ok so i just got my general license about two months ago and ive been making contacts pretty regularly now, mostly on 40m and some 20m when the band cooperates. someone in my club mentioned i should be uploading to LoTW and also signing up for eQSL and also sending physical cards through the bureau and honestly my head is spinning a little.

like do i actually need all three of these? i get that some awards require LoTW specifically (DXCC i think?) but what about eQSL, is that even worth bothering with? and the physical cards through the bureau seem like they take forever from what ive heard. i did send a couple direct cards already to some guys i had longer ragchews with and that felt nice but i cant imagine doing that for every contact.

just wondering what most people actually do in practice, not what you theoretically should do. is there a combo that makes sense or do most active ops just do all of them

totally understand the confusion, i went through the exact same thing when i first got on HF. here's what i actually do after years of messing around with this stuff — i upload everything to LoTW because thats the one that really matters for DXCC and most of the serious ARRL awards. the TQSL software is a bit clunky at first but once you get your certificate loaded it pretty much just runs in the background.

eQSL i do upload to as well just because its easy and some DX stations only confirm there, its worth having just for that reason. the quality levels thing on eQSL (authenticated vs non-authenticated) confuses people but basically get yourself verified if you want the confirmations to actually count for their awards.

physical cards through the bureau i only do when someone specifically requests one or when i work a really rare entity and want the card for the shack wall. direct cards i still send for special contacts, theres something genuinely nice about getting a physical card in the mailbox. but for everyday contacts? LoTW and maybe eQSL is plenty, dont stress about mailing cards for every QSO.

yeah im kind of in the same boat as you actually, been licensed about a year and i just do LoTW for most stuff. eQSL i signed up for but honestly forget to upload half the time lol. havent really done the bureau at all yet, seems like the cards sit there for months before anyone processes them which just sounds painful when youre impatient like me.

one thing i will say is some of the older DX operators really love getting a physical card and will send you one back no matter what, so if you work someone interesting its kinda worth sending direct with a SAE and some green stamps if its a foreign station. got a really cool card back from a guy in the azores that way, has it on the wall now