First QSL Card
Well, yesterday I received my first QSL card. About a month ago, I was tuning around on 40m and noticed there was a station calling CQ. A station with what I thought was a rather unusual callsign, VI2AMW60.
I sat there for a moment racking my brain trying to think what country VI was… in the meantime I decided to respond. I soon realised okay, the contact wasn’t overseas — but it was a special event station.
We exchanged details briefly and the chap at the other end asked if I collected QSL cards. I normally don’t bother about QSL cards, but since this is a special event station — I figured why not. 
He directed me to QRZ.com where the address details were mentioned. I sat down and designed a QSL card to send off. The card I sent off is shown below.
My QSL card design (click to view enlarged in gallery)
I wasn’t expecting anything back… there was mention on the QRZ.com page about including a self-addressed stamped envelope or some such. I wasn’t sure whether that only applied to overseas or who that applied to. Much to my surprise however, I received the following card in the post yesterday (again click to enlarge). This shows the front and back of the card I received.
My first ever QSL card (click to enlarge)
Well, I’m very happy to have received that card. For what it’s worth, this may be the first and last QSL card I receive under this callsign, since I hope to hear from a WIA assessor about upgrading my license to a Standard license — and with that, I’ll be getting a new callsign. Time will tell there. But to the people of the Illawarra Amateur Radio Society, I thank you for your QSL card. 
August 12th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Hi Stuart,
Thanks for the kind work about the club. We certainly had a grand time here at the Illawarra Amateur Radio Society during the 4 week period we were allowed to operate under VI2AMW60.
That period has past now and the QSL card roll out is underway. We had 1500 odd contacts during the special event station period that we used as part of our clubs 6oth birthday celebration.
Glad the card is to your liking, It certainly will be the last time you will hear VI2AMW60 being called officially on the air as the licence period has expired and will never be reissued. Hang onto that card it will be a collectors item. We had the exact number of cards issued printed as well as one for the clubs archives and one for the WIA QSL bureau’s archives. I hope your studies towards the licence upgrade have gone, or are going well.
Ross Masterson
Assistant Secretary
IARS
VK2VVV