Down by 34.3% year before last, in 2022. And, it is rumored that the CEO salary for 2023 went up substantially, to well above $300,000 per year. Rewarding negative performance is clearly not proper fiduciary conduct on the part of those responsible for operating an organization. Did the numbers improve for 2023? Notes released from a prior Newington confab indicate [that] its CEO is unhappy that a director improperly released "sensitive" fiscal information. Was it "improper" because it was a further revelation of lacking performance? Was the data lacking adequate assuagement? Ah, brings to mind Julie Andrews' notable song lyrics.... "A little bit of sugar makes the medicine go down,..."
Thank you for the video, and having read a few pages of comment, I am both gruntled and dismayed. I belong to a few amateur radio groups and try to do what I can to support them. Why? Not much has ever been achieved by lone hermits, much more by collaborative groups working towards an aim, the benefit amateur radio. As NQ1R says, and you can see from the postings here, destructive criticism, even just sniping from a safe distance contributes little to advancement and is all too often from disgruntled lone hermits. Am I right? Count for yourself: positive or constructive, negative, and hard-to-say posts. So if, in principle, a representative group like ARRL should be good for us, why is it perceived by so many as not so? First, the ARRL is you (maybe) and me (certainly). Those in it should be doing a better job of supporting our fellow hams. Participation might mean showing up at meetings, (IMHO Zoom is not the same) helping organize, even serving as an officer if asked, and most needed: elmering. The ARRL's perceived usefulness might be the key. A bookshop is a specialist go-to for many ham radio needs. The well-run source for everything from licensing education to the venerable Handbook is second to none. Communication by the website, advice on how to obtain or renew a license, LoTW, Amateur radio insurance... If non-members never visit the ARRL website and never see a printed QST, how would they ever know? The paradox: if you don't like the ARRL, as NQ1R says, you are likely to be complaining from outside it, so get inside and help make it better. Those already inside, perhaps consider not so much what ARRL can do for you but what you can do for ARRL? No harm in having a darned good and pleasurable grump about it, but didn't we want ARRL and ham radio to be better? Let's do it!
There is a rich kernel that feeds into your optimism: strong ARRL support of local clubs that are boosting Part 97 ranks. Its time to really make 2024 the YOTC--the year of the club--much like 2023 was year of the volunteer. Frankly, I am a life member: my comments are thus 'from' the inside. And they, at least for me, are not 'complaints'. Having open exchanges of ideas hones and builds, It does not necessarily undermine. There is no place on the ARRL sites that provides this sort of exchange on a national or international level. It does happen on the Zed. 73 Chip W1YW
Less and less often is criticism of the ARRL automatically seen as heresy. In years past, there would have been a knee-jerk defense by an amen chorus singing the praises of past glories at the League. Such blind loyalty was not constructive, and may have enabled misguided decision-making by ARRL executives who felt they could act with impunity. Upfeeding positive support from the clubs, on their terms, not those of the ARRL's leadership, may very well save the ship.
OK, so I'm replying to my own message, but in case anyone missed it, there is a pending motion to be considered at the January 2024 ARRL Board Meeting to honor existing commitments for magazine subscriptions: http://atldiv.org/r2.html. This might be a good time to contact your ARRL representative and urge them to take this (ethical) decision. I know it's weird to have to urge people to be ethical, but such is the nature of the world we live in. 73 Skip K4EAK
Wondering - it's been brought up in this and other forum topics about how life membership is some kind of liability or burden to the League. Connect those dots for me - they get I think 20 years' dues up front which I would think they could at least double that every 10 years if invested, outpacing inflation (probably). Guessing statistically some members don't make it to 20 years so some of that is a donation. Or do they treat the up-front payment as found money the first year and the remaining member tenure is a direct cost? Or are life members a liability in some other way? I've been a League member about 40 years. For most of that I've considered the good outweighed the bad. Today someone will have to explain to me in small words just what the League is doing that's worth millions of dollars. The majority of their useful output is done by volunteers apart from Newington. There's an incredible administrative overhead, and now from all appearances, an attempt by a few individuals to steer the League in an unknown direction for unknown motives. Even if this is not true, then why does it appear this way and why am I treated as though my perception is at fault? In the military I was taught early on, "the appearance of impropriety is impropriety". If this isn't a duck, then why does it walk and quack like one? I see the tired advice to "change from within", as though my one director vote every 3 years allows for dynamic or substantive change. That would also assume the director vote was for someone not pre-ordained by the E&E committee. My perception is the League is rotting from the inside out and there's little the general membership is going to do about it. In my view, there's an ethics decision here. This is a ham radio organization, not a hedge fund or venture capital group. I have an expectation that the funds I send, and money they manage goes towards things that further the hobby. I get that not everything will be topics I care about but an open, logical and reasoned process to effect whatever these are, will be followed. That's not happening now. My one director vote is nearly meaningless. My only other vote I have is to reduce the capital they have to effect their mischief. I don't want the League to fail, the work and legacy to date would be a shame to squander. But to continue to support the League through dues is extending their opportunity for mischief. I can continue to do the things I've always done to support the hobby without them. I would welcome the opportunity to support them again at such time their ethics more closely align with mine. Mark K5LXP Albuquerque, NM
It's a good point. You can't expect ethical individuals to support an organization's unethical activity.
Mark, I must say you are a down to earth, eloquent speaking individual. It is apparent by the way you put your words together here, you are a sincere and true servant leader. May you continue to lead in an upright manner in all of your aspirations.
Let's talk about QST itself. While a recent issue showing a bunch of high school students pointing at a radio not connected to anything was argued off by many as mere metaphor, the Sept '23 cover showing furry cartoon characters operating virtual radios in a 3D Metaverse chatroom was downright awkward. (Note: K3DFD is a curmudgeon and yells at clouds - K3DFD's spouse). Is she right?
Rule 1: XYL is always right! IMHO.... I like curmudgeons! QST is important as it is our only wide-circulation printed pub to show what we do to the non-radio public (aka our future). We need a reality check and be prepared for unpleasant news: nobody knows what we do, why, and even less why anyone else should. Ask your neighbors about ham radio. Mine tell me about CB of yesteryear, and how their granddad did something with radios. My fault entirely; this is what they know because I never told them anything else! I am trying to remember the last time a ham rally, field day, club event actively invited The public to come see the magic of radio, and participate. Pickleball does a better job. Active radio communication, if visible to the public at sporting events, field days, ARES training... almost never explains to the outsider, yes our next member, what the heck is happening and why it is important or fun. We pride ourselves as expert communicators, and yet we seem not to be communicating to the public when it is most needed to save our Amateur Radio's skin. Maybe, community ads, invites to events, printed banners / posters at events to explain what's happening, local broadcast media. Yes, it's high time to talk to strangers. You might even get some candy. Thank you, K3FD #174, and G0CIB in RadCom v100 #1 p90, also a commendable curmudgeon! John, KX4QC, https://NoEyeDeer.org .
Watching the Warren Zevon vid has been the highlight of my day. Let's hope that the coming election mirrors the end of the Carter admin and ushers in another music revolution that brought us such great 80s music. God knows that current pop music sucks. KZ4TN
Why hasn't ARRl pushed back on the $ 35.00 fee for a license that has been free for almost a hundred years? Have we ( Hams ) fallen in our backup of emergency services? I have been an active ham for over 66 years ( original call WA1ULQ ) and now they want $ 83.00 for the printed copy of QST? After being a member of the ARRL for over 60 years I have pulled my membership. I am so sad that our origination has turned into a company being run by bean counters. If I am correct we have over 80 people working at the ARRL. I may be wrong on the numbers but that was what I was told when I asked at the ARRL on the phone. But every time I ask them a hard question I get the runaround. Ie. What is being done about the 900 Meg Power company's meters that never received FCC certification and are putting out RF noise in our bands? Why have they changed the name of the ARRL..???? After about a 100 years. I would suggest that everybody working at "The National Association for Amateur Radio" be required to read the book. " Hiram Percy Maxim" by Alice Clink Schumacher. Maybe Just Maybe they might begin to understand # 1 why the hell did you change our Name... ??? You print and sell all kinds of Ham Radio books. Why don't you print and keep our QST at a reasonable price? N0HWJ
AARP is no longer American Association of Retired Persons. Fun Fact: Founders of both AARP and ARRL share the same middle name. AARP was founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired public school teacher and principal in California. AARP - Wikipedia 73, Jim EARTH: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT
