Path: utzoo!utgpu!CUVMA!SWL-L Date: Tue, 20 Feb 90 13:50:38 EST Reply-To: Ken Greer Sender: Short Wave Listener's List Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was From: Ken Greer Subject: Re: RADIO MOGADISHU QSL-POLICY X-To: swl-l@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: UofToronto LAN redistribution Message-ID: <90Feb21.031626est.57553@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Newsgroups: bitnet.swl-l Distribution: ut Approved: devnull@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu In article <943@kielo.uta.fi> tijoma@uta.fi (Jorma M{ntyl{) writes: >Hey folks, >would you like to PAY for QSLs? Some Finnish DXers have recently >received letters from Radio Mogadishu, Somalia, where this station >announces that if you want to get their QSL you must: >1. send them a tape; >2. pay $50 -- yes, fifty U.S. dollars! Furthermore, Radio Mogadishu >says that they will charge this money from your American Express. >No QSLs if these procedures are not followed! > >Yeah... DXing is becoming an expensive hobby. Are there many who >have received this letter from Radio Mogadishu? Is this a exception >or a new tendency among radio stations in developing countries? > >73 - Jorma Mantyla, Univ. of Tampere, Finland > tijoma@kielo.uta.fi > I saw this same thing in the club bulletin, and it reminds me of an experience I had about 15 years ago. I sent in a reception report to Radio Ghana, and got a QSL, as one would expect. I soon after got a letter from a guy who went on to tell me what a wonderful person I am and how nice a name I have (!?!), etc. At first I thought "well, here's somebody who just wants a penpal". Then, after three or four letters, its suddenly : "I sure would like to work in the US. Would you please be so kind as to help me pay for my travel?" In so many words, he asked me not only to pay for his passage here, but to give him a place to live. He described early on how he got a friend at the radio station to give him the names of US listeners. "They're the ones with all the money. All of them live like kings". At least he was honest about how he got my address. What else could he say? After all, we did not happen to have any mutual friends there in Accra. :^) right. I suspect the R. Mogadishu thing is just another con to rip off people. It may or may not be with the knowledge or consent of the staff or managers. Personally, if its on the level (ie., the managers involved) they had better forget ever getting a reception report from me. You would have to be a complete fool to give them anything other than the standard return postage and cheap trinkets and junk that some listeners send in. The only other explanation is that they don't realize that $50 is a heck of a lot of money to most Americans (to spend on a QSL card). I'll send RP and/or a dollar bill, but $50 ???! No way. I like dx'ing and collecting QSL cards as much as anybody, but they can take their QSL cards and take a long walk off a short pier.