"Drink" wrote in message
...
Can you give a very brief overview of how the IRC works for us?
o_o_o_o
Best Regards, /| ,[_____],
Jim, WP3JQ |¯¯¯L --O|||||||O-
()_)¯ ()_)¯¯¯¯¯)_)
EM60qk 30.447439N 086.628959W



If you receive an IRC, simply take it to any post office and buy sufficient
postage to reply to the QSL. Usually one IRC will buy enough postage to
send mail to any foreign country.

If you want to send someone an IRC, find a post office that has them on hand
(not all do) or get them off the internet. Enclose it in an envelope with
your QSL, a self-addressed envelope, and then send it to the foreign ham
whose card you want.

The reason that IRCs are necessary is that outgoing mail in any country must
use the stamps of that country. So it does no good to send a foreign ham a
stamped, self-addressed envelope unless you put on stamps from his country.
He simply can't use US stamps just as we can't use foreign stamps to mail
things here. So enter the IRC. It is accepted by all members of the
International Postal Union as a means to buy stamps. So an IRC plus
self-addressed envelope is the functional equivalent of the SASE for
international purposes.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE