Good afternoon,
As we finalize our plans for Dayton, we are looking to complete the
attendees list for the Donor Reception on Thursday evening at the
Meadowbrook Country Club. Some of you have already notified Development
of your plans, but if not, please let us know by Monday May 8 if you are
going to attend, who your guest will be (if any) and if you'll be using
our bus transportation either from the Doubletree or the Marriott.
thank you in advance,
73,
Mary K1MMH
Debra K1DMJ
________________________________
From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org]
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 5:59 PM
To: arrl-odv
Subject: [arrl-odv:14031] Trip Report
I have just returned from a series of trips on behalf of ARRL I want
report on. As always, I'll be happy to address any questions or comment
you may have pertaining to this recent activity.
1. International DX Convention - April 21-23:
On Friday, April 20, I traveled to Visalia, California to attend the
International DX Convention. Visalia is located approximately half way
between Los Angeles and the San Francisco bay area (app. 180 miles each
way) and provides an excellent mid-point location for the convention
jointly sponsored by the Southern California DX Club and the Northern
California DX Club, with conference organization rotated each year
between the two groups. The event is held and the Holiday Inn - Visalia
which has been an adequate facility to host a convention of this size.
This was my second opportunity to attend.
Approximately 800 radio amateurs were present at this year's event.
Given the fact that just about every DX'er is a DXCC participant, an
extremely high percentage of the attendee's were League members. In
addition, a number of these are contribute in various ways to our
Development program. Among the group this year were, as usual, a number
of prominent hams from the DX community not only from the west coast,
but across the U.S. and around the world. I had the opportunity to meet
Andy, EU7SA, who I have worked many times, and was even presented with a
QSL from our recent 30 meter QSO. Andy was attending with his wife
Larisa, EU7BBL, who both were enjoying their first trip to the U.S.
Attendee's affiliated in an official way with ARRL included Directors
Dick Norton, N6AA and Bob Vallio, W6RGG, Vice Directors Ned Stearns,
AA7A, and Bill Sawders, K7ZM, Honorary Vice President Fried Heyn, WA6WZO
and Sandi Heyn, WA6WZN, Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH,
Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, and Sales & Marketing
Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV (please note that many of these were
attending at their own expense).
ARRL is provided and maintains a booth in the new vendor display area
that was ably staffed off and on by a number of the individuals
mentioned above in addition to former Southwest Division Vice Director
Tuck Miller.
This convention is a "non-flea market" type event with the time filled
with forums relating to various operating and technical topics. The
key-note presentation at the banquet Saturday evening was by Bob
Allphin, K4UEE on "The 3Y0X Experience". If you've seen a presentation
and video from one Antarctic DXpedition, you've basically seen them all,
however Bob's presentation contained some excellent photography from the
trip. I would note, although no specific band was identified, that
during a video clip from the operation that showed one of the operators
working U.S. stations that K1KI was clearly heard and worked on SSB
(Tom, $20 will buy a statement from me that you were LOUDER than K5UR,
$40 will get me to say you walked on him!). There were also comments at
the banquet by Rebekah Dorff, WG4Y, a 13 year old DX'er from Alabama.
During the event I talked individually with a large number of members.
There were no complaints or concerns expressed about any pending League
action, however I do know that Mary and Dick Norton received a few
comments pertaining to the pending regulation by bandwidth topic. Wayne
Mills addressed a number of DX related items during the DX Forum. Dick
Norton and Ned Stearns sat on the contest forum panel. During the
Saturday morning DX breakfast, the San Diego DX Club presented "DX Fear
Factor" and Director Norton was one of the judges for part of the
contest that required the participant to send a message in Morse with a
J38 key, but without the use of their hands and arms!
This is a well organized, efficiently executed convention with a League
friendly crowd this year.
2. NAB Convention April 24-27:
The National Association of Broadcasters convenes a conference annually
in Las Vegas. It is the world's largest electronic media event with an
attendance of approximately 130,000. In addition, since there is
obviously similar interest, the Radio & Television News Directors
Association (RTNDA) holds a joint convention. A large number of radio
amateurs are employed in the broadcast industry. Thanks to efforts many
years ago by Honorary Vice President Fried Heyn and John Marino, KR1O
(who works for NAB in Washington) amateur radio and ARRL has an official
presence with a League booth provided by NAB and an Amateur Radio
Reception sponsored by our good friends Bob and Sarah Heil of Heil
Sound, Ltd. This year's even was held April 24-27.
Attending on behalf of ARRL other than myself were Pacific Division
Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, Vice Director Andy Oppel, N6AJO and Allen
Pitts, W1AGP. Also in attendance were Honorary Vice President Fried
Heyn, WA6WZO and Sandi Heyn, WA6WZN. The ARRL booth is fully staffed by
local League volunteers under the leadership of Stan Perkins, W7SLP.
Complementary booth space as well as registration is provided to ARRL
thanks to NAB and John Marino, KR1O.
The Las Vegas Convention Center, a 3 million square foot convention
facility, is completely filled with everything you could imagine in the
way of professional broadcast products ranging all the way from news
helicopters to remote-location vehicles to towers, transmitters and
antennas. There is also a continuous flow of meetings that occur
simultaneously throughout each day.
On Monday morning, Bob and I attended the "Washington Policy & Politics
Breakfast" featuring Stu Rothenberg, a Washington political insider and
CNN political analyst. His approximately 45 minute presentation detailed
his view (he referred to himself as a weather man, reporting the
conditions and probable outcome) of what the mid-term elections would
bring this fall and what the climate would be like in Washington for the
remainder of the current administration. Stu's remarks were not slanted
toward either political party, however boiled down in a nutshell his
conclusion was if you think there is gridlock in Washington now, just
wait!!
Monday afternoon Bob and I attended an "FCC Roundtable". This was a
unique meeting. It was held in a room approximately 40'x40' with four
large round tables. At each table were a couple of FCC staff persons
available to listen to and address questions or concerns from whoever
wanted to speak. Attendees were invited to sit at or stand around a
table, then encouraged to move around to the different tables. The
discussion at the first table Bob and I were at quickly drew pretty
boring with some guy complaining about being fined $32,000 at his TV
station in North Dakota for airing "obscene" material that appeared
during a CBS episode of "Without a Trace". I was just surprised they had
TV in North Dakota (sorry Jay!). I did not recognize or know any of the
FCC staff at this table, so I decided to mill around the room. I was
quite surprised to see seated at the third table I came to was Aaron
Goldberger, the senior legal aide to FCC Commissioner Tate. Dave, Chris
and I had just met with him in Washington on March 30, although he was
called away from our meeting early. At a break in the discussion at this
table, I stepped up to him and asked if Dana Shaffer, Commissioner
Tate's staffer that attended our entire meeting in D.C., was at the
convention. Goldberger advised she was not, however he acknowledged he
did remember ARRL and the meeting (at least that is what he told
me.......) I asked him to pass our regards to the Commissioner. I then
moved to listen to the discussion at the fourth table. During that time,
Goldberger got up to grab a bottle of water and walked over to me and
asked when we would be at FCC for another meeting, and to touch base
with them. (Again, you can conclude for yourself if it was earnest, I
have concluded nothing yet however I viewed it with interest that he
would walk to me and make that statement and then return). Nothing of
particular importance to amateur radio from this session, other than the
opportunity that arose to identify ARRL and amateur radio once again to
Goldberger.
Tuesday morning I attended the "FCC Chairman's Breakfast". This was
nothing more than a "chat" between FCC Chairman Martin and some NAB muck
that reminded me of Rush Limbaugh (No, that is not a compliment).
Frankly, it was the most boring lack of substance I've seen in quite
sometime. Even the broadcast people attending said it was the most
unproductive discussion they had seen in quite some time, comparing it
to a fireside chat between Ozzie and Harriet. To quote a famous line
from the movie "Catch Me If You Can", I concur!
Tuesday afternoon Bob and I attended a meeting entitled "FCC Face-off"
that was a moderated forum with FCC Commissioners Kopp, Adelstein and
Tate. Nothing of significance from this meeting other than an opening
statement from Kopp that some of the agenda and decisions of the
previous FCC Chairman were ill-advised! That drew laughter and some
applause from the crowd, so obviously we aren't the only ones that
thought the former Chairman was, well....what Kopp said. Kopp continues
to be the only Commissioner (at the moment) that seems to make any sense
to me. During the FCC Open Meeting a couple of years ago when the BPL
rules were announced, each commissioner made a statement about
interference to other services, however Kopp was the only one that
appeared (at least to me) by his statement to have a real concern about
it.
Wednesday evening was the Amateur Radio Reception sponsored by Heil
Sound, Ltd. It was held in a very large room at the Convention Center
and attended by approximately 1,000 radio amateurs. Drinks and snacks
were served and a large number of donated amateur radio related prizes
were given away, including a 3CX800, 3CX1500D7 (new type 8877), and a
couple of top-end Heil microphones autographed by Joe Walsh. By the way,
Bob Heil will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year,
the first "industry" person to receive such an honor. I am now the proud
owner of a T-shirt that on the front says "I Rocked the Hall with Heil"
and on the back has a list of the tours Bob worked in the early 70's,
including ZZ Top, Ike & Tina Turner, the WHO, Eagles, Seals & Croft and
B.T.O (although I liked Randy Bachman better when he was with the Guess
Who). A snapshot from the greatest decade of music in history,
1965-1975. Ok, I'm sure some of you disagree, but I'm the President and
I get to write this report! (hi).
Back to a serious note, Allen Pitts had 50 DVD level copies of the Hello
video PSA that were all given to media and he has more requests to fill.
He gave out 25 of the audio CD's and 5 are already reported to be
playing regularly on Clearchannel stations in Florida. More
importantly, all 60 press books that he had containing the higher
quality DV video files for broadcasting use plus the press releases and
background data were requested - most after talking with a media related
person. While not the focus of the campaign, people in 12 countries are
now using our materials plus there has been a request from the United
Nations. Interestingly, the NAB's own Campaigns staff were interested
and wanted to talk more with Allen in the next 2 weeks. Of the 4500
brochures taken to the NAB, only about 300 were left at the end of
Wednesday. Excellent work on Allen's part.
All in all, it is worth the expense for ARRL to be present at this
convention. It puts us not only in front of and in contact with a large
number of radio amateurs, but in direct contact with an additional
resource of people to get our message about amateur radio out to the
general public.
3. Southeast VHF Society Conference - April 28-30
I was invited to speak at the opening luncheon of the Southeast VHF
Society Conference. I have had the honor to be the keynote speaker at
this event on two previous occasions in the past 8 years. The event this
year was held in Greenville, South Carolina. The topic I was asked to
speak on was BPL, and it was good timing for me to share the news about
the Ross amendment being included in the committee telecom bill. Also in
attendance this year were Vice Director Les Shattuck, K4NK, and South
Carolina SM Jim Boehner, N2ZZ. The conference was attended by
approximately 125 radio amateurs. This event includes a Friday morning
antenna range setup for individuals to bring an antenna for test and
there is also test equipment setup for the purpose of testing noise
figure and gain of preamps, transverters, etc. The luncheon on Friday
officially kicks off the event, followed by technical presentations
Friday afternoon through Saturday on a wide variety of topics from
equipment design, operating, and propagation. The event concludes on
Saturday evening with a banquet. This year the keynote speaker was my
good personal friend (and the League's!) Dr. Joe Taylor, K1JT.
I addressed a number of general questions and comments while at the
event. I did not encounter any hostile comments or questions about the
League. A good group to be with. Also in attendance was another good
friend of mine, Jimmy Long, W4ZRZ, of Long's Electronics in Birmingham,
a very large consumer electronics wholesaler and at one time years ago
an amateur radio dealer. Jimmy is a major supporter of and contributor
to ARRL and was one of the individuals/companies that contributed
equipment to ARRL for the communications relief effort during last
fall's hurricanes.
4. A&F Committee Meeting - April 29
On Friday evening I arrived in Hartford for the A&F Committee meeting. A
very good, productive meeting chaired by Tom Frenaye. You will receive
the minutes of the meeting in due time.
It was good to arrive back home Sunday evening, kick back, turn on the
radio and even work a new one on 30 meters (Afghanistan). The previous
ten days were not only fast, furious, and busy, but somewhat stressful
in that Thursday morning just as I woke up and turned on my phone, I
received a call that my church Pastor, an energetic, enthusiastic 40
year old man, had died suddenly of a massive heart attack very early
that morning. A terrible loss.......but we continue on.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you on this recent trip.
73 Joel W5ZN
President
