Woud you be interested in a new Monthly Model Rocketry Magazine

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I remember the discussions on another forum about the demise of a favorite magazine, and that another one had taken it's place. What was missed was the unbiased reviews & comments. The "other" magazine was lamb-basted for their "this is the best kit ever' reviews, right beside the ad for said kit.. Their defence was that they had the manuf. review the article, and 'had a chance to rectify the issues found' before the article went to print..

A new magazine would be nice, but not really needed. the interest is too small (the group), and printing & mailing would almost kill you.. Online & PDF downloads would be nice, but again, getting eh 10 articles per month & such.. We basically have that here, or at another rocket forums site.. Now, if the local admin would set up and encourage us to submit articles for a "TRF" magazine web-link...

as these guys did.... https://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/index.cfm

that might be interesting...

But, the bottom line is getting the articles, photos & such to create said magazine / webzine... continuously & consistently..


Something like that link is getting there. What RC Universe has is boring and is only slightly more interesting than the charts that Winston posted. I don't think anyone likes a laundry list of articles and reviews.

I agree that it is a tough venture to start a magazine but I would encourage anyone so inclined to take on the challenge because they may be successful.

I am also in the camp that I would not be interested in paying for anything.
 
I suggest you do a survey of the existing and failed rocketry print magazines. Only one exists, NAR's Sport Rocketry. It is sent to every NAR member and it costs each member ~$5 per magazine to produce and distribute with a circulation of 6,000. It is a volunteer effort with no paid staff. Rockets Magazine was formerly a print magazine and is now free on-line. I do not know what the print circulation was but it was not enough to sustain itself as a paid print magazine. The Apogee Newsletter is a free web-based publication which is also very effective advertising for Apogee.

I hate to be negative, but I do not see a financially viable business for another subscription print rocketry magazine.

Bob
 
I would LOVE to see a printed mag. devoted to high power rocketry ! I think I still have everyone I ever purchased , to me its our history ! That being said I look back at the companies who have all tried and failed at staying afloat most of which went down with a few bucks of mine , and I must say I would be a bit gun shy about dropping 60-80 bucks a year for something I may or may not get .
 
The ultimate goal of the technologies that are rendering print obsolete is control.
When the lights go out, and the computers and smart this and smart that can't operate, the power will be in the hands of the governments and rich and mighty, and not in the hands of the People, where it rightly belongs.
Most of my library of books is reference manuals and guides about gardening, off grid living, warfare and weaponry, survival and how to build things. I even have a book that details how to properly dispose of bodies in a sanitary manner in the events that it might become necessary in.
I liken it to how they are taking mobility away from the People in the same way, under the guise of "Safer Vehicles and Economy".
Up until the 90's, most of us shade tree mechanics could get the Haynes or Chilton manual, and repair nearly everything that might go wrong with our cars and trucks. My 2004 GMC Sierra, while not very advanced, has many aspects in it's construction and design that prohibit my ability to perform repairs and service on it.
Even the Ball Joints for example are press fit with a hydraulic press rather than bolted on like older models.:mad:
That not only makes them not user serviceable, generally speaking, but adds 4 hours of labor per side, as the entire control arm must be disassembled. :mad:
$700-$800 to get 2 lower ball joints done at the shop, VS. $75 apiece for me to buy them and do them myself plus maybe 3 hours of my time were they bolt on.

I have figured out that they can be purchased already installed in a brand new control arm for a little over a hundred a piece, but I still need to spend a whole day taking the whole front end apart to install them.

The whole planned obsolescence angers me more than anything. It is simply not right.

I have books and manuals that I will likely and hopefully never need, but I'll be damned before I'll ever get rid of them or begin to favor the electronic versions over print.
In a world without electricity, useful printed knowledge would be more valuable than gold.
 
No, not really. I do not have time for the two I have access to now. The internet has largely replaced most printed material for me.
 
There was actually an article in Scientific American within the several years that showed evidence that people in general learn better from printed material rather than electronic material. For me I get Scientific American, Astronomy magazine, and Sport Rocketry. I don't want anymore magazines.
 
One of my "regular magazines' is now on my 'maybe' list.. $8.99 for a magazine is pretty pricey, especially since it's about a hobby I don't actively pursue. (But I like the articles & the how to's & such,..) Yeah, the dollar sucks right now (Canadian) but sure as be damned, that $8.99 will remain regardless of how better it [eventually .. hopefully] will get..
 
Back
Top