ok so ive been licensed for about 8 months now and ive been making contacts and logging everything in WSJT-X and then importing to HAMRS and honestly the whole QSL confirmation thing is kind of overwhelming me a little. like i understand the basic concept, you confirm the contact with the other station, but theres so many ways to do it now and i dont really understand which ones matter and for what.

i signed up for LoTW because someone at my club said thats the one you need for DXCC and i uploaded my log but barely anything is showing as confirmed. and then i keep hearing people mention eQSL and i made an account there too but it seems like a totally different thing? and some people still send physical cards through the bureau and i got a few in the mail which was actually really cool but im not sure if i need to send any back or how that even works.

so i guess my actual question is like, do i need all three? and is there a way to make this less complicated because right now it feels like a second hobby just managing confirmations

haha yeah the QSL ecosystem is kind of a mess honestly, you're not alone in being confused by it. short version: LoTW is the one that counts for ARRL awards like DXCC and WAS, eQSL has its own awards but most of the big ones dont accept it, and paper cards are kind of for the joy of it plus some awards like CQ WPX still like paper for certain things.

for LoTW the reason stuff isnt showing as confirmed is that the other station also has to upload their log and the dates and frequencies have to match up pretty closely. a lot of people batch upload once in a while so it can take weeks or even months before a contact confirms. just be patient, it does eventually come through especially for the more active DX stations.

as for the bureau cards, yeah if someone sends you one its polite to send one back. you dont have to go crazy with it but most people appreciate it. you can get cards printed pretty cheap through places like K4MAP or just design something simple. eQSL you can actually make a digital card which is kind of neat. anyway you dont need all three but a lot of us do use all three just because different operators prefer different methods and you never know who youll want a confirmation from down the road

I was in the exact same spot maybe a year ago so I get it. What helped me was just focusing on LoTW first since thats the one with the most weight for awards and a lot of serious DX operators upload to it regularly. The TQSL software is a little clunky but once you get your certificate set up and figure out the upload process it kind of just becomes routine after a while.

eQSL I mostly use for contacts where the other person specifically mentions it or for the occasional domestic contact where neither of us is really chasing DXCC. and honestly getting a physical QSL card in the mail from somewhere like Japan or South America is one of my favorite parts of the hobby, theres something about holding that little cardboard piece that a person on the other side of the world touched and mailed to you. worth the small effort of sending some back imo