ok so ive been licensed for about 8 months now and ive been having a blast making contacts but the whole QSL confirmation thing is kind of overwhelming me. like i understand the basic concept, you confirm the contact happened, but theres so many ways to do it now and i cant figure out if i need to use all of them or just pick one.

i signed up for LoTW because my elmer said thats the one that counts for DXCC and stuff, and i uploaded a few logs but honestly i dont really understand the whole TQSL certificate process, it took me forever to get that set up. then someone in a pileup told me to also get on eQSL which i did but it seems like a totally different thing? and then some older ops keep asking me for physical cards through the bureau and i dont even know how the bureau works yet.

do most people use all three or is it common to just stick with LoTW? i dont have any particular awards im chasing right now, just enjoying operating. also does it cost money to send cards through the bureau because i've heard mixed things about that

totally get the confusion, it threw me off too when i first started. short answer is you dont have to do all three, it really depends on what you want out of it. LoTW is pretty much the gold standard if you ever want to go after ARRL awards like DXCC or WAS, so keeping that one active is worth the hassle of setting up the certificate. eQSL is more casual, some people like it some dont, and a lot of DX stations dont use it at all so the confirmations can be hit or miss.

paper cards through the bureau are kind of a whole thing on their own. its slow, like months slow sometimes, but some ops really love getting a physical card in the mail and honestly theres something nice about it. the ARRL bureau is outgoing only if youre a member and you do pay a small fee i think, but incoming cards they hold for you. if youre not in a hurry for awards just stick with LoTW for now and maybe do eQSL as a bonus. you can always add the bureau stuff later when you feel like dealing with it.

i was in the exact same spot like two years ago and honestly i just do LoTW and eQSL and skip the paper cards for the most part. occasionally if somone specifically asks for a direct card i'll send one but i dont actively do the bureau thing, just feels like a lot of effort for confirmations that dont really count toward anything i care about. some people really love the physical cards as like a collection thing though so i get why its still a thing.

the TQSL setup is annoying but once its done its pretty much set and forget, just upload your log every now and then and youre good. one thing nobody told me early on — make sure your callsign certificate in TQSL actually matches the date range of your contacts or they wont match up right on the other end, burned me once with some contacts from right after i got licensed