QSL Lable US with STATE

[PE2V]

Hello,
I see some postings on different websites regarding the ARRL QSL handling fer the United States. Please see below.

As of January 1, 2024, the ARRL has stopped forwarding QSL cards to the QSL managers in America. To keep the process efficient for the QSL Bureau, it is requested that on the back of the QSL card, in the upper right corner where the call letters are listed, the State where the amateur lives is also listed.

US Call districts no longer obvious
Nowadays, when making a QSO with KH6M, it is no longer obvious that this caller actually lives in Hawaii, as this OP lives in Florida. Stating the state on the QSL card saves the QSL Bureau a lot of research and minimizes the delay in sorting and sending to America.

Is it possible with RUMlogNG to add the State on the QSL Lable? If yes, how?

Thanks, Vincent PE2V

[DL2RUM]

Where did you get your information from?
I asked Paul, W4FC a friend of mine, he is a sorter for the W4 bureau. He doesn't have any information about this, but he will ask the ARRL later this week.

If a W4 lives in California the Bureau will send a card for him to the W4 Bureau. He has to
keep envelopes or money on file with the W4 Bureau. There is a KP3 who lives here in SC
and he has to keep envelopes with the Puerto Rico Bureau.

It is not needed to put the name of the State on the QSL card. The incoming cards go to the
W4 Bureau that sends the card to the first letter of the suffix to a different sorter. I handle the
"F" letter so W4FOA and K4FGA and N4FG all come to me. All these ops live in different
states and I send them cards to their QRZ.com address.

[PE2V]

Where did you get your information from?
I asked Paul, W4FC a friend of mine, he is a sorter for the W4 bureau. He doesn't have any information about this, but he will ask the ARRL later this week.

I found this on several Dutch HAM websites. And I asked a local QSL manager and he confirmed it:

This is true regarding QSL's for America. As of January 1 this year the ARRL no longer handles QSL cards for America and they don't send them back, they just throw them away! But every state in America has its own QSL bureau hence the request of the DBQ (Dutch QSL Bureau) to put the name of the state or its abbreviation under the call on every card for America. This message arrived at the DBQ (Dutch QSL Bureau) at the beginning of March and was communicated to us at the DBQ (Dutch QSL Bureau) meeting.

[DL2RUM]

Our (German) DARC QSL bureau doesn't send QSLs to the ARRL. Our bureau sends cards directly to the respective call area QSL manager. That's why RUMlog sorts QSLs for Ws by call areas.

Paul, W4FC wrote:

The DARC does not send cards to the ARRL. The DARC sends cards for "4" land stations to the Sterling Park Bureau. Smaller countries like BY, 9M, 6W, send to the ARRL and they send to the different Stateside Bureaus.

Maybe you live in one of these smaller countries?

To answer your original question: No. You may use the Manager field for additional information, but I guess the result is not want you want.

[PE2V]

Our (German) DARC QSL bureau doesn't send QSLs to the ARRL. Our bureau sends cards directly to the respective call area QSL manager. That's why RUMlog sorts QSLs for Ws by call areas.

That makes sence indead.

Paul, W4FC wrote:

The DARC does not send cards to the ARRL. The DARC sends cards for "4" land stations to the Sterling Park Bureau. Smaller countries like BY, 9M, 6W, send to the ARRL and they send to the different Stateside Bureaus.

Maybe you live in one of these smaller countries?

To answer your original question: No. You may use the Manager field for additional information, but I guess the result is not want you want.

Ok.... I understand. So I have to add the info on the label myself, by hand. No problem.

[DL2RUM]

Here the response from Paul, W4FC and the ARRL:

I have spoken to the person in charge of the incoming QSL Bureau at the ARRL and
the questions you asked about are not true. The ARRL does accept cards for QSL
managers and you do not have to include the name of the state in the upper right
hand corner of the QSL. There have been other inquiries from other people so there
is false information being told.
There is nothing the ARRL can do about the KL7, KH6, KP4 callsigns being used in
the US. That is a matter for the FCC which is a government agency.

Your Dutch bureau should confirm that.

[PE2V]

Hello,
Sorry for the late reply, I had contact with a QSL manager and he and the DQB (Dutch QSL Bureau) confirming what Paul, W4FC and the ARRL said:

Have emailed the DQB (Dutch QSL Bureau) but everything stays the same I think the DQB (Dutch QSL Bureau) got a fake message regarding the previous stuff so it's a little more work for me as far as sorting is concerned but that's no problem, you just send your cards to the DQB (Dutch QSL Bureau) like old times

So it is / was probably a fake message HOAX or similar

Sorry for the confusion