From: walt@diusys (Walt Dabell)
Subject: Re: How to fix the League (was Re: AARL vs ARRL)
Organization: University of Delaware
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 15:42:46 GMT

louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) writes:
: 
: >I do regret that we have not been able to serve you well enough to keep
: >you as a member. Could you (and any and all who choose not to be League
: >members) tell us what we could do that would make ARRL membership worth-
: >while for you again? I know that your reasons for not joining are not

: This is really quite simple.
: 
: Do something that reflects my interests and needs in Amateur Radio.
: Do something *interesting* to me.  Quite simply, the ARRL doesn't; or
: they choose not to.  It makes no difference to me.  

Ed, I don't think you could fix the leauge to make this guy happy. 
Unfortunately this is an all too common response from selfish
individuals who join an organization so that they "get something"
out of it. You can only get out of it what you put in to it. 

: Looking at QST, on occasion, I'm just not interested in HF, DXing,
: DXpeditions, contesting, traffic handling, QRP, or that
: needless-serial-killer-of-trees: the dreaded "Section News."  When I
: occasionally buy a QST, the first thing I look at is "Amateur
: Satellite Communications". Then some ads or the occasional interesting
: techinical article.  The character of the magazine, as you might
: expect, reflects the character of the organization and its members.
: But it doesn't reflect mine.  I don't claim that its bad or wrong, but
: don't claim to represent all amateur.  You represent your members.

And dont you think that their members are amateurs from all walks of
life and of many and different interests? Maybe I dont read the entire
QST because I don't like its contents, but I dont blame the contents
on the entire organization. ARRL is more than JUST QST. 

: As I've mentioned before, I support organizations that *do* reflect my
: interests and provide something of value to me.  I'm an AMSAT member

AMSAT? Providing something of VALUE? Their publication is the PITS!
Whats that you say? AMSAT is more than just a newsletter? Hmm...

: personally be able to benefit from them in the future.  I can't say
: the same thing about an ARRL membership.

Please tell me what AMSAT is doing for YOU PERSONALLY. Are they putting 
up a satellite that you can use from your 2meter CB-set while tooling
around the beltway? Of course if they are doing that for you PERSONALLY, 
then who else are you going to talk to?

So what will an ARRL membership do for you PERSONALLY? Probably nothing
that you would be interested in, nothing usefull to YOU. Standing watch
over congress and the FCC as they get money hungry and try to auction off
those frequencies that AMSAT is planning on using for your PERSONAL
satellite is one thing an ARRL membership will help provide. Helping
you find that pesky RFI that is interferring with your PERSONAL satellite
might be another benifit. Haw about when you try to put up an antenna
to access your PERSONAL satellite and there are city ordinances that
say you cant? ARRL maintains a staff of leagle assistants to help you fight
them. There is a lot more to ARRL that that dull magazine they put out
every month. If you don't realize what the ARRL CAN do for you, maybe
you had better find out. 

: One man's opinion,
: 
: louie,
: WA3YMH
--
         __________________________________________________________
         Walt Dabell  KD3GS (302)645-4225  walt@diusys.cms.udel.edu  
                  U of Delaware / College of Marine Studies
                      700 Pilottown Rd. Lewes, DE 19958