Maritimes Scanning Site

Bill's QSL Collection

Last updated April 5, 2008

QSL is radio code for "verification".  It is just one of the many Q codes that are familiar to old time radio operators and to hams in general.   (Other codes include QTH for "location" and QRM for "interference".....there are many of them and most are no longer used) 

This page is not yet completely in operation.  I plan to post all of my QSL's eventually but I do know that will take up a lot of space, but I will gradually work toward that end.   Most are now at least listed and I will upload and activate links over the next few weeks.   I will also be changing the arrangement or the order in which they are presented.

Note:  These QSL's are for reception from various areas in which I have resided.   They may be grouped as follows:  1963 to August 1971, and from throughout 1972,  are from SW British Columbia (and therefore include many from W North America and Pacific).  Those in Sept to Dec 1972 are from St-Jean, Quebec, and those from 1973 onwards are from the Halifax area of Nova Scotia. I have a few QSL's from stations heard from both BC and Quebec or Nova Scotia.     And a general comment that I have heard a lot more stations than I reported to.   I guess I had to be in the right frame of mind to actually write down details and then bother with sending them off.  Now of course I regret not reporting to stations in countries and states that do not appear here in my collection!

(Please also visit my personal radio history page that puts this collection of QSL's into context.)

From the time that radio broadcasting and ham radio began, enthusiasts have been sending reports to stations in the hopes of receiving a QSL or verification of reception.   To some extent these have been partly a service to the station, that might be interested in knowing how the signal is getting out, but more so a means of listeners and operators to have some proof that they really did hear or work a particular station or location.   

QSL's are preferably in the form of a prepared card that the station operator or engineer will fill in with the details and send to the person who sent the report.  Alternatively a station might send out a letter to verify the circumstances.  While a letter can be very interesting, it is not so amenable to collecting and displaying.  In the case of amateur radio operators it is almost always a card, and this will likely be a mutual process, but for listener QSL's it is a reception report that is sent to the station and a QSL card or letter that is sent back.   Many of my cards are ones I prepared myself for signature by the operator.... otherwise many of the station operators would not know what to do, and if lucky, I may have gotten a letter but not a card.   Most broadcasters have or had QSL cards but so did some utility stations as it was quite common to have reports sent in, at least to the more prominent stations.   You will find that many of my QSL's are from obscure stations such as ships and Coast Guard stations.

Radio listeners can and do send reception reports to the complete variety of radio stations.   I myself have sent reports to AM radio, international shortwave broadcasters, TV stations, Ships, Coast Stations, Military, lighthouses, Aeronautical ground stations, and even to a hovercraft.   Others have sent them to aircraft stations, public service stations, FM broadcasters, radiobeacon operators, and anything else you can think of.

The sending of reception reports to and collecting of QSL's from broadcasting stations was formerly very common, when people listened to radio a lot, prior to television and the internet.   Today, only radio enthusiasts like you who are reading this, would even think of such as thing, and likely, most who read this are not that interested in broadcast listening.    Reports to broadcasters now have little or no value to those stations and they are not really proof of listening, due to the widespread use of on-line webcasts.   In fact I have not sent a reception report in many years, even when I hear stations from far away.   One exception is a station in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on 920 kHz that I heard when local CJCH was briefly off the air.  I had the old thrill when I hear it, and sent a report off, but I never heard back from them.

My first QSL card was I think from a ham that lived very close to me on Vancouver Island.  Obviously my report was of no value to him, but he sent me a card and nice comment, and he went on to inspire me in my radio hobbies.  

I then went on to listen on the standard AM broadcast band, and from my location in British Columbia heard stations from throughout Western Canada and United States and from across the continent.   This list includes some from my early days in 1963 and 1964 plus some from much later.  You can see how my interest ebbed and flowed.

 

My listening and reports after that first season were a mixed bag over the years.  I did do a lot of listening on the 2 MHz marine band and picked up quite a few QSL's from coast stations and from ships.  Here are selected coast stations including US Coast Guard, US Army in Alaska, Commercial Marine Operators (telephone service), and Canadian marine radio stations.   Starting with US Coast Guard here they are.  By the way, most of the 3 letter Coast Guard stations are now either gone completely or are downgraded from Radio Stations... I think there are only 3 or 4 left in 2008.

US Coast Guard (3 letter are mostly Radio Stns or Air Stations.  Others are stations, light stations or LORAN stations)   I had a campaign to get all the existing 3 letter stations.  The NMx ones missing are NMD and NMH.  The NOx series are more obscure but there are a few that I should have gone after but either did not hear or did not try.  Now they are gone! Other 2 MHz Coast Stns (Canadian, Marine Operators, US Army Alaska, Weather Service Alaska, etc.)
NMA Miami, Dec 65
NMB Charleston, Oct 71
NMC San Francisco, May 71
NMC11 Humboldt Bay, CA, Jan 72
NMD2 Cleveland Hbr, Oct 71
NMD4 Oswego, NY, Sep 71
NMD7 Rochester, NY, Dec 71
NMD12 Fairport, OH, Oct 71
NMD13 Lorain, OH, Oct 71
NMD22 Port Huron, MI, Oct 71
NMD24 East Tawas, MI, Oct 71
NMD29 Ashtabula, OH, Oct 71
NMD34 Charlevoix, MI, Nov 71
NMD35 Alexandria Bay, NY  Nov 71
NMD40 Manistee, MI, Jan 72
NMD47 Buffalo, NY  Sept 71
 NMF Boston, Dec 65
NMF2 Woods Hole, MA, Oct 71
NMF6 Chatham, MA, Oct 71
NMF7 Boston Group Office, Nov 71
NMF13 Gloucester, MA, Nov 71
NMF14 Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, Nov 71
NMF18 Portsmouth, NH, Dec 71
NMF21 Castle Hill, RI, Dec 71
NMF28 Seguin I Light, Maine, Nov 71
NMF30 Boothbay Hbr, ME, Nov 71
NMF31 Portland ME Group Office, Nov 71
NMG New Orleans, May 71
NMJ, Ketchikan, AK, Dec 65
NMJ1 Juneau, AK, Jan 72
 NMJ18, Biorka I., AK Loran Stn, May 71
 NMK Cape May, New Jersey
NMK3 Atlantic City, NJ, Nov 71
NMK21 Indian River, DE, Nov 71
 NML, St Louis Missouri, Dec 65
NMN Portsmouth, Sep 71
NMN12 Cape Lookout, NC, Nov 71
NMN35 Crisfield, MD, Nov 71
NMN37 Fort Macon, NC, Sept 71
NMN76 Wrightsville Bch, NC Nov 71
NMN77 Ocean City MD Nov 7`1
NMN85 Little Creek, Virginia, Nov 71
 NMO Honolulu, May 71
NMP Northbrook, Illinois, Dec 65
NMQ Long Beach, May 71 (hrd in BC)
NMQ Long Bch, Dec 71 (hrd in Quebec)
NMP2 Michigan City, Indiana, Oct 71
NMP11 Sheboygan, WIS, Jan 72
NMP12 Two Rivers, WIS, Nov 71
NMP14 Sturgeon Bay, WIS Nov 71
NMR San Juan, PR, Oct 71
NMV Jacksonville Bch, Oct 71
 NMW Westport, WA, Apr 65
NMW18 Grays Hbr, WA Mar 72
NMW43 Seattle Group Office, May 71
NMW51 Astoria Group Office, OR Mar 72
NMX Baltimore, MD Sept 71
NMY East Moriches (NY), NY Nov 71
NMY12 New London, CT Dec 71
NMY45 Fire Island NY, Oct 71
NMY46 Atlantic Beach, NY, Oct 71
NMY51 Rockaway NY Group Office, Dec 71
NMY53 Shark River, NJ, Nov 71
NOF St Petersburg, Dec 65
NOG Sault Ste Marie, MI, Nov 71
NOG5 Marquette, MI, Dec 71
 NOG14 Duluth, MN, Nov 71
NOG15 North Superior, WI, Jan 72
NOJ Kodiak, Alaska, Apr 71
NOR San Diego, Mar 72
NOU Annette I Air Stn, Apr 72
NOW Port Angeles, WS Air Stn, May 71
NOY Galveston, Nov 71 (from Quebec)
NOY Galveston, Apr 65
Ambrose Light Station, Oct 71

Listed but no link, or link not working...  updates and fixes coming soon...  along with more QSL's

 
KGD58 US Weather Service, Annette AK May 71
VBA Thunder Bay Marine Radio, May 71
VAF Alert Bay Marine Radio, Dec 65
VAG Bull Harbour Marine Radio, Jun 66
 VAI Vancouver Marine Radio, May 66
VAM Cape St. James Light Station, Mar 65
VAP Churchill Marine Aeradio, Apr 71
VBG Toronto Marine Radio, Oct 65


WFS Detroit Marine Operator, Dec 71
WFV Port Huron Marine Operator, Dec 71
WBL Buffalo Marine Operator, Dec 71
WLC Rogers City, MI, Marine Operator
WAS Duluth Marine Operator
KOW Seattle Marine Operator
WAX, Ojus, Florida (MO)
WAY, Lake Bluff, Illinois, Jan 72 (MO)


 

More to come

And here are some selected ships including the royal yacht Britannia (May 1971), and also heard on this band, a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft May 71

 

I also listened to international short wave broadcasting, and here are some of my QSL's:   

 

Along the way I reported to a few miscellaneous HF utility stations such as long distance high seas type coast stations, including  a few from the US Navy and other agencies, as well as aeronautical ground stations:

 

Miscellaneous other QSL's