I've been surprised at the response to this piece -
several of you have actually taken it seriously. Folks,
it's satire! He's pulling our legs! You need go no further
than the first paragraph to pick up on it - " In those days,
I was told, the average ham picked up the magazine and
skipped directly to the DXCC listings page for his first
half hour or so of reading. The same 3-4 callsigns over
and over." Sure, it takes a half hour or so to read the
same 3-4 callsigns??
Further, the claim that the DXCC certificates is in danger
of elimination is absolutely bogus. It's simply not true.
Get a grip, fellows. Relax. The world isn't coming to
an end.
73. Jim, W6CF
Leigh S. Jones, KR6X" wrote:
> QST magazine used to print the DXCC listings once each month. When
> they first began this practice there were no DXCC members yet, only a
> race to be the first, and the race was quite limited in number of entrants.
> In those days, I was told, the average ham picked up the magazine and
> skipped directly to the DXCC listings page for his first half hour or so of
> reading. The same 3-4 callsigns over and over.
>
> QST and the ARRL grew up on reporting "Section News", which was
> basically anything the SCM wanted to report -- usually the traffic handled
> by section ORS stations together with short notes about Bessie the cow
> knocking down Jake's dipole and news of the upcoming swap meet.
> Anything that came in on those little cards we all used to mail. Reams
> and reams of it. Then there was the DX News. Although some of the
> best content in QST was in the DXHPDS report, a lot of the DX News
> was tired reporting about how some WB6 worked KH6 regularly on 40.
> We can certainly trace the present move to cut contest coverage out of
> the magazine to those little post cards and the reputation QST got for
> printing all of that stuff.
>
> Really, the problem at HQ right now was reflected in the move to get out
> of the business of issuing the DXCC certificate. Someone at HQ
> complains about the money it's costing to review QSL card submissions
> at ARRL division conventions. Some HQ staffers actually are reimbursed
> for airline tickets and hotel rooms and lunches. Word gets around to the
> Board, and they have to decide whether to cut the DXCC certificate out
> of the ARRL program. Since it's a coin toss whether they have been
> informed correctly over the issue, it's a coin toss how they'll decide.
>
> So the DXCC certificate is in danger of elimination. Someone produces
> data that says the cost of sending HQ staffers to the convention isn't
> being offset by all of the money being spent by DXers on their DXCC
> stamps. Someone produces statistics saying that only a fraction of the
> ARRL members have DXCC certificates -- therefore certainly only a
> fraction must believe that the ARRL should continue to underwrite the
> cost of administration of the DXCC program. How's DXCC going to
> survive in this climate?
>
> So one by one the ARRL is considering eliminating each of the programs
> that made the ARRL great. Step by step the stature of the ARRL is cut
> down by this shortsightedness until finally all services to members are
> gone except perhaps the book sales -- they pay for themselves. Then
> pretty soon the stature of the ARRL is so low that Wayne Green could buy
> it.
>
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>From Silver Ward" <hwardsil1@mindspring.com Thu Feb 14 02:58:02 2002
From: Silver Ward" <hwardsil1@mindspring.com (Silver Ward)
Subject: [CQ-Contest] I watch with interest, but with great sadness
References: <01b101c1b4d2$06465910$963fca96@pacesetter.com>
<3C6B23F5.FB87D74F@attglobal.net>
Message-ID: <00e401c1b503$6b86a4c0$d4e6bfa8@ward>
I think we need a good contest or something to lower the hormonal levels a
tad.
Any good ones coming up? :-)
73, Ward N0AX
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