May 2007 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:15542] RE: [arrl-odv:15539] Trip Report from Emcomm West
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 08 May '07

08 May '07

Two comments on Andy's informative report. 1. The regulation by bandwidth concept was explained back in September 2004 QST, which is so long ago that most people have forgotten about it. See http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2004/09/01/1/. One caveat if you refer anyone to the editorial: since then (July 2005 Board meeting, Minute 36) we migrated from occupied bandwidth to necessary bandwidth, which eliminated the basis for concerns about having to measure the bandwidth of a transmitter's emissions and about excessive restrictions on the bandwidth of analog emissions. 2. I understand that the Programs and Services Committee reviewed th e clarification of SM purchase of publications before its April 21 meeting and felt it had been satisfactorily resolved . 73, Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:15541] ARRL reflectors
by Bill Edgar 08 May '07

08 May '07

Were there problems with the ARRL reflectors late afternoon through the evening? It appears that messages sent earlier are being received much later than usual. One message sent at 6:29pm yesterday was received by my ISP at 3:39am this morning. - Bill N3LLR

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[arrl-odv:15540] Fwd: Trip Report from Emcomm West
by Andy Oppel 08 May '07

08 May '07

After I sent this, I realized that I failed to underscore the fact that the attendees at this conference were largely ARES operators from areas where use of digital communications modes is common. So they were hardly representative of our overall membership, and there should be no surprise that they would support changes to Part 97 that would make advancement of digital communications easier. -- Andy, N6AJO >Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 17:10:37 -0700 >To: ARRL ODV >From: Andy Oppel <andy(a)andyoppel.com> >Subject: Trip Report from Emcomm West > >Greetings, > >This past weekend I participated in the Emcomm West conference in >Reno, Nevada. For those who don't know, this is an amateur radio >conference focused on emergency communications. There were about >200 attendees this year (we fear fuel prices kept a lot of amateurs >away). Here are some notes from the event: > >1. I must have been asked about the PAVE PAWS issue 50 times. With >repeaters that are 100 miles from Beale AFB appearing on the list, >all of the attendees from Northern California were very >concerned. The Reno area hams also expressed concern that the Air >Force might claim they need an even wider area shutdown, and at a >135 miles, it would include Reno -- and none of them was willing to >trust the Air Force to understand that the Sierra Nevada mountains >would shield their system from any UHF signal generated in the Reno >area. One California amateur knew a lot about the system, having >once worked at Beale and having once been involved in resolving an >interference complaint with one of the California repeaters. I have >sent Don Henderson, Ed Hare, and others his name and call in hopes >they will contact him. > >2. In the ARRL forum, I was asked about the regulation by bandwidth >proposal. I asked if any of them (about 50 in the room) knew the >reasoning behind our proposal, and none did. That speaks volumes >for our failure to market the idea to our membership. Once I >explained it, I asked who would favor such a petition and who would >oppose it. 100% would support it (or perhaps were afraid to voice >their minority opinion). > >3. The Section Managers attending (Nevada, East Bay, Sacramento >Valley, San Francisco, and Idaho {yes, I know Idaho is not in my >Division, but he was there for the 3rd year in a row which I think >is great}) had a meeting with their leaders who were present and >invited me to sit in. (Mr. Vallio was on Scarborough Reef at the >time). Aside from discussion of PAVE PAWS (it came up in just about >every conversation I had there) and the bandwidth proposal (which >also came up frequently), there were two other items: > > a. HQ Staff made a decision sometime back to restrict the use > of Section budget funds for purchasing publications. The rule now > is that no more than 10% of the budget can be so spent. Also, they > cannot get publications at cost even if they pay with their own > personal funds. They believe (probably correctly) that this was in > response to SMs dumping the remainder of their budgets into > publications at the end of the budget year. Suffice it to say that > they are most unhappy with the decision and cited their inability > to buy enough publications to cover recruiting efforts, event door > prizes, etc. They were unhappy enough that I wishing Mr. Vallio > and I were in reverse roles and that I was the one on a tiny > platform in 100 degree heat surrounded by ocean. At least he > wasn't being chewed at by sharks (har har). I'm not taking sides > here (don't yell at me -- I've been yelled at enough lately) -- > just passing along what I heard in no uncertain terms. > > b. Several SMs have received complaints that the ARRL is asking > members for donations too frequently. Two of the SMs cited cases > where members too offense and decided not to give anything to the > ARRL from here on out. In particular, mailings to Diamond Club > members who had already donated this year seemed to be a hot button. > >73, >Andy Oppel, N6AJO >Vice Director, Pacific Division >American Radio Relay League (ARRL) >The National Association for Amateur Radio > >n6ajo(a)arrl.org >home: (510) 864-2299 >cell: (510) 851-6214 Andy Oppel andy(a)andyoppel.com andy_oppel(a)alamedanet.net

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[arrl-odv:15539] Trip Report from Emcomm West
by Andy Oppel 08 May '07

08 May '07

Greetings, This past weekend I participated in the Emcomm West conference in Reno, Nevada. For those who don't know, this is an amateur radio conference focused on emergency communications. There were about 200 attendees this year (we fear fuel prices kept a lot of amateurs away). Here are some notes from the event: 1. I must have been asked about the PAVE PAWS issue 50 times. With repeaters that are 100 miles from Beale AFB appearing on the list, all of the attendees from Northern California were very concerned. The Reno area hams also expressed concern that the Air Force might claim they need an even wider area shutdown, and at a 135 miles, it would include Reno -- and none of them was willing to trust the Air Force to understand that the Sierra Nevada mountains would shield their system from any UHF signal generated in the Reno area. One California amateur knew a lot about the system, having once worked at Beale and having once been involved in resolving an interference complaint with one of the California repeaters. I have sent Don Henderson, Ed Hare, and others his name and call in hopes they will contact him. 2. In the ARRL forum, I was asked about the regulation by bandwidth proposal. I asked if any of them (about 50 in the room) knew the reasoning behind our proposal, and none did. That speaks volumes for our failure to market the idea to our membership. Once I explained it, I asked who would favor such a petition and who would oppose it. 100% would support it (or perhaps were afraid to voice their minority opinion). 3. The Section Managers attending (Nevada, East Bay, Sacramento Valley, San Francisco, and Idaho {yes, I know Idaho is not in my Division, but he was there for the 3rd year in a row which I think is great}) had a meeting with their leaders who were present and invited me to sit in. (Mr. Vallio was on Scarborough Reef at the time). Aside from discussion of PAVE PAWS (it came up in just about every conversation I had there) and the bandwidth proposal (which also came up frequently), there were two other items: a. HQ Staff made a decision sometime back to restrict the use of Section budget funds for purchasing publications. The rule now is that no more than 10% of the budget can be so spent. Also, they cannot get publications at cost even if they pay with their own personal funds. They believe (probably correctly) that this was in response to SMs dumping the remainder of their budgets into publications at the end of the budget year. Suffice it to say that they are most unhappy with the decision and cited their inability to buy enough publications to cover recruiting efforts, event door prizes, etc. They were unhappy enough that I wishing Mr. Vallio and I were in reverse roles and that I was the one on a tiny platform in 100 degree heat surrounded by ocean. At least he wasn't being chewed at by sharks (har har). I'm not taking sides here (don't yell at me -- I've been yelled at enough lately) -- just passing along what I heard in no uncertain terms. b. Several SMs have received complaints that the ARRL is asking members for donations too frequently. Two of the SMs cited cases where members too offense and decided not to give anything to the ARRL from here on out. In particular, mailings to Diamond Club members who had already donated this year seemed to be a hot button. 73, Andy Oppel, N6AJO Vice Director, Pacific Division American Radio Relay League (ARRL) The National Association for Amateur Radio n6ajo(a)arrl.org home: (510) 864-2299 cell: (510) 851-6214

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[arrl-odv:15538] RAC visit - 25 cent version
by Kay Craigie 07 May '07

07 May '07

This past weekend I represented the ARRL at the annual Board meeting of the Radio Amateurs of Canada. It was a pleasant and constructive visit with our neighbor society's leadership. I will have a proper trip report for you as soon as possible but there's a major distraction. Tomorrow (Tuesday) my husband Carter N3AO must have an operation to remove a growth in his right lung. We don't know that it is cancer, but whatever it is doesn't belong in there and has to come out. Because the recovery will take several weeks even if the growth is benign, we've cancelled going to Dayton. If you're inclined to keep your fingers crossed for us tomorrow, please do. 73 - Kay N3KN

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[arrl-odv:15537] RE: [arrl-odv:15534] Congratulations to Staff for a GREAT Job on the June 2007 QST.....
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 07 May '07

07 May '07

Thanks for noticing, Frank! Dave K1ZZ -----Original Message----- From: Frank Fallon [mailto:n2ff@optonline.net] Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2007 3:37 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:15534] Congratulations to Staff for a GREAT Job on the June 2007 QST..... And I love that BUG! You have to give him a name. I feel I have to give a big pat on the back for the June 2007 QST. It is a superlative issue. The Field Day tear out is a great idea and so is that bug. Please thank the individual or team responsible for those two creations. I do not want to see that bug go away, please. Let's continue to use him. In fact I think he needs a name. How about a name contest? In a normally issue I find a few things I really like, but this one is just is just check full of gems hidden away; including the article on page 64, "The KA3IXF Apartment Dwellers Antenna," and the section abbreviation list for FD on page 96. It's a real up issue for Field Day and hopefully it will all bring ARRL additional new members. Two great hits in one month - June QST and membership over 150k. Way to go, team! Congrats and 73 de Frank...N2FF.....

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RE: [arrl-odv:15535] ARRLWeb Statistics
by Jim Weaver 07 May '07

07 May '07

The decision to use Google was obviously the correct one. Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: <mailto:k8je@arrl.org> k8je(a)arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142 ARRL - The Reason Amateur Radio Is! Members - The Reason ARRL Is! -----Original Message----- From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org] Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2007 7:52 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:15535] ARRLWeb Statistics Some ARRLWeb statistics: For the five months from November 2006 through March 2007 our web site averaged 466,400 unique visitors per month. The top 10 outside web searches (from Google, etc) are ARRL, ARES, Ham Radio, QST, LoTW, Morse Code, ARRL Band Plan, Amateur Radio, DXCC, Hamfests The top 10 searches done on our web site are: Band Plan, Field Day, DXCC, Novice License, ARES, ARISS Katrina, LoTW, Repeaters, Contests, VE. Some of the top pages on the site are: ARRL Letter, News, F&ES, Contests, TIS, W1AW, FCC, Members Only, VEC, Catalog, LoTW, Awards. 95% of all of our outside searches come from Google. 466,400 different users per month is significant and underscores the power and popularity of our website. 73 Joel W5ZN

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[arrl-odv:15535] ARRLWeb Statistics
by Joel Harrison 06 May '07

06 May '07

Some ARRLWeb statistics: For the five months from November 2006 through March 2007 our web site averaged 466,400 unique visitors per month. The top 10 outside web searches (from Google, etc) are ARRL, ARES, Ham Radio, QST, LoTW, Morse Code, ARRL Band Plan, Amateur Radio, DXCC, Hamfests The top 10 searches done on our web site are: Band Plan, Field Day, DXCC, Novice License, ARES, ARISS Katrina, LoTW, Repeaters, Contests, VE. Some of the top pages on the site are: ARRL Letter, News, F&ES, Contests, TIS, W1AW, FCC, Members Only, VEC, Catalog, LoTW, Awards. 95% of all of our outside searches come from Google. 466,400 different users per month is significant and underscores the power and popularity of our website. 73 Joel W5ZN

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[arrl-odv:15534] Congratulations to Staff for a GREAT Job on the June 2007 QST.....
by Frank Fallon 06 May '07

06 May '07

And I love that BUG! You have to give him a name. I feel I have to give a big pat on the back for the June 2007 QST. It is a superlative issue. The Field Day tear out is a great idea and so is that bug. Please thank the individual or team responsible for those two creations. I do not want to see that bug go away, please. Let's continue to use him. In fact I think he needs a name. How about a name contest? In a normally issue I find a few things I really like, but this one is just is just check full of gems hidden away; including the article on page 64, "The KA3IXF Apartment Dwellers Antenna," and the section abbreviation list for FD on page 96. It's a real up issue for Field Day and hopefully it will all bring ARRL additional new members. Two great hits in one month - June QST and membership over 150k. Way to go, team! Congrats and 73 de Frank...N2FF.....

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[arrl-odv:15533] FCC Terminates Proceeding on Receiver Interference Immunity Performance Specifications.
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 04 May '07

04 May '07

This is not-so-good news, but not entirely unexpected since the FCC seems intent on clearing the decks of long-pending proceedings and doing this one justice would have required some work on their part. Immunity standards for consumer electronics devices, including receivers, have long been an ARRL objective. Therefore, we had filed extensive comments in this proceeding back in 2003. Dave Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of Interference Immunity Performance Specifications for Radio Receivers ) ) ) ) ET Docket No. 03-65 ORDER Adopted: May 2, 2007 Released: May 4, 2007 By the Commission: Commissioners Copps and Adelstein concurring and issuing a joint statement. 1. On March 13, 2003, the Commission adopted a Notice of Inquiry ("Notice") in this proceeding. In the Notice, the Commission sought information on whether it should incorporate receiver interference immunity performance specifications into spectrum policy decisions on a broad basis. 2. We find that with the passage of time, the Notice and record in this proceeding have become outdated. Further, to the extent receiver interference immunity performance specifications are desirable, they may be addressed in proceedings that are frequency band or service specific. As there does not appear to be a need for further Commission action at this time, we are terminating this proceeding without prejudice to its substantive merits. If any party wishes to pursue these issues in the future, nothing precludes us from evaluating them in the context of other proceedings. 3. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to Sections 4(i) and 4(j) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. §§ 154(i) and 154(j), ET Docket No. 03-65 IS TERMINATED, effective upon issuance of this Order. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Marlene H. Dortch Secretary JOINT STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONERS MICHAEL J. COPPS AND JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN CONCURRING Re: Interference Immunity Performance Specifications for Radio Receivers, Order (ET Docket No. 03-65) We have concerns about today's decision closing the Commission's inquiry into receiver performance regulation. As we stated when the Commission opened this docket, the agency has a statutory duty to encourage more efficient uses of the radio spectrum. The record the Commission has gathered in the ensuing period suggests that an integrated approach to regulating receiver performance could play an important role in achieving this goal. We understand that today's item does not foreclose the Commission from considering receiver standards in particular proceedings-or even from eventually issuing a general Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the topic. If anything, the record the Commission has complied so far indicates that receiver standards should be part of the discussion in many of the spectrum decisions our agency reaches. Accordingly, we hope that today's decision closing our Notice of Inquiry does not represent the end of the Commission's work in this important area.

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