ARRL has begun to charge $25 a year for printed copy. (Digital remains free with membership.) Subscribers and others are shrieking complaints of intolerable expense, some $2 a month. The same people who own stations costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars. So it comes down to "Do we need a $2 printed copy that can be read by Hams and most importantly, the next Hams?" I think we very much do. Here's why:
The public needs us, the people who communicate where the internet and cellphone are either not practical or unavailable. Disasters, natural catastrophes, even outdoor public events -particularly in rural areas where cell and internet are less reliable or not available at all, all call on the services of Amateur radio. There is no other group with the size and expertise of Amateur radio.
Receiving a FEMA "I Am Safe" message is a life-changing event for all concer…login to view the rest of this post