ok so ive been licensed about 8 months now and i keep seeing people mention LoTW and eQSL and also some guys still sending paper cards through the bureau and im honestly not sure which one i should be focusing on. like do i need all three? or is one of them basically the standard everyone uses now?

the reason i ask is i made contact with a station in Japan last week on 20m which was super exciting for me, first ever DX contact, and afterward i wasnt sure what to do. i uploaded my log to LoTW because someone told me thats what you need for DXCC credit but then i also heard eQSL is popular in Europe and some guys wont do anything except paper cards. the Japanese station hasnt confirmed yet on anything so maybe he hasnt uploaded either, i dont know how long to wait

also the whole LoTW setup with the certificate thing was kind of a pain honestly, took me like an hour to figure out but i got it working. anyway just looking for some perspective from people who actually chase DX or do awards, what do you guys actually rely on

congrats on the Japan contact, thats a great first DX. so the short answer is it kinda depends on what awards you care about. LoTW is basically essential if you want DXCC or any of the ARRL awards since thats the only electronic confirmation they accept. eQSL is more of a community thing and some awards recognize it but its a different world from LoTW. paper cards through the bureau still matter for certain things and honestly some older operators really prefer them, theres a whole culture around collecting them.

for your Japan contact id just be patient. a lot of DX stations especially in Asia upload to LoTW in batches, some do it monthly or even less often. i had a JA station confirm on LoTW like 4 months after the contact so dont stress about it. if you really want the card you could try sending a direct card to his callsign with a self addressed envelope and a couple dollars for return postage, thats still how a lot of DX chasing works for the rare ones

i use all three honestly but for different reasons. LoTW is the one that actually counts for awards so i make sure everything goes there. eQSL i kind of upload to just because its easy and some people only confirm there. paper cards i only send direct now for the really rare ones because the bureau is soooo slow, like months sometimes.

one thing nobody told me when i started was that you should be uploading your log regularly, like not waiting until you want to apply for an award. its way easier to just have it as a habit after every session or every week. also make sure your clock is accurate when you're logging because LoTW is pretty strict about time matching between both stations