August 2005 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:12905] FW: Wednesday hams in the hurricane update
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

FYI Harold ------------------------------------------------------ From: Pitts, Allen W1AGP Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 1:25 PM To: pr; HQ Staff Subject: Wednesday hams in the hurricane update This is for your info, for use with contacting your local TV and media stations, For more information: Allen Pitts, W1AGP Media and PR Manager - ARRL (860) 594-0328 apitts(a)arrl.org Ham Radio Saving Lives and Ready for More NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 31, 2005--Over 250 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Louisiana are engaged in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort and more are waiting in the wings to help as soon as they can enter storm-ravaged zones. Louisiana ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Stratton, K5GLS, told ARRL that some 250 ham radio operators have been working with the Red Cross and the state's Office of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness. State officials have not allowed emergency or other units to enter many of the zones still flooded, and there is still no communication with many coastal areas. ARES volunteers from outside the directly affected areas have been mustering to assist, but, Stratton says, until units can enter the flooded disaster areas "there's no place they can go yet. If everyone who has volunteered came, we could fill the state. But please hold on, it's going to be a very long time [recovering] for this." Meanwhile there are many reports of trapped residents who are calling relatives long distance or just dialing randomly on cell phones hoping for rescue. Some of these calls are connecting and being relayed into the 911 center. There the hams are taking the messages and relaying them to the emergency units closest to the trapped person. A high volume of family related requests reportedly is slowing the passage of critical tactical and emergency traffic. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) hams are now on a special frequency to accept and handle these inquiries on the air and via its Web site (http://www.qso.com/satern411/emailfrm.htm) Hams also provide emergency communications for The American Red Cross who have established a similar 'Get Info' hotline: 1-866 GET INFO (1-866-438-4636) -more- Ham Radio Page 2 Louisiana Section Manager Mickey Cox, K5MC, reported that some other Louisiana ARES teams also are in a holding pattern, awaiting word from relief agencies trying to assess what they need in terms of communication support and where, before they can officially activate. Cox also reported that Richard Webb, NF5B, from New Orleans was on the air from the Louisiana State University Hospital as of Monday afternoon during the storm. Louisiana Assistant Section Manager Mike King, W5PY, of Slidell, remains on the air since the storm helping provide emergency communications from a hospital on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. "When all else fails, Amateur Radio works is more than a catchy tag line," says Mark Conklin, N7XYO. "It's a lifeline," he said late Monday evening, after being involved in the rescue of 15 people from a rooftop. Hams are also now able to send digital, written messages out of the area which are delivered as email to other parts of the country. Using a Winlink system which blends the advantages of radio and internet, the hams are passing messages out for their served agencies. They do not have the ability to receive email messages into the area at this time. In Alabama, Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, reports Amateur Radio SKYWARN nets were active Monday, reporting the severe weather conditions to the National Weather Service (NWS). Sarratt himself handled a volunteer shift at the Huntsville NWS office Monday evening. He told ARRL Headquarters that ARES groups throughout the state--and especially in central and southern Alabama--have been supporting communication for local emergency management agencies and the Red Cross. -more- Ham Radio page 3 Mississippi Section Manager Malcolm Keown, W5XX, in Vicksburg, was reported on the air at different times. According to Assistant Section Manager Edwin Franks, AD5IF, Keown was using generator power, his regular antennas are all down and his area has no electrical power or telephone service. Franks also reports that he has been getting requests for information about friends and relatives from people calling him at home. W4WLF, Thomas Hammack, is the ham who has been providing emergency communications for the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center. ARRL Northern Florida Section Manager Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, reports his section is putting together a team of Amateur Radio operators to assist in neighboring Mississippi, once they get clearance to go there. The Florida mutual assistance team will be coordinated through the Florida State Emergency Operations Center. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) ended days of operations for Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday. This network of ham radio stations works in cooperation with the National Hurricane Center to gather ground-level weather data during storms. Forecasters use the reports to help fine-tune their predictions of a storm's behavior. What do Amateur Radio operators do during and after disasters? Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized communication networks locally for governmental and emergency officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private citizens affected by the disaster. Amateur Radio operators are most likely to be active after disasters that damage regular lines of communications due to power outages and destruction of cellular, internet and telephone lines. How do Amateur Radio operators help local officials? Many radio amateurs are active as communications volunteers with local public safety organizations. In addition, in some disasters, radio frequencies are not coordinated among relief officials and Amateur Radio operators step in to coordinate communication when radio towers and other elements in the normal communications infrastructure are damaged. -more- Ham Radio page 4 What are the major Amateur Radio emergency organizations? Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level, hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or organize local "traffic nets". At the state level, hams are often involved with state emergency management operations. In addition, hams operate at the national level through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) which is coordinated through the American Radio Relay League and its field volunteers and through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) which is coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In addition, in areas that are prone to severe weather, many hams are involved in Skywarn, operating under the National Weather Service. Is Amateur Radio recognized as a resource by national relief organizations? Many national organizations have formal agreements with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other Amateur Radio groups including: * Department of Homeland Security - Citizen Corps * Federal Emergency Management Agency * National Communications System * American Red Cross * Salvation Army * National Weather Service * Association of Public Safety Communications Officials What are some examples of emergencies involving Amateur Radio? * Four Hurricanes in Florida and the Gulf - September 2004 * Hurricane Isabel - September 2003 * Northeast blackout - August 2003 * Shuttle Columbia recovery effort - February 2003 * World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks - September 2001 * Fires in Los Alamos, New Mexico - May 2000 * Hurricane Floyd - September 1999 * Hurricane Georges - September 1998 Allen G. Pitts, W1AGP Media and Public Relations Manager ARRL Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594-0328

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[arrl-odv:12904] PUBLIC RADIO INTERVIEW
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

To: ODV From: Harold Kramer Sorry to send out so much communications, but there is a lot happening and I want to keep everyone informed. Here is a link to yesterday's story on NPR about amateur radio's participation in Katrina. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4824598. Allen Pitts has been overwhelmed with media inquires during the past few days and there will many other amateur radio stories appearing in other media. Allen and I will try to keep everyone updated on the more significant media coverage. A group of us have also been meeting to coordinate our assistance and response to Katrina as well. We have been receiving lots of emails, phone call and other communication from ARES members and the amateur radio community about Katrina. We are setting up some additional internal systems and external communications to handle the volume of requests and to coordinate them in an efficient and appropriate manner. 73, Harold, WJ1B

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[arrl-odv:12903] Morse/Restructuring II NPRM, Comment Dates Firmed up
by W3KD＠aol.com 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

Greetings. Just today, the FCC's disappointing NPRM in Docket 05-235, proposing to eliminate Morse telegraphy as an examination element for any class of Amateur license, has been published in the Federal Register. The comment dates are as follows: Comments: October 31, 2005 Reply Comments: November 14, 2005. Vice President Harrison will have some recommendations for the Executive Committee to consider for comments, and the meetings that the staff are having on the subject is of great importance in providing information for the filing. The Executive Committee is considering when to meet, and should take these filing dates into consideration in deciding on a meeting date. 73, Chris W3KD

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[arrl-odv:12902] Congratulatons
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

To:ODV Some good news: 1. Lisa Tardette in the Sales and Marketing Department has obtained her Technician license - Her call is KB1MOI. 2. Janet Rocco, ARRL Business Services Manager in the Sales & Marketing Department, passed her Technician exam last week and her new call is KB1MOZ. Congratulations to all of our new licensees. Great job!. And special thanks to Mary Hobart for being a great instructor! 73, Harold, WJ1B

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RE: [arrl-odv:12895] FW: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio
by Joyce Birmingham 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

Brian, Your idea about the VE team as a good beginning is one I have been shouting from the rooftops since this whole idea of mentoring has taken shape...(actually longer than that!). As the VE Liaison and member of one of the largest VE teams in Northern NJ, I can tell you that we do mentoring right on the spot. NO one leaves our session without one or more contacts or shadows as we call them, and a follow-up phone call or email is always done by me. Not that we test a great deal of applicants any longer like back in the 90's, but no one goes out of our sessions alone. We load them with info and the members of my team are really good about finding out just what the applicant wants to do with their Amateur Radio license. One thing I must point out to you, the VE teams are independent, as are the VE's themselves. Most of VE sessions are unsponsored meaning not affiliated with any club or organization. It's just come in and test, then leave. Then you have others that administer testing, outside outfits, like W5YI and a few others. Not all are ARRL/VEC teams. Not all are active every month, some only once a year. I've heard that many sessions never make it once they are registered. I have had candidates tell me of no show VE's at a session. No phone calls, no notes, nothing. Scary thought. But most have a happy ending. However, it has been suggested to me that burdening the VE teams with the prospect of mentoring is not a favorable idea. These teams have enough to do just to get the applicant tested and the paperwork processed. Like it or not, I agree that some teams (or people) shouldn't even mentor. Like everything else, the caliber of people you need to mentor is not always there. We have to be careful not destroy what we have just tested, so to speak. Then there is the time factor. I speak from experience here....I mentor over 10 hams every month in some way. Either by phone, email, in person, with the help of a club I belong too, whatever, you name it. This takes a lot of time and personal commitment. Most come from my VE session, but many come via way of "the ARRL gave me your name". Do I mind, NO WAY! I am committed to helping, that's my nature and I know how to do it, and how much to do at a given time. If it's something I can't help with, I pass them over to someone else who I know will help and give them a positive experience. It's a numbers game, and no we can't help them all. Some don't even want help and that's okay, but asking Section Managers and ACC's to take on added responsibility of visiting VE teams is a big risk. Most don't even have enough time to do what they need to do now. Some do nothing at all. And even asking some VE teams to do this meets with a great deal of resistance as I have found out. I have heard, though that there was a VE team in Texas that ran a short New Ham Information 'class' after the applicant passed his/her test. Complete with radios and all the info you could imagine. Yes, that is neat idea. No, I'm not shooting down your idea, it's just that I do this already, and yes, I wish more VE teams did. How do you think my VE team grew from 10 to 40 members in 5 years? Let's say - they came, the saw, they got mentored, they liked what they saw, they stayed, now, they help....they give back. One of the most dedicated people on the ARRL Staff that promotes mentoring, because it's his job and he believes in it, is Norm Fusaro, W3IZ....what an excited guy. If you haven't met him yet, do yourself a favor and call him, stop in to see him next time you're in Newington. He is excited about the hobby, excited about mentoring, and has some really great ideas some of which are found on the ARRL website. Harold, I know you agree with that!! What do we do? We do what we can....little by little we spread the word, mentor when we can or find people who are good mentoring and get them out there. Me, I test Cosmonauts!!!! Just kidding, I test all and mentor 100%. 73, Joyce KA2ANF -----Original Message----- From: Brian Mileshosky [mailto:n5zgt@swcp.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 12:00 AM To: arrl-odv Cc: 'Kramer, Harold, WJ1B' Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:12895] FW: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio Harold et al., A few comments below: 1.. How Do We Make It Easier For New Licensees To Get On The Air? How Do We Attract New Members From New Licensees? Our research tells us that 25% of new licensees never get on the air. What can we can we do to fix this? How can we increase awareness and benefits of ARRL membership to new licensees? Team Leaders: Jon Bloom, Dennis Motschenbacher Deadline: October 1, 2005 One solution I can think of is to target these new Hams right when they become Hams - i.e. at VE exam sessions. This is the time when they are pumped and looking for something to get involved in. Someone needs to meet them half-way with a mouth full of stories and a handful of brochures for various local clubs/events and of course ARRL. Otherwise, if they're allowed to walk off without anyone engaging them until they make their first QSO, their enthusiasm begins to go south. Perhaps to the point where they become part of the 25% quoted above. By the way, 25% is alarming. Why would anyone go through the effort to become licensed for TALKING ON THE AIR, and end up NOT ever talking on the air? It's like me going to driving school, getting my driver's license and choosing to never drive. Something's up, and it sure isn't helping the future of Ham Radio. Back to my point, perhaps a push can be made via Section Managers, their team of VEs and Affiliated Club Coordinators, to organize a team of enthusiastic Hams and some promo material (not just ARRLs promo stuff, but more importantly - in my opinion - local clubs' and events', where the tangible benefits are more apparent and immediate to a newcomer) and visit their monthly VE exams to promote involvement to our newest Hams and potential ARRL members. 73, Brian, N5ZGT

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[arrl-odv:12900] Re: FW: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio
by W3KD＠aol.com 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

In a message dated 8/31/2005 12:01:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, n5zgt(a)swcp.com writes: > > Harold et al., > > > > A few comments below: > > > > > How Do We Make It Easier For New Licensees To Get On The Air? How Do We > Attract New Members From New Licensees? Our research tells us that 25% of new > licensees never get on the air. What can we can we do to fix this? How can we > increase awareness and benefits of ARRL membership to new licensees? > > Team Leaders: Jon Bloom, Dennis Motschenbacher > > Deadline: October 1, 2005 > > > > One solution I can think of is to target these new Hams right when they > become Hams – i.e. at VE exam sessions. > > > By the way, that statistic, 25% of new hams never get on the air, speaks volumes about the current Technician as an entry level license and the need to change (1) the exam and (2) the privileges. Harold, we will need the evidence for that statistic for our filing in docket 05-235. Nice work. Chris

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RE: [arrl-odv:12895] FW: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio
by Brian Mileshosky 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

Harold et al., A few comments below: 1. How Do We Make It Easier For New Licensees To Get On The Air? How Do We Attract New Members From New Licensees? Our research tells us that 25% of new licensees never get on the air. What can we can we do to fix this? How can we increase awareness and benefits of ARRL membership to new licensees? Team Leaders: Jon Bloom, Dennis Motschenbacher Deadline: October 1, 2005 One solution I can think of is to target these new Hams right when they become Hams - i.e. at VE exam sessions. This is the time when they are pumped and looking for something to get involved in. Someone needs to meet them half-way with a mouth full of stories and a handful of brochures for various local clubs/events and of course ARRL. Otherwise, if they're allowed to walk off without anyone engaging them until they make their first QSO, their enthusiasm begins to go south. Perhaps to the point where they become part of the 25% quoted above. By the way, 25% is alarming. Why would anyone go through the effort to become licensed for TALKING ON THE AIR, and end up NOT ever talking on the air? It's like me going to driving school, getting my driver's license and choosing to never drive. Something's up, and it sure isn't helping the future of Ham Radio. Back to my point, perhaps a push can be made via Section Managers, their team of VEs and Affiliated Club Coordinators, to organize a team of enthusiastic Hams and some promo material (not just ARRLs promo stuff, but more importantly - in my opinion - local clubs' and events', where the tangible benefits are more apparent and immediate to a newcomer) and visit their monthly VE exams to promote involvement to our newest Hams and potential ARRL members. 73, Brian, N5ZGT

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[arrl-odv:12898] Re: ARRL.net Changes
by Andy Oppel 31 Aug '05

31 Aug '05

Great work. Thanks. -- Andy Oppel, N6AJO At 06:14 AM 8/30/2005, you wrote: >Attached are two announcements that will be made >public beginning later today regarding the >addition of spam filtering and virus scanning to >the arrl.net e-mail forwarding service. One is >the item that will be on the web page and the >second is an e-mail message that will be sent to >the 65,000 users of arrl.net e-mail addresses. >The heading on the e-mail will be something >like"New Features Added to ARRL.net. > >I wanted the Board family to see these before >the membership and general population in case >you got any questions or comments. > >73, >Barry, N1VXY > ><<ARRL-E-MailFwdChanges0905.doc>> <<New Services E-mail to Users.doc>> >

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[arrl-odv:12897] Re: Atlantic Division Election; Confidential and Privileged Communication
by Joel Harrison 30 Aug '05

30 Aug '05

It has come to the attention of General Counsel Imlay that, subsequent to his recommendation in ARRL communication arrl-odv:12884, phone conversations have occurred between a couple of ARRL Directors and Mr. Carl Stevenson. If anyone is unclear as to the content of arrl-odv:12884, then you should immediately re-read the email and contact Mr. Imlay or President Haynie if you have any questions concerning this matter, as obviously there are some among us who don't believe these instructions apply to you. Let me remind you we have a formal appeal procedure for the matter at hand, and BOTH parties are willfully following the procedure in an attempt to resolve this matter. As an Officer of the corporation (specifically, that is ALL ARRL Directors and Officers), you do no good to ARRL by not abiding by these procedures and the recommendations outlined by our General Council in arrl-odv:12884. I trust everyone understands the seriousness of this matter and will act accordingly. 73 Joel W5ZN First Vice President

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[arrl-odv:12895] FW: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 30 Aug '05

30 Aug '05

Hi, I wanted to share this with the Board as well as the staff. I welcome your comments and input. 73, Harold, WJ1B Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio 860 594 0220 <http://www.arrl.org/> ________________________________ From: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 2:37 PM To: HQ Staff Subject: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio To: HQ Staff From: Harold Kramer August 30, 2005 The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio Overview We have a great opportunity before us here at the ARRL. During the last two weeks, the management team and some other folks have met to discuss the FCC changes which could include a new entry level license and the elimination of code requirements. We believe that the FCC actions, no matter how they resolve, will have an extraordinarily positive impact on our operations and membership. We convened these meetings to discuss the release of the FCC NPRM WT Docket No. 05-235. (Notice of Proposed Rule Making) on licensing restructuring. As you may be aware, the FCC has initially denied our petition for a new entry level license and they have proposed the elimination of the Morse code requirement from all licenses examinations. We still support code testing for the Extra Class license. Our Board will be filing some additional information to support our position for the entry level license but, in the meantime, we need to prepare for whatever occurs at the FCC. These management meetings are an outgrowth of previous work done on Restructuring including work completed by a previous task force led by Dennis Motschenbacher and more recently work done by Mary Hobart, Steve Ford, and Mark Spencer. We have also enlisted the help of a professional strategic planner and meeting facilitator, Brian Fernandez, K1BRF, who has volunteered his services to help us. During our discussions, we realized that, along with restructuring, there are other, interrelated, critical issues confronting Amateur Radio and the ARRL. We believe that the proposed rulemaking and our actions can make a very positive impact on amateur radio as a result of the new licensing structure and requirements. We have, therefore, identified the first in a series of critical questions that we need to answer. They also align with two pillars or our long term strategy: Education and Membership. We need to address these topics no matter what the FCC does! Our plan is to split into teams (more about this later) and develop action plans to address these issues. The questions that the teams will address are: 1. Educational/Instructional Materials and Methods: How can we improve and enhance our educational materials and instructional methods related to licensing new amateurs? How can we better support instructors? Team Leaders: Steve Ford, Debra Johnson, Mark Spencer Deadline: October 1, 2005 2. Question Pool Improvement and Enhancement: How can we improve the Question Pool for the Technician Class license? What new approaches might we apply to licensing examinations? How can we make the question pool more relevant and educationally sound? Team Leaders: Mary Hobart, Norm Fusaro Deadline: October 1, 2005 3. How Can We Attract New Members From The Current Pool Of Licensees? Who are our targets for new membership? What are their demographics and characteristics? Why aren't they members now? How can we involve the amateur radio industry in this effort? Team Leader: Bob Inderbitzen Deadline: October 1, 2005 4. Regulatory Issues: What is happening at the FCC? What will we submit to support our position that we need a new entry level license? Team Leader: Harold Kramer, with Officers and the Board Deadline: Ongoing 5. How Do We Make It Easier For New Licensees To Get On The Air? How Do We Attract New Members From New Licensees? Our research tells us that 25% of new licensees never get on the air. What can we can we do to fix this? How can we increase awareness and benefits of ARRL membership to new licensees? Team Leaders: Jon Bloom, Dennis Motschenbacher Deadline: October 1, 2005 Purpose of the Teams The teams will meet during the next six to eight weeks to put forward plans and recommendations. Once they make their recommendations, the management team will review and prioritize them. We will be able to implement some of them immediately. Other recommendations will need to wait until they can be added to the budget and the Board will need to review policy related recommendations. Employee Participation We hope to enlist the help of all employees, at their option, to participate in these teams. We encourage participation in a team by anyone on staff who is interested in the particular topic and who has some knowledge or ideas to contribute. Our employees have a significant breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that they can contribute to this process. Everyone will have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the future of Amateur Radio and the ARRL. You will need permission of your supervisor to participate. The commitment might be something in the order of an hour or two per week, more or less, depending on the team. You may also elect to simply email the team leaders with your views and comments. These are not easy issues to solve. They will require some hard work and effort by all of us. The process itself is not perfect! There will be frustrations and difficulties, but it can be done. Many of the other managers and I have gone through similar efforts in our past careers and we know that while the road may sometimes get a little bumpy, we will ultimately reach our destination. If you choose not to participate it will have no bearing on your future employee reviews or employment status. Like the Pride Committee, this is strictly voluntary. There may even be some employees, in critical positions, who, simply cannot be spared from their assigned duties. If you are interested in serving on one of these teams, please let me know and I will make, along with your supervisor and the team leaders, the final decisions regarding participation. If you have any questions about participating in the teams, please see Debra Johnson, who is acting as team coordinator. You can also contact Mary or me if you have any questions. Communications Whether you serve on a team or not, we will keep you informed of our progress. We plan to hold a company meeting or meetings, depending on scheduling, sometime during the next few weeks to communicate our progress to everyone. At the top of this email, I referred to this effort as "The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio." Mary Hobart came up with the name. It's a great statement about our future and we all look forward to moving ahead.

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