Does the RSGB now fulfill any useful function?

Sticky question - although perhaps not really. Suppose we consider the question seriously:

It is regularly pointed out that the RSGB is in fact a limited company, fixated on profit at any cost
to the hobby. Or is the organisation in fact what it claims to be: a national radio society?

If the RSGB IS indeed the UK's "national radio society" then it is quite clearly a disgrace.

A national radio society, within this context, exists solely to defend the interests of the hobby,
and to develop and expand it along democratic lines - those dictated by its members. The RSGB
has never possessed a mandate to represent anyone BUT its members! If you wanted to be
involved in the future progress of the hobby then RSGB membership was in your best interests.

Today, however, we find the RSGB actively involved in the total destruction of everything that
amateur radio once stood for. In recent years, we have seen a persistant dumbing-down of the
standards for entry into the hobby. Six year-old children can now fully "qualify" for an amateur
radio licence in this country. This deliberate degradation has now culminated in the complete
sell-out of amateur radio to CB. The once-respected RAE (Radio Amateur's Examination) is
now a pathetic joke. Merely a wink-wink pretence to deflect accusations that amateur licences
are now available to anyone, practically for the asking. But they ARE.

Just as CB licences have always been.

And all of this is loudly acclaimed by our "national radio society", the RSGB. They are actually
PROUD of what they have done! I think that single fact tells us all we need to know.

If, however, the RSGB is simply a commercial, profit-making company then it's hard to fault their
agenda. They have every justification in forcing through changes to the structure of amateur radio
designed to maximise their profits and generate increased future income. They have no need to
take any notice of licencees interests or preferences - they will simply do whatever is necessary to
achieve their pre-determined ends as specified by company policy.

But is it not disturbing that they continue with the pretence that they are still a "national radio
society"? When they are clearly nothing of the sort. For example, when phoning Potter's Bar you
have to ask for the amateur radio department.

Amateur radio department? - Surely their entire purpose is amateur radio?

Not so - that's just a small part of their business. But how on earth does this gel with them
supposedly being a "national radio society"?

Sounds more like a con-game to me every day.

So why remain a "member" of this organisation? The most prominent reason that surfaces is
use of the QSL Bureau.

Yes, really!

Three things are pertinent to this:

One: E-qsl'ing will inevitably supercede pasteboard cards - and it won't be too long in coming. It's
just too easy, and too cheap, not to succeed. The ARRL's "Logbook of the World" is the first major
step along this route - there can be no turning back now. So the numerous qsl bureaus around the
world have a severely limited future. It's difficult to see this as a good selling point any more. What
happens to your credibility when you close the bureau down?

Two: There IS an alternative, meanwhile. The ISWL (International Short-Wave League) provides a
very efficient bureau service to its members. Certainly at least as good as the RSGB's version - many
would say rather better.

Three: You are perfectly at liberty to collect incoming cards through the RSGB bureau system
without being a member - but you cannot send outgoing qsl cards by this route.

All right, how about RadCom? Is THAT worth the annual fee?

Well, perhaps it used to be - although it's a moot point. But now it's target audience is quite
obviously the children and CB'ers who form the vast majority of entrants to the hobby today.
Another good example of the RSGB turning its' collective back on the very people it came
into existance to support. Yet another occasion when we need to ask: Why?

It was recently claimed on uk.radio.amateur that the RSGB is now irrelevant and has no future
in the amateur radio of the 21st Century.

It's hard to argue successfully against this. The "society" appears to have abdicated its'
responsibilities in favour of commercial gain. It has presided over the destruction of a once-
respected hobby and is PROUD of this fact. It has striven for several years to REDUCE
standards when the very reason for it's existance was to INCREASE those standards.

It has fought for, and achieved, the amalgamation of CB and amateur radio into one unified
service - referred to officially by the UK's Radiocommunications Agency as "hobby radio".
Will the RSGB shortly have a "hobby radio" department?

In short: they have destroyed everything that they were entrusted to defend.

The only reasonable conclusion is surely that, yes, the RSGB IS indeed irrelevant and will remain
so. Their time is past and amateur radio is dead and gone. It's questionable now if there is any
longer a need for a "national radio society". To do what exactly? Represent us the way the RSGB
"represents" us? No thanks. We're better off without.

I've been an RSGB member for nearly forty years - but I won't be renewing when the sub comes
up in a few months. I can't continue to support this sham. I can't continue to fund an organisation
that has deliberately done so much damage to a hobby I once loved. I will NOT be turned into a
glorified CBer for ANY reason. It is likely that in the near future I will decide not to renew my G3
licence - for exactly the same reason.

If there is any justice in this world, then the RSGB will get what they richly deserve - in full measure.
What they have done is unforgivable, and only worthy of complete contempt.

They certainly have mine.


G3 (soon to be ex-G3)

"Anon" asks:
Does the RSGB now fulfill any useful function?

I dunno, but do you? If so, we'd be more impressed if you were
not too ashamed to tell us your callsign.

Derek aa5bt, g3nmx

"Anon" asks:
Does the RSGB now fulfill any useful function?

I dunno, but do you? If so, we'd be more impressed if you were
not too ashamed to tell us your callsign.

Derek aa5bt, g3nmx

Anon wrote:

Do anonymous remailers fulfill any useful function?

In a yellowish sort of way, yes.

Peter Lemken
DF5JT
Berlin
--
"dass wir keine sklavenarbeit mehr haben zeigt doch, dass der
Marktwirtschaft ueberhaupt kein raum zu ihrer entfaltung gelassen
wird."
-- frank paulsen in d.a.t.u

Anon wrote:

Do anonymous remailers fulfill any useful function?

In a yellowish sort of way, yes.

Peter Lemken
DF5JT
Berlin
--
"dass wir keine sklavenarbeit mehr haben zeigt doch, dass der
Marktwirtschaft ueberhaupt kein raum zu ihrer entfaltung gelassen
wird."
-- frank paulsen in d.a.t.u

RSGB is the National Society of the UK. Like an non profit they cannot
charge enough for membership to cover all their expenses. LIke the ARRL
they sell publications and pins etc to cover the extra expenses. The
probably also have tried to set up an endowment so they have money in the
band for short falls.

Like the ARRL they are the IARU represemtative to the world and to the UK
goverment and licemsing authority. I have been a member in the past and
like the ARRL they do try to be representative (they are not and will never
be a democracy and neither is the UK or the USA for that matter). I feel
that they do try to represent the best intersets of all UK hams mwmbwes or
not.

Just as I do in the USA with regards to ARRL I say join the RSGB and then
vote vote vote!
If you are not a member they have no reason to listen to your whinning!

Dave K4JRB

RSGB is the National Society of the UK. Like an non profit they cannot
charge enough for membership to cover all their expenses. LIke the ARRL
they sell publications and pins etc to cover the extra expenses. The
probably also have tried to set up an endowment so they have money in the
band for short falls.

Like the ARRL they are the IARU represemtative to the world and to the UK
goverment and licemsing authority. I have been a member in the past and
like the ARRL they do try to be representative (they are not and will never
be a democracy and neither is the UK or the USA for that matter). I feel
that they do try to represent the best intersets of all UK hams mwmbwes or
not.

Just as I do in the USA with regards to ARRL I say join the RSGB and then
vote vote vote!
If you are not a member they have no reason to listen to your whinning!

Dave K4JRB