ARRL Rate Increase

[TomLine]

Any thoughts on the ARRL dues increase and dropping the printed magazine? Please no long rants.
I'd rather have an imperfect lobbying organization than none. However, it looks like it's going that way. The cell carriers seem the only lobbyists in town these days.

 

[n2nov]

[Let me preface this by saying that I am a Life Member since 2002]
Before:
- spend $49/yr
- get 12 issues of QST mailed to you
- online access to three other specialty publications
- access to other so-called "services" like the ARRL.net email redirector account, etc

After:
- spend $59/yr
- get 12 issues QST plus specialty publications only online
___(spend additional $25/yr to get 12 issues of QST mailed to you)
- access to other so-called "services" like the ARRL.net email redirector account, etc

 

[trentbob]

As far as thoughts go, I be grudgingly pay my dues a few days before my membership expires.

For me personally, they don't do a whole lot for me but it's an organization we should be a member of.

I thought the increase in dues was optional if you wanted to continue to get the printed magazine? I imagine printing up magazines like those is very expensive and with online access I guess it makes sense to pay more to get a magazine, I will not on my next renewal. I know they get a lot of money for advertising obviously.

I get a ton of email from them, if they're selling something I just delete it, if it's valuable information regarding my region I'll look it over.

I'm not that active and I don't participate in contests but I'll keep renewing.

 

[n2nov]

For most ARRL members (about 20% of all USA hams are members), they are content with "supporting" the national organization and just want the physical QST magazine. In that light, the dues increase will go from $49 to $84/year.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Summary of Dues Changes (effective January 1, 2024)​

• Regular dues (in the US) will increase to $59 per year on January 1, 2024.
• Members will continue to have access to QST and On The Air (OTA) magazines in digital form online.

— Print-and-mailed QST and OTA magazines become optional add-ons to membership. Each magazine subscription is $25 per year.​

— Those with regular memberships (a remaining term on a current membership) will need to purchase an add-on subscription to continue receiving printed QST and OTA after January 1, 2024.​

— Current Life members as of July 2023 may choose to continue receiving printed QST or OTA at no additional cost by contacting ARRL between September 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.​

• Monthly payment plan options are being created for members aged 70+ to help senior members who are experiencing financial stress.
• We are undertaking work to determine revenue neutral pricing for Life Memberships. New applications for Life Membership are not being accepted as of 7/21/2023 while new rates are being established.

 

[ladn]

I've been a member of ARRL twice in my 30+ year amateur radio career (once when I was newly licensed, and most recently a couple of years ago). Unfortunately, I just can't offer up much support or sympathy for ARRL.

Some of this goes back to when the League supported "incentive licensing" that depreciated privileges from existing licensees and their lack opposition of no-code licensing. More recently it was censuring of Leage officials for speaking out and the League's promotion of EMCOM and "when all else fails". It seems that today, the ARRL is more of a publishing house pushing its own for-profit agenda and less of a member driven and member supportive organization.

Even though I haven't been a member for several years, the ARRL still manages to spam my email in box with worthless enticements to rejoin and wastes funds printing and mailing similar requests.

 

[GlobalNorth]

I took the membership survey when it came out earlier this year and am not surprised at the results.

ARRL may have some important work before the FCC, trying to stop the stock market trading via HF, getting us access to LF and MF, and trying to stave off others who want spectrum for their proposed plans that may never come to pass [looking at you - UPS]; but other than that and paying $500 or way more per hour for attorneys to represent us, I don't see much benefit to being a member.

Yes, there is QST [never looked at their other publications], but what annoys me about that publication is the emphasis on the nostalgia of Marconi, the first Trans-Atlantic broadcast, and related history that is fine for the trivia types; but isn't relevant to operating today. Then there is the emphasis of EMCOMM - always watching and ready for avalanches in Phoenix, tidal waves in Zimbabwe, earthquakes in Antarctica, or torrential flooding in the Atacama...

I rarely read the league's business pages, the ads for gear that hasn't even been submitted for FCC approval annoys me to no end, and the proliferation of [insert any locale, sociological group, or stupid activity here] OTA activity [Cemeteries On The Air, Mines On The Air, Landfills On The Air, Near-Sighted People On The Air, NFL Tailgating On The Air, etc.] makes me want to retch. Don't even get me started on the seemingly endless drives to get children and teens interested in becoming Hams - it often suspiciously resembles 'grooming' activities. I have zero interest in contests, DXpeditions to sand spits, or similar activities.

Technical articles? Not enough of them.

I became a Ham to fulfill a bucket list desire - now that I've done it, I'm not seeing a lot of joy to the hobby. Just morons that ragchew on 146.52 for hours in the cities, foul mouthed elderly men on 80 meters, no activity where I live [I blame that one on my wife who wanted to live in a tiny 'ville' and on a cramped lot], and the realization that like Mid-Century design, American V-8 powered autos, Hi-Fi sets, and US made quality tools - I was born a generation too late.

 

[steve9570]

Looks like I wont be renewing. Too many ads and old school stuff I could care less about.

And I am no kid newbie at 67 years old

 

[mmckenna]

Even though I haven't been a member for several years, the ARRL still manages to spam my email in box with worthless enticements to rejoin and wastes funds printing and mailing similar requests.

They gave up on me a long time ago. They did bug the hell out of my wife when she got her ticket, but that only lasted a year or two.
Some of their technical articles were good, some of the radio reviews were good. Some of it was crap. I can get the same stuff on the internet for free.
Paying for a magazine that was 50%+ advertising was annoying.

The sad and desperate attempt to draw young people into the hobby, all done by geriatric males, was just down right weird. It missed the mark by a million miles. Just seemed like a bunch of 65+ year old guys sitting around pretending they understood the younger generation. It was like watching a bunch of retired guys going to a dance club in an attempt to look cool. It was embarrassing. So much of the magazine was stuck on feeble efforts of keeping 1960's technology relevant in the age of the internet.

Their constant whining about anything and everything that they felt threatened their underused spectrum and constant noisemaking at the FCC got tiresome. The knee jerk reactions to any new technology that threatened amateur radio all while claiming to be the leader in technology lead to even more laughable actions. The constant panic articles are something to look back on and laugh about. "It's the end of amateur radio!!!!".

The "when all else fails" thing went too far. Some of it just got silly after that and in my mind, they lost most of the little credibility they had left. Was kind of surprised they didn't start running articles about which amber LED strobes and safety vests were best.

 

[pandel]

They started to take themselves way too seriously. When I retired, I thought about Parks On the Air and a few other ARRL activities.... Geez, you would think I was asking for the nuclear launch codes the way they do things with the waiting period, the post cards with the code numbers etc. the only thing they forgot was my secret decoder ring. I never did get my ARRL email to work. They don't respond to their emails or return phone calls and they want more of MY money? Oh, I don't think so.
I dumped them years ago.

 

[MTS2000des]

In the past, the almighty league had representation in DC/FCC the average ham couldn't get. In 2023, the ECFS (electronic comment filing system) allows anyone and everyone equal access to the FCC for NPRMs. The ARRL has no lobbying power. Let's be real. Does one really think they have any weight when going up against the true owners and constituents of the FCC that is, the telecom mafia/cartels? Laughable notion.

The ARRLs entire yearly budget is half a pocket full of change to what Verizon, AT&Trash and T-Mobile spend on lobbying. In a single month.

The league is a book publishing company, and not a really relevant one at that. Better technical information can be found on forums like these for the price of free 99.

 

[W5KK]

Even though I was born in Tennessee, I must have some Missouri blood in there somewhere. The 20% increase in the yearly membership dues but adding an “optional“ payment to continue to receive a printed version of QST that was previously included in membership amounts to a 71% increase. I don’t doubt sending the magazine by itself, heavy as it is with advertising, costs $25/year but to increase the dues at the same time? Show me where you need it.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

They could have simply said that the annual dues are now $84 and spared us all the drama.

 

[mmckenna]

They could have simply said that the annual dues are now $84 and spared us all the drama.

Bypassing the drama would go against the very fiber of what the ARRL is. That would be like eliminating the 2 "R"'s in their name.

No love lost with the ARRL. They had their place, but I personally feel like they squandered it in an attempt to make themselves feel important.

 

[alcahuete]

The only thing I care for with the ARRL is Log of the World. You don't have to be a member to use it, of course, but it is a nice system if you're a contester.

Unfortunately, they've gone well off the deep end long ago. The "When All Else Fails" mantra just makes them look foolish. That's all they really push now, by means of C.E.R.T., etc. That's where the money is. Books, manuals, orange vests, yellow strobes.

 

[mastr]

I stopped sending the ARRL money years ago for 2 reasons. First they appear to think that there must be a contest, some-odd-place-on-the-air or similar every weekend- and I end up listening to various individuals 1kHz away with a recording going "CQ contest QRZ?" and about 20dB too much audio gain for hours at a time. Declare a contest sub-band?-oh no, we need it all. And the "EMCOMM" thing- they have vastly overplayed the need and importance of that.

 

[jjn555]

Any thoughts on the ARRL dues increase and dropping the printed magazine? Please no long rants.
I'd rather have an imperfect lobbying organization than none. However, it looks like it's going that way. The cell carriers seem the only lobbyists in town these days.

Thank you for the reminder. I was a member back in the 80's, but then dropped out of the hobby for a while. I'm since more active and I always said I should join again. So, I did. Tonight.

 

[AK9R]

Full Disclosure #1: I am an ARRL Life Member. I became a Life Member in 2001 just before an impending dues increase. At that time, the ARRL set the Life Membership fee at 25 times the current annual membership fee. In 3 more years, my return on investment will have zeroed out and I will have been unaffected by three dues increases.

Full Disclosure #2: I am an elected ARRL Section Manager. That means I am responsible for implementing the ARRL field programs in my section (Indiana). It also means that I am responsible for "waving the ARRL flag" in my section. I mostly do that by attending hamfests in Indiana and setting up an ARRL table so that folks know the ARRL is still around. I've been to 6 hamfests so far this year and will probably attend 6 more this year. I also maintain the section website and publish a weekly and a monthly newsletter for the members.

Full Disclosure #3: I'm not happy about the dues increase. I participated in the member survey earlier this year, but the organization went in a direction that I would not have chosen.

Now, let me address some comments that have been made:

...trying to stop the stock market trading via HF...

The recent FCC NPRM would codify in the rules that which is already being done on an experimental basis. IOW, market trading via HF is already happening.

...trying to stave off others who want spectrum for their proposed plans that may never come to pass [looking at you - UPS]...

OTOH, the railroads took that 2 MHz slice of spectrum where amateur radio had a secondary allocation and are now using it for Positive Train Control which is supposed to keep trains from running into each other which some might say is a good thing.

Technical articles? Not enough of them.

So, now you can use the money that the ARRL will want to subscribe to QST and subscribe to QEX instead. QEX is wall to wall technical articles. Or, you can save your money and read QEX online.

When I retired, I thought about Parks On the Air and a few other ARRL activities.

Parks on the Air is not an ARRL activity. POTA is organized by a different group.

They don't respond to their emails or return phone calls...

The email addresses and phone numbers of every ARRL Division Director and Section Manager are published in QST. As a Section Manager, I routinely get phone calls or emails from hams who have a problem that they think I can solve. I answer their phone calls and emails and try to deal with the problem as best I can.

They could have simply said that the annual dues are now $84 and spared us all the drama.

By comparison, I used to be a very active member, official, and director of the Sports Car Club of America. Their dues are currently $80/year and you have to pay another $10-25/year in local chapter dues. If you are a pilot and want to join AOPA, their dues are $89/year. If you are a golfer and want to join the USGA, that'll cost $36/year. If you are a fisherman and want to join B.A.S.S., that's $15/year.

It's notable, that in order to participate at an autocross or rally, or to fly an airplane, or to golf, or to fish, or to get on the air with amateur radio, you don't have to be a member of any of those organizations.

There was an ARRL Board of Directors meeting last weekend. (Directors are elected by the membership.) The dues increase passed 12 to 3. From what I understand, most of the directors were OK with the $10 dues increase, but many of them were not OK with separating the QST subscription from the membership dues. Frankly, I tend to agree with this sentiment. OTOH, if you don't want the printed QST, which many people have apparently said they don't want, you don't have to pay the extra $25 and new annual dues are $59/year.

The only thing I care for with the ARRL is Log of the World. You don't have to be a member to use it, of course, but it is a nice system if you're a contester.

LotW is more of a benefit for DXers than contesters, I think. Guys who are chasing DX contacts, VHF/UHF Grids, etc., get a lot of benefit from confirming contacts in LotW rather than having to collect QSL cards and get them checked. And, while it's not mandatory, should those who "care for" LotW support it?

First they appear to think that there must be a contest, some-odd-place-on-the-air or similar every weekend...

Most of the contests you hear on the air are not sponsored by the ARRL, but by other organizations. The ARRL sponsors 6 HF contests per year.

 

[GlobalNorth]

Lost spectrum is lost spectrum - whether it comes from experimental use that would be better served by SHF or EHF satellite linking. Why does ACARS for aviation exist if HF is so great? HF in aviation exists because of the limits of technology from the 1920s until recently.

1.25 meters was stolen by a freight company and then repurposed by the railroads. The intent for safety reasons does not mitigate the theft of spectrum from any or all primary, secondary, or tertiary users. Anti-collision systems could have come from X-band radars that the police have largely abandoned for Ka-band radars or LIDAR speed measurement.

If there is a valid argument to be made here, it is the fact that the FCC is the arbiter of RF use in the US, subject to international treaty. ARRL is a poorly funded NGO that advocates for its membership.

The fact that they've gone off with EMCOMM as a tool for civic engagement and as a method to retain moral relevancy with public safety organizations that really only care to work amongst themselves is wasted effort. FEMA and other .gov stakeholders have little use for amateur radio and ticket holders that can take days to respond and begin operations in widespread calamities. End the pretension of EMCOMM being useful in all scenarios until Federal and State organizations are openly willing to accept some assistance where it would do some good. EMCOMM Is the current Civil Defense without a proper sponsor and without a clearly defined function.

Do I believe that they are doing a great job - no.
Do I believe that they are doing an acceptable job - not in my estimation.

 

[GlobalNorth]

As far as dues increasing, what isn't going up in price? Everything from cribs to caskets are increasing in costs thanks to political posturing by government 'elites'.

The question isn't how much it is going up, the question should be 'is the value offered worth the costing'.