Easy QSL Documentation

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Quick Start
  3. Main Window
  4. General Settings
  5. Layout Settings
  6. Printing


Introduction

Easy QSL is an application designed specifically for filling up paper QSL cards using a printer. It can load an ADIF log file and print the QSL cards with data for each selected QSO. All you have to do is design a Layout appropriate for your own QSL card, load the log file and hit Print.

Some of the main features are:

  • Supports ADIF import and export
  • Supports either single card printing, or batch printing for multiple QSOs
  • Simple Layout editor
  • Displays a simple Band/Mode QSL Chart, showing which bands/modes are worked/confirmed for a DXCC entity
  • Uses QRZ.com to get more information about the worked callsigns (requires a QRZ.com subscription; see this page)
  • Available in English and Romanian languages (if you would like to help with the translation in your language, contact me)
  • Its Free!

Quick Start

  1. First, you should install Easy QSL, if you haven’t already done so. Download it from here, and run the Setup. This should be straight forward, so I won’t go into any details;
  2. Open Easy QSL – obviously;
  3. Create your Layout. Go to Settings -> Layout Settings, or click on the button on the toolbar:Load your log file, by going to File -> Load ADIF, or by clicking the button on the toolbar;
    • Click on New, type the name of your Layout, and press Enter or click OK;
    • Set the size of your QSL card, in landscape mode (the longer side is the Width);
    • Add the items you want to appear on the printed QSL;
    • Select an added item and set its position and size;
    • Check your design in the Preview section;
    • When you’re happy with the design, accept the changes by clicking OK;
  4. Load your log file, by going to File -> Load ADIF, or by clicking the button on the toolbar;
  5. In the lower pane, select the QSO (for multiple selection, hold Ctrl while clicking) you want to print a QSL for;
  6. Click the Print button in the toolbar;
  7. In the dialog that appears, select the printer you want to use, click Preferences and set the paper size to the same size as the QSL size you’ve set earlier in Layout Settings. Make sure Landscape mode is selected and click OK to accept the changes;
  8. If you haven’t done so already, put the QSL cards in your printer’s tray;
  9. Click Print, and you’re done;
  10. Easy QSL will mark the “QSL Sent” field of the selected QSOs as “Y”;
  11. You can now save the changes by using one of the options in the File menu, or the buttons on the toolbar. If you forget to save the changes, you will be prompted to do so when you close the application.

Note: Step 3 above is only necessary when you first design your Layout. Once you click OK, the Layout is saved and it can be used for other QSLs in the future.


Main Window

Main Window

Main Window

The main window shows the QSOs in the lower side, while the upper side is divided into three sections:

  • Band/Mode QSL Chart

When a QSO is selected in the log, this chart shows what modes and in what bands have been worked and/or confirmed for that particular DXCC entity.

  • QSO Details

Additional QSO information is displayed in this section. These fields are read-only.

  • QRZ

For the selected QSO, the QRZ.com information is displayed here. These fields are read-only. Note: this feature uses the QRZ.com authentication data provided in the General Settings dialog (see below).


General Settings

QRZ.com Settings

QRZ.com Settings

You can use the General Settings dialog to change basic functionality of Easy QSL.

 

  • General

Choose whether to automatically check if a new version of Easy QSL is available, and whether to make a backup copy of the log file before saving it. The backup copies will be in the user’s Documents directory. For example, on Windows 7, if the username is “bogdan”, the backup files destination will be C:\Users\bogdan\Documents\Easy QSL (assuming that Windows is installed on C:, of course).

  • My Station

Information about the logging station can be set here. For example, if the logging station has made some QSOs from a portable location, but the log does not contain the logging station’s callsign, you can set the callsign, including the /P suffix in this window. When printing the QSLs, the application will try to extract the suffix from the logging station’s callsign in the ADIF file. If it finds no callsign, it falls back to using the value set in this window. If the current Layout contains a /P item (it can be either a check mark, or an ellipse), that item will be printed on the QSL card.

  • QRZ.com

If you want, you can use QRZ.com to get additional information about the callsign in the selected QSO. That requires a subscription to the QRZ.com XML service. Fill in your username and password and click OK.


Layout Settings

This is where you set what you want to appear on the QSL card after printing. You can drag the items you want to use from the left-side list onto the preview. The position for each item can be set by dragging it or by clicking on it and setting the X and Y coordinates above the preview. The other options (size, color, format) can be set by clicking on the item and using the controls above the preview. Note: the rectangles surrounding each item will not actually be printed on the card. They are only displayed on the preview, to aid in setting the proper size for the items.

The position, size and color can be set for all types of items. Some types, however, have additional settings. For instance, QSL PSE and QSL TNX can be set to appear as either a check mark, or an ellipse, depending on the way your QSL card is designed. The Date and Time have selectable formats (for example: YYYY/MM/DD, YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, Mon DD, YYYY, HH:MM, HH:MM:SS etc.).

Not all items will be printed on every card. Some of them, such as the suffixes /P, /M, /AM, /MM, will only be printed if the callsign of the logging station ends with the respective suffix. Also, QSL PSE will only be printed if a QSL card has not been received for a given QSO. The reverse is true for QSL TNX.


Printing

At this point, you should already have your Layout configured. If not, see Layout Settings above.

  • Start by loading a log file. Go to File -> Load ADIF, or use the button on the toolbar:toolbar1
  • Select one or more QSOs (hold down the Ctrl key for multiple selection);
  • Click the Print button on the toolbar:toolbar2
  • In the dialog that appears, select the printer you want to use, click Preferences:print1
  • Set the paper size to the same size as the QSL size you’ve set earlier in Layout Settings. Make sure Landscape mode is selected and click OK to accept the changes:printing_preferences1
  • If you haven’t done so already, put the QSL cards in your printer’s tray;
  • Click Print, and you’re done.