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73 Amateur Radio - Free and Open Source Software
73 Amateur Radio - Free and Open Source Software
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I<br />
Ox<br />
ChOd Harris VP2ML<br />
PO Box 4881<br />
Santa Rosa, CA 95402<br />
Antoine Baldeck F6FNU<br />
Controversial aSL Manager<br />
The February, 1989. issue of<br />
Radio , the oHicial publication of<br />
the Aeseau des Emetteurs Francais<br />
(REF, the French equivalent<br />
of the AAAl). contains a notice<br />
that aSL cards coming from a SL<br />
manager F6FNU will not be accepted<br />
for any REF award after<br />
March " 1989. The International<br />
OX Assoc iation has severed all<br />
l ies with F6FNU and asked him 10<br />
slop putting the INDEXA logo on<br />
his QSl cards. And the AARL has<br />
sent a letter to F6FNU concerni ng<br />
his controversial OSl practices.<br />
These steps are particularly significant<br />
because Antoine Baldeck<br />
FSFNU handles a SLs lor about<br />
150 stations, including some very<br />
active OX stations and some stations<br />
in otherwise rare countries.<br />
Among the stations for wh ich<br />
F6FNU handles ca rds are: FRIGI<br />
FH4EC, FTIWA, TR8SA, SW6JX,<br />
5RSJo, 5T5NU , FR4FA, 3B9FR,<br />
and many more, mostly French<br />
overseas operators. Antoine is a<br />
56-year-old grandfather, of Eastern<br />
European descent. He is a retired<br />
engineer from the French<br />
power compa ny and enjoys an<br />
85% pension .<br />
Investigation Beg ins<br />
What has led to the above unprecedented<br />
actions? To find out,<br />
I launched a comprehensive, sixmonth<br />
investigation into Antoine<br />
Baldeck F6FN U and his OSL<br />
management. I re ceived hundreds<br />
01 pages of material on<br />
F6FNU. from hundreds of Dxers<br />
around the world, much of it from<br />
Pierre Essinger F6HIZ (director of<br />
INDEXA), and from F6FNU himself.<br />
The con troversy surrounding<br />
F6FNU's OSL management began<br />
early in 1986, when Antoine<br />
sent a tetter to the French OX<br />
newsletter Les Nouvelles DX<br />
(LNDX) stating that French hams<br />
who wanted a direct OSL card<br />
from Antoine are requested to add<br />
one International Reply Coupon<br />
(IRC) or an additional stamp to<br />
their self-addressed, stamped envelope<br />
(SASE). or FSFNU would<br />
answer via the bureau. (This<br />
88 73Ama /eurRadio . June, 1989<br />
Number32 on your Feedback c.rd<br />
Hams Around the World<br />
would be equivalent to a stateside<br />
manager such as W3HNK refusing<br />
to answer directly a aSL request<br />
with a self-addressed envelope<br />
with a $0.25 stamp!) In other<br />
words, F6FNU asked for money<br />
over and above the cost of return<br />
postage for a direct OSL.<br />
French amateurs were incensed<br />
by this requirement for a<br />
" tip" in addition to postage , an<br />
unprecedented practice. F6AJA,<br />
editor of LNDX, published an editorial<br />
against the demand for<br />
funds in addition to adequate return<br />
postage . F6EYS, president of<br />
the Clipperton OX Club, wrote Antoine:<br />
" I believe that a manager who<br />
c annot break even (including<br />
mailing, printing, etc.j is badly organized.<br />
II one wants to make a<br />
prolit, the explanation is different.<br />
He believes he is engaged in a<br />
trade, he becomes a commercial<br />
manager."<br />
Antoine was quick to delend his<br />
practice of requiring addit ional<br />
funds trom French pxers. He cited<br />
th e expense of printing the<br />
cards, forwarding cards to distant<br />
stations, and helping with customs<br />
duties, spare parts, etc.. all<br />
legitimate expenses for a OSL<br />
manager.<br />
However, three separate leiters<br />
from F6FNU cite another reason<br />
for the demand for additional<br />
funds. In a letter to F6AJA, one of<br />
the reasons given is " the hours<br />
spent " In a letter included with<br />
some aSLs, he says, " The extensive<br />
mail, the time I am spending<br />
t o help them . .. i s not l or<br />
free .. . OSLing takes 5 hours per<br />
day:' And in a letter to me, Antoine<br />
says, " I spent a lot of time<br />
and money on various stations."<br />
These statements from F6FNU<br />
could lead the nxer to think that<br />
Antoine expects payment for the<br />
time spent on OSL chores.<br />
Beyond France<br />
For some time, F6FNU's insis-<br />
renee on funds in addition<br />
to postage affected only French<br />
nxers. But the problem soon<br />
began to impact nxere around<br />
the WOr1d. For example, one US<br />
Dxer sent two IRCs with each of<br />
two OSL requests to FSFNU. AIthough<br />
two IRCs are sumctent for<br />
airmail return to the US, Antoine<br />
returned the cards via "Imprime<br />
Air Mail," at a cost of 3.2 French<br />
francs (about $0.50), a tidy profit .<br />
Another stateside oXer sent three<br />
separate self-ad dre s sed en <br />
vel opes with adequate French<br />
postage for airmail return . A card<br />
came back via the bureau . Antoine<br />
apparently kept the postage .<br />
Another US nxer sent four USS1<br />
and two IRCs for five OSLs. He<br />
received one back via the bureau,<br />
another via Imprime mail, for a<br />
postage cost to F6FNU of $0.50. A<br />
very prominent nxer sent F6FNU<br />
three SAEs with three IRCs each<br />
and received his card back without<br />
postage via a package sent<br />
bulk to me! A local oXer has spent<br />
$20 trying unsuccessfully to get a<br />
card from Antoine. The cards arrived<br />
only alter FSFNU was chastised<br />
lor his aSL practices.<br />
An SWL sent Antoine 10 cards<br />
with 6.3 FFrs and an IRC. Antoine<br />
cut the stamps off the envelope<br />
and returned the cards printed<br />
matter rare for only 3 FFrs, a profit<br />
of more than 6 FFrs. Even French<br />
stations who provide as much as<br />
20 FFrs in addition to postage<br />
have had their ca rds ret urned<br />
unanswered, sometimes covered<br />
with insults.<br />
Lately, Antoine stopped sending<br />
cards even when the US arnateur<br />
included a " greenstamp"<br />
(US $1 bill). Antoine says this is<br />
because USS1 is not enough to<br />
pay tonne airmail postage back to<br />
the US, but a single card in an<br />
airmail envelope can be sent trom<br />
France to the US for 4.8 FFrs, and<br />
USS1 equals 6.2 FFrs. Even with a<br />
10% conversion l ax, Ihe US$l<br />
more than covers the postage.<br />
Antoine refuses 10 answer OSL<br />
requests from foreign nxere who<br />
do not include funds in addition to<br />
airmail return postage . He says.<br />
" Peop l e who send French<br />
stamps, Hi Hi. Never I send to<br />
W3HNK, or W4FRU, WA3HUP an<br />
SAE with $0.45. Th is process<br />
don't agree me. It's good only for<br />
very poor. poor peoples."<br />
a SL via the Bureau?<br />
Many Dxars prefer to OSL via<br />
the worldwide bureau system. Antoine<br />
stales in letters to F6AJA,<br />
"Those who have the real ham<br />
spirit should send all their OSLs<br />
only through the bureau, as it is<br />
my wish," and, " I prefer to receive<br />
the French OSLs via the bureau<br />
as I can take all the time to control<br />
them and to answer them twice a<br />
year via the REF." But later Antoine<br />
writes. "I have resigned<br />
from the REF. Consequently, no<br />
more a SL via the bureau ." Antoine<br />
says Ihat 98% of his French<br />
friends are not members of the<br />
REF and thus cannot receive<br />
cards via the REF bureau. (About<br />
50 % of French amateurs are<br />
members of the REF.)<br />
Many nxers outside 01 France<br />
have received cards from F6FNU<br />
via their own bureau. Antoine<br />
sends cards that he receives without<br />
SAEs (or without adequate<br />
payment in addition to postage) to<br />
various bureaus worl dwide, including<br />
the W2 bureau. These<br />
cards are eventually distributed<br />
via the in-coming bureau system.<br />
How to Get a Card from F6FNU<br />
Despite all the prcerems.<br />
F6FNU does OSL, if you follow his<br />
rules 10 the letter. Thousands 01<br />
nxers around the world have<br />
learned to live with Antoine's rigid<br />
rules and receive their OSLs on a<br />
timely basis.<br />
In fact , more than a dozen OXers<br />
wrote letters to me specifically<br />
defending F6FNU, saying he is a<br />
good OSL manager.<br />
Many stated that by sending<br />
US$2 and an SAE, or sufficient<br />
funds in addition to retu rn<br />
postage, they never had any problem<br />
getting cards from Antoine.<br />
Antoine even sent copies 01 more<br />
than 100 thank you notes he has<br />
received over the years. Obviously,<br />
the majority of amateurs are<br />
willing to accept his rules, in exchange<br />
for their OSL.<br />
To get a card from F6FNU, first<br />
select a good-quality, unaltered<br />
aSL card , with your callsign on<br />
the same side as the report. Then<br />
carefully fill out the card, paying<br />
particular attention not to smudge<br />
or correct any of the information<br />
on the card. regardless of importance.<br />
Any errors will probably<br />
mean you will not get a return<br />
OSL, so if you make a mistake,<br />
don't correct it; start over with a<br />
new card.<br />
Then send the card to Antoi ne<br />
Baldeck F6FNU, B.P. 14, 91291<br />
Arpajon Cedex, France, with a<br />
self-addressed. airmail envelope,<br />
with your country clearly indicated<br />
on the return envelope. Don't try<br />
to use return address stickers to<br />
reduce return postage costs; Antoine<br />
doesn't like them . Don't<br />
send cards lor more than one callsign<br />
in a single envelope. Include<br />
one IRC per request for Europeans,<br />
two IRCs for anyone<br />
else. Don't send French stamps or<br />
foreign currency. (Antoine says<br />
not to send USS1, but he does<br />
OSL if you send US $2, or US $1<br />
with an SASE.)<br />
If you follow these rules, you<br />
have a 90% chance of receiving<br />
your return OSL. Good luck!III