so ive been licensed about 8 months now and i keep seeing people talk about uploading logs to LoTW and eQSL and also mailing out paper cards and im honestly not sure what the point of having three different systems is. like i get that paper cards are the old school way and theres something cool about getting a physical card in the mail but is anyone actually still doing all three of these? feels like a lot of work just to confirm a contact

i set up my LoTW account a while back and the whole TQSL thing kind of threw me off, took me a few tries to get my certificate sorted. i have uploaded a couple logs but i dont really know what to do next or if the other station has to upload too before anything shows up as confirmed. also someone mentioned eQSL to me at a club meeting and i dont know if thats even worth messing with or if most serious operators just ignore it

not chasing any awards right now, just curious what the general approach is. do most people just pick one or is there a reason to do all of them

yeah honestly the three system thing is a bit of a mess but here's how i think about it — LoTW is kind of the gold standard if you're eventually going to chase DXCC or any of the ARRL awards, those confirmations only count if both stations upload to LoTW. so if that's on your radar down the road it's worth keeping up with. eQSL is more casual, a lot of people use it and it's fine but it doesnt count for the big awards. paper cards are... well they're just nice. some DX stations only do paper, and getting a card from somewhere exotic in the mail is genuinely satisfying even if you never frame it or anything

most people i know do LoTW for sure, and then paper when the other station specifically requests a QSL or when its a notable contact. eQSL is kind of optional, some folks are into it some arent. you dont have to do all three for every QSO, thats for sure

oh man the TQSL certificate thing got me too when i first started lol. i had to have a guy from my club walk me through it on zoom before it finally clicked. but yeah once that part is done uploading is pretty easy, i just export from my logging software and drag it in every few weeks or so

i do eQSL too mostly because some of the people i talk to on digital modes seem to prefer it and you do get a little card image which is kind of fun to look at. its not the same as a real card though. i actually just started mailing paper cards for any DX contact i make because i read somewhere that a lot of rare entities still primarily do bureau cards and if you want something back you kinda have to send something. havent gotten many back yet but i did get one from a station in the Azores a couple months ago and that was pretty cool ngl