QST, QEX and Incentive Licensing

[k4kyv]

There's very little in QST that isn't already available on the ARRL website: Hamfest calender, news, FCC enforcement actions, etc.  What IS lacking on the internet as a whole is original technical articles, and here, QEX absolutely shines.  But no, they've made the decision you WILL get QST, and if you want QEX you're gonna pay more.

It has been argued that this makes good business sense, because the overall membership trend is less technical, so why clutter QST with highly technical articles for a small audience?

That, alone, is clear admission by the League that Incentive Licensing, which was supposed to have addressed that trend back in the 60's, has been a dismal failure in terms of its stated purpose.  If anything, the trend towards a less technical amateur radio accelerated after the advent of Incentive Licensing.

It was during the post-incentive licensing era that appliance operating became once and for all the prevailing direction of amateur radio activity, practised by the vast majority of licensees.  Incentive Licensing likewise marked the beginning of the period of steady, systematic dumbing down of amateur radio via the FCC rules.  Go back and read the "Happenings" sections of those old QST's starting with the 1969 issues.

[Jim, W5JO]

After looking through QST quickly, it is fodder for the round file.  About the only magazine that contains anything near technical beside QEX is Electric Radio.  I had to make a choice when I retired so I choose to keep the ARRL with the attendant QST. 

In a couple of years my financial situation will change and I will reup for ER.  Much better even though it is for a narrow niche.  I really think ER should expand to modifications and repair of vintage SSB gear (toob type) and some creative building projects for people, especailly the readers of ER.  But publication costs drive the size and scope of any magazing.  Ray need more advertising to do that.

I kept the ARRL membership so I could complain when they came up with nonsense like the bandwidth proposal. 

[Pete, WA2CWA]

There's very little in QST that isn't already available on the ARRL website: Hamfest calender, news, FCC enforcement actions, etc.  What IS lacking on the internet as a whole is original technical articles, and here, QEX absolutely shines.  But no, they've made the decision you WILL get QST, and if you want QEX you're gonna pay more.

It has been argued that this makes good business sense, because the overall membership trend is less technical, so why clutter QST with highly technical articles for a small audience?

So, you think it makes more sense to clutter up a mag. with technical articles which only a small portion of their membership will read and appreciate. You buy ER for its content so why not QEX. You don't have to be a member to buy QEX.

That, alone, is clear admission by the League that Incentive Licensing, which was supposed to have addressed that trend back in the 60's, has been a dismal failure in terms of its stated purpose.  If anything, the trend towards a less technical amateur radio accelerated after the advent of Incentive Licensing.

It was during the post-incentive licensing era that appliance operating became once and for all the prevailing direction of amateur radio activity, practised by the vast majority of licensees.  Incentive Licensing likewise marked the beginning of the period of steady, systematic dumbing down of amateur radio via the FCC rules.  Go back and read the "Happenings" sections of those old QST's starting with the 1969 issues.

I believe if you check around the web or the ARRL site you'll find that both the FCC and the ARRL have already admitted that incentive licensing did not work quite the way they thought it would. But, it's water over the dam and many of us have learned to live with it. Some of our own members weren't even born when that happened.

Appliance operating became the prevailing direction when the majority of U. S. amateur radio manufacturers disappeared and the Kenwood's, Icom's, and Yaesu's came in to fill the void. Many of their rigs were sharp looking, easy to use, feature rich, and priced to capture a market. Customers got the taste and continued to demand more and these manufacturers were able to fill the need.

If you believe “dumbing down” created less people interested in building rigs, analyzing their innards, repairing their own rigs, and generally less technically interested in the inner workings of their equipment, then you are probably correct. However, many of us believe that the demographics of the amateur population has changed over the years with today’s many amateurs more interested in the system integration of “off the shelf” equipment rather than trying or wanting to “roll your own”. Not all amateurs want to be engineers or wear pocket protectors in today’s world.

[k4kyv]

I believe if you check around the web or the ARRL site you'll find that both the FCC and the ARRL have already admitted that incentive licensing did not work quite the way they thought it would. But, it's water over the dam and many of us have learned to live with it.

If  that's the case, why so many years and no action to undo the damage?  Maybe both the FCC and the League don't want to admit that someone made a mistake?  It won't be "water over the dam" until those mistakes are patched.

Actually I blame the FCC more than I do ARRL.  ARRL's proposal was to return to something like the original Class A and Class B licensing system.  If that had been done, while grandfathtering then-existing privileges, so that no-one actually lost privileges they had previously enjoyed, the whole thing would not have so divided the amateur community and been so disasterous to the League in terms of loss of membership.  It was the FCC that  came up with the scatter-brained plan to segment the bands, creating a complicated matrix of subbands according to licence class combined with emission mode.

So, you think it makes more sense to clutter up a mag. with technical articles which only a small portion of their membership will read and appreciate.

Does it make any more sense to clutter up the magazine with contest results and nauseating "human interest" drivel that only a small portion of the membership will read and appreciate?  Besides, QEX is a very thin magazine, compared to QST, and it comes out only once every two months.  That content could easily be included in QST on a monthly basis, making it only a little thicker than it is now, or QST could keep the same number of pages by eliminating some of the drivel. Before the advent of QEX, the technical content was included in QST.

Besides, it just might grab the attention of a few of the appliance ops and instill interest in the technical aspects of radio after all.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

If  that's the case, why so many years and no action to undo the damage?  Maybe both the FCC and the League don't want to admit that someone made a mistake?  It won't be "water over the dam" until those mistakes are patched.

Actually I blame the FCC more than I do ARRL.  ARRL's proposal was to return to something like the original Class A and Class B licensing system.  If that had been done, while grandfathtering then-existing privileges, so that no-one actually lost privileges they had previously enjoyed, the whole thing would not have so divided the amateur community and been so disasterous to the League in terms of loss of membership.  It was the FCC that  came up with the scatter-brained plan to segment the bands, creating a complicated matrix of subbands according to licence class combined with emission mode.

ARRL tried somewhat in 2002 and the FCC shot them down:
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/refarm/

FCC's Bill Cross said  in May, 1998:
"The FCC had words of assurance for hams at the Dayton Hamvention. "We won't be taking any privileges away from anybody," said the FCC's Bill Cross, W3TN, of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Speaking at the Hamvention's FCC Forum May 17, Cross explained that the FCC is reviewing all Amateur Radio rules and regulations as part of its required biennial review and wants to hear from hams. But he said that whatever changes come about, if any, hams should not fear another "incentive licensing" debacle or loss of privileges they now have."

Does it make any more sense to clutter up the magazine with contest results and nauseating "human interest" drivel that only a small portion of the membership will read and appreciate?  Besides, QEX is a very thin magazine, compared to QST, and it comes out only once every two months.  That content could easily be included in QST on a monthly basis, making it only a little thicker than it is now, or QST could keep the same number of pages by eliminating some of the drivel. Before the advent of QEX, the technical content was included in QST.

Besides, it just might grab the attention of a few of the appliance ops and instill interest in the technical aspects of radio after all.

Actually only of summary of results are now posted in QST for most of their contests. You have to go to the "Members Only" section of the ARRL site to read all the details.

"nauseating "human interest" drivel that only a small portion of the membership will read and appreciate" How do you know that is the case? Because you're more technically minded, I can understrand your dissatisfaction with human interest stories, but maybe the majority of the readership has no problem with them.

Design and construction articles still appear monthly in QST. Maybe not like 40's and 50's type technical articles (i.e. how to build a 500 pound floor mounted 20 meter plate modulated transmitter) but recent articles included an automatic curve tracer, 600 watt amplifier, active audio filter for CW, auto-bug keyer, QRP transmitter, several antenna constructions, and the monthly QST Workbench section. For the full-blown techie person, QEX is also available for them.

I've been an AARP member for several years and support the organization. Each month I get their newspaper type rag which I quickly glance through and then throw out. Very rarely do I ever find any articles in there that interests me (scooter, wig/hair piece, headstone, E.D. ads abound each month) but I support the organization and the work that they do. If you're an ARRL member and QST has no value to you, give it to a local kid that has an interest in electronics, or maybe to your local school science or high school physics teacher.

[WA3VJB]

I've been an AARP member for several years and support the organization.

Pete, would you consider contacting the head of their online and print publications about creating a ham radio artcle for each?

If and when the FCC drops the code requirement, the AARP demographic is very very prime for recruitment. You are just the guy to lead a campaign, backed by your buddies in Newington if they can see the merit, eventually.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I've been an AARP member for several years and support the organization.

Pete, would you consider contacting the head of their online and print publications about creating a ham radio artcle for each?

If and when the FCC drops the code requirement, the AARP demographic is very very prime for recruitment. You are just the guy to lead a campaign, backed by your buddies in Newington if they can see the merit, eventually.

I think the real mining area is in the youth of America.
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/
Today's AARP crowd are too busy doing lots of other things. Diddling in front of a radio probably would not be high on their list. I know it's not mine. Today's over 60 crowd, as long as "health" holds out, are a very active bunch of people. So, you 40's and 50's guys and gals, get your radio playing in now. Later, you'll either be dead or too busy with other things.

[KB2WIG]

The old time ice cream bags ( the alunimummm ones) make a most excelent puke bag, and hold more than the cheepe airline bags...

[W1DAN]

Hi all:

I feel that the ARRL should send me all publications (QST, QEX and NCJ) for my membership dues.

Why should I pay more $$ for QEX?

Divide and conquer to get more $$......

I get all offerings from my AAA membership.

73
Dan
W1DAN

 

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Hi all:

I feel that the ARRL should send me all publications (QST, QEX and NCJ) for my membership dues.

Why should I pay more $$ for QEX?

Divide and conquer to get more $$......

I get all offerings from my AAA membership.

73
Dan
W1DAN

You tell them Dan. Besides the stuff you already mentioned, demand a sticker:



And something no ARRL menber should be without:



And, to write that renewal check each year; demand one of these:

[W1DAN]

Pete:

So you pay your town taxes that should take care of all services.

Then they start charging "fees" for busing kids to school, trash pickup and other services that your taxes were originally supposed to pay for.

I think the ARRL has been doing the same thing.

When HPM, KBW and others started the League in the early days, they did not think of giving SOME services to SOME members. You became a member and received the full benifit of the League's services.

I feel selling different periodicals outside of the membership other than QST is a change of the original goal of the league.

Obviously I was not talking about books or tie clips.

73
Dan
W1DAN

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Pete:

So you pay your town taxes that should take care of all services.

Then they start charging "fees" for busing kids to school, trash pickup and other services that your taxes were originally supposed to pay for.

I think the ARRL has been doing the same thing.

When HPM, KBW and others started the League in the early days, they did not think of giving SOME services to SOME members. You became a member and received the full benifit of the League's services.

I feel selling different periodicals outside of the membership other than QST is a change of the original goal of the league.

Obviously I was not talking about books or tie clips.

73
Dan
W1DAN

Benefits You're Entitled to as an ARRL Member:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/services.html

QST benefits:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/qst/

When HPM, KBW and others started the League in the early days, they did not think of giving SOME services to SOME members. You became a member and received the full benifit of the League's services.

I feel selling different periodicals outside of the membership other than QST is a change of the original goal of the league.

You feel what you feel. Benefits  and "running costs" can change in 90 plus years. I have no problem understanding that part of running an organization.

[W1DAN]

Pete:

Being a life member and having a QST collection going back to the teens (and having read most of them), I understand what is offered with ARRL membership, both currently and back in the early days.

I just disagree with the fact that I have to pay extra for QEX and will not do so even if it has good technical articles. I feel my membership should include QEX.

Of course your opinion is good for you and is as valid as anyone's.

Dan

[Art]

I think the value of the technical projects and focus in QST, pre QEX was the transition of hams from entry level activities to more challenging technical aspects of the hobby. This advanced a fundamental intent of the service as stated in part 97 and was a true benefit to the hobby. QEX was a clear signal that this concept was replaced by the "profit centers" perspective that now permeates the ARRL. Yes, the ARRL does some good now but the focus is on advancing the ARRL, not the advancement of the service. QEX was an early symptom of this . . . . I don't have to list the subsequent symptoms. They read like a road map to Newington.


-ap