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Author Topic: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?  (Read 230876 times)

SOFAR

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KS2G

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #106 on: April 16, 2018, 06:23:30 PM »

...
  $100 in 1960 is like $1500 now.
an entry level rig would cost $500 in 1960 but today it costs $500.

s

 WHY has (by your own numbers), the ARRL membership cost increased at 15 times the cost of a radio over the same period of time?

Yeah,.................. postage, ::)

Postage  --- NOT!

If you look at the financials in the most recently-available (2016) ARRL Annual Report, you will see that publications and ALL (not just QST) postage account for about $3M of $15M total expenditures. The largest expense is PEOPLE -- $7.2M for salaries, compensation and benefits.

Radio prices --like all electronics and most other manufactured goods-- have benefited from automation, the use of robotic devices (whose costs keep declining) rather than PEOPLE (in a service organization, like ARRL, whose costs must, by nature, keep increasing to keep up with inflation).

Do some on-line searching and look at photos of radio assembly lines back in the 1950's and '60s -- rows and rows of benches staffed by mostly women, hand-wiring each chassis. Compare that to a YouTube video of a present-day assembly line, which consists of robots stuffing dozens of components into circuit boards each minute, with just a handful of workers doing "final assembly" of those boards into finished radios.

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W4KVW

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #107 on: April 20, 2018, 09:13:19 AM »

NO! 

Clayton
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AC7CW

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #108 on: April 20, 2018, 10:55:01 AM »

They always say never say never. I can say without any hesitation. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AND WILL NEVER BE A MEMBER OF THE ARRL.

Are you certain of that? There have been cases of hams at the end of a contest weekend finding that they are missing a few hours, and inexplicably that they have an ARRL membership! It happens...
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Novice 1958, 20WPM Extra now... (and get off my lawn)

WB2LCW

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #109 on: April 27, 2018, 09:13:27 PM »

I got my  life membership in 1972! That's 46 years ago!
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AE8W

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #110 on: July 08, 2018, 09:43:59 AM »

I got my  life membership in 1972! That's 46 years ago!
I am pretty sure '72 is when I got my life membership ... isn't that the year that it jumped up $25 additional to ... $125?
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N9AOP

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #111 on: October 12, 2018, 09:43:19 AM »

I got mine 45 years ago and certainly got my money's worth and continue to do so.
art
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KB5UZB

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #112 on: October 18, 2018, 09:17:22 PM »

...
  $100 in 1960 is like $1500 now.
an entry level rig would cost $500 in 1960 but today it costs $500.


Soooooooooooooooooo, WHY has (by your own numbers), the ARRL membership cost increased at 15 times the cost of a radio over the same period of time?

Yeah,.................. postage, ::)

Because inflation doesn't apply the same way to electronics. Look at computer prices, or TVs, or just about any other electronic doo dad. Generally, capabilities increase while cost stays the same or goes down (numerically speaking ... once inflation is factored in it goes down even more).
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I need cheaper hobbies...
https://kb5uzb.radio/

ND6M

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #113 on: October 25, 2018, 07:45:23 AM »

...
  $100 in 1960 is like $1500 now.
an entry level rig would cost $500 in 1960 but today it costs $500.


Soooooooooooooooooo, WHY has (by your own numbers), the ARRL membership cost increased at 15 times the cost of a radio over the same period of time?

Yeah,.................. postage, ::)

Because inflation doesn't apply the same way to electronics. Look at computer prices, or TVs, or just about any other electronic doo dad. Generally, capabilities increase while cost stays the same or goes down (numerically speaking ... once inflation is factored in it goes down even more).

I'll remember that the next time I buy a vehicle. lets see if I can  get it for 1/15 the price
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KB5UZB

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #114 on: October 26, 2018, 01:55:41 PM »

Did I say vehicles? As computerized as vehicles are, I'm pretty sure no-one classifies them as electronics. Not even Teslas. But good luck with that! :)
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https://kb5uzb.radio/

KA4AQM

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #115 on: November 06, 2018, 04:27:17 PM »

Depends....
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W5CPT

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #116 on: November 25, 2018, 05:16:55 PM »

I wish I had gotten a Life Membership in 1991 when I joined the ARRL. I have been continuously a member and I would have saved a BUNCH of money. 
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W0BKR

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RE: Is ARRL Life Membership Worth It?
« Reply #117 on: March 01, 2019, 05:16:47 AM »

I have life membership.  Other than the montly mag, not sure what else I would need....
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