QSL cards: STF Radio International sets a benchmark

STF-Radio-International-Front-QSL-001

[STF Radio QSL card front (above) back (below). Original scans by Steve Yothment]

STF-Radio-International-Back-QSL-001

SWLing Post reader, Steve Yothment (WD0HGB), writes:

“I received an “audio QSL” card from STF Radio International a few days ago. Have you heard about it? [The QSL] actually has grooves on the card that you can play on a phonograph. I had a friend play the audio on his phonograph and he converted the audio to MP3 format. Then, I decoded the digital info in the file.”

Click here to download or listen below:

DigitalDecode-STFRadio

Steve decoded the digital data from the audio QSL card and documented the contents on a PDF document.  Click here to download.

Steve: this is brilliant!  Thank you not only for sharing the QSL card images, but for the audio and your excellent documentation of the digital decode!

Readers: What’s the most interesting QSL card you’ve ever received?

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8 thoughts on “QSL cards: STF Radio International sets a benchmark

  1. Ken Carr

    I received my favorite QSL card many years ago as a result of a random contact. I was just starting out in ham radio when I logged a QSO with a ham from Montana. I was thrilled because I knew how sparsely populated the state was. I once lived there for 8 weeks while studying at the biological station on Flathead Lake. The very friendly and helpful ham from Montana was Bob Leo, W7LR. I promptly sent him a card and soon thereafter received one from Bob. Years later I was reading an article in QST. It was about a massive Dxpedition of the 1930’s sponsored in part by Hallicrafters. Hams from all over the country competed for the two coveted positions on what was called the Gatti Expedition. One of the hams chosen was Bob Leo!
    A photo of the card superimposed on the QST article along with more details are found on my Flickr site:http://bit.ly/1sxnL06

    Reply
      1. Ken Carr

        Thomas,.. you bet, go ahead.
        I have an even better story that once appeared in the YL section of QST. You might get a kick out out of it. I may post it as a blog someday. It involves one of the first ever YL hams.

        Reply
  2. Ed McCorry

    I also received the QSL from STF. Thanks for decoding it for us. Probably the most interesting and cherished QSL’s I have are from the Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center for the launch of the first Space Shuttle “Columbia” event on April 12, 1981. They are full size 8×10 certificates.

    Reply

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