Because of some misleading information posted at eqsl.cc, some of you have been asked questions about the acceptance of cards provided by eqsl.cc for DXCC credit. The following is a pre-release, draft policy statement explaining the situation. It is possible that there may be some minor changes in wording before the statement is released but the essence should remain unchanged. Please do not redistribute this draft verbatim, but use it for your own information -- official release will follow shortly. Dave K1ZZ _____ Recent discussion regarding the QSL service offered by eQSL.cc suggests that there is some confusion about ARRL QSL policy. Simply put, there has been no change in League policy regarding eQSLs. ARRL does not accept QSLs that have been transmitted to the recipient via electronic means for its awards. Anyone, acting as an authorized QSL manager, however, may receive logs via email (or any other direct means) and send QSL cards, via post mail, to recipients. This is the traditional QSL manager process. As has always been the case, certain norms are expected when handling cards in this manner. First, we expect that a QSL manager will seek permission from operators for whom QSLs are handled. We do not accept cards from unauthorized QSL managers for DXCC credit. Such an authorization must be a proactive choice of the DX station rather than an "opt out," default authority given to a bulk mailer. Second, since most operators requesting QSLs expect that the returned cards will correctly reflect the actual QSO data, we expect that a QSL manager will do the checking required to assure that only real contacts are verified. We all know that raw logs contain many errors. A recent sample from a bulk-mailing QSL service show three out of five QSOs confirmed were not in the recipient's log. This is unacceptable. Often, these errors are only detected when incoming cards are compared to the log. The distribution of QSLs, without any checking of the information contained on the incoming cards, is poor QSLing practice, and may lead to blanket rejection of all QSL cards from the station/manager in question. Also, we expect to be able to identify cards as authentic. Many cards are printed on home printers, and in many cases, the data is printed on card stock at the same time. Although this is technically acceptable, the process often makes verification difficult. In certain cases we may reject these cards. Cards should be personalized or otherwise made unique through the use of a stamp or other personal mark (signature or initials) across a label boundary. Finally, the concept of obtaining a QSL card at no charge is a long-held tradition in ham radio and DXCC, and we endeavor to continue this tradition. QSL managers handling cards for DXCC submission must make cards available if adequate postage is supplied. Postage can be supplied by sending IRCs, direct funds or SASEs. We consider it an ethics violation if cards can only be claimed through payment of a fee, and thus we will not accept cards for DXCC credit for which a fixed charge is made. A number of well-known DXpeditioners and QSL managers do not accept bureau cards, but we are not aware of any cases where a card will not be forthcoming if adequate postage is provided. For its awards, the ARRL does not accept electronically transmitted QSLs that are printed by the recipient. There is no restriction placed on how log information is conveyed to an authorized QSL manager, however. Cards provided by QSL managers who make a reasonable effort to comply with the guidelines presented here will be gladly accepted for DXCC credit. Wayne Mills, N7NG, Manager ARRL Membership Services Department