I wrote a couple of months ago about the shameful disqualifications of several candidates for the ARRL Board of Directors. In an attempt to prevent future embarrassment—and prevent any dissenting voices being elected to the board—the ARRL Special Committee on By-Law 46 Revisions, headed by Arthur I. Zygielbaum, K0AIZ, ARRL Midwest Division Director, has come up with revisions to By-Law 18. After reading it, and the commentary, By-Law 18 is a Terrible Idea, written by past New England Division director and chair of the Ethics and Elections Committee, Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, I can only ask again what the heck are they thinking?
Read MorePRESENTER OPINION : The Decline in ARRL Membership and Market Share, 2001-2023→
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With the publication of the 2023 Annual Report by the ARRL, we now have two more years of membership and amateur license data since I published my Social Circuits column entitled, “Elvis has left the building.” Indeed, the recent kerfuffle over the membership dues increase and subscription benefits reduction by the League is really Calling Elvis. However, Bob Dylan’s famous ballad that the times are a-changin‘ is the tune being sung by amateurs in the U.S. As a Life Member, I wish it weren’t so but the statistician in me says that engagement, rather than abandonment, will be required to keep the ARRL’s membership from further sinking like a stone in these turbulent waters. Here’s why.
Read MorePRSENTER OPINON : Hurricane Helene has changed my outlook on emergency communications→
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I was never very interested in emergency communications. Perhaps it’s because I live in Michigan, which according to World Atlas, is the second safest state as far as natural disasters go.
With what has gone on lately in North Carolina I’m rethinking my position. I still don’t think that every ham has to go whole hog (pun intended) on emergency communications, but we should have the ability to communicate without grid power and some knowledge of emergency communications techniques and protocols.
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