[CQ-Contest] QSL Bureau Fee Structure

[Bruce Sawyer]

Today I had an opportunity to "discuss" the results of the last ARRL BOD
meeting with my division director, and during the course of the conversation
he directed me to a place where I could find the actual list of Heroes
(6)and Goats (9) in the last meeting.  For anybody who is interested, this
is buried as item 53 in the meeting minutes.  In a strange twist of irony,
the address for the minutes is
http://www.arrl.org/announce/board-9807/#min53.  Anyway, while reading
through this thing I came upon the following item:

"18. Mr. Gordon, as Chairman, presented the written report of the Membership
Services Committee, and commented on its consideration of DXCC program
restructuring; plans to redraft the DXCC field checking program; a proposed
change in local club competition eligibility criteria; needed adjustments to
the QSL bureau fee structure; and a study based on a W1AW listeners survey.
The Board was in recess from 9:30 AM until 9:47 AM."

Say what?  "Needed adjustments to the QSL bureau fee structure"!  Aren't we
already up to $4 a pound on this #%$&@*$! thing?  Does anybody have any
further information on this?  I just got a note from the bureau saying that
they are holding several POUNDS of QSL cards for me; "Please send money",
they say.  Great!  That's just about as welcome as a margin call from a
broker, in my book.  Anyway, I sent 'em a check.  Now I'm left wondering how
big the next check is going to have to be to send off the responses.

Just curious about this...I'm sure we'll hear the answer in due time.  It's
obvious that something has to change.  There are just too many people
dumping cards into the system for every contact they make, simply so they
won't have to deal with any later requests.

BTW, that's also an interesting note in Item 18 about "proposed change in
local club competition eligibility criteria".  The last I heard, at least
some CAC members from "Big Contest Club" were opposed to any expansion in
local club eligibility because it might take away from the "Big Club" in SS
competition.  In other words, "We don't want to give people a choice."  But
the fact that K4VX reported on any change at all tells me that the big
contest club CAC guys must not have carried the day.  Is it too much to hope
for????

Bruce, N6NT



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