From: jkearman@arrl.org (Jim Kearman)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: QST, in my opinion...
Date: 14 Aug 92 18:30:43 EDT
Organization: American Radio Relay League

;From: flloyd@L1-A.West.Sun.COM (Fred Lloyd [Phoenix SE])
;Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
;Subject: QST, in my opinion...
;Date: 13 Aug 92 20:47:59 GMT
;Organization: Sun Microsystems, Phoenix, AZ
;Lines: 177
;  
;QST is first and foremost, a club newsletter.  Second, it's a 
;revenue source and third, it's a technical contest journal. 
;Let's examine these points.
; 
<DELETIONS>
; 
;On the very first few pages, just past the initial advertisements
;(which cost upwards of $1200 per page), the magazine begins.  First up,
;(on page 3), the Table of Contents.  Then, a few ad pages later, the
;first club item: a listing of club directors and section managers,
;their territories, names, addresses and telephone numbers.  Immediately
;following is the opening editorial, which as of late has become the
;David Sumner, K1ZZ pontification page.  Dave must be one heck of a ham
;however, I get the feeling that you'd be more likely making a space
;shuttle contact than actually hearing him on the air.  Have you ever
;noticed how many 1-landers have been League executives?  Somehow I
;don't get the impression that Dave has ever been seen without his suit
;and tie, God forbid wearing just jeans and a t-shirt, using an old
;IC-2AT at the local hamfest.  Just who is this guy anyway?

That does it. Dave Sumner is VERY active. He's on the air on his
vacation in Prince Edward Island right now, I think (VY2QST). 
I made over 5000 contacts last year, but I didn't work you. I
guess you aren't very active.....

It is common, when one moves to a new call area, to get a new
call. It used to be required, in fact. Dave's from Michigan.
I'm from New York. Jim Cain and Steve Mansfield are from 
Indiana. Jay Mabey's from South Dakota. Kirk Kleinschmidt's
from Minnesota. Mark Wilson's from New York, Chuck Hutchinson's
from Michigan.... Have you ever noticed how people jump to
conclusions? Finally, I have seen Dave in jeans and a t-shirt,
at hamfests. If I told you what kind of handheld he owned, you
would probably accuse me of conflict of interest.

The Board of Directors and the Headquarters staff are hams,
just like you. The difference is, we're trying to do something
good here, rather than just ridicule the organization.

<LOTSA DELETIONS> 
;I've never met a section manager or district chief, and don't even know
;who my local representatives are.  In todays age of instant
;communications, who needs this archaic and anachronistic structure
;anyway?  If the ARRL wanted a truly representative vote on what really
;matters to their constituency, then they should spend about $1 per
;member to send out Business-Reply-Mail, postage prepaid, check-the-box
;bingo cards to each of the members soliciting their votes.  Look, I'm
;sorry but in today's age, most people don't have time to call section
;managers, write letters and campaign for change in the old way. 
;Checking squares on a bingo card and dropping it into the mail is a
;method which _really_ works, and is more in tune with our times.

If you're a League member, you get a survey every time your 
Section Manager and Director elections are held. It's called
a ballot. If you can't take the time to make yourself 
knowledgeable enough to cast an educated vote, what gives you 
the right to attack us in a public forum? Look, I'M sorry, but
this League bashing is really pointless. The members ARE the
League. Your posting will be seen by HQ staff who have the time
to look at Internet. I would suggest, however, that your 
interests can be better served in the manner we keep suggesting
here.

End of sermon.

;And finally, the name QST is the epitome of hobby-jargonism.  What;
;a wonderful way to encourage passers by at the newsstand to pick up
;a copy.  QST is a term which is instantly recognizable by all members
;of society, one which conveys instant meaning in an intuitive fashion.
;NOT!  While the ARRL is considering changing their name, why not give
;the magazine a work over too?  How about something like "The Journal
;of the Axxx", whatever Axxx eventually turns out to be?
; 
;Well, that's it, my opinion of QST.  Any comments?
; 
;-fred
; 
;-- 
;| Fred Lloyd  AA7BQ,  Systems Engineer          Fred.Lloyd@west.sun.com |
;| Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation                   ...sun!flloyd |
;| Phoenix, AZ    (If it's a fact, I believe it!)         (602) 275-4242 |
; 


****************************************************************

JIM KEARMAN, KR1S                    Voice: 203-666-1541 ext 279
ARRL Assistant Technical Editor	     FAX:   203-665-7531
Author of `The DXCC Companion'	     ARRL Headquarters
Editor of `Now You're Talking!,'     225 Main Street
ARRL License Manuals,		     Newington, CT 06111
ARRL Instructor Guides		     e-mail: jkearman@arrl.org
Author of `Wally and Mike' stories

*****************************************************************
From: alanb@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Alan Bloom)
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 19:20:24 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: How to power a PC motherboard from car battery?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA