Volunteers’ Week profile – Lindsay Pennell, GI3KME

The RSGB QSL Bureau processes more than 1.5 million cards each year, both incoming and outgoing, making it one of the busiest QSL sorting facilities in the world. Lindsay Pennell, GI3KME is one the volunteers who is part of this process, and is the QSL Bureau sub-manager for the G1, G2 and G3G-L groups of call signs.

Volunteering with the QSL bureau seemed to be a natural calling for Lindsay as he is a self-confessed diehard fan of QSL cards himself. He says that handling and distributing cards for all the RSGB members who submit them is a privilege and pleasure. He enjoys seeing QSL cards from stations he may never have a QSO with. Through handling the cards being sent in, he also gets a glimpse into the capabilities of operators who have other strings to their bow, such as CW, or esoteric modes like EME and SSTV.

During his time volunteering, Lindsay has developed virtual friendships with some of his “customers”, which he believes is one of the great traditions of the hobby. These friendships could be formed be through liaising with members for supplies of self-addressed envelopes (SAEs), as well as occasional letters and emails checking on the number of cards and envelopes being held awaiting distribution.

He finds the role both satisfying and enjoyable and is regularly thanked by his customers. Lindsay asks people to keep sending in physical QSL cards, but to make sure they supply an SAE – there is nothing he hates more than having to get rid of them due to a lack of information.

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