At 02:44 PM 3/23/97 +0400, Alan Leith wrote:
>Like Chris, G3VBL, I, too, have taken stock of finding out what the results
>of the CQ and ARRL Contests cost.
>
>In Canadian dollars, a two-year subscription to CQ is now almost $100, and
>membership in ARRL is now almost $120. for the same two years. Membership
>in my national radio organization costs a mere $40. and includes full QSL
>Bureau privileges. Is there any question about where I'll spend my money?
>
>I, for one, can no longer afford to spend that $220 on magazines that offer
>me nothing more than, in CQ's case, year-old contest results and little more
>(as Chris so aptly describes), and QST's only moderately more interesting
>fare and an opportunity to submit a card or two every few years for DXCC
credit.
I'm VERY sympathetic with both Chris and Alan. Even at the domestic US
prices, I found I didn't wish to continue my CQ subscription any longer,
given the deterioration in content - and I was a 20+ year subscriber. I
miss the contest results slightly, but I can always pick up 2-3 issues a
year at a newsstand. Regrettably, I also concluded after a year that CQ
Contest wasn't worth it, given the watery mix of articles. I continue to
belong to the ARRL and receive QST, even though its technical content
(except for the much-improved product reviews) has dwindled tremendously in
the last 10 years or so -- but that's mainly because I want to support
ARRL's lobbying efforts in Washington. The only mag I still consistently
enjoy is NCJ, and even it is uneven these days -- plus the bi-monthly
publication cycle limits its timeliness.
With the coming upswing in the solar cycle and [potential] improvement in
the financial straits of ham manufacturers, I suspect that there is an
opportunity for an Internet magazine aimed at performance-oriented hams --
contesters and DXers, HF and VHF. Can it work financially? Who'll be the
one to invest the sweat equity and capital to find out?
73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr@contesting.com
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