[NCARC] Fw: [Qsl-Net] Your help needed.

[Rod N0RC]

Folks,

Al, runs "qsl.net" and "qth.net". It takes a lot of money to pay for
the servers and network connections. Besides the club's email
refelector perhaps some of you have a "qsl.net" email address or even
a web page, hosted by Al's operation. Now's the time to help out.

If you value the service, as you value your radio equipment perhaps
you'll consider a donation. How much? Let you buget be your quide.
Considering similar services, like pobox.com, $20 per year is a good
start. The link below will take you to a donations page with several
payment options:

http://www.qsl.net/donations.html

73, Rod N0RC
Ft Collins, CO


----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan L. Waller" <k3tkj@qsl.net>
To: <qsl-net@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 7:23 PM
Subject: [Qsl-Net] Your help needed.


> Today has not been a good day for me. I am totally bummed out.
>
> Other than the technical things with the servers, much of my time is
spent
> trying to find creative ways to finance what we do and not make it
> commercial. I usually remind our users in the late Fall of donations
and
> during this time of the year I have 2 "Platinum" sponsors that I
contact.
> These 2 account for about a third of our yearly expenses. Today I
made the
> calls and both are not able to help us any longer, I can understand
this.
> the economy is flat and who knows when it will get rolling again.
>
> We are in trouble....
>
> This means we are $10K short for the year at the start, but it gets
worse.
> I can't put any more money into this than I already do, to do so
would not
> be fair to my family. The only place I see this being made up is
from the
> users with a great deal of effort on our part. If every user gave us
a dime
> we could operate for 18 months or so, If every user sent us $1.00 we
could
> operate for the next 20 years. What actually happens is about 600
> users/clubs donate an average of $10 each and we never hear from the
rest.
> I'm not ungrateful for the donations don't get me wrong but it is
the same
> users year after year and that will cease too, I'm afraid. With no
help we
> will be in deep dodo by Fall.
>
> I don't want to sound like a TV evangelist always begging but I
guess maybe
> that's what it takes.
>
> I need you to be aware of the financial needs of the system and to
remind
> your users as frequent as you see fit that we depend on them to do
their
> part so that you and I can do our part. Please don't go off yelling
the sky
> is falling and/or posting this mail to your lists, but sometime in
the near
> future state our case and ask for user help.
>
> The majority of the expenses monthly are for Internet access, this
access
> is only affordable in 2-3 year contracts. We have one now that is
$12K a
> year for 3 years. That T1 is at about 105% and is getting so slow it
is
> unusable at times. We have another broadband circuit due to be
installed
> Friday morning, this one will be $6K a year for 3 years. This will
solve
> the bandwidth congestion but adding the $600 a month to the $833 a
month we
> won't be getting from above and suddenly we are $18K in the red this
year.
>
> To give you an idea of how much bandwidth it takes to run all this,
imagine
> the next time you download a program or something from the net and
the
> little box says your speed was 194KB (a 56K modem would be about 5K)
Our
> output is 194KB 24/7 it drops off the peg for just a few hours after
the US
> goes to bed...Our incoming is a paltry 50KB 24/7....
>
> If you have any other ideas how to support us I am listening.
>
> As always thanks for your help,
> Al
>
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