Huh. My local ham radio club's newsletter has a page reporting on the Hack the ARRL event at #DEFCON this year. Did not expect that.

#HackTheARRL #ARRLIsDying

@n2rj @abraxas3d Yeah. The League was on a bad flightpath already but his hiring just pushed the yoke to the instrument panel.

#ARRLisDying

@quantensalat @W6KSR @dug

Ignore the reference (dBd, dBi, etc) and concentrate on the fact that THIS IS NOT HOW YOU CALCULATE ANTENNA SYSTEM GAIN.

They said they'd publish a correction in the next issue and update the online version. Apparently, they've forgotten how to update the online issue since it's still wrong.

I can't imagine that 1) WB8IMY wrote this or 2) anyone with an amateur license read this prior to publication.

#ARRLisDying

@W6KSR @dug @quantensalat

Wow. Circle those wagons.

Not as bad as the bogus dB explanation in On The Air, but from the same root cause ...

#ARRLisDying

@notpike

Correct, they don't own the hobby though they have a long long LONG history of acting like they do. Like back to Maxim long.

I think the League has been net good but in the last 10-15 years ... yeah ... no. And I say that as a member for 30 years and a Life Member for 16 of those. It's pretty sad, really.

#ARRLisDying

@croyle @abraxas3d

I heard that the League counts on the $15 test fee as revenue.

The reason that's "interesting" is that the rules are pretty clear about "out-of-pocket expenses" ...

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-97.527

Our team switched from ARRL VEC to Laurel ARC VEC not because the latter didn't charge candidates a fee but because of superior service. Competition is funny that way.

#ARRLisDying

@kj5amz @abraxas3d

So, so sad. For you, though, it's surely the right answer. #ARRL is in their death throes & refuse to understand what is happening. Best not to get involved with their shenanigans. You *may* have local-level ARRL folks who don't reflect the death/decay of 06111 so be sure not to automatically lump them in w/the others.

#ARRLisDying

@abraxas3d

Not sure this is as much of a threat as they think it is:

``will *not be promoted or featured by ARRL*''

#ARRLisDying

@kc2ihx @abraxas3d

``that I doubt the ARRL would make a video on.''

This is it: There would be no "competition" if the ARRL was a modern organization and current on the hobby and making videos about subjects people were interested in.

Also, competition is bad .... why?

#ARRLisDying

@abraxas3d "American League of Radio Amateurs" ...

ALRA ... or is "radioamateurs" the right styling?

It may be time to scuttle ARRL.

#ARRLisDying

@abraxas3d @ve3qbz @KI5SMN @kj5amz

"Legacy ham community" ... hmm.

American Radio Relay Legacy ...

I think I like it & it certainly fits.

There was a move ~30 years ago to rename ARRL to remove Relay from the name & packeteers tried to make the point that *all they did* was "relay" ... the now-dead or retired powers that be in 06111 didn't get what they meant but ended up not changing the name. Nothing wrong with the name but need to fire all staff & have the board all quit.

#ARRLisDying

@MW1CFN

Wait ... this is #RSGB? Or #ARRL?

``This should not be a hobby dominated by the white, middle class, retired males of society. It should - yet persistently does not - have a diverse selection of people with many different, proven skills that can turn our hobby out of its deep ‘old man’ trench and out into the open, ready for the challenges of the mid-21st century, not those of the 1970s.''

#ARRLisDying

@abraxas3d ... Shortly after posting this, I realized that nearly the entire ARRL hierarchy (BOD, paid staff incl CEO) are that guy in your club that had to move to assisted living and is pissed that no one will build a remote station for him.

#ARRLisDying

#ARRL members should read the minutes of the recent BOD meeting. ARRL is very excited about "remote operation" and "how-to" articles in QST/OTA.

No mention of #LOTW or #POTA/#SOTA/etc.

Also Div Dir Norton was stirring a number of pots. 🙂

#ARRLisDying

@F4JWJ @croyle Lol!

Je m'excuse!

Hey ... I have heard rumblings that #JARL and #RSGB are having similar "out of touch with 2023" issues ... how is #REF doing?

#ARRLisDying

Perfunctory.

(I don't actually believe anyone vetted this ... contractors or otherwise)

#ARRLisDying

@kelvin0mql This is, like, Element 2 stuff (I think - maybe General).

I always tell people you double your ERP w/each 3 dB of gain, which if you do the (easy) math on a 100-W transmitter into an antenna system w/6 dB of gain, gets you 2 doublings, so 400, which is *really* close to the actual retail price of 398 (as you note).

Complete embarrassment for #ARRL.

How did this make it to print? No one read the draft & said "wait, that doesn't sound right".

#ARRLisDying

Wow. According to an article in the #ARRL pub, On The Air, to calculate ERP, you simply multiply your transmitter power by the dBd gain of your antenna. So a 100-W transmitter into antenna with 6 dBd (so relative to a dipole) gives 600 W ERP.

EZPZ and completely wrong.

Sad to see that the author is WB8IMY. #ARRL members should check me on this - it’s the Jul/Aug 2023 issue.

#ARRLIsDying

@bryansmart @serrebi @sclower @darrell73 @AE4WX @NO5IG

I've had misgivings about #ARRL for many years. Until the past 5 years or so, I always added that I thought that the ARRL was a net positive for the hobby despite problems.

I no longer have that opinion.

Leaving aside the fact that neither the BOD nor HQ staff understand DEI issues (there *are* counter examples), it's their lack of understanding of the HOBBY & of TECHNOLOGY in general that made me change my mind.

#ARRLisDying

@ve3qbz @dj3ei @vampirdaddy @jimrob4 Said this on another, completely unrelated thread, but relevant?

"The arrival of The Money People marks the official start of #Enshittification"

In this case, it may not be the #PrivateEquity types, but it may be someone who thinks that monetizing a ham radio award program(!) is their stepping stone.

Don't look to a well-known national association to step in & "save" anything though, since they are already our version of The Money People.

#ARRLisDying