so ive been licensed about 8 months now and ive been trying to figure out the whole QSL confirmation thing and honestly its a bit overwhelming. like i get the basic idea, you worked someone, you confirm it, great. but there seem to be like three different systems and nobody i talk to at the club can agree on which one matters.

my buddy told me to just upload to LoTW and forget about it, but then i see people on here talking about eQSL and how some awards accept it and some dont. and then theres still guys mailing out actual paper cards which i think is really cool but also seems like a lot of work and expense with the SASE stuff.

im mostly doing HF, some SSB some FT8, working toward DXCC eventually. what do most of you actually use day to day and is there a reason to bother with more than one system? dont want to set up accounts on six different things if i only really need one or two.

honest answer is you kinda need LoTW if DXCC is your goal, thats just the reality. ARRL only accepts LoTW or physical cards sent through the bureau for DXCC credit, so eQSL on its own wont get you there. that said i still upload to eQSL too because some folks only check there and its nice to see the confirmations roll in regardless.

paper cards i still send for anything rare or a contact that meant something to me. worked a guy in 3Y0 a few years back and we actually exchanged cards through the bureau, took like 8 months but it was worth it just to have it in hand. for everyday contacts though i just let WSJT-X auto upload to LoTW and call it done. set it up once and it basically runs itself after that.

get your LoTW certificate sorted first, that takes a little while to arrive anyway, and then worry about the rest later.

same boat as you honestly, been licensed about a year and a half. i do all three just because why not, theyre all free except the postage on paper cards. LoTW is definitely the one that feels most official but the interface is pretty clunky imo. eQSL is easier to use and you actually get like a little graphic card which is kind of fun.

the paper card thing i only do when someone specifically requests one via QRZ or if its a really good DX contact. bought a batch of cards from one of those printing places, came out really nice and wasnt too expensive. just gotta remember to actually mail them which i am bad at lol