[CQ-Contest] Re: Poll on ARRL web site (was contest coverage)

[Bob Naumann - N5NJ]

Mark,

I agree that an on-line poll might not represent the entire league
membership.

However, it might represent the entire active, connected, and vibrant
portion of the membership, that seems to be overlooked by these so-called
scientific methods.

Are the ragchewers, and anti-contesters such a majority of the membership
that the contesters are considered expendable?

Does the league really see it's future in the "shack on the belt" type ?

If the league does, you should look at the no-code situation for a clue as
to how this is all going to work out.  There is no interest in or respect
for the traditions, or the pride in following our predecessors by this new
"ham" that seems to be the group you guys are banking on for your future.
The ARRL, and ham radio is all about tradition, and respect for those who
have gone before us, and our shared marvel of wireless communication.

>From what I've seen, and from the obvious decline in interest in activities
where you actually have to do something instead of seeking instant
gratification, the time will come where there won't be a large portion of
the ARRL membership who actually purchases HF radios any longer.  Towers ?
What for ?  Big antennas ?  What for ?  The average contester spends far
more money than non-contesters on ham radio gear.  Don't you guys get that ?

The shack on the belt guys could spend a couple thousand on a
top-of-the-line system with APRS and GPS, where many contesters spend 10's
if not 100's of thousands on their stations.  What happened to money talks
and ...?

I think you guys should stop listening to these "industry standard" people,
and pay attention to what you can observe yourself.  There's nothing
standard about hams.  Ask any XYL - especially one who's gone to a flea
market and seen "us".

I have been a ham for a long time, and you and I first met when you were
managing the sponsorship of the "2-land QSO Party".  I know you have
operated other contests in the intervening 20+ years or so.  Come to think
of it, another guy in leadership in your organization is probably one of the
top contesters in the world.  Should you guys be let go because contesting
is so insignificant in these polls ?  Extreme?  Well, you guys taking
contesting out of the mainstream of league activities is equally extreme to
me.

The point of this is that you know that these surveys are not really
representative of the entire population.  If they were, there'd be a large
portion of people here agreeing with what's going on.

Also, a lot of us, myself included have relied on the league to represent
us.  Many of us feel like we've been taken to the cleaners on this, and the
code issue.

73,

Bob Naumann N5NJ
ARRL Life Member



----- Original Message -----
From: "Wilson, Mark K1RO" <mwilson at arrl.org>
To: <Jpdalt at aol.com>
Cc: <cq-contest at contesting.com>; <yccc at yccc.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 11:58 AM
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] ARRL contest coverage


>
>
> > How about posting a QST survey on the ARRL web site? If you want only
> > responses from members, put it in the Members Only section.
> > Jim, KZ1M.
>
> Jim, the problem with a poll on the Web site is that you only hear from
> those people who happened to be visiting that area of the Web site while
the
> poll is active and care enough (one way or the other) about the topic to
> take the time to answer. Answers from that select group do not truly
> represent the opinions of a cross-section of the membership and cannot be
> relied upon for decision-making.
>
> The QST surveys are sent to a random sample of ARRL members. The samples
are
> chosen under the guidance of an independent research firm, using
> industry-standard techniques, to ensure that we reach a representative
> cross-section of the entire ARRL membership. Followup efforts are made
until
> the response rate is high enough to ensure that the results are accurate.
>
> A number of companies that specialize in survey research publish
information
> about sample size and accuracy on their Web sites. You can find a lot of
> information on survey research on the Web. A good place to start is
> www.google.com ; search for
>
> survey sample size
>
> and that will lead you to a number of good resources.
>
> 73, Mark K1RO
>
>
> --
> CQ-Contest on WWW: http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
> Administrative requests: cq-contest-REQUEST at contesting.com
>


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