ok so ive been licensed about 8 months now and ive been making contacts pretty regularly, mix of HF and some VHF stuff. people keep telling me to upload my log to LoTW and also send QSL cards and someone else mentioned eQSL and honestly im just confused about what actually matters and why there are like three different systems.

i get that QSL cards are the old school paper confirmation thing and they look cool, i already got a few in the mail and yeah i understand the appeal. but do i actually need to be doing ALL of these? like is there a reason to do LoTW AND eQSL, they seem like they do the same thing? and what about people who only accept paper cards, is that still common?

also my logging software (using Log4OM) supposedly exports to both but i havent actually set it up yet because i wasnt sure if its worth the hassle. anyway sorry if this is a dumb question just trying to figure out what the community actually does vs what youre supposed to do

not a dumb question at all, this stuff confused me too when i started. so the short version is they really do serve different purposes even though they overlap.

LoTW is run by the ARRL and its the gold standard for award purposes like DXCC, WAS, that kind of thing. the setup is kind of a pain because you have to get a certificate from the ARRL but once its done its pretty seamless. eQSL is easier to set up and a lot of casual operators use it, but most of the big awards dont accept it, or at least DXCC doesnt. some awards do though so its not totally useless.

paper cards are still very much a thing especially in the DX community. some guys abroad only do paper, and honestly getting a nice QSL in the mail from like a rare island or something still feels pretty special even in 2024. most of the time if youre working DX youll want to send a card anyway, either direct or through a bureau.

id say get LoTW set up first since thats the most useful for awards, then eQSL is easy enough that you might as well. and yeah Log4OM handles both pretty well once you get the certificates sorted out.

yeah what he said about LoTW being important for DXCC is spot on. i will add though that the bureau system for paper cards is super slow — like waiting months sometimes — but its basically free if you dont mind the wait. direct cards cost you a few bucks in postage and sometimes a green stamp for the other station if theyre overseas but you get the card way faster.

honestly i do all three just because different stations prefer different methods and i want the confirmation no matter how it comes. some guys only upload to eQSL, some are LoTW only, some only do paper. if you wanna make sure you get credit for your contacts its kind of worth covering all the bases. once its set up its not much extra work at all really