On Jan 27, 5:13�pm, John Smith I wrote:
KH6HZ wrote:* ...

I think it obvious, the new amateur is not going to tolerate the ARRL,
many of the old ones couldn't ... I think even the ARRL has seen that
written on the wall.

"Tolerance" or "intolerance" develops later. The obvious huge
base of ARRL publications will attract most newbies. That and
the constant mention of the ARRL by all the olde-tymers.
Newbies haven't yet learned any better.

The FACT of the matter is that the ARRL has failed to garner
enough memberships from the largest class: Technician. They
acknowledge their existance but do little else, preferring to
go to their core membership of olde-tymers, the beepers.

While the above statement cannot be proven by "official"
pollsters, they can't be disproven either. A random sampling
of opinions is enough to secure that for discussion (except
for Cranky Spanky). ARRL is very, very secretive about its
membership demographics, won't even reveal total membership
but twice a year and then only for QST ad sales purposes.
It does not have to reveal anything since QST has the largest
readership number in the USA and is a virtual monopoly on
the ad market. Advertisers are what keeps all periodicals
afloat...including "membership magazines."

I am afraid the new crowd will need to come from here ... but hey, that
is only one mans' opinion.

Not at all, John, you be wrong there. ARRL has periodical and
publication racks on the floors of HRO and Radio Shack and
other stores to catch all eyes. They have ads on websites
but very few non-ARRL-produced periodicals having to do with
radio-electronics. ARRL depends heavily on olde-tymers who
were weaned on the League diamond and may know no other
source of amateur radio information. Those olde-tymers
are constantly mentioning the League. Word of mouth is always
effective and costs the League nothing.

For example, when someone asks for copies of the Question
Pools, olde-tymers invariably point to the ARRL. However,
the QP can be obtained directly from the folks who generate
them at www.ncvec.org. Part 97 of Title 47 C.F.R. can be
obtained free and are exact copies of their original printed form,
directly from the Government Printing Office website through
links at the FCC's website. Olde-tymers will invariably
point to the ARRL again as the "source" of federal government
information. ARRL "edits" the GPO copyright-free regulations
"to be more readable." "More readable?" These old eyes can
read GPO Codes of Federal Regulations just fine in their
regular form. Part 97 is one of the smaller Parts in Title 47.

Newbies will listen to olde-tymers since they haven't YET
learned who are what, hence they will be indoctrinated into
the League. That is part of the 'conditioned thinking' that
pervades US amateur radio. The ARRL "can do no wrong"
is a constant underlining to what nearly all olde-tymers say.
"They control the vertical, they control the horizontal" and
they have created their own outer limits which none can
breach.

But, look at some other things for change. Check
www.ncvec.org for the number of VECs in the USA. Only
one of them is the ARRL. Look at the recent (last decade)
decisions from the FCC on NPRMs...the League doesn't
get carte blanche on whatever it wants now...it was once
just pro forma to yield to ARRL desires. New, never-
before-licensed amateurs are and have been for the last
decade, coming more from the no-code-test Technician
class route. The ARRL was staunchly pro-code even to
just past WRC-03...despite the IARU taking up their stand
of having individual countries decide for themselves over
a year before WRC-03. Despite all that OPEN
INFORMATION, some of the League faithfull refuse to
acknowledge all that, giving more rationalizations
(incorrect ones at that) than a barrel full of red-hatted
monkeys going beep-beep all night long.

The final change will occur in February of this year. If
the ARRL wishes to survive with all its "free" services
intact, it needs to change with the times. It should NOT
treat newbies as little kiddies to be "educated the right
way." They MUST learn that their core membership
(of elderly beeping gentlemen) cannot last forever.
Excuses and myriad rationalizations don't cut it. It
WILL be interesting to see what they do.

Regardez silverplate,
LA