I’ve criticized the ARRL in the past over their membership recruiting efforts. I don’t believe that they’re doing enough to attract new members and retain existing members, and a few recent incidents have only solidified my opinion.
A couple of months ago, one of my Elmerees was here at my house, and at one point we started talking about the ARRL. He wasn’t critical, per se, but rather mostly indifferent about the ARRL. He just didn’t see the value of the ARRL.
A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a ham radio podcaster. He forwarded to me a link to an online discussion that’s highly critical of the ARRL, especially the rate hike. He writes, “I’m not a member and prolly (sic) won’t ever join again after reading this. I’m not looking to go to war with the ARRL because I don’t care enough about it right now in my life, but I was curious once I read this.”
And, then, there’s this post on reddit. This poster complains about ARRL recruitment techniques and the cost of membership. He writes, “Has the ARRL lost touch with reality? Are the ARRL lawyers really that expensive? (you bet they are). While I appreciate everything they do, they need to wake up.”
The latest was from a comment filed with the FCC on RM-11759. The commenter says, “The ARRL membership only accounts for a fraction of us armature (sic) radio operators and doesn’t speak for the majority.” Needless to say, he was not in favor of the proposal.
I don’t think that these are isolated cases. I think attitudes such as these are common among amateur radio operators, and if the ARRL doesn’t take steps to stem this tide, then the percentage of licensed hams that are ARRL members is going to continue to decline. Perhaps more importantly, it’s influence will decline.
I’m happy to report that I did manage to convince my Elmeree to become an ARRL member. I’m not so sure about the podcaster. I sent him a long response, noting some errors in the original post, but I haven’t heard back from him.
I hope that the ARRL’s new CEO, NY2RF, will make membership recruitment and involvement a priority. As I’ve said before, more members means more money for programs and lobbying and more volunteers willing to do more things. In the end, that will make amateur radio stronger.
I’m not a member of the ARRL, and don’t see it happening in the future either. Like stated above, I see no value added to my experience as a ham by being a member. There is just fees coming out of my pocket that I’d rather spend on the shack or other hobbies, and the only thing to show for it would be some magazines and newsletters that I’m not very likely to ever read (I’m pretty mush moved away from all magazines as they are just anymore only ads.). The ARRL needs to come up with a better way to show why they are even needed anymore, and it’s worth my while to be a part of them.
The phrase “armature radio operators” is correct if they are using an Alexanderson alternator to transmit. For amateur radio, it would be a real acheivement to get one running on the 2200 meter band. There was one built for 36 kHz, but nothing higher.
More seriously, the ARRL has awful marketing. At Hewlett-Packard, we used to joke that the company was so literal and careful that they would sell sushi as “cold, dead fish”.
Amateur radio surfed on a series of waves: wireless, shortwave broadcasting, affordable rigs, VHF/UHF repeaters, em-comm, and so on.
There are lots of waves right now, but the ARRL isn’t even paddling out. Outdoors and SOTA? Youth and Boy Scouts or STEM or robotics? Wi-Fi and private mesh? Makers? Internet of things? Wearables?
I see articles in QST, but no followup. I’ve asked to get Radio Merit Badge counselors included as educators for ARRL resources. Total crickets from them, though I did get an email about the Radio Waves newsletter this week. But zero personal answers.
Right now, HQ seems to have a death grip on the open wire line leading to an 88 foot doublet. Yes, they are on Twitter, but it isn’t marketing. It is just a fast version of the ARRL bulletin.
I work at a company that serves college students. That is a crazy, fast-moving market, but the ARRL could do it. Get a volunteer marketing mentor. They don’t need to be in Hartford. Pay a marketing intern. That person probably should be in Hartford, but there are over 250k college students around Boston, so that is not a high bar. Find three or four well-placed ops to be on a weekly call and write references.
Set a target for new or revived college radio clubs. Rice University has an amateur radio club. It appears that W5YG was still somewhat active when I was there (1975-81), but I never heard about it even though I worked at the newspaper and broadcast station. It is still alive. How about marketing grants to college clubs? Or high school clubs? Heck, make it a special fund for donations, ops would love that. I’d give.
An example of what is happening today at Rice University. This class is registered in MS Teaching program. Should the ARRL promote this at other universities? I think so.
PHYS 501: Physics of Ham Radio
http://space.rice.edu/MST/PHYS501/
Thanks, we do help students get into the hobby every other year, and have the shack available for club members…. Patricia Reiff, Trustee ([email protected]).
Dan,
We just completed another Technician license class yesterday with good results (96% pass rate). As usual, we did plug ARRL membership with the class. I have to admit that at $49, it is a hard sell with a new ham. The perceived benefit is mostly QST…but that’s in a world where print media is fading. (Interestingly, I don’t mind the dues because I see the benefit, but it’s different when I put myself in the shoes of a new ham.)
Walter K6WRU makes some interesting comments (especially the one about “armature radio”). I agree that marketing is the main issue: getting in tune with the target audience and creating/communicating your offering such that it is perceived as high value.
Here’s a recent post I did on the topic:
http://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2015/10/whats-wrong-with-the-arrl/
My analysis shows that ARRL membership is roughly keeping pace with the US ham population, maybe trailing just a tad. See http://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2015/12/ten-year-trend-ham-licenses/ Still, it is a major threat as the population ages and demographics shift. What I’d really like to know is how many new Techs are joining. Does the ARRL even have that info? This is basic marketing 101 stuff.
73, Bob K0NR
I agree with your comments about ARRL. But I also fault most local radio clubs don’t do enough outreach. Some offer license exams and maybe tech classes but that helps only those who are already interested in amateur radio. We should do more to promote awareness of our hobby in the younger population. How many clubs put on demonstrations in schools, etc.?
The ARRL made a bad mistake by waiting all these years to finally raise the rates, then making a large change.
Everyone understands that inflation makes the price of things go up over a period of time. Much better to raise the rates a smidgen each year, than to hit folks with it all at once.
Boiling the frog, etc applies here. This is also marketing 101.
Local club membership is fifteen dollars a year. The club maintains an active two meter repeater. Works closely and visibly with the local emergency agencies. Has great monthly meetings for fellowship and snacks.
The ARRL wants fifty a year. For what exactly? What do they do that actually impacts or even involves a member? Send them a print magazine that is seventy percent advertisements?
Those who do not subscribe to membership with the ARRL are doing less than what the ARRL does. Granted you may not get a lot, but I don’t feel I get a lot from the NRA either. However, they have more pull than I do as an individual. We can do more as an organization, we would have more say (by complaining to the ARRL) than not being a member if everyone was involved. Ask any rioter, there is safety in numbers.
I think the ARRL should reach out to seniors or others with limited or fixed incomes by offering memberships that do not include the QST magazine so the dues can be reduced accordingly and make membership affordable. I asked about this and the ARRL said they would be willing to not send the magazine but the dues would still be the same. I believe if they did this membership would increase.