The AM Forum

The ARRL should be fighting this anti-ham bill in Texas.
It affects all non-commercial users of mobile 2-way radios.
So commercial drivers with CB, GMRS, and digital terminals go free, and everyone else can't use the 2-way no matter what licesne they have. I believe that is what the modifications to the bill mean.

story:
https://w5wx.net/2018/12/28/texas-legislature-sb43/

check on the bill's progress:
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/BillStages.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=SB43

Have you contacted the ARRL? What was their response?

It is for a member to contact them and find out more. Are you a member?
Have you, or will you contact your senate and house representatives?

Not a member any more since the price was jacked up and it is not my prerogative to contact the ARRL from the outside.
I have contacted my senator Royce West and house representative Carl Sherman using the link.

Fighting government overreach like this SB which purports to damage communications is part of the ARRL's self-professed work and there has not been any public news that I have seen.

For my part, I am merely curious as opposed to demanding anything from the ARRL.

I presume that, on behalf of their members, the ARRL is fighting this SB alongside the host of independent amateur licensees, non-commercial licensees of other "mobile 2-way" services, radio hobbyists, and other interested parties whom are ultimately affected.

There is a 2014 ARRL document posted addressing the general issue, and not specific to the details of this current matter, which is far geater in scope than amateur radio, affecting other services as stated.

We just got a new ARRL rep here in VA. I will contact him.

Patrick,

I feel the same way about the ARRL. I just can't pay $50 a year for what it's worth for me. It boiled down to a magazine that I could read in 5 or 10 minutes. I was always looking for information on AM and vintage tube equipment. I have been better served by Electric Radio.

Mike / KE5YTV

That was the one thing about it for me -the membership price increase. Occasionally the magazine would have an article of high interest. My interests are broader than AM and even so, without starting discussions about advertisements filling up magazines, it was a decent but short read.

I have in total sent two articles in, but neither one was published. One followed the latest vacuum tube type regulated power supply article a few years ago, and it was a set of changes to a similar design to convert it into a series modulator for a 10-15W class C 807/6146/sweep tube stage. If, as in olden times, the magazine had a lot more technical content then I might have stayed on, for the magazine's benefits.

I always enjoy the handbooks. Not sure about the latest multi volume set, if it's all new info or mostly a reorg. of previous items. Remember when they offered the hardback one with one's name/callsign gold-embossed on it? After I kick the bucket be on the lookout for the BUNKER OF DOOM copy, sure to be a collector item. Yes they happily did it for me.

I realize the ARRL purpose is not to please everyone or to publish technical material in a magazine at the expense of losing ad revenue, but they are there to forward the amateur radio goals, and they offer a fine handbook, so I have no negative comment about it really.

Contact your State Section Manger for ARRL and even the Division Level.  You do NOT need to be a member to work with ARRL.  Take the time to document and escalate this information.  This could be a big deal if not stopped. 

http://www.arrl.org/sections-by-divisions
http://www.arrl.org/sections

Good luck for all our sake.

73,
Jim Larsen, AL7FS
Alaska Section Manager 2008-2015
ARRL

OM,

FWIW, here are the current rates:

$49.00     1 Year Regular Membership
$96.00     1 Year Regular Membership (QST Magazine sent First Class)
$95.00     2 Year Regular Membership
$140.00   3 Year Regular Membership

Life membership $1,225

If there's a CPA reading this, please tell us what the payback is on the life membership, assuming inflation of the yearly fee at the CPI figures for five or ten years back. TIA.

I hope this helps.

73,

W4EWH

May I point out that the topic is the ham bill. The ARRL membership costs have really nothing to do with this topic and it seems to me that 10 mochas a year it's not too much to pay for ARRL support. 73 Jim

  I stopped being an ARRL member years ago for a few reasons, the ARRL magazine was almost all advertising and with few articles of interest. Also when I went to the ARRL website I was confronted with what I consider OBNOXIOUS advertising, I will define OBNOXIOUS as pop ups and animated advertising designed to attract your attention. I'm trying to read!!! I sent an email to the ARRL advertising contact complaining about this and in 10 minutes got a very snooty response. I was informed that this type of OBNOXIOUS advertising "got clicks" so too bad. I answered the email by stating I would consider this at renewal time, which I did.

  As stated previously Electric Radio is a better magazine for my interests, delivered first class mail and at the cost half of the ARRL.

  The cost of an ARRL life membership is $1225, about 4 years ago I became a life member of the NRA after having been a yearly member for years. The cost was $500 and for that I get a good monthly magazine.