                           HOW TO SEND FOR QSL CARDS

QSL cards are postcards,  often colorfully  printed, sent  out by  shortwave
stations verifying reception of their signal.   A QSL  card is a    sort  of
"thank you" sent by  the station to  a listener for giving information about
how well the  signal is being  received, and  for showing interest  in   the
programs.  Many SWL's (Short Wave Listeners) collect them in albums.

To request a  QSL card from a   station, identify  the program listened  to,
giving a few details of its content for verification, the  time (in UTC) and
its  frequency.   Also include a SINPO report  (see below).   There are many
books available listing the addresses  of international short wave stations,
such as PASSPORT  TO   WORLD BAND  RADIO   and WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK  (see
BIBLIO.TXT), and many   times  the   stations themselves  broadcast    their
addresses. Addresses of a few of the better known stations are given  at the
end of this   file.   Sending an  International Reply Coupon (IRC) with your
request will usually expedite a  reply and is a  courtesy always appreciated
by the staff   of   an underfunded radio  station  in   a poorer country. Be
patient. It may take  months   to  get your QSL cards. Some stations may not
respond to your requests, but many will.



                                   UTC

The international broadcasting  community   keeps  time  by  a   universally
accepted standard system,  independent of local time   zones.   It  was once
called Greenwich Mean  Time  (GMT), but has  since    been renamed Universal
Coordinated Time (UTC).   The initials are from the French  version of same,
Universel Temps Coordin.

To calculate UTC, add 5 hours to EST. Add one extra  hour for each additonal
time zome westward (for example, 6 hrs. for CST, etc.). Subtract one hour if
you are using Daylight Savings time.



                               THE "SINPO" SYSTEM


The SINPO system  is the internationally accepted  method of making reception
reports when writing in for QSL cards.  SINPO is, of course, an acronym.

S = Signal strength
I = Interference level
N = Noise level
P = Propagation [how often the received signal oscillates]
O = Overall sound quality

For each of the above categories,  report signal quality rated from 1 to 5 as
follows.

5 = excellent
4 = very good
3 = acceptable
2 = poor
1 = terrible

The category 'O',  or overall  sound quality is a summary of the other four,
but the rating for it may not exceed  the lowest of the 'I' and 'N' category
ratings.  For example, if S=5, I=3, N=2, P=5, then O may not be greater than
2.


The information contained in SINPO reports from listeners  helps   broadcast
engineers at the station determine how  well  the signal is  received in the
intended listening area.  They   then  decide  whether  to change  broadcast
times, increase or decrease signal strength or modulation, etc.



      MAILING ADDRESSES OF SELECTED INTERNATIONAL SHORTWAVE STATIONS

       [Write to them for QSL cards and English Language schedules]


BBC World Service
Bush House
London WC2B 4PH
England

Deutsche Welle
Raderberggrtel 50
P.O. Box 10 04 44
D-5000 Kln 1
Germany

Radio Austria International
A-1136 Vienna
Austria

Radio Canada International
P.O. Box 6000
Montreal, Canada H3C 3A8

Radio France Internationale (RFI)
B.P. 9516
F-75016
Paris
France

Radio Japan
Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK)
2-2-1 Jinnan
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
Japan

Radio Nederland
English Section
PO Box 222
Hilversum, Netherlands 1200JG
[responds quickly to QSL requests]

Radio Moscow
Moscow, Russia

Radio Nacional de Espaa (Spanish National Radio)
Casa de la Radio
Prado del Rey
28023 Madrid
Spain

Swiss Radio International
P.O. Box CH-3000
Berne 15, Switzerland

Voice of America 
330 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20547

Voice of Free China (Taiwan)
P.O. Box 24-38
Taipei
Taiwan, Republic of China
[responds quickly to QSL requests]
