Today, after filling in for an absent NCS, I tried to recruit an ECARS member to take the next hour which was also vacant.   I could not get anyone so I closed the net early and was about to go QRT when someone very nicely offered to pick up the net.   He was, however, a non-member so I told him that one has to be a member to run the net.   When He asked me why, I said that it was a matter of quality control; we need to know who is representing us on the air.   He was very polite and had a good signal so he said that he was going to do it anyway.   I couldn’t very well stop him so he proceeded to run the net.

Here is my problem:   We have over 400 members in good standing.   Of them, I know over 50 members who are listed as net control stations.   And yet, we are going almost every week with more than on vacancy.   There are some people not even giving much advanced warning of their absence.   I don’t understand how out of over 50 listed net control stations more people are not responding to our net manger’s weekly emails asking for fill-ins.

As President of ECRS, I was embarrassed today to have to leave the net to a non-member (who, by the way, seemed to do an excellent job while I listened for a couple of minutes).

Now, for the record, I have nothing against non-members; some of my friends on the net are non-members to whom I look forward to talking whenever I am on the net;  They are some of our most faithful check-ins.   I do, however, believe that our rules about NCS requiring membership is a good rule so that we can have some control on how our organization is represented day after day.

So, what is my point?   I guess I am asking the membership and especially those who are listed as net control stations to try hard to help out.   And, if you are on our NCS list and don’t want to be on it, PLEASE contact our net manager, John, WA!STU, and let him know.

I believe that most if not all of us are proud of ECARS.   We can’t let it get ragged because of poor participation by members; that should not happen in a good organization.

Please give it serious though and then some serious action.

With sincere best wishes,

Luke, KA1SE, president.