[CQ-Contest] Follow The Money

[Jeffrey Clarke]

 I bet the ARRL will see those who solely subscribed to QST for contest
results and writeups not renewing their subscriptions. I agree with
moving section news because it's boring stuff that lots of people don't
even read. Just wait until they stop printing the DXCC listings !!!

 I really don't think the ARRL has a clue about demographics.
Contesting
and DXing are by far the most popular amateur radio activities and
these two groups are the ones buying the products that are advertising
in QST. Does this mean we are now going to see great articles like "
How to Effectively Ragchew on the 75 Meter Band" in QST ????

 Maybe someone can clue me in why the ARRL takes the attitude that
contesters/DXer's are the minority ????

 I live in Atlanta, GA , which is a pretty big metro area of about 4
million people. I can't imagine that talking on 2 meter repeaters is
very popular. There has to be a repeater on every split possible and I
hardly hear anyone using these repeaters???

 How about weak signal VHF/UHF ???? Well it's seems most of the time
there isn't much activity in most parts of the country unless there
is a contest going on ???

 How about digital modes ??? Well most of the guys I know that do this
are either contesting or DXing. Sure there are guys probably handling
traffic but the whole thing is so automated now it's like me just
sending an email on my computer.... What's so fun about that ???


 That leaves all those "ragchewers" out there. There must be tons of
them because during the weekday the bands have have no activity. It
picks up during the weekend but the bands are by no means crowded if it
is a non-contest weekend.


I really feel bad for the future of ham radio. To do most of all the so
called "hot" activities is many times too expensive for the newcomer.
Maybe I shouldn't complain because when all those 50 something
contesters are all gone in 20-30 years from now I can have 14.001 all
to myself !!!!

         73's from    Clueless in Georgia , Jeff

--- "Jim White, K4OJ" <k4oj at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> snippets taken from one account of the past weekend's board meeting:
> 
> 
> ALERT: Sun, July 21, 2002; 11:04 PM ET
> 
> Section News and Contest Scores Moving to the Web
> 
> In a controversial decision the ARRL Board has voted 9 to 6 to remove
> Section News and contest scores from QST as of the January 2003
> issue.
> 
> The roll call vote is as follows:
> 
> Opposed:
>                       Roderick-K5UR-Delta Div., Fuller-N3EFN-Atlantic
> Div.,
> Race-WB8BGY-Great Lakes Div.,
>                       Milnes-W7OZ-Northwestern Div.,
> Maxwell-W6CF-Pacific
> Div., and
>                       Butler-W4RH-Southeastern Div.
> 
> 
> Voting for the removal:
> 
> 
> Isely-W9GIG-Central Div.,
>                       Bellows-K0QB-Dakota Div., Fallon-N2FF-Hudson
> Div.,
> Walstrom-W0EJ-Midwest Div.,
>                       Frenaye-K1KI-New England Div.,
> Bodson-W4PWF-Roanoke
> Div., Stinson-W0CP-Rock
>                       Mountain Div., Goddard-W6XD-Southwestern Div.
> and
> Day-N5OK-West Gulf Div. All
>                       directors can be reach at their call-signs @
> arrl.org.
> Great Lakes Division Director George
> 
> 
> un-snip
> 
> ...I am sure full details are or are about to be posted at the ARRL
> website.
> 
> 
> Thank you W4RH for voting in favor of contest score retention in QST 
> and
> the chance to expose non-contesters to contesting...hopefully the
> ARRL will
> allow QST to use as much space for promotion of OPERATING versus mere
> license holding and vhf transceiver buying.
> 
> The post "un-snip" comments are my own...and the snippets in the top
> part of
> the message were edited from the WCF section webpage.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Jim, K4OJ
> 
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest


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