25 JUN 2008 - Hello Greg... I'm sure there are a lot of ARRL members who have rationalized the purchase a life membership along similar lines and hope this will continue. I was first licensed in 1977 when I was 38. I joined the ARRL late that same year. In my second year in amateur radio, I decided to buy an ARRL life membership in 8 quarterly installments. I think I completed payment well before the deadline. I never paid attention to the 25 x annual dues ratio. I come from a long-lived family on both sides and I just did not want to be bothered with paying annual dues. ;-) I used this same rationale when I bought a life membership in the Grey Eagles (the American Airlines retired pilots' organization) and also AMSAT. 73 - Dick, W9GIG