ok so ive been licensed about 8 months now and i keep hearing people talk about confirming contacts and i honestly dont fully understand the whole system. like i know what a QSL card is, the paper ones, my elmer showed me a shoebox full of his from the 80s and they look really cool. but then theres LoTW which is the ARRL thing and eQSL which is a different website and i cant figure out if i need both or just one or what.

i made a contact with a station in Japan last week on 20m, first real DX contact, and i really want to confirm it somehow. the other op mentioned LoTW at the end of the QSO. do i need to like upload a log file or something? and do i need to send a physical card too or is that just old fashioned now. i dont want to be rude to the other op if there's some expectation i dont know about

also someone in my club said eQSL doesnt really count for awards which confused me even more. any help appreciated, still figuring all this out

congrats on the Japan contact, that's a great first DX. ok so here's the basic rundown as i understand it after 20+ years doing this.

LoTW is the Logbook of the World run by the ARRL and yes you basically upload a digitally signed log file and when both sides upload the same contact it automatically confirms. it's what most serious DX chasers and contest operators use because it counts toward DXCC and a bunch of other awards. the setup is a little annoying at first because you have to get a certificate from the ARRL and it takes a few days, but once its set up its pretty painless. you just export from your logging software and upload.

eQSL is kind of a different beast, it's easier to use honestly but youre right that it doesnt count toward DXCC. some people use it just for the fun of it, you can actually get a nice looking digital card which is cool especially if you design your own. not useless, just different purpose.

physical cards are definitely not dead, plenty of DX stations still love them and if you ever want a paper confirmation for your shack wall theyre great. you can send direct to the other op with a self addressed envelope and return postage, or go through the bureau which is cheaper but takes forever sometimes like a year or more. for your Japan contact id say get LoTW set up first since the other op mentioned it, that'll be your most useful confirmation for awards down the road

yeah the eQSL thing tripped me up too when i started. i spent like a month collecting eQSLs thinking they counted for DXCC and then found out they dont lol. they do count for the eQSL awards which are like their own thing but its not the same prestige i guess.

one thing i'll add is some DX stations, especially the really rare ones on expeditions and stuff, they only do LoTW and dont respond to physical cards anymore just because of the volume of requests they get. so definitely worth getting LoTW sorted if you want to chase DX seriously. TQSL is the software you need to sign and upload your logs, its free, just takes a little patience to set up the certificate part