LARU LX QSL Bureau

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the LARU LX QSL Bureau founded? As far as I know there has been a QSL bureau in Luxembourg for years.

The LARU LX QSL Bureau was founded for 2 reasons.

First reason: QSL OUT. Many amateur radio operator in LX are not a member of those other bureaus but they want to send their QSL cards via bureau to other worldwide QSL bureaus. This is possible via the LARU LX QSL Bureau free of charge.

Second reason: QSL IN. The LARU LX QSL Bureau is based on absolute hamspirit and does not hinder the free circulation of QSL cards. A free access to the incoming cards is always granted to every amateur radio operator in Luxembourg. Have a look at the following schematic to understand how the QSL IN works when sending cards to the LARU LX QSL Bureau:

Nice isn't it? Cards actually can reach the recipient! Isn't that what QSLL is about?

I heard that cards which are sent to the LARU LX QSL Bureau are lost and will not reach their recipient. Is that true?

No, that is not true. Have a look at the above paragraph and picture to understand that all the cards sent to the LARU LX QSL Bureau will indeed reach their recipient. That's the purpose of the LARU LX QSL Bureau: providing a QSL bureau in LX which does not hinder the free circulation of QSL cards. What you heard are probably lies being spread in order to defame the LARU LX QSL Bureau.

I heard that cards which are sent to the LARU LX QSL Bureau will reach their recipient with very long and unnecessary delays. Is that true?

No, that is not true. A free and fast access is always granted to the addressee by the LARU LX QSL Bureau. As soon as cards are received, they are either forwarded free of charge to the addressee or the addressee is informed in order to arrange a handover of the cards. That operation takes a week at most. Is that an unnecessary delay? No, it is a normal operation in the distribution of QSL cards.

I heard that the LARU LX QSL Bureau is a "pirate" bureau. Is that true?

No, that is not true. The answer is simple. When speaking about "pirate" radio, we are dealing with non-licenced radio operators operating on non-licenced frequencies. The LARU LX QSL Bureau favours the exchange of amateur radio QSL cards. It is operated by the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union, an association promoting amateur radio in Luxembourg. So that bureau is all about amateur radio. The cards forwarded by the LARU LX QSL Bureau are cards of licenced amateur radio operators, operating on licenced frequencies. So what you heard are probably (again) lies being spread in order to defame the LARU LX QSL Bureau.

I also heard that the LARU LX QSL Bureau is operated by a "self-declared" association in Luxembourg. What can you tell me about that?

The LARU LX QSL Bureau is operated by the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union asbl. The Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union is indeed a self declared association. What's maybe interesting to know is that in Luxembourg, a democratic country, people are free to declare associations. There are even laws regulating how associations are founded and declared. What may also be interesting is, that in Luxembourg, all associations, not only associations dealing with amateur radio but all, are "self-declared". These associations are called "association sans but lucratif" (french, abbreviated asbl.) which means "association without financial goal". All the amateur radio associations in LX are of this type. Associations declared by some higher force do not exist in Luxembourg.

Is the LARU LX QSL Bureau an official QSL bureau?

The LARU LX QSL Bureau is indeed an official QSL bureau. It is operated by the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union asbl. which is an association representing the interests of amateur radio operators in Luxembourg and in the world. One of the value pillars of the LARU is promoting the exchange of QSL cards. This exchange is based on absolute hamspirit which entitles the LARU LX QSL Bureau to be an offical QSL bureau within the worldwide ham community.

Do I have to be a member of the LARU LX QSL Bureau in order to RECEIVE my cards from the worldwide QSL bureaus? (QSL IN)

No, you don't have to member to be a member of the LARU LX QSL Bureau in order to get your QSL cards. Every LX amateur radio operator gets free access to his QSL cards received by the bureau.

Do I have to pay a fee in order to get my cards?

No, you don't have to pay a fee in order to get your cards. Cards are always made available free of charge.

Why don't you charge fees for the QSL IN as other QSL Bureaus do?

The LARU LX QSL Bureau gets QSL cards free of charge from other QSL bureaus. Cards simply appear in our PO Box. Those who operate the bureau are volunteers who are not paid for their job. That's why we don't charge fees, because we don't have any costs involved.

But isn't it then a nonsense to charge fees for the QSL IN?

Sure it is!

Why then do other QSL Bureaus charge fees for the QSL IN?

Don't ask us, ask them!

A card I sent to a foreign ham via bureau was returned to me stamped with NOT MEMBER. What does that mean?

The ham you adressed that card to never received your card. The reason is that the QSL bureau in that ham's country refused to forward your card to him, because that ham didn't give money to that QSL bureau for his QSL IN cards. Just imagine your postman asking money at your door for handing out your mail to you ... . Yes that's unfortunately how the majority of the worldwide QSL bureaus do work!

Does the LARU LX QSL Bureau stamp and return QSL cards with NOT MEMBER?

No we don't do that because our philosophy is to support a working QSL bureau system based on true hamspirit where cards are indeed delivered to the recipient.

I recently heard, that all what's written here are lies. Is that true?

No that is not true. What you heard are probably (again) lies being spread (by amateur radio operators) in order to defame the LARU LX QSL Bureau. Those people seem to have some serious problems with the fact that some of us seem to bother what QSLL and hamspirit is about.

I live outside of Luxembourg and want to support the LARU LX QSL Bureau. What can I do?

You can either send your QSL cards for Luxembourg directly to the LARU LX QSL Bureau or you can persuade your club or society to stop sending the QSL cards for Luxembourg to that other QSL Bureau in LX and to start sending QSL cards for Luxembourg exclusively to the LARU LX QSL Bureau. The address of the LARU LX QSL Bureau is:

Now tell me: how can I get my cards?

Well, don't bother too much. When there are cards for you, you will absolutely get them. If we know you in person, we will certainly give you your cards personally when we meet. If we know where you live and someone of our volunteers is in the neighbourhood, we will either ring your bell, or you will find your cards in your letter box. There is also the possibility that we will send your cards by mail. We can also arrange a meeting, either at a club activity or somwhere else. Just drop us an email if you have any special wishes. If you have any concerns, just drop us an email too.

Do I have to be a member of the LARU LX QSL Bureau in order to SEND my cards to the worldwide QSL bureaus? (QSL OUT)

Yes, you have to be a member of the LARU LX QSL Bureau in order to take profit of the QSL OUT of the bureau. You can become a member of the QSL OUT bureau by becoming a member of the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union (LARU).

Why do I have to be a member of the LARU in order to take profit of the QSL OUT of the LARU LX QSL Bureau?

The LARU operates the LARU LX QSL OUT Bureau. This is involved with postage costs which have to be founded. This is done by your LARU membership.

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