What Use Is An F-call?

What use is an F-call? When you've been on air for many years it's easy to forget what it's like for new comers to the hobby. Take for example the simple QSL card. It's been around for a hundred years and its use is simple to the initiated, but to a newbie like me terms like QSL via the bureau or QSL direct are mysterious phrases with little meaning. I had the opportunity to listen to our local state QSL manager, Steve VK6IR, who spent an enjoyable half hour walking through the notions of what a QSL card means, how it works and how you participate. Now I should preface this with any mistakes in this are mine alone. I'm hard of hearing, have a gamy leg and my memory is fading, or some such disclaimer like that. So, in less than two minutes. A QSL card is like a post-card. It is sent between stations to acknowledge a contact. It generally contains your and their call-sign, the time, mode and frequency on which you spoke and a signal report. It's used as "proof" of a contact. You can send it to th