cards are divided into three pages with ‘QSL DRM 1 page’ being QSL cards received from reception reports sent before 15th December 2003 and ‘QSL DRM 2 page’ for reception reports sent after this date. This December date is when the DRM specification was changed and all audio codecs replaced to support the new specification.

QSL DRM 1 page 10 QSL cards (average response 66.8 days).

QSL DRM 2 page 12 QSL cards (average response 69.8 days).

QSL DRM 3 page last updated 13 January 07 - 7 QSL cards
(average response = 47 days).