CB Radio QSL Cards & Eyeball Cards: A Snapshot of Radio Culture

QSL Cards and Eyeball Cards are relics—and ongoing traditions—of CB (Citizens Band) radio culture, tracing their roots to a time when long-distance radio chatter was as thrilling as a modern text message across the globe.

What is a QSL Card?

A QSL card is a postcard-style confirmation sent between two radio operators who’ve made contact over the airwaves. The term “QSL” comes from Q-code, a shorthand used in Morse code and radio, meaning “I acknowledge receipt.”

In CB radio culture, QSL cards typically contain:

• The operator's “handle” (nickname)

• Call sign

• Date, time, and frequency of the communication

• Often, location (city/state, sometimes "10-20")

• A personal message or fun graphic

These cards are a tangible way to confirm a "QSO" (radio contact) and build a collection of all the places and people an operator has reached—kind of like postcards from the airwaves.

Collectors take pride in how many regions, states, or countries they’ve contacted, and QSL cards serve as physical proof of those conversations.

And What’s an Eyeball Card?

While QSL cards confirm over-the-air contacts, Eyeball Cards commemorate face-to-face meetings between CB radio operators—hence the slang term “eyeball,” meaning to meet in person. If you’ve ever heard “Let’s do an eyeball,” that’s radio-speak for “let’s meet up.”

Eyeball cards are exchanged at meetups, CB radio “breaks,” or social gatherings. They often include:

• A photo or cartoon of the operator

• Their handle

• Call sign

• City/state

• Slogans, inside jokes, or club affiliations

They’re part business card, part souvenir, and part badge of honor in the CB world—tokens of real-world friendships forged over the airwaves.

CB Culture, Printed and Shared

These cards weren’t just about formality—they were a way to express personality and pride. QSL and eyeball cards often featured custom illustrations, funny taglines, CB club logos, and even regional flair. They became a unique folk art form, particularly popular during the CB radio boom of the 1970s and 80s.

Today, they’re collectible artifacts that capture the spirit of a time when people bonded over the static of the radio dial—before the internet, before smartphones, and before everyone had a screen in their pocket.

Here is a link to all the cards we recently found