IN-Newsletter
Vol. 28, No. 10
March 9, 2005
Upcoming Meeting
April 9th in Denver, CO at 8:30am
Executive Committee Meeting
Development
Mary attended the annual meeting of CNCS Homeland Security grantees in Washington DC with Rosalie White, K1STO. The response to Amateur Radio as a vital communication resource for the grantees was extraordinary. Some new grant opportunities were identified.
The solicitation for the Education & Technology Fund is in production with a target mail date in mid-March. The budgeted goal for the campaign is $125,000.
A renewal solicitation to lapsed Diamond Club members is being prepared.
The last group of 40-year members is being prepared this week.
Debra Johnson, KB1LMT, will represent Development on the Building Pride committee.
The ARRL Foundation Scholarship databases and applications will be sent to the Scholarship Chairman this week.
Materials for Dayton are being prepared, focusing on the ARRL Diamond Club and the ARRL Foundation. Information on all Development programs will available.
Media & Public Relations
The federal Topoff3 drill key dates are April 4-6. I hope to be in the media center in New London to brief the national and international press on our role in the event.
The “Swiss Army Knife” CD, announced only last Thursday, has already gotten very good response and is highly desired by many PIOs. The orders are coming in fast.
PSAs are still going out and I am still getting good reports of stations beginning to play it on the air from PIOs.
Production/Editorial
Rick Lindquist reports that The ARRL Letter, Vol. 24, No. 9, distributed to 65,658 members on March 4. Rick prepared/edited stories on FCC status on Morse, restructuring proposals; ARRL request to invalidate Florida RFI law; ARISS school group contact with St John's School in Texas; Utility plans for BPL pilots in San Diego County; Free basic electronics presentation available from ARRL; Impending end of grant-subsidized EmComm courses; Paul Danzer wins Orr Award; stories on the ARRL National Convention and on BPL petitions for rulemaking filed, plus several news briefs and announcements. Rick voiced, edited and produced ARRL Audio News for March 4.
Joel Hallas reports that both New Products announcements and the Product Review column for May QST have been turned in. In addition, Product Review testing for June is well underway.
Sales & Marketing
Advertising Staff is in full swing working on the May 2005, Dayton Theme issue of QST. The 8-page pullout section is nearly full, and we have already taken quite a few increased size insertions for regular display advertising as well.
An email solicitation listing the reservations and materials due date was sent out on Friday.
Since many advertisers will want to list their Dayton booth numbers in their ads, as a courtesy, we have contacted Hamvention® staff to procure a list of booth assignments that we can share with our advertisers. Their response was positive and they have promised to provide us with the list.
Membership statistics have been run for the end of February. We had anticipated a loss of 409 members from the end of January figures. The actual loss was 358 members.
We have turned in pieces for two membership solicitations for printing and mailing. The first mailing tests a "LAST CHANCE" scenario on very old leads. The second mailing tests our most recent (and highly successful) mailing package on Technician and Technician Plus leads.
Preparations continue for an ARRL sale on RSGB publications. The sale will run from April 1 through June 30. RSGB is collaborating with us on this campaign. They have produced an ad spread for May QST, and have extended a deeper discount to us on publications included in the promotion. We're hoping the extra attention and discounting will help overcome recent sales challenges with RSGB publications, largely due to the higher costs associated with stocking these books (linked to the decreasing value of the US dollar).
ARRL National Convention planning
The cover of May QST was designed around a Dayton Hamvention and ARRL National Convention theme (thanks Sue and Joel K.). The issue also features a special Dayton advertising supplement.
We've started work on the ARRL membership application form. This year, applicants will select from joining ARRL, or joining with a Diamond Club annual contribution amount. The form also includes some carefully selected incentives (free publications) for joining at the show.
We met with the ad hoc National Convention Committee, offering a progress report on planning activities.
A layout for ARRL EXPO was turned in to the Hamvention Committee.
With Rosalie's help, the forum schedule is largely completed. Descriptions for each of the forums have been written for advance promotion use. Thanks go to Rick for his fine work preparing another Hamvention news story, this time covering the ARRL forums.
An ad was prepared for the Hamvention pre-show mailing.
Membership Services
Awards Branch
WAS QSL Cards Checked 300
WAS Certs. (650 QSLs F/C) 13
WAS Certs. (200 QSLs ES/C) 4
WAC Certs. (96 QSLs ES/C) 6
A-1 Op. Noms. 7
Extra Class Certs. 4
Replacement Awards 2
LTMA Inquiries 6
Awards Mailed 14
Also, worked on some LTMA projects (on-going). Processing Status: Current or up to three weeks.
For the coming week—WAS and WAC QSL card checking, foreign WAC, A-1 Operator, WAS/90th, and VUCC awards processing/mailing, and mail out all awards processed this week.
Contest Branch
The write-up for the 2004 November CW Sweepstakes was received, edited and sent to Production for QST and the Web Services for the web version. Preliminary results of the log-checking for the 2005 RTTY Roundup contest are being reviewed before the final results are run. Data entry of logs for several contests continued. Two issues were prepared for the Awards Committee involving the September VHF QSO Party irregularities. Mailing of the IARU certificates continued and should be completed this week. Initial data entry on the 2005 January VHF Sweepstakes was completed and the List of Logs Received posted to the ARRL Web. Problems with 2005 DXCW Logs were resolved with about two dozen participants.
DXCC Branch
For the week of:
March 6, 2005
Beginning Credits 44,680
Credits Received 12,878
Credits Processed 8,788
Ending Credits 48,764
Applications Pending 340
Processing Time (Conventional) 5.7 Weeks
Processing Time (LoTW) 1 Working Day
DXCC is currently mailing applications received on January 25, 2005. DXCC is currently entering credits received on January 26, 2005.
Logbook of the World
QSO records entered into the system 65,845,960
QSL records have resulted 2,779,094
Logs Processed 104,101
Active Certificates 13,592
Users registered in the system 9,139
Hybrids Pending Mail 35
QSL Bureau
Processing time is 7 days from receipt. This week, 143 pounds of cards were received from members.
Cards mailed as of 03/06/05: 123,550. No cards were mailed this week.
W1AW
Thanks to Dan Henderson, N1ND, Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Debra Johnson, KB1LMT, Harold Kramer, WJ1B and Mark Spencer, WA8SME for operating W1AW in the 2005 ARRL International DX SSB Contest. They made 789 QSOs, on 80 through 10 meters, with 193 countries, for a claimed score of 453,936.
Joe updated the web code practice files. He corrected a problem with the Harris 15-meter amplifier. He also designed and assembled a simple keying interface for the 2-meter bulletin transmitter (to improve on the PTT scheme). He also uploaded regular W1AW logs to LoTW.
Scott worked on fast and slow code practice files for the month of March. He continues with assembling the SSB adapter module for the Elecraft K2 QRP transceiver. Scott also handled some evening phone sales calls in the daily 5 PM to 8 PM time slots.
Field & Educational Services
Rosalie and Frank Bauer met with personnel at NASA Headquarters to discuss future programs, and to meet new staff members. Our POC is leaving NASA, and we hope for a smooth transition to new staff. Rosalie attended three days of meetings sponsored by our federal grantor, CNCS.
Field Education Team
Gail Iannone sent 12 hamfest approval letters and one convention approval letter to the sponsoring committees confirming the Division Director’s approval of their events as ARRL-sanctioned. She processed eight handout and door prize orders and five label requests for upcoming events, and coordinated travel for Bill Moore to be the HQ rep at the Alabama State Convention on April 30-May 1 in Birmingham. She sent 17 new club applications for ARRL-affiliation to the Executive Committee for their approval, and one new SSC application to the Division Director, Section Manager, and Affiliated Club Coordinator for their approval.
Jean Wolfgang worked with CTDLC, our online course Web host, to correct problems that occurred in two rosters of student registrations at the CTDLC site. She sent out the welcome letters to the five sections of classes that will open on Friday, March 4. She processed the recent graduates of courses, and set up the next set of class sections. Jean also ran the monthly stipend query.
Norm Fusaro wrote a web story about clubs that developed information cards to provide local facts useful to traveling hams. The clubs place the cards at tourist information centers and hotel lobbies. Part of Norm's story highlights a great packet of information designed by the Mt Baker ARC in WWA. With the club's permission, we provided a downloadable version for other clubs to use. ARRL and Mt Baker received numerous requests for this booklet after it was showcased in a previous web story. Thanks goes to Tom Hogerty for his help with the upload, and also for posting another PowerPoint presentation to the club multimedia library. This one is from Bob Wiseman, WB3W, and is about EchoLink. The addition of this program makes six new programs for the multimedia library.
Margie Bourgoin updated 49 club records, processed three SSC Renewals and handled one club reactivation. She registered nine new volunteer instructors. Margie also updated information in two of our databases: the Public Service Activity Report database as well as the CNCS grant survey database. She conducted the monthly video inventory, F&ES supply inventory and the F&ES Revenue report for the month of February.
EmComm Grants
Dan Miller reports that the ARRL was represented at the National Severe Weather Workshop 2005 which was held at the Reed Center, Midwest City, Oklahoma on March 3-5, 2005. The NSWW, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a national forum for emergency management and media to exchange needs and ideas on severe weather safety. Along with John Thomason, WB5SYT, OK Section Manager, and Eddie Manley, K5EMS, Assistant Section Manager, Dan provided an ARRL exhibit and answered questions asked by many of the 250+ attendees.
Field Organization/Public Service
Chuck Skolaut composed a story for QST regarding the 2004 International Humanitarian Award. He received documentation concerning improper operation on two different 75 meter frequencies, as well as a report of interference to a Florida repeater from an Echolink node. He continues to receive reports of possible illegal equipment advertised for sale on the Internet. Chuck and Leona handled Field Organization issues while Steve was on vacation.
Leona Adams contacted SMs about petitions being due for the next term. She processed receipt of petitions, and acknowledged these.
Regulatory Information
John Hennessee reports an increase in the number of Part 97 questions about the use of paid hospital employees and the use of amateur equipment obtained from grants. He has also received a number of questions on the expected Restructuring II NPRM and the eventual R&O. He also assisted amateurs with local government zoning problems in Reno, NV (N7GXI); Macomb, IL (AG9Y) and Daytona Beach, FL (W4YFT). He assisted an amateur with a covenant restriction in Bakersfield, CA (KA6LXM).
Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program
Mark Spencer reports that his posting of the Basic Electronics course offering on our web pages produced a large response. Within minutes the requests started coming in; within 12 hours there were over 100 requests. Many were from schools that will be encouraged to join the Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program. The CDs that are sent will be accompanied with an advertisement for the teacher's institute and the textbook, Understanding Basic Electronics. The parts arrived for the reissue of the activity board kits, and the kitting process has begun.
Community Education Program
Bill Barrett continues to receive feedback from his show in Phoenix. He took care of trip and expense reports from that trip. He finalized most of his plans for his upcoming Butler, Missouri, trip.
Sincerely,
Dave Patton, NN1N
Special Assistant to the
Chief Executive Officer
DCP: lk
Staff Absentee List
All Staff 3/25 Holiday
Dave Sumner 4/13-4/18 IARU Reg. 1 Conference Preparatory Meeting, Croatia
Allen Pitts 3/11 DHS planning in New London, CT
Mary Hobart 4/15-4/17 International DX Convention, Visalia, CA
`` 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention
Dennis Motschenbacher 3/8pm-3/10 ICOM Meeting, Seattle, WA
4/7-4/8 Int’l Wireless Conference
Bob Inderbitzen 3/8pm-3/10 ICOM Meeting, Seattle, WA
`` 3/21-3/23 National Postal Forum
`` 3/24 & 3/28 Vacation
`` 3/31-4/1 AES Superfest
Fatima Lorusso 3/7-3/11 Vacation
Kathy Capodicasa 3/21-3/23 National Postal Forum
`` 4/14-4/18 Vacation
Dan Miller 3/10-3/13 LA State Convention, Rayne, LA
`` 3/21-3/24 Nat'l Hurricane Conference, New Orleans, LA
`` 3/28-3/30 Vacation
Joel Kleinman 3/29 Vacation
Wayne Mills 3/11 North Carolina State Convention, Charlotte, NC
`` 3/18 Great Lakes Division Convention, Toledo, OH
Stu Cohen 3/7-3/18 Leave of absence
Judy Miller 3/28-3/30 Vacation
Cathy Stepina 4/4-4/15 Vacation
