November 2007 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

RE: [arrl-odv:16142] RE: December CQ editorial
by K8JE 27 Nov '07

27 Nov '07

As result of the superficial incompetence shown in the background search for the December CQ editorial, I assume the editor has intentionally perverted the truth. If one follows a twisted form of logic, the unreasoned rationale for this act might be to appeal to ARRL-haters with the intent of increasing circulation. Some people seem to develop great attraction for scandal sheets. Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: k8je(a)arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142 ARRL - The Reason Amateur Radio Is! Members - The Reason ARRL Is! -----Original Message----- From: Tom Frenaye [mailto:frenaye@pcnet.com] Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 7:32 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:16142] RE: December CQ editorial At 03:27 PM 11/26/2007, Joel wrote: >QSL Brian. >Dave and I agree that the response should be worded such that Rich will come to his own realization that he really goofed on a couple of points. Wording it differently would serve no purpose but to encourage Rich to write yet another bad editorial, which ARRL and amateur radio doesnt need. I think we need to reply differently than we did last time (just six months ago). Have we had any discussions with Rich's boss? It looks like we don't advertise in CQ, so there's none to pull. Still, I'm feeling like cooperation with CQ should chill for a while. Jay Bellows had some good suggestions last time - I was hoping to see CQ acknowledge they had their facts wrong, but unless I missed it, nothing was ever reported. I can't imagine why we still have someone who can't follow the basics of "getting the facts straight" (or even ask us for the facts) on our PR Committee. It gives him more credibility than it gives us. Further, I think we need to take a different approach to this kind of story. This one seems to have started on one person's web site, then spread through others, with flames fanned by fringe groups who seem to need a cause of their own PR, and finally found a home in a "respected" publication. We generally do not engage the writers at any stage of the discussion, except for those that write to us individually. Those responses don't generally get shared with everyone who read the original flames. Maybe we need a "rumor control" (or "setting the record straight") section of the ARRL web site. I see from yesterday's In-News that "A rapidly spreading rumor of Rileys being forced to retire after his decision NOT to do so was silenced." Perhaps rumor control happens more than I realize - so why don't we talk about it/them publicly? Do we regularly contact other ham radio publications like CQ and WorldRadio (are there really any others of significance?) and offer to answer questions, to promote specific stories of our own, etc? That might make for opportunities for questions to be answered before damage is done. As I noted in an email exchange with Joel in mid-October, the only story on our web site about the Region 2 Conference in Brazil was on September 11th as the conference opened. I still can't find one that reported on the activities that took place - including any report on the bandplan that seems to have created all of the aggravation. Nothing found in Nov or Dec QST so maybe it'll be in January? I really hate to see all of our hard work on international issues tarnished by the bad reporting by W2VU and CQ, and our lack of reporting. -- Tom ===== e-mail: k1ki(a)arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444

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RE: November State Legislative Report
by Joel Harrison 27 Nov '07

27 Nov '07

Bill, I'm not sure there is really any point sending it to the Legislative Action Program members since they do not have any state-level responsibilities. Of course, the SM's do and it can be sent to them, although it is probably good idea, if the Director decides to send it to the SM's, to edit it down to the applicable states within the division, otherwise it would be a large file with a lot of non-pertinent info. 73 Joel W5ZN _____ From: Bill Edgar [mailto:n3llr@earthlink.net] Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 2:12 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: RE: November State Legislative Report Joel, Is this information available to be shared with members of the Legislative Action program with our divisions and with the Section Managers within our division? - Bill N3LLR From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org] Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 2:43 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: November State Legislative Report Attached is the November state legislative report from Chwat & Co. Joel

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RE: [arrl-odv:16142] RE: December CQ editorial
by Joel Harrison 27 Nov '07

27 Nov '07

We didn't respond last time. >>I think we need to reply differently than we did last time (just six months ago).

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[arrl-odv:16142] RE: December CQ editorial
by Tom Frenaye 27 Nov '07

27 Nov '07

At 03:27 PM 11/26/2007, Joel wrote: >QSL Brian. >Dave and I agree that the response should be worded such that Rich will come to his own realization that he really goofed on a couple of points. Wording it differently would serve no purpose but to encourage Rich to write yet another bad editorial, which ARRL and amateur radio doesn�t need. I think we need to reply differently than we did last time (just six months ago). Have we had any discussions with Rich's boss? It looks like we don't advertise in CQ, so there's none to pull. Still, I'm feeling like cooperation with CQ should chill for a while. Jay Bellows had some good suggestions last time - I was hoping to see CQ acknowledge they had their facts wrong, but unless I missed it, nothing was ever reported. I can't imagine why we still have someone who can't follow the basics of "getting the facts straight" (or even ask us for the facts) on our PR Committee. It gives him more credibility than it gives us. Further, I think we need to take a different approach to this kind of story. This one seems to have started on one person's web site, then spread through others, with flames fanned by fringe groups who seem to need a cause of their own PR, and finally found a home in a "respected" publication. We generally do not engage the writers at any stage of the discussion, except for those that write to us individually. Those responses don't generally get shared with everyone who read the original flames. Maybe we need a "rumor control" (or "setting the record straight") section of the ARRL web site. I see from yesterday's In-News that "A rapidly spreading rumor of Riley�s being forced to retire after his decision NOT to do so was silenced." Perhaps rumor control happens more than I realize - so why don't we talk about it/them publicly? Do we regularly contact other ham radio publications like CQ and WorldRadio (are there really any others of significance?) and offer to answer questions, to promote specific stories of our own, etc? That might make for opportunities for questions to be answered before damage is done. As I noted in an email exchange with Joel in mid-October, the only story on our web site about the Region 2 Conference in Brazil was on September 11th as the conference opened. I still can't find one that reported on the activities that took place - including any report on the bandplan that seems to have created all of the aggravation. Nothing found in Nov or Dec QST so maybe it'll be in January? I really hate to see all of our hard work on international issues tarnished by the bad reporting by W2VU and CQ, and our lack of reporting. -- Tom ===== e-mail: k1ki(a)arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444

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RE: December CQ editorial
by Joel Harrison 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

QSL Brian. Dave and I agree that the response should be worded such that Rich will come to his own realization that he really goofed on a couple of points. Wording it differently would serve no purpose but to encourage Rich to write yet another bad editorial, which ARRL and amateur radio doesn't need. Joel _____ From: Brian Mileshosky [mailto:n5zgt@swcp.com] Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 11:17 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: RE: December CQ editorial Joel - Rich's column may be named "Zero Bias," but it'd be better off called "Zero self-research" (a fitting description for much of today's media). I look forward to reading Dave's reply. If Rich didn't have a certain anatomical feature or the courtesy of first inquiring with the League for a bit of fact checking, I hope that Dave calls him out on that as part of his response. 73, Brian N5ZGT _____ From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org] Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 6:43 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: December CQ editorial For those of you that subscribe to CQ, you will see Rich Moseson's editorial in the December issue. For those like me that don't, it is attached. It is unfortunate that Rich has chosen to fill his editorial with writing based on blatantly false statements and rumors. Dave will be crafting a response next week. 73 Joel W5ZN

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RE: November State Legislative Report
by Bill Edgar 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

Joel, Is this information available to be shared with members of the Legislative Action program with our divisions and with the Section Managers within our division? - Bill N3LLR From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org] Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 2:43 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: November State Legislative Report Attached is the November state legislative report from Chwat & Co. Joel

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November State Legislative Report
by Joel Harrison 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

Attached is the November state legislative report from Chwat & Co. Joel

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[arrl-odv:16138] Re: FW: QST View CD-ROM product
by joelh＠centurytel.net 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

Just an FYI, if anyone receives an inquiry about existing availability you might suggest they check with some of the ham radio suppliers. I was at Texas Towers last Friday and noticed Gerald still had a few in stock. Joel Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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[arrl-odv:16137] FW: QST View CD-ROM product
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

GM, I probably should have sent this earlier for all of your information, so sorry if I am a bit late to the dance! I did send Bob's message to some Directors, Vice Directors and SMs who had to deal with the issue of the QST View product directly. I want to emphasize that we are not discontinuing the product altogether. As Bob explains very well in his email below, the current product is old and has some major league compatibility issues with current software. Please be assured that we are currently negotiating with Terry Muncey of Radio Era Archives, who produces the current product, for a more updated version, possibly available on CD, DVD or even a flash drive. There are also some legal issues involved with this product that we are trying to work through as well. 73, Harold ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 5:32 PM To: 'Rich MC Clung' Cc: Vallio, Bob (Dir, Pacific) Subject: RE: QST CDs Dear Rich, WA6KNW Dave Sumner shared your message with the ARRL publication sales team. We have received a handful of inquiries from Collins Radio enthusiasts this week seeking background on our decision to discontinue the QST View CD-ROM collections. Most of this CD collection was produced over 10 years ago, includes black-and-white scans, and software that supports a limited search feature to browse articles by title and author. The CDs were produced in sets covering 5 or 10 years of QST magazine, and each set includes multiple CD-ROMs. We regret that some of the QST View sets have stocked-out. We had recently investigated options for reproducing the sets, recent customer feedback, demand, and alternative ways to fulfill this digital archive. We learned the following: * The current demand for QST View will not support the expense associated with re-manufacturing, royalty, carrying costs, and marketing. * We receive increasing complaints about the resolution-quality of the page-scans. * Customers have struggled with the product's limited indexing and search capability (no full-text search). * QST View is increasingly incompatible with some computer configurations. We presently fulfill the sets with a separate software engine on CD. Nearly half of all our software support inquiries have been associated with these collections-which is disproportionably high when compared to the little amount of support we manage for our high-demand CDs such as The ARRL Handbook and annually-produced periodical collections. While we are sorry to retire the current version of QST View, we will continue to pursue a new path for managing ARRL's large collection of archived media in an electronic form. Some of our initial research has included web-based solutions-all extremely expensive and requiring substantial upfront investment (new scans, indexing, etc.), for which we're not sure we'll recoup in demand. We're also investigating some on-demand CD/DVD manufacturing and fulfillment options, though this option will still require an entirely new software product or a significant overhaul of the current product. We will continue to offer the more popular annually-produced "ARRL Periodicals on CD-ROM" product. These single-year CDs are available for 1995 through present. This product supports a more enduring electronic media format. Although the current version of QST View has reached the end of its lifespan, we want to assure our valued ARRL members and customers that our consideration of alternatives is ongoing. Sincerely and 73, Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Sales and Marketing Manager ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA Telephone: (860) 594-0213 FAX: (860) 594-0303 Email: rinderbitzen(a)arrl.org <mailto:rinderbitzen@arrl.org> World Wide Web: www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/>

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[arrl-odv:16136]
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 26 Nov '07

26 Nov '07

<<112107.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 30, No. 46 November 14, 2007 -- Covers the period November 4-10. Upcoming Meetings and Events Programs & Services Committee December 8 in Newington, CT Administration &Finance Committee January 17 in Houston, TX Programs & Services Committee January 17 in Houston, TX Annual Board Meeting January 18-19, 2008 in Houston, TX CEO Reported by Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ The ARRL HQ will be closed on Thursday the 22nd and Friday the 23rd in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sending good wishes your way for a safe and happy holiday weekend! Lisa and the Ethics & Elections Committee would like to thank Greg Kwasowski, Trevor Morris, Lisa Riendeau, Karen Isakson, Gail Iannone, Rose-Anne Lawrence, Khrystyne Keane, Amanda Grimaldi, Maty Weinberg, Mark Dzamba, Maryann Macdonald, Margie Bourgoin, Shelly Bloom, Carol Michaud and Kim Rochette for making ballot counting go so smoothly this year. Thanks also to the managers who also contributed to the effort by supplying the staff. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP The Seattle, OR band called "Amateur Radio Operator" may not have really had a ham in the bunch before now, but once they came to the attention of the PR department, they will very soon. Contact with John Kanzius has been matintained and information received for a QST article in February about the possible cancer treatment he invented. A rapidly spreading rumor of Riley's being forced to retire after his decision NOT to do so was silenced. New information was secured from the NWS and a press release for Skywarn Recognition Day has been released. The four Board people newly elected (or at least new to the position in Brian's case) have been emailed and individual press releases for hometown uses are available if desired. Subscription numbers to the PR email reflector continues to slowly grow even as old addresses are being cleared out. 451 PIOs, reporters and other media related people are now receiving information via the reflector. Richard Lubash has contacted Allen with the news that there is the possibility that the hour video "Katrina - The Untold Story" (the full length project highlighting the role of hams in Katrina) may yet be made - there is interest and a formal proposal at The Weather Channel for its creation. - Keep your fingers crossed! Meanwhile, Allen is continuing to gather clips, text and materials that can be interwoven into the planned 2008 campaign. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE Joel Hallas gave a talk to the Candlewood ARA in Danbury, Connecticut on how to select an HF transceiver. The January 2008 issue of QST, the annual vintage-themed issue, was released to the printer November 20. Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed The ARRL Letter, Vol. 26, No. 46, for Friday, November 16. It went out to 65,399 subscribers. Khrystyne also voiced and produced ARRL Audio News for November 16. Steve Sant Andrea prepared several feature articles for posting to the ARRLWeb. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R A handful of direct marketing activities are underway to help support our sales and membership goals throughout the holiday buying season: - Membership solicitation emailed to 40,000 lapsed members on Nov 16 (2 versions) - Publication solicitation emailed to 52,000 members on Nov 16 - Membership direct mail solicitation being prepared for late-Nov mailing to 60,000 hams; mailing lists include new members, lapsed members, and recent upgrades - Membership list pulled for ARRL Visa card mailing in early 2008 (approx. 85,000) - Publications Catalog mailed to 17,000 previous customers and Diamond Club members - Publications Catalog mailed to dealers - Publication solicitation included as ride-along with December QST delivery to all international members (includes Canada) - TravelPlus CD-ROM product mailing being finalized The Warehouse crew fulfilled 768 packages for publication and product orders, shipped 160 free book membership premiums, and four QST mailing supplements for November and December issues. The team also completed ARRL auction shipments to the winning bidders. Final results have been assembled and distributed from an online survey of Extra Class License Manual buyers. The information supports a handful of in-house planning objectives: educational/instructional, publication and marketing. Sample products for the new Club Awards Program were shared with members of the Future Revenues Committee. The selection of products, pricing and online ordering setup are being finalized. We are pursuing some major overstock re-sellers to support sales of leftover or unsold publications. This work is largely investigative. Early this month, we received a handful of inquiries from Collins Radio collectors, seeking background about our decision to retire the current version of our QST View product line. These CD-ROM sets include black-and-white images from scans of QST back issues. Many of the scans are sub-quality by today's image standards; the software is outdated and is increasingly incompatible with some computer configurations; and there's little demand for the product. The sets will not be remanufactured as they stock-out. We have responded to members and customers--explaining that our consideration of alternatives is ongoing. We will continue to offer the more popular annually-produced ARRL Periodicals on CD-ROM <http://mymail.arrl.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.arrl.org/catalo…> . These single-year CDs are available for 1995 through present. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Contest Branch We've received 688 Sweepstakes phone logs since the contest ended just two days ago! Ward Silver, NØAX, met with Sean Kutzko, KX9X, to discuss long-range development of the Contest Branch and new ways of reporting contest information. These discussions are ongoing, but there will be new approaches to how the contest content in QST is displayed. They also discussed potential new operating events and how to breathe life into some floundering events. IARU logs have been processed (thanks N1ND) and have been sent to the author. 10GHz logs and September VHF QSO Party log data will be processed soon. QSL Branch There is no delay in opening mail and a 1day delay in slotting of cards. This week, 112 pounds of cards were received from members. W1AW The 2007 Frequency Measuring Test went relatively well. There was a small computer glitch that occurred during the FMT. However, it didn't affect the general measurements that participants should have made during the Test. So far, there are approximately 100 participants, given the numbers of entries on the FMT Data Entry page (http://www.b4h.net/fmt/fmtentry.php) The results of the Test will be available on Wednesday, November 28. Thanks to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM for creating the FMT data entry page and to Ward Silver, NØAX for his input in the creating of the page. Thanks also to Mike Fahmie, WA6ZTY for his providing a "West Coast" FMT. His FMT ran ½ hour before W1AW's. Thanks to Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, Katie Breen, W1KRB, Mary Hobart, K1MMH, Sean Kutzko, KX9X and Ward Silver, NØAX for operating W1AW in the November ARRL SSB Sweepstakes. They worked a "Clean Sweep" (80 sections) with 1,189 contacts on 160 to 15 meters, for an initial claimed score of 190,080. Joe processed regular QSL card requests. He prepared the equipment for the 2007 Frequency Measuring Test. Joe built a soundcard interface for the Kenwood TS-480SAT HF transceiver that is part of the "Digital" station. He also assembled a CI-V PC interface for use with the new Icom IC-2820H 2m/70cm mobile transceiver. This particular radio will be used primarily for D-Star communications on these two bands. He also readied the station for the ARRL SSB Sweepstakes contest. Joe also worked the early afternoon/night shifts on Monday and Tuesday for the vacationing Scott Gee. Scott worked on slow and fast code practice files for the latter part of the month November. He also edited 163 cards (from DXCC applications) for DXCC. Field Organization/Public Service Team Radio amateurs from Rhode Island and Arizona successfully completed their exam to become Official Observers. After continuing to receive reports of an Alaskan call sign that is being bootlegged, Chuck Skolaut sent a request to all OOs to collect information. The IARU Region 1 monthly Intruder Report was received, and we note that a jammer thought to be originating from China is back on 18160 MHz. With hunting season underway, reports were received that unlicensed hunters in West Virginia are using 2 meters. The Field Organization Team hosted a Section Manager teleconference with the SMs from the Rocky Mountain and West Gulf Divisions. Steve Ewald, Chuck Skolaut and Katie Breen represented HQ on the call. Work continued on the Public Service column for January QST. Leona Adams added two dozen new field appointees to our main Field Organization data base. Three new Official Observers have been recommended by their respective section leaders and will receive the necessary training material and open-book exam. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List All Staff 11/22-11/23 Holiday Leona Adams 11/30 Joe Carcia 11/21pm Vacation Steve Ewald 11/21-11/30 Vacation Scott Gee 11/29-11/30 Vacation `` 12/10-12/12 Vacation `` 12/26 Vacation Dan Henderson 12/20-1/4 Vacation Gail Iannone 12/19-1/4 Vacation Debra Johnson 12/7-12/10 Vacation Joel Kleinman 12/4-12/7 Vacation Lisa Kustosik 11/30-12/4 Vacation Sean Kutzko 11/26-11/27 Vacation Bill Moore 11/26-11/30 Vacation Allen Pitts 12/16-12/22 FEMA PR Training, Emmitsburg, MD Dave Sumner 11/30-12/1 SE MI DX Assoc./Motor City RC, Detroit MI `` 12/3-12/6 Vacation `` 12/12 Vacation

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