Issue #27: Building our Radio Future -- Together!

They brought in "new blood" when they got the current CEO. How's that working out?

What SHOULD ARRL's policy be towards organizations that directly compete with ARRL products?

Should they help their competitors take away their customers?

73 de Jim N2EY

 

They should not have a policy regarding that at all.

If they do have a policy, it should be to do the absolute best they can do, to keep the consumer coming back to them rather than the 'other guy'.

That is why competition is healthy.

 

Hi Jim, thanks for contributing. Associations shouldn't have a stake in a "competition." They need to act as facilitators, collaborators, consolidators. I believe the ARRL's policy should be to support all material of an educational nature, for example. I would like to have one source, one Internet website, where everything comes together. Have a front end that leads you into a library of information. One stop shopping, so to speak. There's no reason why they can't sell other (self-published) books on their website. Sure, they might make a couple bucks less profit, but to have a complete library of books for sale would be great. This is a big subject, and there are a lot of ways that the ARRL could implement policy that is helpful and not hurtful. But firstly, they need to rid themselves of the one voice on their team who comes across as aggressive and nasty. Put that person on a desk and get them off email and phone. Then, start building bridges instead of tearing them down. Dave W7DGJ

 

ARRL is the largest and oldest US amateur radio organization, but it's not a monopoly.

Other US amateur radio organizations have come and gone over the past 100+ years. They all faded away for various reasons. ARRL didn't destroy any of them.

ARRL isn't a monopoly - anyone can start a similar organization.

----

In case no one has mentioned this:

It's "ham radio", not "HAM radio" nor "HAM". That's because it's neither a proper name nor an acronym.



73 de Jim N2EY

 

Why not?

IOW, offer the best products at the lowest price.

BUT....

Doing that IS "having a policy"!

73 de Jim N2EY

 

Because they should not see 'having a policy' as a necessity.

It's not necessary.

 

But, as I demonstrated, it's unavoidable.

73 de Jim N2EY

 

I suppose that's correct.

Maybe better to call it a 'mission statement'? (of course that could be construed to also be policy)

What the policy should NOT be is to attack and attempt to squash competition.

 

You're welcome, Dave - thanks for reading.

The question then arises as to what "support all material of an educational nature" means. "Support" can take many different forms.

We have that now, don't we? It's called Amazon.com

I went to the ARRL website and looked up the 2023 Handbook in the multi-volume set. $69.95 plus $12.50 shipping and handling to my zip code - total $82.45.
Then I went to Amazon and looked up the same book. $62.96 with free shipping! That's a difference of just under $20.

Great for some - but why is it ARRL's job?

And suppose ARRL were to do what you suggest - will those other folks "support" the ARRL?

I agree! But I think it's important to clearly define what the policies should be.

For example - suppose someone writes an amateur radio training manual that is full of errors - some big, some small. I don't mean the occasional typo, I mean stuff that's just plain wrong, unsafe, illegal, etc. Should ARRL sell such a manual on their website? I would say NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Sure - but the devil is in the details of those bridges.

See the problem?

73 de Jim, N2EY

 

Yes, Jim. I see your point. Indeed the devil is in the details. I fully agree with you that anything the ARRL supports that comes from "the outside" has to go through a process of Quality Control. Last thing I would want is for a book or video to be distributed by my society that has factual errors.

Perhaps you, like me, have heard from people on "the other side of the fence" about tactics being taken by the ARRL. They aren't informed of these changes (no more support; loss of alliances, access, links, etc) in a nice way. They're being informed of these changes in a crude, almost aggressive manner. That's the key element behind this revolt you're seeing in social media. Maybe in our fractured society (with current politics and all) it is now impossible to have two radically different points of view find a middle ground. Personally, I still hope that's possible at the ARRL.

Dave W7DGJ

 

One more comment for Jim, N2EY. I get your point about Amazon vs. ARRL. Wow, I'm one of those people who has no loyalty when it comes to price. If HRO has something $10 less than DXE or Gigaparts, I"m buying from HRO. So, I would have done the same thing with my book purchase. Don't you think that if the ARRL is going to be so ultra-competitive, that they need to have a way to give their members at least the same kind of breaks that Amazon is giving? Maybe they put the whole thing in Amazon's lap and divorce themselves from selling books -- just publishing them is enough. Or, maybe with their newfound sense of competition, they dig into their pockets and find a way to not be so darn greedy on the price of their items and to provide free shipping! Dave

 

Hi Dave, great op-ed piece. I have been neutral when it comes to the ARRL, but seems like recent events have allowed us all to see a different side of them. They have enjoyed being the 1000 pound gorilla for so long that any perceived threat is overblown. As long as no one is stealing their intellectual property they should be allowed to what they please. I for one enjoy many of the YouTube channels that have sprung up and delivered some great content. The QSO Today Academy is an outstanding idea and provides us with something the league simply does not do. I think they (ARRL) have failed at Learning Center, which should be the go-to place for people of all levels to learn more about the hobby and go deeper. This offering is very thin. What is there is fine, but no depth. Even if it was better, there is always room for much more from diverse sources worldwide.

The league is operating too much like a business than an organization that advocates for amateur radio. They have to be more sensitive to the needs of the community. Clubs are really the backbone of the hobby. ARRL needs to do more to help clubs be strong and grow the hobby through local membership.

 

I like your post Marty, and not just because we think the same way about this, but because you've come back to a major point. That is, ham radio clubs are indeed the backbone of the hobby. Not the ARRL, but on the local level. There's a lot that the ARRL could do to be more supportive. I understand that there are thousands of radio clubs that are not "sanctioned" by the ARRL but which exist and which could use support. Someone needs to write about THAT someday . . . Dave

 

Which would mean someone would have to go through every non-ARRL publication sold through ARRL with a fine toothed comb, making sure it didn't have bad information in it. That's hard enough to do with the publications ARRL puts out!

We also have to consider that often we only get one side of the story - and we don't know how accurate it is.

Heck, just look at some posts here. Someone emails HQ about a problem, never gets a reply. They try again, no reply. So they start an angry thread about how "the ARRL" ignores members, etc.

Then someone says "did you check your spam folder?"....and, guess what! Their emails were answered in minutes!

But the angry thread remains.....

73 de Jim N2EY

 

Dave,

Thanks for a balanced article. I have been an ARRL member for decades. Just before I got married, I switched from annual memberships to a Life Membership, because I could correctly foresee in my situation not being able to keep up with annual dues. I now realize that the Life Memberships have long been under-priced, with the annuity income from investing the dues paid not keeping up with annual costs. Lately, in a better situation, I have made up for that a bit by joining the Diamond Club.

There have been some internal goings on that give me concern lately, and I have communicated a little bit with my Director. But I believe the most important benefit of the ARRL is having a voice in Washington, even if at times that voice might not be perfect. I have seen microwave and voice spectrum taken away from Public Safety, and great amounts of broadcast TV spectrum taken, all for the benefit of Cellular Radio Common Carriers. An imperfect voice for Amateur Radio to Congress and the FCC is better than no voice at all, so I intend to continue my support.

For those who feel they can't afford the dues increases, or who feel the League is going in the wrong direction, I can understand if you decide to either not join or not renew. May I suggest in that case, instead of paying dues, would you consider making an earmarked contribution in any amount to the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund?

73 de Tom N1YR

"Heard all I worked"