[Boatanchors] Re Auction Posts

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

In response to several who posted to this list, and to some in private,  the
policy stands. No exceptions, equal treatment for all and when a warning letter
sent to the person in question is ignored, they are removed from this list.
Depending on the circumstances, perhaps the entire qth.net list system. 	
	
This decision is not made just by myself. I involve Alan Waller, K3TKJ in all
such matters of this seriousness. While some of you choose to think of me as a
beast with horns, there are times I am probably precisely that. I attempt to be
reasonable and to be fair, with all persons, whether I personally like or do not
like said person. It is not an issue of personality, but of policy. While I will
extend the list borders sometimes, there are several issues I cut nobody any
slack on. Including myself, by the way.	
	
I will not tolerate any vulgar, profane or racist language.	
	
While people may politely disagree and/or argue, (argue in the sense of
'debate'), no personal attacks are tolerated. If you feel you must berate the
person, than do it off list in private. I am not referring to good natured
needling tongue in cheek harassment and so forth. A little humor is generally
welcome. How much serious discourse on the precise shade or hue of 'gray', or is
it 'grey', on a resistor color code band can one tolerate before he/she goes
over the edge of reason and starts grounding charged electrolytic capacitors to
the tip of their tongue? 	
	
All subscribers are welcome to advertise their personal hobby items for sale,
trade or bartering rights on the qth.net lists. The key word here is "hobby". It
does not mean a commercial business, it does not mean using the lists as a
source of free advertisement for items being sold for profit elsewhere or to
promote a commercial business interest. If you want banner ads, try Juno!	
	
You are welcome to sell items from an estate of a radio hobbyist. Presuming said
hobbyist is deceased and you are doing so with the knowledge and permission of
his/her family. Try not to confuse the concepts of 'yard sale', 'garage sale'
and 'estate sale'! (grin) It does not matter if you have purchased said items
and are selling them for your own personal gain or if you are selling the items
for the family of the SK or deceased radio hobbyist.   	
	
What is not permitted here:	
1. A bonified full time store front type business that would constitute the
operation as being that of a Dealer. This does not refer to a retired person who
repairs radios ut of his/her home, a person who sells paints for various and
sundry radios, a person who refinishes radio cabinets or redoes front panels or
makes new face plates or creates decals, a person who goes to Ham Fests and buys
up junk radios and sells them for parts, a person who runs a specialty business
out of their home such as W22FS John Hanson making the Millennium QSYER or
another who buils solid state rectifier replacements and so forth.   	
	
Someone who is using the qth.net lists as a means by which to gain free
advertising for merchandise that is being sold on electronic auctions, for
profit web sites and so forth.	
	
Simply put, electronic auctions are here to stay. Good bad or any mix in
between. They are for profit. They charge for the item being offered for sale
and they take a percentage of the price the item sells for. They are running a
business, and they are running it to make money. They are not providing a public
service. 	
	
The qth.net lists are not being operated as a commercial business. They do not
operate for free, let us not kid ourselves here. The Internet is NOT free,
anymore than there is such a thing as a 'free lunch'. Somewhere, somehow,
sometime you will pay for that lunch, be it indigestion or otherwise!  Alan
Waller, K3TkJ accidentally created what has turned out to be the largest radio
hobbyists fellowship in the world. Such was never his intent or his desire. He
had a full time job as an Engineer for NASA, a wife and a family. He did this
originally as a hobby experiment for his local Delaware Ham club friends who
wanted some web sites. The rest is now history. Should any of you care to read
the story, I wrote it and it was part of the material sent to the Dayton
Hamvention when I nominated Alan Waller for the Special Technical Achievement
award which he did win this year.   	
	
Because qth.net and qsl.net have grown astronomically since their inception, it
is no longer possible for Alan Waller to fund it with a few hundred dollars out
of his own pocket each month. Which is one reason he does ask for donations from
subscribers. I do not wish to get into a detailed and involved discourse on what
costs money, how much it costs and so forth here. Let it suffice to say, that
the services he provides to radio hobbyists around the planet are invaluable,
unequaled and need to be funded somehow without trading hobby for commercial
venues. 	
	
Frankly, most of the subscribers to these lists never contribute a single cent.
The percentage who do is less than four tenths of one percent! I have told Alan
Waller several times, and I will state it here publically, that I believe he
should charge each person using qsl.net for a currently free web site a fee of
$5 per year. There are over fifty thousand web sites on his servers. Now if
sixty percent of those with free web sites, got angry because of a $5 per year
fee and left, so what? Where can you get a web site for $5 per year anymore?
This would still leave twenty thousand web site subscribers who paid their $5
annual fee. Enough money to fund the combined operation of qth.net and qsl.net
for a year with money in the bank to replace equipment that wears out. Remember,
these hard drives run all day, every day, all year! They wear out.	
	
Some of you do donate to the cause on an annual basis and Alan Waller greatly
appreciates it. Just stop and think of all that you would personally lose if the
qth.net lists and the qsl.net web sites ceased operation? What a tremendous loss
of invaluable resource information, and tremendously gifted, knowledgable and
technically experienced people willing to share their incredible collective
wisdom.    	
	
When a person advertises items for sale on an electronic auction; the auction
makes money, the seller makes money (and gets free advertising from qth.net
lists) and qth.net gets absolutely nothing. The vast majority of subscribers, as
previously stated, donate absolutely nothing to keep qth.net operational. This
is why electronic auction ads do not appear here, and will not, unless Alan
Waller should decide to charge those who wish to advertise such items a fee and
then allow them to post them to a special list set aside expressely for
electronic auction items. 		
	
I know this is a very touchy subject with some of you. I have no desire to set
off a week long debate on the pros and cons of electronic auctions and their
place, if any, on the qth.net lists. I would suggest, that you write to the
owner Alan Waller, K3TKJ at:	
	
k3tkj@qsl.net    	
	
With "POSITIVE" suggestions and possible alternatives. Not with complaints,
gripes, whining and other such noxious gutteral utterings. Which he can hear
without any of our help when his dog gets into the trash can and licks the
bottle of Uncle Louie's homebrew hot sauce left over from the annual Waller clan
picnic.	
	
Duane Fischer, W8DBF	
List Administrator (currently hiding under large lily pad in frog pond!)