IN-Newsletter
Vol. 27, No.32
August 11, 2004
Development
The Education & Technology Fund has reached nearly $70,000 from 681
donors, including a generous grant from the Brandenburg Life Foundation
to support the Teachers Institute.
The Spring 2004 Spectrum Defense Fund has reached $234,508 from 4,574
donors. The fall 2005 campaign is in development and will mail to all
ARRL members in mid-September.
Work on the launch of a new Long Time Member Award program is
proceeding. Certificate design and plaque selection is underway. The
first certificates will be mailed to recognize members of 50 years or
more.
Debra Johnson is "auditing" the inaugural Teachers Institute of the
Education & Technology Program. Debra will be working on grants for
this initiative and for the Education & Technology Program.
Development ads promoting the Diamond Club and the Legacy Circle have
been prepared for the 2005 Handbook.
The new membership renewal form to be used in 2000 first and second
member renewal notices has been completed.
Dan Miller gathered information on ARRL's data collection process for
submission to CNCS as a "Promising Practice". Development will welcome
a representative from CNCS on August 18 to discuss the tools ARRL uses
in data collection related to the federal grant.
For the ARRL Foundation, all the 2004 scholarship checks have been
processed and mailed. Ballots were completed to approve a new
investment policy for the ARRL Foundation and a grant was approved to
fund registration and expenses for the 2004 ARDF Championship.
Media Relations
Dave Sumner did a BPL-related interview for a story in Investors
Business Daily newspaper.
Jennifer was interviewed by a Hartford (CT) Courant columnist who was
interested in ARRL's archives project upstairs in "the cage." The
column ran, and included information and quotes from Director Frenaye,
chair of the Historical Committee.
Jennifer assisted a member who writes a weekly column for the San Mateo
(CA) Daily News. The topic was BPL.
At the request of a member in Lake Jackson, Texas, Jen offered advice
for a club's ham radio display at the local library.
A newsletter writer with the Office of Rural and Community Affairs in
Texas called for information (the ham radio angle) on the BPL tests
getting started in three area counties. Ed Hare put out a call for
informed and involved hams in the affected areas to contact HQ. We
found someone local to do the interview.
Jen participated in the PR Committee's August conference call to discuss
ongoing projects and tie up loose ends with the group. In the next
couple of days, Jen will finish editing all materials for participants
in the Speakers Bureau Pilot Project, and send the materials out on CD.
The PRC will be following up with participants on their progress, and
will promote the pilot project on the Web, and in other appropriate
outlets. Jen is also going over documents for the PR portion of the New
Section Manager Workshop in September.
The July issue of Contact! has been posted to the PR Web page.
Production/Editorial
The September/October issues of NCJ and QEX have been released to the
printer.
Rick Lindquist reports The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 31, distributed to
67,782 members on August 6. That is (by 21 copies) a new circulation
high! Rick submitted an article on the ARRL award winners for Oct QST.
He also prepared news stories on the end of a BPL field trial in North
Carolina, the first ham radio hurricane-related activations for the 2004
tropical storm season (three stories), the early end of the YV0D
DXpedition, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
contact with students in Japan as well as several news briefs and a
couple of W1AW bulletins. With voiceover assistance from Jennifer Hagy,
Rick voiced, edited and produced ARRL Audio News for Aug 6.
Sales & Marketing Department
A 5,000 piece "test" membership mailing has been prepared. The leads
were drawn out of a larger pool, planned for the fall mailing. The test
mailing has an enriched free book premium, a new message, and even a new
envelope. We expect to have a sufficient return quantity from the test
mailing to make a number of decisions about the fall mailing by
mid-September.
When September QST reaches mailboxes, so will a special introductory
promotion for the 2005 Handbook. Customers pre-ordering the new edition
by September 30 will receive a limited edition reproduction of the
"First QST" (or while supplies last).
The advertising team is busy filling October QST. Also on the burner is
a possible 8-page "holiday themed" tear-out for November QST.
Membership Services
Awards Branch
WAS QSL Cards Checked 150
WAS Certs. (550 QSLs F/C) 11
WAS Cert. (150 QSLs ES/C) 3
WAS Ends. (150 QSLs F/C) 3
WAC Certs. (42 QSLs ES/C) 7
5BWAC Certs. (60 QSLs ES/C) 2
LTMA Records to Siebel 9
A-1 Op. Noms. 4
A-1 Op. Certs. 4
VUCC Initial Apps. 7
Grids 843
VUCC End. Apps. 2
Grids 118
Awards Mailed 20
Also, spent 1.3 days on LTMA and HF/VHF Awards Managers matters.
Processing Status: Current or up to three weeks.
For the coming week-WAS/90th awards, order 5BWAS plates, process/mail
VUCC awards, compile the latest VUCC awards recipient list for Oct. QST,
mail out this week's awards processed, plus filing chores associated
with the most recent 25- and 40-year LTMAs issued.
Contest Branch
Data entry for all paper and emailed Field Day submissions has been
completed and the List of Logs received has been posted to the web.
Approximately 48% of the record number 2233 submissions were received
via the web applet provided by Bruce Horn, which has allowed for the
data entry to be completed earlier than in previous years.
The 2004 DX Phone contest results article was received from the author.
A version for QST was edited and sent to Production. The full web
version has been sent to Web Services for formatting and posting for
preview. Data entry for IARU paper logs has begun.
DXCC Branch
For the week of:
August 8, 2004
Beginning Cards 39,239
Cards Received 8,356
Cards Processed 14,435
Ending Cards 33,160
Applications Pending 235
Processing Time 3.8 Weeks
Year-to-date (2004)
Cards Received 317,944
Cards Returned 380,000
DXCC is currently mailing applications received on July 12, 2004. DXCC
is currently entering cards received on July 12, 2004.
One new offshore card checker was appointed this week in Israel. Two
offshore nominations are pending for Spain and Denmark.
Logbook of the World
QSO records entered into the system 48,493,042
QSL records have resulted 1,650,228
Logs Processed 62,217
Active Certificates 10,771
Users registered in the system 7,623
Current Applications 75
Ready Applications 26
Applications Awaiting Mail 49
QSL Bureau
Processing time is approximately 8 days from receipt. This week 108
pounds of cards were received from members. Approximately 140 pounds of
cards are waiting to be processed. Cards mailed as of 08/08/04:
688,975. No cards were mailed this week.
W1AW
Scott worked on slow and fast code practice files for the latter part of
the month of August. He worked the early afternoon shift on Friday for
a vacationing Joe Carcia and also handled some evening phone sales calls
in the daily 5 PM to 8 PM time slot.
Joe updated the web code practice files. He uploaded W1AW/90 logs to
LoTW and made a few repairs to some equipment used in Studio Two.
Field & Educational Services
A teacher who got licensed because of an ARISS QSO has now earned her
General; she wants her class to progress to HF and more science studies.
The ARISS team received six Yaesu FT-100Ds and tuners; the radios are
being qualified for flight, and used for crew training and procedures
development. The team drafted off-gassing test plans for SSTV equipment
for the ISS, to be done by White Sands Missile Test Facility. Commander
Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, did his first QSO -- for a youth aerospace
event. This helped to test QSOs supported by Russia's Mission Control
-- practice for a future mission where the US astronaut won't be a ham.
The second QSO this week was with a Japanese youth group. ARISS radios
will be shut off this week for a spacewalk.
Gail Iannone sent 13 hamfest approval letters to sponsoring committees
confirming Division Directors' approval of the events as
ARRL-sanctioned, processed 36 orders for handouts and door prizes for
upcoming events, and processed 3 label requests for upcoming events.
She reviewed affiliation paperwork for 10 new clubs and sent them to the
Directors and SMs for their approval in addition to acknowledgement
letters to the club officials. She sent 1 new SSC application to the
Director, SM, and ACC for approval, and coordinated travel for HQ reps:
Chuck Skolaut at the Missouri State Convention on August 21, and Norm
Fusaro at the WNY Section Convention on August 7-8.
Linda Mullally updated records of 29 clubs with 4 club reactivations and
handled 4 Special Service Club renewals. She registered 6 Volunteer
Instructors and 1 schoolteacher. She took care of 1 label request, sent
out 380 assorted brochures, and handled a stack of ARISS QSL cards from
ISS Field Day QSOs. She entered 6 new clubs into the database system,
and is looking into a possible problem with our Web forms sent by
Special Service Clubs via email to her.
CCE
Jean Wolfgang and Dan Miller took part in a meeting of people involved
with the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium, our Web host for our
on-line continuing education courses. They discussed some possible
future options for our on-line courses, and the currently existing
procedures. Jean has begun to compile a list of "keywords" pertaining
to the technical courses; these words should help Web users to find our
courses.
Club/Mentor Program
Norm Fusaro met with Sue Fagan to collaborate on a logo for the Mentor
Program. He finished his plans and presentation and materials for the
WNY Convention. After interacting with Mt Baker ARC club members and
uncovering the club's great mentoring program, Norm wrote a feature
story for the Web about a young ham, his mentor, and the club's program.
He interviewed several other new hams and their mentors for upcoming
articles.
Emcomm Grants
Dan Miller prepared material for the APCO conference (including a new
survey of public safety officials attending), and the New England
Division Convention. Both events are the same week. Our grantor, CNCS,
feels we gather facts better than other grantees, and asked for a report
on our procedures, which Dan is compiling. His SATERN presentation saw
60 attendees; statistics follow:
* 35% were Extra class licensees, 24% Generals, 19% Technicians
* 57% had been licensed 10+ years, 16% 1-5 Years, and 11% 1 year or
less
* 81% were ARRL members, 41% claimed Citizens Corp Involvement
* 22 of the respondents totaled 562 volunteer hours per month for an
average of 25.5 hours per person--another above average group!
Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program
Mark Spencer mailed announcement letters and award checks to our recent
education award winners. Teacher's Institute preparations are on track.
All resources to be given to teachers are in hand, reference materials
duplicated, and presentations in the can; teachers begin to arrive on
Aug 7. A presentation on ham radio was given to a local Youth Summer.
The numbers were not high, but the enthusiasm of the kids made up for
it.
Public Service/Field Organization
Steve Ewald attended the 2004 National Citizen Corps Conference for ARRL
where he networked with 200 representatives from national, state and
local Citizen Corps groups and other affiliates from around the country.
Steve plied them and got first-hand stories about ARES and Amateur Radio
groups continuing to provide valuable and positive contributions to the
Citizen Corps mission. New York SMs have received their vests purchased
with New York State grant funds. SMs are preparing lists of hams who
will get the vests; George Tranos plans to award them at ARES meetings,
with the first on Aug 10.
Chuck Skolaut received and forwarded to the FCC documentation concerning
problems occurring on two different 20-meter frequencies. Monitoring
Stations and others are investigating and observing broadband noise on
20 meters in Texas and potential power-line noise on 40 meters in New
York. Chuck also heard about an Internet site that's offering suspected
illegal radios for sale.
Leona Adams received a petition nominating Matthew Anderson, KA0BOJ, of
Ashland, Nebraska, as the next SM. Petitions for the new terms
beginning in January are due at HQ by September 10. There has been a
noticeable increase in Section expense reports received, and Leona has
been handling these.
Regulatory Information
John Hennessee assisted amateurs with local government zoning
restrictions in Boynton Beach, FL (WK8K--moving from Michigan); Washoe
County (Reno), NV (N7GXI); and Exceter, RI (KD1WD). He assisted a
person with a covenant problem in Anacortes, WA (license pending). He
also reviewed constitutions for clubs which have applied for affiliation
with ARRL, and he processed a VCE application.
73,
Sincerely,
Mark Wilson, K1RO
Chief Operating Officer
MW: lk
Staff Absentee List
Perry Williams 7/16-9/7 Vacation
Dennis Motschenbacher 8/9-8/13 Vacation
8/20-8/21 Convention, Albuquerque,
NM
`` 8/27-8/29 SW Division
Convention, Phoenix, AZ-personal
`` 9/24-9/26 EWA Section
Convention, Spokane, WA
Debra Jahnke 8/6-8/13 Vacation
Janet Rocco 8/9-8/13 Vacation
Zoe Belliveau 8/9-8/13 Vacation
John Hennessee 8/19-8/30 Vacation
Dan Miller 8/9-8/12 APCO Convention,
Montreal, Canada
" 8/13-8/15 New England Div. Conv,
Boxboro, MA
" 8/26-8/29 SW Div Convention,
Phoenix, AZ
AnnMarie Pinto 8/9-8/20 Vacation
Joel Hallas 8/6-8/20 Vacation
Bob Schetgen 8/4-8/13 Vacation
Bart Jahnke 8/13 Vacation
Chuck Skolaut 8/15 Kansas State Convention
" 8/20 Vacation
" 8/21 Missouri State
Convention
Mark Dzamba 8/23-8/27 Vacation
Pam Dzamba 8/23-8/27 Vacation
Mary Hobart 8/27-8/29 SW Division Convention
Danny Sayad 9/7-9/10 Vacation
" 9/17 Vacation
Joel Kleinman 8/27-8/31 Vacation
Eileen Sapko 8/13-8/16 Vacation
Joe Carcia 8/13pm Vacation
Sharon Taratula 8/16 Vacation
Bill Moore 8/17-8/23 JARL Convention
Dan Henderson 8/20 Huntsville AL Convention
8/23-8/27 Vacation
Wayne Mills 8/23-9/3 Vacation
