Anatomy of OK1RD's fake C21XF 160m QSL

Fake 160m QSL:

This C21XF "QSL" for 160m which appears on the OK1RD web-site is fake. It is believed that OK1RD has used this fake QSL in order to claim DXCC credit for a 160m QSO with C21XF which never took place. The OK1RD web-site also claims that he has a LoTW confirmation for this non existent 160m QSO. With no such QSO in the C21XF log, there can be no LoTW confirmation.

Yes, Nigel G3TXF was active as C21XF (together with Roger G3SXW as C21SX) at this time, but C21XF was not active on 160m.

Sadly OK1RD appears to have faked a C21XF QSL in order to unfairly claim a credit for C21 Nauru on 160m.

Such fakery discredits the entire ARRL DXCC program.

Discrepancies:

Although the printed label on this fake C21XF QSL appears to be similar to the labels used by G3TXF on his DX-pedition QSLs, it differs in several significant ways:

1. "559" : The RST field on G3TXF's DX-pedition QSLs is hard-printed as "599". There are never "personalised" RST reports, such as the "559" shown here.

2. "Nigel 73 G3TXF" : The small rubber stamp that was used on QSL labels for many years was always with RED ink, never with blue.

3. "Tnx TOP band sked QSO" : there is no "personal comments" field on the G3TXF DX-pedition labels.

4. "Tnx TOP band sked QSO" : G3TXF would not use such poor English style (i.e "TOP band" and not "Top Band").

The QSL text clearly says the operation was "10m-80m", with no mention of 160m.

Source: It is understood that this fake C21XF QSL has been posted on OK1RD's web-site for some while, but it was only first observed by G3TXF in August 2016.

Update (29-Aug-2016):

This web-page was first published on Monday morning 29 August 2016. Following a flurry of E-mail exchanges, the fake C21XF QSL mysteriously disappeared from the OK1RD 160m QSL Gallery web-page on the same day. However the OK1RD web-site still claims that this 160m QSO is confirmed on LoTW. This is not correct. There is no such LoTW-confirmed 160m QSO in the C21XF log.

Update (October 2017):

Is there no end to this "fake C21XF 160m QSL" nonsense? It seems not:

1. In recent weeks there are have been several "fake Spots" for C21XF on 160m.

2. In addition to the original clearly fake C21XF 160m QSL published on OK1RD's web-site (see above), there are now three other equally clearly fake C21XF QSLs supposedly for other callsigns (which have been blanked out).

Sorry, but this is just a complete nonsense.

73 - Nigel G3TXF (ex-C21XF, but who was never on 160m!)


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