[VHFcontesting] Re: [CQ-Contest] Too many contests?

[Bob Johnson]

OK Guys:
If Randy didn't miss any of your favorite contests, just let the League know
!!!

They are proposing to cut "Contest Coverage" in QST for ARRL sponsored
contests
at this weekends Board (Rubber Stamp) Meeting !!!

Also possible is a "Web Based" QST vs Paper, this has not been confirmed
except
by inference by some ARRL Board Members.

You, as an active VHF'er should be able to look back and see what we have lost
thanks to the BOD.
- Elimination of the VUAC (VHF/UHF Activities Coordinating) committee.
- Elimination of the "Spring Sprints" for VHF/UHF.
- Severe cut backs in the space for "The World Above 50 MHz".
- Severe cut backs in the reporting VUCC status.
- Severe cut backs in the reporting of VHF/UHF Standings.

I urge ALL of you that are ARRL members that have "Web Access" to let the rest
of the membership without Web Access know what is afoot !!!

I also urge everyone to contact their ARRL Board Member and let them know what
you think of these "Cost Cutting Schemes" !!!

After checking the ARRL Web Page today, The new webmaster is stating that we
are spending about $100K to have color vs Black & white !!!  I could live with
B&W if we could keep ALL coverage we HAD in QST !!!

I also did a quick check this weekend and found that there was an average of 8
FULL COLOR pages in each issue devoted to advertising ARRL publications (high
was 12, low was 5).  These figures did not include any of the partial page
ARRL
ads or " ARRL Help Wanted" ads (lots of them month after month with no takers,
so it seems)!!!  This amounts to about 5% of the pages of QST advertising ARRL
related publications and accessories.

Seeing that the ARRL publishes a Bi-annual booklet called "ARRL Publications",
it seems to me that it could be sent out to ARRL members 2 to 4 times a
year in
a special mailing utilizing the good old plastic mailing envelope (you old
timers remember when QST was so GOOD it was WORTH the plastic wrapper to
protect it) !!!

Many of the technical publications I receive still come in these plastic
envelopes and they utilize then to include special publication or catalogs
from
some of there advertisers (at an ADDITIONAL FEE, I'm sure).  I think the
League
should take note of this if they truly want to cut costs !!!


Back in 1976 the QST format was changed from 6.5" x 9.5" to 8.25" x 10.75",
yielding about a 43% increase in page area.  If we went back to the old type
style and font size, I'm sure we could easily get 30% more subject coverage
per
page.

I don't need COLOR
I don't need LARGE type and WIDE margins
I don't need the SAME old ARRL Publication advertising in EVERY issue
I don't need a "Web Based" publication

What I do need is a publication that old H.P.Maxim would be proud of, not the
stuff and fluff that is being proposed !!!

TNX es 73
Bob, K1VU


At 07:38 AM 01/14/02 , Randy Thompson, K5ZD wrote:
>
>Maybe we are looking at this cost cutting the wrong way.  Perhaps the ARRL
>sponsors too many contests and the answer should be to eliminate some of
>them.  The concept of an EME contest is pretty cool - but I doubt it will
>ever be a mainstream amateur radio operating activity.  Do we really need an
>ARRL 160m contest?  Or a UHF contest in addition to the VHF contests?
>
>Something to think about.
>
>
>Randy Thompson, K5ZD
>E-mail k5zd at contesting.com
>Web: <http://www.k5zd.com/>http://www.k5zd.com
>
>
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