[CQ-Contest] NCJ QEX as digital versions

[Jim George]

Let me "second" and underscore my support for getting NCJ (my favorite mag) 
and QEX on digital for all ARRL members. It's a class move and does not add 
much if any operating expense for the League. It does expose these two very 
good special purpose magazines to many more members, thus makes the 
information more widely available. I'd hope that some are like me in that 
they are traditional readers ... print folks who like to make notes and to 
keep the mags on a library shelf in the shack. Competitive radiosporting 
and state-of-the-art technology are both key parts of amateur radio, and 
the decision to make NCJ and QEX more widely available is first rate by the 
League. Since this email reflector goes out to the contesting community, 
I'd ask everyone to consider subscribing to the NCJ; it's such a good 
magazine and it helps promote and advance radiosporting.

On another note, kudos to Scott, K0MD, for his role in keeping the NCJ 
running so well. It's a labor of love for anyone, and especially for a 
still-working Mayo Clinic MD.

Thanks and here's to a healthy and prosperous 2020 for all and their families.

Jim N3BB

At 12:20 PM 1/1/2020 -0600, Scott Wright via CQ-Contest wrote:
>Jim Cain is a little cynical regarding the expansion of NCJ and QEX to 
>digital versions. QEX and NCJ have healthy subscription bases; QEX much 
>more so than NCJ.  If the readers on this list serve want to strengthen 
>NCJ, subscribe for yourself, donate a subscription to new contester and 
>promote it at club meetings.   Both the editor of NCJ (me) and QEX asked 
>to be put in line for a digital format after the League announced a new 
>digital journal for newbies.  The approval decision happened quickly; I do 
>not know when the digital copies will be available. The reality of the 
>publishing world is that all journals are going digital slowly and in some 
>cases not so slowly. I am Associate Editor of one of the world’s most 
>widely circulated medical journals. Our publisher is telling us that all 
>journals are preparing for the transition to digital and that we must soon 
>prepare ourselves. Our subscriber base is strong and our funding is 
>secure. It is not always a $$ issue which drives magazines to digital. I 
>am glad that HQ and Howard Michel decided to make NCJ digital on top of 
>the print edition. Ria N2RJ and others on the Board have been working to 
>help us with this expansion. It is necessary for many reasons, not the 
>least of which is the need to have more “room” to publish great 
>content in a way that is economical. Every issue, we push several articles 
>forward due to page constraints. Secondly, subscribers need a way to 
>locate past material in a format that is searchable, storable and 
>retrievable. The last 40 years have taught us that paper copies do not 
>lend themselves easily to two of these criteria.  Finally, no ARRL journal 
>is economical for non-US subscribers unless it is in a digital format. I 
>hope the European, South American and Asian contest communities will join 
>the ARRL to get NCJ, QST and QEX digitally; the annual dues are worth that 
>and more. As we enter 2020 and face the doldrums of poor propagation, 
>let’s not be cynical about contesting or its publications.  Contesting 
>is alive and well; today’s equipment exceeds anything we imagined in the 
>90’s. Antennas are better and new modes allow us to communicate below 
>the noise level.  This should be contesting’s finest decade in history; 
>it will be if we make that happen. Scott Wright K0MD Editor, NCJ 
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