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ARRL Digital Membership $9.99/6 months

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by AC3DB, Jul 21, 2016.

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  1. KY5U

    KY5U Ham Member QRZ Page

    Oh hell no. Not you. I was trying to let my friend Mr. Burt off the hook for some ridiculousness of his.
     
    W7UUU likes this.
  2. AK9S

    AK9S Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    I dropped my ARRL membership this year due to their audacity of actually forging ahead with a whooping 25% membership fee increase. Like most folks, my decision had nothing to do with affordability. Simply put, the benefits of an ARRL membership are not sufficiently appealing enough (except for their excellent QST magazine) to support the new price point, at least not for me anyways.

    They claim to need additional operating income after many years of fixed membership pricing and cost increases due to inflation. However, they do not operate efficiently and have room for significant improvement.

    I was sent three identical renewal offers at the beginning of the year reflecting the 25% membership fee increase as a futile attempt at membership retention, it is abundantly clear they are wasting part of their marketing budget. Also, offering the same wire antenna classics book with my renewed membership does little to attract me back.

    The ARRL really comes across as an inefficient organization who chose to pass their financial woes to the rest of us in terms of an unheard of 25% membership fee increase. They will need to live by that decision for a long time to come.

    I would love to see ARRL restructure itself in the future for leaner operations - and offer direct and meaningful benefits. Then I will support them again.

    I will continue to financially support organizations which directly assist me with the hobby, such as QRZ.com for their online logging and user pages, eHam for their user reviews and Amateur Radio software developers which make operating my station convenient and simple.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2016
  3. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    ARRL is pretty lean; they depend on volunteer efforts for a large percent of organizational operations.

    That renew cycle is fairly typical of how non profits pursue dropped members. IEEE and Appalachian Mountain Club are two examples I see, and, I do renew, sporadically.

    Providing the 'free' book lets the ARRL write off retail publishing inventory as an expense.

    I finally , a while back, said 'this is all stupid' and just went LM.

    I think the big failing of ARRL is not successfully pursuing deep pocket (DP) members for the benefit of the overall membership. There are two rather obvious things, IMO, ARRL should (have) done that would have clicked with DP's:

    1) buy up QRZ (if Fred is interested in selling);
    2) set up several remote op stations for member use.

    The emphasis on spectrum defense is a hot point but actually pisses many DP members off. Why?Because the results are often alienating and mostly ineffective (IMO), and it turns the ARRL into an activist mouthpiece rather than a defensive organ.
     
    W0PV and AK9S like this.
  4. WA8JXM

    WA8JXM Ham Member QRZ Page

    I have to agree that QST has seriously gone downhill and I rarely read it. I've been licensed for 53 years and I used to really, really enj0y reading the old QSTs from the 40's and 50's. Today QST is mostly advertising disguised as technology. IMO, the old Handbooks were better than the new ones, I still reach for my 1965 copy of the Handbook rather than a new one. ARRL has become a publishing house rather than a member oriented organization. I think the change occurred when they built the new headquarters. They are all about money, money, money.
     
  5. K2ATJ

    K2ATJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Exactly. Most business offer a senior discount or a military/veteran discount. I even get this at my dentist. A for-profit org such as ARRL should see the advantage to offering such deals, but does not. ARRL needs to get a few MBA's on staff to revamp their obviously out-of-date business plan. Until the rates come down or a senior/vet discount is offered, my $49 a year goes to the VFW exclusively.
     
    AK9S likes this.
  6. KM5GJ

    KM5GJ QRZ Lifetime Member #78 Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Page

    I stand corrected, the ARRL is properly certified by the IRS as a 501 (c) 3 not for profit organization. I did not do proper research on this issue. My original statement was based upon what I was told by a former ARRL official and not upon written facts. My bad, as the younger generation would say!
     
    K2NCC and K2PH like this.
  7. AC3DB

    AC3DB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts, especially the gentleman offering to pay for my subscription. I can come up with $50, or $500, but thank you, you are very generous. The fixed income argument doesn't hold much water unless you are truly severely disabled, because you had your whole life to plan a good retirement. The QST magazine was ok, but the app blew, so I would probably pay the $49 if I could just get qst in pdf, and I would really enjoy it that way, like every other newsletter I get... I think I spoke mostly for newer younger hams that I know that aren't rich yet and have 1 or 2 kids. They make money, and they have everything they need, but their wives sure aren't letting them spend $49 for some dorky magazine.. I do see the value of the ARRL, I just wish they would come up with a better format that would get more people involved and interested.
     
  8. W7UUU

    W7UUU Director, QRZ Forums Lifetime Member 133 QRZ HQ Staff Life Member QRZ Page

    And good on you for posting this. That's to be commended in most any internet forum just because it's so unusual for folks to own up to mistakes these days.

    Good job :)

    Dave
    W7UUU
     
    N7ANN and KC9UDX like this.
  9. WF9Q

    WF9Q Ham Member QRZ Page

    Why don't you step up to the plate and tell your employer to cut your pay by 25%.
     
    KC9UDX likes this.
  10. K5AGE

    K5AGE Ham Member QRZ Page

    ARRL membership is cheap at $50 a year. Some of you should try more expensive hobbies then quit. Then you can understand that ham radio is like the cheapest hobby ever.

    Rm
     
    K2NCC likes this.
  11. WF9Q

    WF9Q Ham Member QRZ Page

    My apologies in advance, you are incorrect by stating ham radio is the cheapest hobby. Hanging out on forums to disparage others with individual and collective beliefs along with the organizations they belong to is FREE.
     
  12. K5AGE

    K5AGE Ham Member QRZ Page

    Sure,...that's definitely a free hobby enjoyed by some. But "free" is kind of slippery right? it only counts if you do it at the public library, and you walked barefoot, and of course......you don't pay your taxes. ha.

    Rm
     
  13. WF9Q

    WF9Q Ham Member QRZ Page

    Yep, technically that is pretty close to correct. You forgot Starbucks where all the big shots hang out that don't have internet at home.
     
  14. AK9S

    AK9S Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Ask your Employer to increase your pay by 25% - it is a much better proposition;-)

    One must realize ARRL operated successfully without any membership fee increases for years. I do not believe for a second a 25% increase in 2016 was necessary to keep ARRL afloat.

    One would expect a modest membership fee increase, but not 25%. It speaks volumes of an organization's financial health and overall past management. Imagine if your taxes went up by that amount - would you not question the increase and the leadership behind it? I do not support ridiculous policies.

    If you are the type to accept and defend a 25% annual increase for same services, then I would like to resell you anything you like. Ham radio did not start with ARRL and will not die because of it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2016
  15. WF9Q

    WF9Q Ham Member QRZ Page

    I don't have an "employer" nor do I have investors to answer to so for me that is moot.

    Without a proper education in mathematics the "scary number" 25% in lay observation appears gigantic. Yet, relative to the initial starting point it is not, 25% of 100 = 25 and 25% of 10000 =2500

    You are correct ham radio did not start with the ARRL. However the ARRL has been active and pro-active in YOUR defense lobbying the government. Remember radio spectrum is not YOUR RIGHT, it was not even around when the constitution was written......
     

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