Is LOTW Dead? Is The ARRL A Sinking Ship?

Weeks ago, the ARRL suffered a major hacking incident. To date, many of their core systems and programs are still offline. Whats more troubling is the lack of transparency and apparent disregard for the membership and the ham community in the name of investigation.
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[sonarmb]

This lack of transparency and disregard for membership based associations is becoming more and more common, not just in Radio communities...Some of the Veteran communities I am engaged with are doing it too. A worrying trend!

[Gumby]

Just listening and learning. Thanks for the update.

[craggyham]

I quit over QSL being a separate payment, where I work I can't use online. And the magazine gave me something to enjoy on breaks and talk with others and spark their interest. Lack of transparency second. This hobby is full of young folks that have enjoyed the open source software world for 20+ years and this "member" org is run at top secret levels. Bullcrap!

[normangarland]

Reletively new ham (less then 10 years) and this year I removed my automatic renewal data and have officially been dropped. I haven't seen any benefit..

[David-hmic]

The ARRL has been on my horizon since childhood. When I got licensed last year, a lifelong goal, people I knew steered me toward QRZ and I immediately started using their logbook. When I signed up for LOtW, as a retired IT professional, I was astonished at how user hostile the LOtW process is. It's like a bunch of ancient UNIX programs that can't talk to one another. I helped bring companies into modern Microsoft based networking and LOtW looks like it is still in mainframe mode.

[dc]

Agree with you 100% on all points - fix LOTW and bring it out of the stone age into the 21st century. Geez even the DoD Cyber Security certificates aren't this archaic and stupid.

[njep]

Are there any known class-action lawsuits file ARRL Members can join for breach of membership contracts?

[alien]

When they took my QST hostage 4 months before my subscription expired, they lost me. 25 years of membership went out the window with that. They have sent me 3 requests to subscribe again. Nope. Had they waited for the subscription to expire before raising their price, I’d have been much more likely to continue my membership.

[KJRZOnTheAir]

LOTW needs to be rewritten so badly. The code is so old. It needs to be updated/modernized. I don’t feel bad about it being down, even though I use it. Also, transparency on this issue has been done. They waited to say anything public including details. ALL companies when suffering the same thing do not blast out publicly what happened with zero details asap. They need to get their ducks in a row first. Make sure all the details are covered and what is being done for recovery. 73!

[davidbuell]

ARRL has said in a Member Bulletin: “. . . the Logbook of The World® server and related user data were unaffected, we have taken the precautionary measure of keeping the service offline until we can ensure the security and integrity of our networks. “

[buckman]

I am very surprised, of all the Ham radio youtube channels I view yours is one of the first I have seen really address this ongoing issue. Honestly I just don't know how much longer the ARRL can continue. I fear they like many others today are fiddling while Rome burns. I hear more against the ARRL than I do for and I consider lack of bringing them up as against. IMHO the ARRL is becoming redundant and under valued they need to prove why the need our money and our time. Till that time I will carry on with my paper log book. Thanks for the great videos K5WCF

[jwatkins]

after the arrl and fcc had the getto meeting at a Chinese restaurant where they said linking of GMRS wasn't allowed based on interpretation of the rule... Even though the FCC had sent out written letters of their interpretation of the rule. I have lost all respect or concern for the thoughts of either group

[joeaho]

I've been a ham since 1989. LoTW didn't start until early 2000's, not 30-50 years. Do your research before spouting.

[nctn]

I stopped paying dues when the ARRL didn’t advocate giving Advanced Class licensees Extra class priveleges, despite already passing half the former extra exam and 13WPM code test. Now I see these codeless extras walking around the hamfests with these 1x2 calls……makes me wanna puke.

[gglee]

So are you saying there is no more QST magazine? What tha...A magazine is preferred by many as hard copy easy to read anywhere.

[gregsmith]

Silence from the ARRL is no real news because it has always been slow there. I think there are some shenanigans going on there, possibly. But will this keep folks from getting licenses and upgrading too? QST was a good magazine for a long time and now its gone and lost to history.

[JohnBestPia]

Identity security is required to maintain the integrity and prestige of the awards.

[RobertSuttonOfAnacortes]

ARRL systems are "not up to the 21st century"? Evidence? What does that phrase even mean?

[pamalacrabtree]

Like, share, subscribe and become a member. Thank you.

[fredorrell]

I really hope they aren’t done. If amateur radio is to survive, we desperately need an advocacy group. Corporate, government and who knows what entities want either our frequencies and/or the free range to pollute the bands making them unusable for the rest of us.

Having said that, the membership due increase is tough to swallow. Mine is due right now, and I’m not sure I can justify it in today’s economy. On the flip side, with MFJ basically gone, QST and many other businesses lost a ton of advertising revenue. Fred WB5NOE