> Verifing reception is part of a state broadcaster's responsibility -- it is > part of domenstrating that the state is still properly functioning.
This can't be serious. It's like being in a time warp. I remember even genial George Wood getting angry when someone made that point at an EDXC Conference many years ago. I thought such attitudes had been well and truly removed from the hobby. First of all, we are not state broadcasters. We are public broadcasters. Secondly, international broadcasters are not on the air for the gratification of people who are only interested in their technical operations. QSL cards were, in the past, sent out as a way of saying thanks because the broadcasters relied on reception reports to determine how well their transmissions were being received. Those days are long gone. Most broadcasters can check reception themselves via remotely operated receivers, or monitor each other's broadcasts on a professional level. The world has moved on, but some DXers' attitudes apparently haven't :-( Many international broadcasters continue to send out QSL cards as a public relations exercise. That's all it is - not a duty or a responsibility. Radio Netherlands is still threatened with further massive budget cuts. Do you imagine that QSL cards are high on the list of priorities? I have personal friends who have lost their jobs. Can I tell them, "never mind, at least we can still afford to send out postcards to DXers in Vladivostok" ? I think instead of pontificating in this group, which is supposed to be (or at least was originally) for people who have some understanding of the subject, time would be better spent learning the basics. Our feature Writing Useful Reception Reports at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/practical/html/receptionreports.html was written some years ago, but is still highly relevant. It also sets out Radio Netherlands' attitude to sending out QSL cards. Andy Sennitt Radio Netherlands ---[Start Commercial]--------------------- World Radio TV Handbook 2004 is coming out! Preorder yours now! Only $20.97 through us. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823059685/hardcoredxcom ---[End Commercial]----------------------- ________________________________________ Hard-Core-DX mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://dallas.hard-core-dx.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx http://www.hard-core-dx.com/ _______________________________________________ THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt
