Jim Weaver, K8JE, the Great Lakes Division Director, is a member of the ARRL Boards’ Finance Committee. In his latest e-mail to the membership, he wrote:
In short, I’m looking for input on how you want ARRL to spend your and my dues and donation money. For example, should we continue to sponsor the awards program (e.g., DXCC, WAS and their variations)? The ARES program? Equipment reviews? Sanctioning and publicizing conventions, hamfests/swaps and meetings? Promote licensing classes and exam sessions? NTS? The Public Information (Public Relations) program? Maintain the Affiliated Clubs program and distribute information to support clubs? Develop, print and distribute comic books (at no charge) to recruit youngsters into Amateur Radio? Pay for Amateur Radio public announcements on national TV? I believe you understand what I am after.
The answer to Weaver’s question is, of course, yes……to everything. I don’t think that an organization that calls itself “the national association for amateur radio” can do without any of these programs. The ARRL needs to learn some lessons from similar associations–such as the National Rifle Association–in how to run a national organization. Look at what the NRA offers their members–we need to be doing something similar.
Having said that, I think that the most important thing the ARRL should be working on right now is membership. And perhaps even more important than total membership, is the percentage of licensed amateurs that are ARRL members. I find it very disheartening that less than one-quarter of all licensed amateurs are ARRL members. I realize that 100%, maybe even 60% is unattainable, but the ARRL should set a goal of at least 50% and then develop the programs and allocate the funds to make that happen.
Unless the ARRL can convince a higher percentage of licensed amateurs that they really should be members, it will never gain the prestige and have the support it needs to be truly effective.
Jeff, KE9V says
For all we know, the ARRL membership level may be at 50% of the total ham population. While the FCC license database shows some 680,000 call signs, its a good bet that many of those folks have become Silent Keys – but their call signs rattle around the FCC database for the full license term – that could be a decade if a ham drops dead the day after renewing his license.
And when it comes to ham radio, there are two kinds of dead… those who are buried and those who have just dropped out of all activities related to the hobby. They maintain their license because it’s easy to do and they think maybe someday they will return. But a fellow who has a ham license but hasn’t been on the air in 10 years or more isn’t likely to pay for an annual ARRL membership.
I think that when you factor out the dead hams, of both types, the REAL number of active radio amateurs, those who actually disturb the aether on a regular basis may be as low as 250,000. Of course it could be wrong but it is some number lower than what is publicized, on that we can be certain.
So with 160,000 members the ARRL is actually doing pretty good — although I do agree with you that we need more members if we are to keep our hobby viable. I hear lots of hams griping about the League and what it does but I see no group of them lobbying in Washington or hiring attorneys to help fight our legal battles. Some folks just prefer to gripe and run …maybe they are the third kind of “dead” ham?
Keep up the good work Dan!
73 de Jeff
Dan KB6NU says
Well, for the ARRL membership level to reach 50% of the total ham population, half of those in the FCC database would have to be Silent Keys. I rather doubt that is the case.
As for those that are inactive, I’ve written about this before ( https://www.kb6nu.com/no-ham-left-behind/). We need to do a better job of activating them. They may be inactive, but I think it would be easier to activate them and turn them into ARRL members than it would be to recruit new hams. After all, they’ve already shown enough interest in ham radio to go out and get a license.
I would like to see the ARRL do better than just “pretty good.” Pretty good isn’t good enough.
Jeff, KE9V says
“I would like to see the ARRL do better than just “pretty good.†Pretty good isn’t good enough.”
I’m not sure what more they can do to get people motivated to join … in fact, I don’t think the ARRL should have to do *anything* special to get hams to join.
Licensed radio amateurs who for whatever reason won’t support the only viable organization that promotes the hobby and that tries to protect our interests in a tough Washington climate of greed and corruption aren’t “real” hams in my book. They are the problem that needs fixin’ … not the ARRL.
73 de Jeff
Dan KB6NU says
Perhaps the ARRL “shouldn’t” have to do anything, but if we don’t, then the situation will never improve.
What should the ARRL do? Well, I don’t think the ARRL does enough to engage the members. For whatever reason, they don’t feel as though they really belong. The ARRL needs to get more members involved in its various activities, including all the ones that Weaver mentioned above and more.
larry Fields says
I for one would love them to rethink the cw issue as there are some who feel it was a big mistake. I for one feel the 5 wpm on the Extra class should have stayed and the FCC did a wrong move, heck what the international community feels.