ARRL Membership?

NEW! QST Archive for Members Only - ARRL Members can access the QST magazine archive online, from December 1915 through December 2005. Archive results are intended for personal use only, and may not be freely distributed or copied.
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I copied the above from the ARRL website. Talk about a Benefit! This information alone is worth joining the ARRL. But you also get a monthly QST magazine subscription plus your membership in the organization. I think its a good deal.

Lots of people will rag on the ARRL for what they do or what they don't do. Well, I don't agree with some of the things they support either. But I left amateur radio about 30 plus years ago and then came back to it. I found out the ARRL had been there all that time watching out for hams and their best interests. Ham radio could have gone away and I would not have known it. So maybe I just appreciate the fact they looked after this hobby while I was busy doing other things.

When I came back, I found the ARRL was still sending code practice four times a day for five days a week. I started listening to their broadcast to regain my lost CW skills. It was still there! They had kept things going and I guess I appreciate that.

Amateur Radio operators are a tough sell. I doubt any one group can appeal to some of us. It is a wonder the ARRL is still around. But it and Amateur Radio are still going. So put whatever "wrongs" you see behind you and support this organization. I still think this is a good deal - for everyone....AR

What the "de"?

I've given a lot of thought to naming this blog and I've gone back and forth on a couple of things. I started out with "Amateur Radio" then "Ramblings" just sort of seemed appropriate as a catch-all category. After that I thought, well, it is close to ARRL, so I'll make it "Lessons".

I liked the ARRL (apologies to the real ARRL) but I thought Lessons was too formal because that meant each post would teach someone something. I decided that was too much pressure, so I changed it to "Lectures". A lecture meant I could say what was on my mind without guaranteeing any one they would learn anything .... Amateur Radio Rambling Lectures is what stuck.

It didn't seem complete, though, so after some thought, I added "de AE5FT". Okay, that's it. The blog has a name and maybe a personality will develop as it grows.

But, maybe not every one knows what "de" means. It could be "duh" or "doh", I guess, for the Homer Simpson groupies. The "de" means FROM and is a common practice used in CW QSOs. Whenever a participant in a CW QSO signs over to the other station they give the other station's call followed by "DE" - dah dit dit pause dit - then their own call sign followed by "K" - dah dit dah - meaning OVER. At that point the other station takes over and makes their comments.

That's the very short history of the ARRL de AE5FT blog name.... AR

And thanks to KD5NJR for his suggestion on the blog name ... I've adopted the colon into the name!