When two ham operators made contact, they sent each other postcards. Here’s my late Grandpa’s stash of QSL cards from the people he met around the world.

After my mom, aunt, and uncle went to bed, my grandpa would sneak off into the boiler room and begin to broadcast. For a couple of hours, he’d stop being Lyle Stanway and become VE3LHS, broadcasting from Toronto, Ontario.

I went up to Toronto shortly before he passed away, and while cleaning out the radio room, I found a box of QSL cards. These are postcards, exchanged between stations to prove contact and share radio information. Some are professional and businesslike, but most aren’t.

They’re literally the calling cards of my grandpa’s peers, the only remnants of the hundreds of people he reached, and the thousands of hours he spent, as he practiced his hobby.

Most last names, addresses, and phone numbers are blacked out for privacy. If you spot PII that made it through, let me know and I’ll remove it.