QSL procedures:
***************
All the operators have returned home. Carsten DL6LAU arrived at his house to
find several thousand envelopes with QSL cards waiting for him. We are
surprised! Apparently we forgot to explain the new on-line QSL system used for
VP6DX clearly!

* Please do NOT send a paper QSL card! You do NOT need to send a paper QSL
card nor a letter in the mail.
* Go to the website www.vp6dx.com. Click "Online QSL Request" on the left
side menu. Follow the procedures to submit your claimed QSOs.
* After entering your claimed QSOs, you may choose to:
o Receive your cards via the bureau at a later date. No financial
donation to the VP6DX project is required. You are finished. Please do not send
any cards to us.
o Receive your QSLs mailed direct to your home ("premium on-line QSL
request service").
To cover the cost of mailing and other expedition expenses, the premium on-line
QSL request service is available only to people who make a donation of at least US$5 or €3. If you have already made a donation, that's great: just check the
appropriate box on the premium service request page. If you want to make a new
donation, or add to your previous donation, that's great too! Check the
appropriate box, and the website will take you to the donation section. You may
donate on-line (via Paypal/credit card) or by sending a check in the mail; just
follow the website instructions.

By far, the most popular error in using the Paypal donation procedure is
forgetting to enter your callsign. If you use the Paypal system, please remember
to enter your callsign so your donation can be matched to your QSL requests.
Remember: you do NOT need to send a paper QSL card! In fact, a QSL card just
makes everything harder and slower. If you send your QSL request by mail on
paper, someone else (a volunteer) must enter the data into the on-line form for
you. This means your paper mailing will sit in a queue until a volunteer opens
your envelope -- a MUCH slower process. It will be faster if you enter your QSL
request on-line!
Even if you are making a donation by check via the mail, please do not send a
QSL card request with your check. When your donation check has been received and
entered into the database, all your on-line QSL requests will be automatically
processed.
In conclusion: Use the on-line QSL request form... Thank you for your donations
(in every form)... and, especially, thank you for NOT sending a paper QSL card!
Reminder: PLEASE include your callsign with any PayPal donation!

Logbook of the World:
*********************
Information about QSOs with stations who have already donated to the VP6DX
project have been automatically uploaded to the ARRL LOTW server.

As of March 7, 17,142 VP6DX QSOs (almost 10% of the total log) have been
accepted into the ARRL LOTW server and 3260 QSOs have been matched.

Updates to the donor/sponsor list on the website, and LOTW uploads, are done at
least once per week.

For others who do not wish to donate to the VP6DX project, and who request a QSL
via the on-line QSL request website, information about their QSOs will be
uploaded to the ARRL LOTW server at a later date, approximately 9-12 months from
now.

We have received a few email inquiries along the lines of "I donated, but my
LOTW credits are not appearing". We have to research each inquiry by hand, so
please be patient. By far, the most common problem is that the donor did not
include his callsign with his donation.

Missing QSOs:
*************
We have also received some email from people who feel they made a successful
contact with VP6DX, but their QSO is not in the on-line log... or a variation of
their callsign appears in the on-line log.

During the next few weeks the raw log files from each of the logging computers
at Ducie Island will be re-integrated together and checked against the on-line
log. We know some obvious logging errors occurred, and these will be fixed at
that time; for example:

* "OPONK3NA", a mistake by the operator logging on at the start of his
operating shift.
* "W1FJK1XM", two calls entered as one QSO, which could not be quickly
fixed in real-time on the island.

Some of your missing QSOs may be recovered during this review of the logs.

It is also possible your callsign was recorded incorrectly by the operator at
Ducie Island, forming a "busted call". You may receive a QSL for a busted call,
according to these rules:

* You submit an on-line QSL request for the contact; and
* The log contains a QSO at the correct time on the correct band/mode, but
with a callsign which differs from your callsign by ONE character, or by one
transposition; and
* The owner of the "busted callsign" does not submit an on-line QSL request
for the contact within the next 6-9 months.

Example #1: K5NA submits a QSO request for a 160m CW contact on Feb 18/0018z.
The log shows K5AN was worked at that time/band/mode. If K5AN does not make an
on-line QSL request within 6-9 months, then we will assume the VP6DX operator
made a typing error, and K5NA will receive a card.

This analysis requires a manual review of the log by a volunteer.

If you feel a valid QSO is missing, please submit a QSL request using the
on-line QSL request form on the website. If you do not receive a confirmation
within 9 months, you can ask for a busted call check by submitting a new on-line
QSL request and filling in the "comments" part of the form.

Other questions we have received:

* "Can I buy a Ducie Island T-shirt?" Yes - soon!
* "Can I buy a Ducie Island coffee mug?" Umm, OK. Sounds like fun! We'll
get that organized, too.
* "I want a Ducie Island cookbook!" Hmmm... sounds like work!

We would be delighted if DX editors would publish this information as widely as
possible and DXers bring it to the attention of their clubs and fellow DXers.

Highlights:
... Website additions ...
... Sponsors and LOTW updates ...
... QSL card status ...
... /MM-operations ...

1. Website addition: sound files
********************************
The vp6dx.com website has been expanded to include recordings of VP6DX made at
locations around the world. To reach the list of recordings, please click on
"Sounds" in the navigation bar.

We would like to receive additional recordings. If you have a recording of
VP6DX, please send it to
sounds@vp6dx.com

and include the following information:

* location where recording was made
* date
* time (start of recording) in UTC
* band
* description of equipment

Thank you!

2. Website addition: FAQ
************************
Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about QSLs, the on-line log, and
other topics are now available on the vp6dx.com website. To reach the FAQ list,
please click on "FAQ" in the navigation bar.

3. Sponsors and LOTW updates:
*****************************
The list of sponsors on the website is updated about once a week. Similarly,
LOTW confirmations for QSL requests are uploaded to the ARRL LOTW server about
once a week. The most recent upload occurred at 2008 Apr 03 20:00z. As of that
time 14,668 QSOs with 3,061 number different stations were confirmed.

4. QSL cards:
*************
We are completing the design of the QSL card. We expect direct-mail QSL cards to
enter the postal system in late April.
At present the On-line QSL Request database holds requests for 53,602 contacts
with 7,924 stations.

5. /MM-operations
*****************
Some of the team members were active as /mm onboard the Braveheart. Following
members were active as /mm:

* DL3DXX/mm
* DL6FBL/mm
* DL8LAS/mm
* ES5TV/mm
* N5IA/mm
* SP3DOI/mm
* SV1JG/mm
* WA6CDR/mm

QSL cards should be obtained from the individual callsign owners.

Thank you for your interest in the VP6DX project.

We would be delighted if DX editors would publish this information as widely as
possible and DXers bring it to the attention of their clubs and fellow DXers.