ARRL's QSL Bureau in 'high gear'

The ARRL Web page reports that with the increase in
sunspots, individuals are working more DX which means the ARRL's Membership and Volunteer Programs Department - especially the DXCC Desk and the ARRL Incoming and Outgoing QSL Bureaus - are working in high gear.

The League states, "Compared to 2009, 2010 saw a dramatic increase in the number of cards we received from ARRL members that were sent to foreign QSL Bureaus, as well as the number of cards we sent out to the Bureaus," said DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L.

"In addition, the number of DXCC applications - including those for initial awards and endorsements - also increased."

Through December 14, 2010, the ARRL Outgoing QSL Bureau received 709,800 cards destined for foreign QSL bureaus from ARRL members in the US. This represents an increase of 16 percent over the 2009 number of about 612,000 cards. In 2009, the ARRL shipped 673,500 cards - or close to 4500 pounds of cards - to foreign bureaus.

"We have processed nearly 660,000 cards in 2010, and the year isn't even over yet," said MVP Administrative Manager Sharon Taratula. "I would not be surprised if we surpassed 750,000 cards by the end of the year.”

As the number of QSL cards has increased, so have the number of DXCC applications. In 2009, the DXCC Desk processed 7134 applications for initial awards and endorsements; these 2009 applications included almost
762,500 QSOs. So far in 2010, the DXCC Desk has processed 6895 applications, containing almost 860,000 QSOs, for an increase of 13 percent over 2009.

"With all of the year's applications not yet fully processed,
we've seen the number of QSOs increase in 2010 over 2009, even though the number of applications is a tad lower," Moore said. "Come the end of the year, I expect the 2010 application total to surpass the 2009 number."

For more info on how to use the ARRL's Bureau systems (IN/OUT), see the following Web pages:

Incoming QSL Bureau:
http://www.arrl.org/incoming-qsl-service
Outgoing QSL Bureau:
http://www.arrl.org/outgoing-qsl-service

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