[QCWA] 2010 Membership

[jangus at suddenlink.net]

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. I have NO desire what so ever to change the
membership requirements of the QCWA. If you've had a license at least 25
years ago, you qualify. Period. As it should be. 

What I do have an issue with is the apparent desire by some members to
charge non-qualified people some amount to be an "associate member." 

After all, this is a "Quarter Century" and not the "1/100th or 1/8th Century"
Wireless Association.

A lot of licensed amateur get pretty excited and very vocal about their
opinion of amateur radio being dumbed down. <pick reason of choice>
Yet oddly, some of them are the same ones that would want to "relax"
the membership requirements for the QCWA. 

On being open to having other people attend meetings and such....

Back in 1975, I was in San Jose, CA on a temporary work assignment and
ran into a QCWA member at a store. I asked if I could attend a meeting. When
I pointed out that I had only been licensed for 8 years, the reply I got was, 
"Come back when you've been licensed for 25 years."

Despite that, when my 25 years was up, I joined the QCWA. After all, I did
my time so to speak.

But as I've said, and some others as well, we need to be a lot more open and
welcoming to others so that when they too have done their time, they will want
to join our organization.

We need to make it clear that although the basic requirement is 25 years, there
aren't a bunch of other secret rules that determine whether or not a new member
is going to feel welcome.

Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi

--
Fox's Mercantile, Ranger TX