RetroQSL's by K9WIS
When I was first exposed to ham radio over 40 Years ago I thought one
of the coolest things about the hobby the collection of QSL's cards I
saw displayed on the wall in the ham shack that was set up by our
high school radio club. The guys would get together after school and
dig through the pile of QSL cards that the school secretary dropped off at the shack sometime during the school day.
For my 40th anniversary in ham radio I thought I would resurrect my old
novice QSL. The call and QTH has changed a few times since those days,
so I thought I would update it and get a bunch printed. Unfortunately that
printer has long since retired and closed shop. So I decided to take
today's technology and restore it and update it. The results were
impressive.
A friend saw my effort and wondered if I could restore and update the
old QSL card his dad used to use. He had inherited his dad's call when
he became a silent key and thought it would be cool to keep the card
going too.
A new side hobby was born.
Over my tenure as a ham I've seen all sorts of cards, some hand made,
others commercially printed. Lots of designs have come and gone. I've uncovered old designs back
from the 1930's to the 1960's. What I consider the golden era of QSL
cards and restored the designs so they can be used again. I get all nostalgic when I see my call on an old card from 1937.
What I do is scan the card into a TIF file and using GIMP I clean
up all the foxing and tears and discoloration. I also spend a bit of
time erasing any writing on the card so it is as blank as the day it
was printed. The end result of my effort is a .doc file that has 4
images on it that I can print on my own printer as I need them or take
the file to
Office Depot or a similar store have them print it if I need a bunch.
As I clean them up I create templates that I can easily modify, and if
someone sees a design they like, I can quickly create a retroCard with
personalized information.
If you have a card you would like me to restore, send me a high quality scan of the card and I'll work it over for you.
If you dont have a scanner, send me the card and I can scan it in.
Or Check out my collection and if you see one you like let me know I can customize it with your information.
I'll deliver the .doc file that is layed so you can get 4 cards to a 1.4 x 11 sheet of card stock via email.
All I ask in return is a donation to pay for the Starbucks coffee I'll be drinking as I work on your card.
[Back]