The following is a press release from QSL Shack:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
QSL Shack Launches Free Social Network for Ham Radio Operators & Enthusiasts
Free lifetime logbook for every callsign with QRZ and Logbook of the World integration, automatic QSO confirmation, digital QSL cards, and more, all inside a full social platform for the amateur radio community
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., November 1, 2026 - QSL Shack (qslshack.com), a social platform built exclusively for the amateur radio community, today opened to the public following a beta period that began in August. The service is free, requires no credit card, and welcomes licensed operators and those still studying for their license.
Amateur radio operators have long kept their digital presence spread across logging services, forums, club websites and general-purpose social networks. QSL Shack brings those pieces into one place. Members keep their logbooks, confirm contacts, exchange QSL cards, join clubs, follow events and talk with each other on a single site designed around how hams actually operate.
The sign-up process is quick and easy. Operators simply enter a callsign, and QSL Shack fills in the rest from public license databases and connected logbooks for the member to review. From there, a guided setup process will let them add their first location and logbook, and they system provides default QSL and Courtesy Cards that can be customized by the users. Operators outside the United States complete the same guided setup, supplying any information the lookup cannot provide. Non-licensed users and advertisers may sign up with only a screen name and, while the logbooks and QSL Cards are reserved for licensed operators, are provided a Courtesy Card that may be customized and sent to other members.
Each member has a public “Board” where they can choose to display the QSL and Courtesy Cards received by other members.
What QSL Shack Does
A free lifetime logbook for every callsign. Members log contacts with date, time, frequency, band, mode and signal report, by hand, by ADIF import, or directly from QRZ and Logbook of the World. A log can be searched, filtered and exported as ADIF at any time. The log belongs to the operator and leaves the way it came.
Automatic QSO matching and certification. When both operators log the same contact, QSL Shack pairs the two entries on its own, with no request to approve and nothing to mail. Each confirmed contact receives a certificate number shared by both operators, a printable certificate, and a public web address where anyone can verify it. Once confirmed, the record is locked so every printed copy stays true. The distance between the two stations is recalculated from both operators' actual positions.
Free digital QSL cards, exchanged automatically. Members design a card for each callsign using their own artwork or a built-in library of public-domain images. When a contact confirms, each operator's card is posted to the other's board, the digital equivalent of the shack wall. A member who has not designed a card yet still sends a default card, so no contact is held up. Courtesy Cards carry on the tradition for hamfest meetings, club members and online friends where no radio contact took place.
QRZ and Logbook of the World integration. Members connect their QRZ logbook to bring contacts in and send them back out, with disagreements listed rather than silently overwritten. Logbook of the World connections bring in a member's full LoTW history, then check for new contacts and confirmations every four hours. Members can store their ARRL Callsign Certificate encrypted under a passphrase only they hold, and send contacts to LoTW signed with ARRL's TQSL software. Anything an integration cannot process appears on an Exception Report with the reason and a path to fix it.
A full social platform. QSL Shack includes a feed for posts and photos, real-time direct messaging, and an events calendar for hamfests, contests, exam sessions and special event stations. More than 14,000 club and group pages are already listed from public club records, so many local clubs will find a page waiting. A club's trustee or authorized representative can claim its page and manage membership.
Recognition for helping others. Members earn reputation points for mentoring newcomers and answering technical questions. The Elmer Board ranks the community's most trusted voices.
License renewal reminders and daily news. QSL Shack tracks each member's license expiration and sends reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days. A daily ham radio news feed keeps members current. Anyone can look up a callsign on the site without an account.
"Ham radio was social media before social media even existed," said Jonathan Castleman, KN4DZD, founder of QSL Shack. "Operators have always logged contacts, traded cards, joined clubs and helped each other learn. QSL Shack enables all of that, and more, in one place using 21st century tools; plus, it integrates with the logbooks hams already use, and costs nothing."
Availability
QSL Shack is available now at qslshack.com. Membership is free, with no credit card required. Operators can claim their callsign at qslshack.com/register. Setup guides for every feature are in the Support Center at qslshack.com/support.
About QSL Shack
QSL Shack is a free social platform for the amateur radio community, combining logbooks, automatic QSO confirmation & certification, digital QSL cards, QRZ and Logbook of the World integration, clubs, events, posts, friends network, direct messaging, and more. QSL Shack is operated by Cassco Enterprises, Inc. of Boynton Beach, Florida, as part of the ToolShack Network.
Media Contact
Jonathan Castleman, KN4DZD
QSL Shack
KN4DZD@qslshack.com
+1 800.376.9704 x401
qslshack.com
Source: QSL Shack
