Hello, nothing new under the sun. Where there is money, there are problems. I have been voluntary many times in activities in my country (Uruguay) and .... more of the same, 2 or 3 heads and another "to barrate the streets." Be happy, enjoy the radio. Life is short, no problems, healthy mind and many friends on radio. (Rik) CX9BU
You know, ending all financial support from the members is a starting point but you all are missing the fact that the ADVERTISERS that pay for space in QST are probably the real lifeblood (financially) of the organization. I am making an assumption of this due to the fact that it appears that the BOD does not CARE one little bit what we, the members think. Perhaps we are sending letters to the wrong folks?? How about writing emails to Kenwood, Yaesu (the ones who fund LOTW), Icom, MFJ, et.al. and inform them that, as an example, we will not purchase you equipment if it is advertised in QST?? This is just a suggestion but I have not heard anybody mention this point of attack.
You're missing the fact that if there are no members, there is no distribution of QST. And how long do you think the advertisers will continue paying for a magazine no one reads? Fortunately, the BOD recognizes this and know how important the membership is. Yes, they are screwing up royally right now. But W0lMU is correct - if you aren't a member you have no way to help correct the problem. No, it's not going to be fixed overnight. But talk to YOUR director. If he doesn't have answers you like, find someone who does - or run yourself. It's the only way things are going to change.
Very good point AI0K. By loosing membership it would accomplish the same result as no advertisers. It would just take a while for the results to show. And by the way please do not take such a hostile tone. I agree with what you pointed out and I am on your side! Also my director IS N6AA. I don't think he could change much of what has happened.
Well reasoned analysis of the root cause of the current turmoil. It's disappointing to see that there is so little opposition from anyone on the BOD that we can see. dave k2lyv
ARRL is being run more like a boys' treehouse club than a 21st century national non-profit corporation. The primary function of an Executive Committee usually is (or ends up being) to circumvent some specific member(s) of the Board of Directors. Giving non-Board execs vote-packing rights at Board level is simply skulduggery. In my experience (sitting on Boards of Directors) , the perpetrators of that kind of behavior are usually involved in executive money/power struggles. They need to be weeded out before they poison the whole organization any more than they already have. They continue to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars to so-called lobbyists, with nothing good to show for it. Follow the money. Follow the power.
Steve, FWIW, this may give you some insight to one possible answer to "Why" - and I know you did mention groupthink (the long paragraph is because that is how it was written): "According to Janis, groupthink stands for an excessive form of concurrence seeking among members of high prestige, tightly knit policy-making groups. It is excessive to the extent that the group members have come to value the group (and their being part of it) higher than anything else. This causes them to strive for a quick and painless unanimity on the issues that the group has to confront. To preserve the clubby atmosphere, group members suppress personal doubts, silence dissenters, and follow the group leader’s suggestions. They have a strong belief in the inherent morality of the group, combined with a decidedly evil picture of the group’s opponents. The results are devastating: a distorted view of reality, excessive optimism producing hasty and reckless policies, and a neglect of ethical issues. The combination of these deficiencies makes these groups particularly vulnerable to initiate or sustain projects that turn out to be policy fiascoes." Quoted from Political Psychology Vol 12, No. 2, 1991 page 247 "Irving L. Janis' Victims of Groupthink" Author Paul't Hart I think folks would agree we see this surrounding the code of conduct and what has transpired since. It also suggests the legal route is the same as all other breaches of fiduciary responsibility involving lack of due diligence and acting imprudently. ( Behavior that raises risk of fiascoes unnecessarily is inherently, prima facie, imprudent and a lack of due diligence.) The board should have and still can consult with the organization behavior faculty of a top business school. I've suggested Yale and Harvard to Hudson Division Director Mike Liscenco. ( BTW, if I remember correctly, the last time I saw you in person was at your parents Kingsbridge Terrace apartment, in the radio room. Your Mom was feeding you milk in a bottle and you had a real diaper on. Only more than a half century ago. Just reminds of the saying "If I knew I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself". I'll try to find time to drop you an email with another memory. Meantime, 73 to Mike and Bob if you speak to them before I do.) 73, Howie
After reading the positions of the myarrlvoice.org group on the Amateur Radio Parity Act, I think they have unrealistic expectations on what is possible in Congress. I to would like to see OTARD like rules for amateurs but that is not a possible goal in the short term. Will there be winners and losers with ARPA? Yes. Will there be more winners than losers when it comes to ARPA. Yes. If you live in a condominium, unfortunately, you can't force your HOA to allow you to mount an antenna in the common areas. Just like I can't put an antenna in the open space behind my property controlled by the HOA. I think that is reasonable after all other people share common ownership of that land and other homeowners can't just use a portion of it for their personal use either. The winners in ARPA are those with defunct HOA's that have nullified outdoor antenna restrictions and many of us who have covenants that are controlled by entities not meeting the definition of a "community association" as described in the bill. In Colorado, for example, most new subdivisions are created as "metropolitan districts" instead of HOA in order to secure public funding sources such as property taxes. This scenario is more common than most people are aware of. Metropolitan districts are a form of local government and do not meet the definition of a community association. Other states have similar constructs such as community service districts in California. We should all look at ARPA as a first step and not the end. We can always petition the courts, the FCC, and Congress as future issues arise. By not enacting ARPA we will maintain the status quo while the supply of older homes in desirable locations will continue to become more limited. Doing nothing means the situation continues to get worse, doing something means the antenna situation improves for many amateurs.
It's more expedient to start commenting directly to advertisers. I don't know how often QST is required to submit their subscription numbers to advertisers, so it may take months before the fall off is realized by advertisers. Additionally, for every letter they receive, they can safely assume there are another 10, 20, 100 subscribers that feel the same way. I'm going to contact the major advertisers in the back of the magazine and provide links to the more coherent threads on the subject from QRZ to them as well. I've already contacted my Director and Vice Director - however I am in the Atlantic division - so you know our story already.
My problem with the ARRL starts here in Ohio at my local level. A few years ago our Wood County EC had to step down because of health issues. During the many years as an EC he saw that ARES was very active. I also was very active during this time. Including monthly meetings so we would all be informed of the county's activities. After his stepping down a new EC took the position (about 3 years ago). During this time my work schedule kept me from being involved with ARES. 2 years ago I retired and wanted to get active again with ARES. I found that my county's ARES was not active at all. I contacted Ohio's SEC about my concerns. He suggested that I contact the new EC. I told the SEC that the county's ARES is defunct because I couldn't find anyone including the Asst EC's that could tell me when the meetings took place or are taking place. The SEC told me that paperwork was being submitted an that the paperwork shows that the county's ARES was active. I told him that if I'm not mistaken either I'm being blackballed or the paperwork was being doctored and that I suspect a cover up because I could find no proof of meetings taking place. I was told and I quote "To make assumptions that you are being “black balled” or that anything is being “covered up” is really not in your best interest". Not to be intimidated I contacted the Great Lakes Division Director with my concerns and all previous emails with the SEC. The GL Director suggested that the SEC and myself come to a conclusion because someone may not be happy if he were to get involved. So I waited for the SEC to contact me. Which he did not. So I emailed the GL Director again. Within an hour or so I received a phone call at the house. It was the SEC. At the beginning the SEC was very agitated and aggressive towards me. I asked twice why he was verbally attacking me. After he settled down we talked a bit and he suggested that I along with the county's EC, DEC, himself the SEC and the Great Lakes Director have a meeting at a local hamfest in the coming days. I declined. The reasoning was that there was no reason for me to be at a meeting (other than possibly being a whipping post) with all the above when each of them had the authority to make sure that an ARES meeting would take place. As of now I have yet heard anything of a county ARES meeting. And if I'm not mistaken it's been about 3 years since ARES meetings have taken place, even though paperwork is being submitted stating there is activity. Since this has happened (summer of 2017) I have let my membership lapse. I have no interested in renewing in the future. It seems to me that many positions need to be replaced. Some say my membership gives me voice. I feel not backing the ARRL with my membership dues has a much bigger voice. Tony/N8WAC
It's amazing how many of these stories are coming out of the woodwork. Look like trouble has been brewing for some time now. Thanks for sharing. Similar monkey business is going on in SNJ EC affairs.
Wow Howie: That brought tears to my eyes. I was off the air except for a bit of VHF repeater work for about twenty five years, and one of the great things about coming back has been reconnecting with old friends, acquaintances, family connections etc, but you are the first who knew my Dad from his Bronx days. Most of those folks are gone now. Is your brother WA2ZPX still active? I remember chatting with him once in awhile, and he had a wide area coverage repeater in Middletown. I'll get in touch via email. 73 Steve KL7SB
Hi All, Here is just a little "side" note to this discussion which I found interesting when I first found it. It seems that the ARRL management has ALWAYS had a "you hams owe us big-time" attitude. Take a look at the first couple of pages of any "Radio Amateurs Handbook" before 1972 and back as far as 1957 (the oldest handbook I have). You will find there "The Amateurs Code". Seems they liked codes of conduct for some time now! What is interesting is number TWO "pre 1972" which states, and I quote : "The Amateur is Loyal... He owes his amateur radio to the American Radio Relay League, and he offers it his unswerving loyalty". Yes that is a direct quote! Sounds very arrogant to me when first read. I DO know where and why this wording came about as they did fight the government on amateur's behalf for Ham radio to be reinstated after world war one when the Navy did not want to let go of control of the radio spectrum. And, fairly, they should be congratulated and proud of that success. They seemed to have forgotten (conveniently) though, that they only had that success because the US Congress recognized that the couple of people from the ARRL that were standing before those senators at that time actually represented THOUSANDS of "voting" hams, not just those two standing before them! So, several decades after the war (1972), I guess that this attitude kind of upset folks so much that a change was made from 1972 up to today. From 1972 to the present there are only a coupe of "tweeks" to number two but it has stayed basically the same since then. Code 2 now reads : quote " [The Radio Amateur is:] loyal...offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs, and the American Radio Rely League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally" - end quote. Those words go down a little easier than the first version, but they still seem to view themselves as some sort of deity based on a past success and continue to this day to say to the membership (and the world)................YOU ALL OWE US BIG!! So now we end up at the current crossroads. Before it is too late, we need to take control of the ARRL back to the membership where it belongs and demand a change now, or quietly bow before our self appointed masters and accept that they know best what we need.
