CQ to "Jump-Start" Print Edition With January Issue - November and December Issues to be Digital Onl

As a relatively new ham (year and a half) I submitted my log back in November of this year to get a CQ WPX certificate. I was asked if I was a CQ subscriber because I could get $6 off of both the Mixed and SSB awards for a savings of $12. I was not a subscriber but I figured that being that the $12 that I would save would be about a third off the cost of the print magazine subscription I asked them if I subscribed would they credit me $12 from the money I paid for the award. They said yes as long as I subscribed that day, I guess mainly so it would be taken care of while the guy was dealing with my application. I figured fair enough and subscribed.

That was in the first week of November. Here is is the end of December and no magazine yet. Last week I emailed the same guy that was very responsive when I submitted my application. I have not heard anything back.

Today I see this on QRZ and now I see what’s going on. I will say that I received my endorsement stickers for my certificate quickly but I guess I still have a while to go to receive the actual certificate to put them on.

As I had mentioned earlier I’m a relatively new ham and I remember hearing of CQ Magazine 30 years ago. I kind of felt like I was buying into the legacy of the magazine a couple of months ago with getting the certificate and the magazine subscription but now I see these guys appear to have sort of a tarnished reputation in more recent years. Sad....

 

I might be interested in reading CQ Magazine if they could just post those November and December issues as PDF's like the rest of the world does. Lost opportunity for free advertisement.

 

K.

 

Well, I have about had it. I use to really like this rag but they miss months' and then add months' together, it's like reading last week's newspaper. The only reason I've held out this long is because I like their contests so I thought I'd support the magazine. But in reality if they can't make it maybe someone else will pick up the contests. And if they think online is the way the next generation wants their subscriptions then they better do something to get the next generation into Ham Radio. And to blame all their problems on the Post Office isn't going to cut it any more, I get all my other periodicals on time, so if you think the Post Office has singled you out, there are people at the PO that you can call. Now, I'll probably cool off and give them another chance,but as my old high school football coach use to say, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR #$$ AND LETS GO.
John W0JW

 

I was wondering what happened to the last few issues. I have given up emailing them about anything since they don't reply. Several times I have requested clairifications on WW DX rules, but no reply. Can't read articles in digital edition while laying on bed or in the lazy boy. Besides, I don't have Firefox, nor do I intend to. I skipped a couple of years because of subscription cost. The other major rag is about the same cost, but it has some benefits to go along, and it's always nice to hear what the other side has to say. Just gotta grin and bear with it I guess. Sure hope the contests don't go away. They were my first real bite into ham radio.

 

I'm going to give them 'til January 2nd to have my January print issue in my mailbox, if not, their 'jump start' can go jump in the lake. And that's only because there is no mail on January 1. So, they have two mail delivery days to make good their promise. I wish I was optimistic, but I'm not. 'At the printer' has been tried before, to disappointing results. My renewal envelope is ready, to get mailed either empty of full.

 

I used to write for CQ VHF - both the original monthly version prior to 2000 and then the redux version that lasted until 2012 or so. They owed me and other authors a lot of money, so I managed to work out a deal for free advertising for my Six Meter book. Seems to me that they did some print issue combining in the past to try to get back on track. They have been on skeleton crew for a while. Several columnists ended up quitting after lack of payment. What is the point at this point? Do you think that the ARRL worries about CQ at all or what the editorials in Zero Bias say about the ARRL?

 

Thanks for posting. I'm in the same situation. I'm relatively new to Amateur Radio and thought I was subscribing to a reputable magazine, guess I should have done more research. It's been almost twelve weeks since they took my money ($37 for the subscription + $12 for certificate = $49 total) and still no magazine, no certificate, and no response to repeated emails. Lesson learned!

 

I will not give up on CQ, I love their mag, and when time comes to re-new I will, gud luck and hope 2018 is a better year for you.

 

It wasn't that good 30 years ago either, though it did publish regularly, best I recall from the occasional one I bought on the newsstand; I never subscribed.

The best things it had going for it then was that it was the one ham radio magazine you could count on finding at almost any decently stocked newsstand or magazine rack of a decent bookstore, and it was somewhat more "public and beginner accessible" than 73, and vastly more so than Ham Radio which was excellent but highly technical.

You could also find Popular Communications at most newsstands too for the SWL crowd. I bought more of those than CQ since I subscribed to other ham magazines.

 

I dropped my subscription a good while back when the magazine stopped arriving in my mailbox on time and/or if at all due to their $$$ problems. I did renew again this year and all of my magazines have arrived a couple of months late, so I have presumed that they are having $$$ problems again.

It got to be hard to make any $$$ nowadays when it comes to anything hamateur radio related. No matter what the FCC numbers say there is a smaller and smaller number of active hams out there every year that can and/or will spend any appreciable amount of $$$ on the hobby.

I personally prefer to have a paper magazine in my hand every month, not some online and/or downloaded thing that I have to read on my laptop or tablet. I guess that I'm just old fashioned.

The bottom line is that I would surely like to see CQ Magazine survive and prosper.

 

Been in the hobby since late 50's. I used subscribe to 73, RPT, Pop. Electronics and World Radio. CQ never seemed interesting to me with all the contest listings and content. A couple of years ago I got a gift subscription of CQ from my son and actually enjoyed the newer content and have renewed since to the digital views.

Its sad to see CQ is still apparently having $$ problems, but it is indicative of the hobby and the support it gets from us. Most of the local independent HAM dealers are long gone as the users shifted to the internet to save a few bucks. If a dealer remains near you, please give them your support. We reap what we sow. // John K3NOQ/K5

 

Nothing yet, as of 12/30. Been 'at the printer' (supposedly) since 12/20. At least that's when I got their email. Drop dead date for me is Tuesday 1/2. Some great 'jump start', huh?

 

I just purchased a subscription to the magazine, waited for two month to receive my copy. They offered me the electronic edition but, I DO NOT LIKE to read from my computer. Just send me my money back.

 

Flash? Really? Oh, dear. It's so full of security problems that even Adobe has given up on it. The company announced in August that it's abandoning Flash as of 2020. I suppose it's Zinio that still uses it.