I used to think that I was the biggest thorn in the ARRL’s side, but I now cede this title to my friend, Frank Howell, K4FMH. Since the beginning of the year, Frank has written a number blog posts, which I can only describe as “scathing.”
He’s gotten the attention of the ARRL’s CEO, too. ARRL CEO, David Minster, NA2AA, ends his April column with the admonition, “Reading the baseless conspiracy theories about ARRL does nothing to promote or protect amateur radio.” Are they baseless, though? I’ll let you read Frank’s meticulously-researched posts and decide for yourself.
In his January 18, 2025 post, “Many ARRL members couldn’t get there from here…So they left. Here’s how to get them back,” describes what he thinks is a major flow in how ARRL governance is organized and how that has led to a decrease in membership. His two main suggestions to remedy this are:
- Replace the CEO with a COO hired from the non-profit sector.
- Elect the President and other Officers directly by the membership.
Frank’s January 31, 2025 post, “They went down, down, down..and the flames are higher … but it’s not too late,” addresses the decline in ARRL membership. Frank notes that the percentage of licensed radio amateurs who are also ARRL members is now close to 16%. And yet, the only visible attempts at increasing membership are a raffle for new and renewing members that will benefit only a single ham and cheap coffee mugs for those renewing for three years.
The March 3, 2025 post, “Election Ethics and Bylaws of the ARRL: Are They Being Applied to Everyone?” addresses what Frank sees as a possible conflict of interest. He notes that the ARRL CEO does a little moonlighting as a real estate agent, even though By-Law 35 clearly states that the “[CEO’s] entire time shall be devoted to the duties as set forth above.” Frank asks, “Why is there such a different emphasis on election ethics while allowing a clear and specific violation of Bylaw 35 to go unchecked?”
In Frank’s latest post, “Only the Shadow (Board) Knows…,” he addresses what some refer to as the “shadow board.” Frank describes the shadow board as a “a subset of Division Directors who I’m told have teamed-up with the non-voting Board member CEO and President to form a caucus.”
Frank notes:
It is not authorized in the Bylaws.This group’s “shadow” actions circumvent public disclosure of League business discussions. Why? One source states below it is because they fear some Directors will actually tell their member constituents—you know, the dues-paying ones who vote for them—what is on the horizon for ARRL actions in the future.
Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, Frank thinks that the existence and actions of the shadow board are in violation of IRS rules for governance of charitable organizations.
If you’re concerned about how the current board of directors and officers are running the ARRL, I hope that you will read Frank’s blog posts and raise a little cain with your director. I think you’ll find that these issues are not as “baseless” as the ARRL CEO would have you believe.