Jake,

As is typical, I was out of town for the weekend. Welcome to MAAST. A couple of points that may not have been noted:

The MAAST membership fees of $25 are VERY nominal. You might not agree, but for the help and information that MOST hobbyists get from this site, it IS nominal. In addition, many of our sponsors offer significant discounts to MAAST Charter (paid) members. For many, it is more than enough to offset the dues.

As for hosting - hosting forums with large databases and picture files, along with software fees, and some minor hourly consulting fees aren't huge, but they are not zero.

MAAST is undergoing some transformations. With the impending non-profit approval, we are planning on making even more of an investment into education.

I hope you hang around, and then find that you you feel a $25 membership might actually be worthwhile.