[CQ-Contest] What has happened to our hobby?

[Jim White, K4OJ]

K6LA says raise dues - he must have lead underwear..

Nope not it - this angle is going to be spun as:

"those damned self centered contesters wanted to see their results and I
have to pay for it, I do not even get on in those things so why should I
foot the bill" - don't think so - you just wait!

Besides, most of the serious contesters I know became life members years ago
and they will not be adding to the incoming dues pool...guess they wanted to
see their results on a regular basis.

The DXers got shafted a few years back with the exodus from QST of their
showplace...first the honor roll, then How's DX space cut back...

I guess the contesters are next?  What does this say about the importance of
operating as a qualification to being a good ham...nothing...importance
seems to be on how many repeaters you are able to capture!  That is based on
the number of ads and article I see anyhow...this isn't the hobby it used to
be.

Fostering international goodwill and aiding in time of emergency are done by
those who operate hf - those who operate hf well are often contesters and
DXers...

Ham Radio is but a microcosm of society - the US society keeps learning the
hard way it is better to fix a problem than through money at it and hope it
goes away.  If the advertising revenues do not cover the cost of printing
the page they show up on what does that say about the amount of money hams
are spending on their hobby...and who is doing the spending?  Assuming they
do cover it then how much extra goes to covering the non-revenue producing
pages?  Are their insufficient revenues do to inability to sell advertising
and if so is it a question of competition - how does CQ Magazine support
itself?  Does CQ battle QST for advertisers in price wars?  Mebbe they both
should raise their rates??

I AM AN AVERAGE GUY AND DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER.  BUT I DO KNOW THAT ONCE
SOMETHING IS GONE DON'T YOU EXPECT TO SEE IT COME BACK....EVER!

What is the ratio of advertising space to overall page count...has this gone
up over the years - and if so - why?

Seems like the really old QSTs did not have that high a ratio of ad space to
article space.  Why did this change - were revenues from QST advertisers
increased in importance as an element of funding the ARRL?  What went down
if that is the case - or is it a matter, like taxes, of more is better,
right? Were ad rates lowered to gain quantity and if so were they lowered
too much, etc...business stuff.

I would hazard a guess that more serious operators have state of the art HF
gear as a percentage of the overall ham population but they cannot support
the hobby per se...as witnessed by the Mom and Pop ham store going the way
of the Mom and Pop hardware store...we are very active but clearly not
carrying the ball as far as keeping the manufacturers interested in making
ham gear!  It would appear the shacks on a belt drive the ham economy.

The League has a budget and they are making an effort to keep it from
heading towards the red...they have to make choices as to what to keep and
what to cut.

If they cut contest reporting they cripple part of their affiliated club
program - so maybe they should just get rid of the affiliated club
competitions...which in turn gets rid of the local rivalries which lead to
(think this is the FRC Slogan) "Excellence through Competition"...so we will
witness another dumbing down of the ham populace.

I do not know either Barry Shelly or Mary Hobart, other than being two key
players in the ARRL currently - the money man and the development
officer...but, they are not even hams (I don't think).  Why do I mention
this - it is not to impugn either of them but I doubt seriously either has
ever leapt from their chair when they worked their 100th country or gotten a
clean sweep in SS!  Do they really understand what some of us feel and how
deeply we feel it - or do they think it is like woodworking and quilting or
some other hobbies...

Is it possible that because we as hams don't care anymore that our national
organization has to "outsource" quality help - or is it that as part of a
me-generation hams who instead of sacrificing for a cause now chose not to
work for a non-profit organization?  Is it still fun to work at the League?

It used to be that you knew who worked at the League - partly due to so many
ACTIVE hams being employed there...as a percentage this appears to have gone
down...what a shame, guess they don't wanna take their jobs home with them.
There are still some beacons at HQ - stellar operators who these days seem
almost out of place there...why is that?

Have we as operators lowered our standards and we are now paying the price?

What is left - and is it any wonder it takes you a lot less time to read QST
than it used to?

You bet I am stirring things up - I do not like the way things are going -
and my dream of retiring some day to casual QSOs with old friends on the CW
bands seem to be closer and closer to vanishing.  I have not spent over 30
years as a ham to just say the hell with it and take up stamp collecting (or
whatever)...I am still having as much fun as ever in contesting, and I enjoy
watching the new guys learn the art of it - IT IS IMPORTANT.

Champions of industry - successful CEO's and managers - please share your
knowledge with the ARRL's Board of Directors - you can contribute your time
which is of great value to a hobby many of us love.

The salvation of amateur radio exists in it being fun - I know what I do is
fun, and I will not one day use my Mastercharge to buy something else
because I am bored with the repeaters and the locals who gripe about their
health.

Encourage HF - help make the world a smaller place by Dxing and contesting,
we all really do have more in common than we do different!

Sorry for the rant.

73,

Jim White, K4OJ
Founder - Florida Contest Group -where operating ability is something we
take pride in.


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