mongo

My Feedback: (15)

well, since, NO ONE is ever wrong all the time, and NO ONE is ever right all the time, i tend to never bet either way based on past performance.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Very well said. However do you recall any occurrence when Franklin has admitted to being wrong about anything?

mongo

My Feedback: (15)

i do not keep scorecards, even for you.

rcmiket

LOL.

Mike

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

I can get that. However when someone accuses you of having a troll account and doesn’t admit he was wrong when presented with the facts then proceeds to create a troll account himself, you tend to notice what he does a bit more closely.

init4fun

Methinks Kirk killed the AMA forum..... Again....

Hydro Junkie

I was thinking it was Tomalok, not Kirk

ECHO24

Hydro, have you done any RC sail boating?

ECHO24

Dead it is. There'd be a lot more to talk about if we took up parahawking.

Hydro Junkie

Nope. The only lake I really could requires a county park's department permit to do anything with R/Cs. All of the other lakes allow full sized powerboats so they wouldn't be safe to run in or are private and ringed with homes

ECHO24

Kind of taking liberty being off-topic with the thread but it is indeed dead. For me sailboats compliment sailplanes and a Hobbyking Arctic Cat amphibian I have.
I first got a Volantex Compass (the same outfit who make RC planes) and later a Tippecanoe T37 (37") wooden boat. The bigger RC sailboats get expensive quick,
but I found a 3D printed one meter boat that I'll start working on shortly. It hasn't happened yet, but I also want a power boat set up with a hook in case one conks
out far from shore so I don't have to go swimming.

Hydro Junkie

That's why I bought one of these:
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/asce...n-hybrid-kayak
It's 10' long, 31" wide and will handle 400lbs. I figure that's all I really need since it's more maneuverable than the basic row boat, you can see where you're going without having to look over your shoulder and, best yet, you don't have to deal with a trolling motor and batteries

ECHO24

My son has one of these with a small outboard we take sometimes. The only drawback is that it's its own thing to attend to, to load, unload, etc.
Got another large 3D printer. Just about ready to start printing the one meter sail boat I mentioned. I'm also working on a couple of 3D printed planes.
I'm entering one of those in a CAD design contest. The prizes are desktop milling machines and more software to further feed the habit.

Hydro Junkie

Took the Elam out this past weekend for the first time this year and the first time in a year, had a good day, all told. Boat had only one heat last summer and it ended quickly. The quick and dirty is another boat died in front of mine and the resulting crash did enough damage to mine that I was done for the day. Work hasn't helped either, schedule wise, so I haven't been able to go play. To summarize my first real day of racing in several years, by heat:

1. couldn't get the boat to start due to multiple issues during the 2.5 minutes allowed so got a DNS
2. got it started and running, took a 3rd
3. got it started and running, died just before launch with no time to restart for another DNS
4. got it started and running, had an inconsistent run with the boat failing to finish the full 5 racing laps.
5. With 225 points for my previous third place finish, I was tied for the last spot in the consolation heat with another person. Since this was a "winner goes in the final" heat and the other guy having a boat that was running better than mine, not to mention the fact that he could hold the buoy line and I couldn't(lack of practice on my part and the boat needing some serious TLC), I declined to run a one lap tiebreaker and let him race the consolation heat.

As I said, this was a good day since it was the first time I scored ANY POINTS since 2018. The points I scored also kept me from being in the group that didn't get any points at all, where I have ended up more times than I care to think about. Now I need to see if I can get the boat to run better. Another local racer has told me we're going to do some serious testing and tweaking on my boat next Friday since we will have a course set up for the Northwest Scale Championships that are going to be over Saturday and Sunday. I probably won't race that weekend since it's not a "points race" and I need to keep the boat in running condition for the following Saturday's event in Kennewick at the same time and location as the H-1 Unlimited hydroplane race.

With all of that said, Mr ECHO, what's happening with your "printed" boat? Any updates?

ECHO24

I'm starting it Saturday. The hull parts show the 3D printing potential for RC planes. Old fashion balsa and plywood is probably still the best for a
light, strong, and (relatively) cheap airframe. But they don't build themselves. A 3D printer works while you're sleeping.

rcmiket

In case anyone is interested.

Renew Under the Current Rates The AMA Executive Council unanimously voted to increase the price of AMA memberships, effective September 1, 2022. Since the 2015 dues increase, inflation has risen 23.32%. Adult memberships will now be $85 and Senior membership will be $75. AMA will offer two-year and three-year discounts. Consider renewing before the rates increase, even if you are not yet up for renewal. Renew now at (765) 287-1256, ext. 129.

Like inflation hasn't hit us all really hard. No sense cutting cost and tightening their belts at headquarters, when you can just raise dues.

Mike

mongo

My Feedback: (15)

yep, been wondering how long it would take for them to use the current inflation rates as a reason to up the dues...

rcmiket

Bad timing as I see it.

Mike

mongo

My Feedback: (15)

in my view,
par for the course.

Dick T.

My Feedback: (243)

Once the inflation ball starts rolling, primarily by the oil/ energy suppliers, everyone jumps on the wagon, so they are not left behind. Even those who do not need to raise rates/prices take advantage of the increasing profit margins available. Watch Wall Street for upcoming reports of record earnings/profits, especially within the companies at the top.

Of course, the turd rolls downhill so some price increases certainly are necessary to stay in business but, there is a lot of greed in others. AMA costs may have risen some, probably in the magazine money pit, but I view it more as climbing on the wagon.

I recently began cancelling subscriptions to streaming services and some internet services, some with 20-25% price increases. Explain to me how their services demand that other than plain old greed!

franklin_m

What I find interesting is the speed with which they made this change.

The email hits our inboxes saying they'll raise rates. Within days the magazine arrives with column by CFO saying they're not contemplating an increase. So in the 3 months between when he sends his column to the printer they went from not contemplating it ... to a 13% increase?

Their tax returns will provide a much better picture. Yes, they've cut some costs, but slower than they've been losing revenue. They just can't bear cutting the Muncie jobs program that is AMA HQ staff, and that bottomless money pit that is the magazine.

Hydro Junkie

Mike, I think a better question is:
HOW MANY WON'T PAY THE COST DUE TO THE FACT THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO?
We all know costs are up on everything from food to fuel. We also know that the majority of the AMA's members are at or above retirement age. If it weren't for the fact that my wife makes as much, if not more, than I do in wages, I wouldn't be able to afford to drive to work. I did some quick figuring yesterday and found that, when I work in Seattle or Renton, I'm driving roughly 85-90 miles per day, round trip. With the cost of gas, it takes my entire first hour's pay to commute to my work location. When I work the overnight shift, I only work a 7 hour shift, meaning I only have 6 hours worth of pay available after filling my gas tank. This week, I have four days that I work and three of them are in Renton. That means I only have 18 hours of pay for those three days combined. The fourth day was 9 hours and I lose half an hour there as well, at 35 miles round trip. That leaves me 26.5 hours of pay, before deductions, for the week. Not much you can do with that, is there.
Now, with that said, Many of those that are retired live on social security benefits or savings plans, resulting in very limited budgets. Now, the AMA is increasing yearly dues by over 23%, but for what? The cost of a year's senior dues would cost me almost a week's worth in fuel costs. What is the justification for that? Are they trying to keep the overpaid office staff comfortable by supplying A/C or better lighting?
Just got to thinking, when I fill my gas tank to go to Seattle or Renton, I have enough fuel to make it for three days, depending on traffic. I'm just finishing up my third night shift in Renton and, if I don't fill the tank before I have to go to work again on Monday, I won't be able to get to work and back home. So far, this week, I've driven 230 miles to and from Renton, with another 46 or so to go. I can add another 35-40 to a work site in Everett on Monday with a different vehicle. Had I driven the car to work Monday, I wouldn't have enough gas to get home.

rcmiket

All valid points. I suggest voicing our thoughts on this to the powers to be. I already did.

Mike

Hydro Junkie

My thoughts are this:

• The AMA would charge $85 for me to be a member for one year. This would not include else in my household
• NAMBA did charge $90 for me AND THE WIFE to be members for a year
• The average flying club would charge me a fairly substantial fee for being a member whether I use the facilities provided or not
• My boating club, R/C Unlimiteds, charge me $15 per year, per boat, for membership and a participation fee for each race I go to for awards for winners so I only pay for what I use.
• The AMA has raised it's membership rates TWICE in the past 8 years
• NAMBA HAS NOT raised their membership rates since I first became a member, almost 10 years ago

My question is why is it that NAMBA has not felt the need to raise their rates in over 10 years while the AMA has raised theirs twice? Let's see if we can figure this one out :

• AMA has a overpriced PAID staff that is borderline incompetent, NAMBA has a volunteer staff
• AMA has a facility that includes a museum that most don't care about and a field that is rarely used by anyone from outside the Muncie area, NAMBA has none of that to spend money on
• AMA prints a quarterly magazine that costs substantial amounts of money, NAMBA has a newsletter that costs little more than ink and paper

Sounds to me like NAMBA doesn't spend more than it has to while the AMA spends money because they have it. Kind of like watching the Democrats trying to pass their multi-billion dollar bills that don't benefit the people, just the organization.

franklin_m

Every time the AMA has raised dues, within a very short time their inflation adjusted revenue has declined to BELOW what it was before they raised dues. The level of management incompetence is staggering. For how many years now have they been fumbling with what to do with the money sump that is the magazine? Yet as each year passes, it continues to lose even more money. Talk about pouring good money after bad! Cumulative magazine losses are now millions upon millions of members' daughters. AMA touts its cost cutting, but the last time I looked at my data it has yet to match the rate at which their inflation adjusted revenue is decreasing. In short, they cut, but the revenue drops more than the cut.

And the incompetence continues. Did anyone by chance go to the AMA renewal portion of the website? I did. And despite the AMA this week communication saying that two and three year renewal options would be available ... wait for it ... the website only allows one and two year renewals. Did nobody think to ensure that the website was aligned with the communication they're sending to 100,000 people? I thought the ED was a marketing guy, he should know this. But apparently not. And where was the EC holding him (and staff) accountable for being ready to roll this out before they announced? Again, asleep at the management wheel.

Ironic that IT and the magazine have the most number of paid positions for any of the departments, yet they're the ones that are the most poorly managed.
Publications: 5 people
Communications: 3 people
Marketing: 6 people
Information Systems: 3 people

So across those four departments, 17 people were unable to coordinate and present an aligned roll out and ensure the website matches the communication. Even assuming a relatively low fully burdened personnel cost of $60,000 per year per person, that's over $1 million a year that WE are paying for mediocrity.

And the ED and the EC allow it...