If we had a QSO, I would very much like to receive your paper QSL card as I love to collect them. I will QSL 100% either via the bureau or direct.
Bureau QSLs are sent many times a year either from me or via GlobalQSL. I will also answer any direct requests immediately without delay with very nice colorful stamps from Brazil. For direct requests, an IRC or 2USD are very welcome to help defray postage costs but not mandatory to get a reply from me. Bottom line is, if I got your card you will get mine the same way you sent it to me. SWL reports are also very welcomed.
Some of the QSLs on my collection. My actual QSL cards.
Logs are uploaded to LOTW quite often (sorry, I do not use or update eQSL). However, I sincerely believe there is nothing like sending/receiving a real paper QSL card.
Bitte,الرجاء,МОЛЯ,请,사항, molimo, por favor,SVP,παρακαλώ,kérem,per favore,てください。,proszę,vă rog,пожалуйста,ласка,vänligen,prosím.
PLEASE QSL
Now, a little bit about amateur radio and I.
On the last two years of my BSc on Electrics and Telecommunications Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais I was first licensed as ZZ4RGS (VHF/UHF only) on 2001 at the age of 23 with the help of my elmer Rodrigão, PY4VR. Soon after I passed the CW exam and upgraded to full HF privileges as PY4RGS in 2002. It was the peak of sunspot cycle 21 and the bands were very crowded. I mean, really crowded as I couldn't believe how easily you could work Japan 599 on the other side of the world from Brazil on 15m all day long! I was totally hooked! I was on the air day-and-night until I went abroad in 2005 to study. I became temporarily QRT as I moved together with my wife to the United Kingdom to obtain my MSc in Ceramic Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Upon graduation, I moved to London in 2006 to obtain my PhDfrom Imperial College Londonin Nanotechnology applied to High Temperature Ceramics.
How lucky was I? The period of 2005-2010 just happened to be the bottom of the solar cycle when propagation was for the best part of the day almost dead. I just couldn't wish for better when I came back to Brazil in 2011 when the solar cycle was inching its way towards its peak. Since then I'm having a blast working DX and contests whenever I can and collecting lots of nice QSL cards from all over the world.
I work both CW and SSB and sometimes digital modes from 80 to 6m. I operated for a long time using a trapped vertical antenna with elevated radials and recently (Feb/2012) replaced it by a 80m dipole fed with window line which I can tune from 80 to 15m. For 10m I use a 3 element Yagi by SupperAntenna (YP3) which is supposed to be for portable operations but which is doing just fine since Feb/2012 on top of an old 10m TV tower on the backyard. Most of the time I'm using an ICOM-7700 coupled to a IC-PW1 amplifier and a Heil Pro-Set Plus.
I sincerely hope to meet you again in the future. If you hear me calling CQ don't hesitate to stop by and say hello!
Very best regards and 73s from Rafael Sá, PY4RGS
