March 2008 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:16617] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 26 Mar '08

26 Mar '08

<<032608.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 31, No. 13 March 26, 2008 -- Covers the period March 16-22. Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND After returning from the NC Section Convention and a week of vacation there were approximately 200 email queries and 20 phone calls to be handled to catch back up. They ranged from general rules and reciprocal operating queries to some Field Day questions. A request was received from the FCC asking if we could help identify a couple of signals related to the PAVE PAWS site in California, which were forwarded to NARCC and resolved. As of Thursday March 20th it is our understanding that the third round of testing at the Beale site has not begun. Thanks to the work of Jon Bloom we were able to open the new "Field Day Site Locator" for use by all clubs wishing to make public details of the Field Day locations. To date over 200 groups have included their Field Day information in the database representing 45 states as well as 1 Canadian province. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP The "We Do That - Radio!" technology campaign brochure is complete and ready for the printers with great thanks to Sue Fagan for a stunning job on it. CONTACT! for April 1 is almost complete and will have a great amount of timely info in it plus an April Fool article of merit. Work has begin on the website for the technology campaign and plans are being made for unveiling the campaign at Dayton. The March 19 PR Committee phone meet was aborted because the conference call service was not reset to daylight time. The call has been rescheduled for March 26. The trial of GoToMeeting.com to enhance the call was well received even with the aborted call and will be used again. Requests for the Swiss Army Knife 08 and additions for the technology campaign continue to come in. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH ARRL has received another renewal commitment of $10,000 for the 2008 Teachers Institutes in Wireless Technology. This brings the total funding for the 2008 round of TI's to $110,000. The W1AW Endowment campaign is at the production house. Arrangements for the 2008 Donor Reception at Meadowbrook Country Club are nearing completion. Invitations will go to the printer this week and mail on March 31. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE The May issue of QST, including a Hamvention advertising insert, was released to the printer March 26. Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed The ARRL Letter, Vol 27, No 11, for March 20, 2008. It went out to 68,279 subscribers. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Field Organization/Public Service Team ARRL HQ staff members were in touch with Georgia Section Leaders early in the week after tornadoes and severe storms swept through that state on March 7 and 8. Dennis Dura and Steve Ewald participated in a Webinar that introduced plans for National Preparedness Month (2008) in September. Representatives from The Ready Campaign, Citizen Corps and Ad Council were on hand to explain this year's awareness program. More than 500 people were reported to be on this teleconference. ARRL expects to register once again as a coalition member of National Preparedness Month. Section Managers were asked to join other ARRL officials in taking a survey to gauge opinions and comments about the support and materials that ARRL provides to hamfests and conventions. Northern Florida Section Manager election ballots and candidate statements were ready to go to the local printer by the end of the work week. One new member from Pennsylvania joined the ARRL Monitoring System/Intruder Watch program. Our volunteer monitors were asked to gather information on an unidentified beeping signal on 3713 kHz. We officially welcomed 3 new Official Observers into the ranks. Web/Software Development Reported by Jon Bloom, KE3Z Micah Murray trained Khrystyne Keane in the use of his just-completed news-editing application. The availability of this application means that Khrystyne and other editors will be able to post most ARRL Web news items directly, without having to involve us in WSDD. Hugh Brower continued working on making incremental improvements to our on-line credit-card-processing system. Jon Bloom released the new Field Day Station Locator page, which allows clubs and others hosting public FD operations to register and map their operations so other hams and the public can find them. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List Leona Adams 4/4 Vacation Kathy Allison 6/30 Vacation `` 7/3-7/7 Vacation Shelly Bloom 4/14-4/18 Vacation Margie Bourgoin 4/3-4/9 Vacation Joe Carcia 5/23 Vacation `` 7/7-7/11 Vacation `` 7/18 Vacation `` 7/21 Vacation Steve Ewald 3/28-4/4 Vacation Steve Ford 4/14-4/15 Vacation `` 5/15-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 5/19-5/20 Vacation Norm Fusaro 4/9-4/30 International DX, Paestum, Italy `` 5/14-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Scott Gee 5/15-5/16 Vacation `` 6/30 Vacation `` 7/1-7/3 Vacation Joel Hallas 4/18 Vacation Mary Hobart 4/23-4/29 International DX Convention, Visalia, CA `` 5/14-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Bob Inderbitzen 3/27-3/28 AES Superfest / Milwaukee, WI Sean Kutzko 5/12-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Zack Lau 3/28 Vacation Rose-Ann Lawrence 5/14-5/21 Vacation Maryann Macdonald 5/14-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Carol Michaud 4/3 Vacation Bill Moore 4/7 Jury Duty Dave Patton 4/24-4/27 International DX Convention Visalia, Visalia CA `` 5/14-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Frankie Perez 5/14-5/18 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Dave Sumner 4/4-4/8 IARU Reg. 1 EC Meeting, London

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[arrl-odv:16616] squirrels....
by Bruce Frahm K0BJ 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Henry -- they're gonna have to rewrite the lyrics to that Ray Stevens song: "The day the squirrel went berserk in Henry's electrified Church" ! I realize it isn't in Pascagoula, but at least it's the same division :-) I'm glad it didn't turn out worse. 73 Bruce ----- Original Message ----- From: Henry R. Leggette ........ Two phases went out due to a bird and or squirrel nest being housed near the three phases buss as it go on to the height pole to enter the facility.

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[arrl-odv:16615] Re:Verification of QSL Cards - hams!
by Henry R. Leggette 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Hello Everyone: I appreciated you all replying to Mr. Betz here in Tennessee and advising him the chain-of-command. I replied to him a few minutes ago. I sent him a some what concerned letter and explaining to him the integrity of the awards program. Today was one of those days for me here in the Memphis/Mid-South area. I worked at my church all day today. I went to the Sun Rise Service on Sunday morning in order to bring up the sound and video equipment at 5:30 a.m. and to my surprise nothing came on! The lights came on in the Sanctuary and I thought it was a ground-fault or a circuit breakers opened. That was not the case! About 7:45 a.m. the light started flashing etc. Two phases went out due to a bird and or squirrel nest being housed near the three phases buss as it go on to the height pole to enter the facility. It was almost a fire before the circuit/fuses tripped off near the transformer. I will be out of pocket tomorrow as well working at my church. 73, Henry - WD4Q

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RE: [arrl-odv:16613] RE: [arrl-odv:16608] Field Appointments Database Errors
by Bill Edgar 24 Mar '08

24 Mar '08

Thanks Harold. In checking, Steve Ewald notified the SMs on March 10th of duplicate entries in the database. Then, another notice was sent out on March 17th about triplicate entries in the database and that the errors should be corrected by mid week. Two of our section managers have indicated they have appointments they need to enter but, they are afraid to enter them at this point not knowing how the new entries would be treated in the database. My concern is that our members looking at the Section pages on our website are going to wonder why each section cabinet appointee is listed three times and may think of the triplicate errors as a reflection of the section manager. How soon do we anticipate this being corrected? Thanks! - Bill N3LLR From: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B [mailto:wj1b@arrl.org] Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 1:21 PM To: arrl-odv Cc: arrl-odv; Bloom, Jon, KE3Z; Proctor, John, K1JMP; Durand, Don; Ewald, Steve, WV1X Subject: [arrl-odv:16613] RE: [arrl-odv:16608] Field Appointments Database Errors Hi Bill, Here is what I know about the situation: As you may recall, during the weekend of March 8 and 9, ARRL Headquarters upgraded our hardware and our accounting software that, along with Siebel, maintains most of our in-house information. Because of this transition to the new hardware and software, we discovered that the ARRL Web page version of the Field Services Appointment data base temporarily shows a triplicate listing for every appointment. http://www.arrl.org/members-only/fsa/ As many of you may know, the ARRL Section Web pages also show a triplicate listing for every Section Leader in the "side bar" of each Section's Web page. http://www.arrl.org/sections/ The programming that is supposed to convert Field Appointment data from the HQ data base over to the ARRL Web site did not work properly after the conversion. Jon Bloom and John Proctor are currently rebuilding the program, and we hope to have the corrections in place shortly. SMs were notified directly about this issue previously. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio 860 594 0220 hkramer(a)arrl.org _____ From: Bill Edgar [mailto:n3llr@earthlink.net] Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 3:53 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:16608] Field Appointments Database Errors I was reading through some of the Section News websites for Atlantic Division Sections yesterday and today and I noticed that the Section Cabinet members are listed three times. I then went into the Field Appointment database and checked on several appointees and found that each appointee I checked was listed three times as well. I talked to several of our division's section managers today and they mentioned there was an error with the Field Services database and that staff was working to get this cleaned up by middle of last week. What happened and how soon is this expected to be fixed? Thanks! - Bill N3LLR

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[arrl-odv:16613] RE: [arrl-odv:16608] Field Appointments Database Errors
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 24 Mar '08

24 Mar '08

Hi Bill, Here is what I know about the situation: As you may recall, during the weekend of March 8 and 9, ARRL Headquarters upgraded our hardware and our accounting software that, along with Siebel, maintains most of our in-house information. Because of this transition to the new hardware and software, we discovered that the ARRL Web page version of the Field Services Appointment data base temporarily shows a triplicate listing for every appointment. http://www.arrl.org/members-only/fsa/ As many of you may know, the ARRL Section Web pages also show a triplicate listing for every Section Leader in the "side bar" of each Section's Web page. http://www.arrl.org/sections/ The programming that is supposed to convert Field Appointment data from the HQ data base over to the ARRL Web site did not work properly after the conversion. Jon Bloom and John Proctor are currently rebuilding the program, and we hope to have the corrections in place shortly. SMs were notified directly about this issue previously. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio 860 594 0220 hkramer(a)arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/> ________________________________ From: Bill Edgar [mailto:n3llr@earthlink.net] Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 3:53 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:16608] Field Appointments Database Errors I was reading through some of the Section News websites for Atlantic Division Sections yesterday and today and I noticed that the Section Cabinet members are listed three times. I then went into the Field Appointment database and checked on several appointees and found that each appointee I checked was listed three times as well. I talked to several of our division's section managers today and they mentioned there was an error with the Field Services database and that staff was working to get this cleaned up by middle of last week. What happened and how soon is this expected to be fixed? Thanks! - Bill N3LLR

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[arrl-odv:16612] Re: Fwd: Field Day Locator...
by Richard J. Norton 24 Mar '08

24 Mar '08

Headquarters staff has been very aware of Dino's site. They have publicized it at least for the last two years. See http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/06/02/2/ for example. Dino had not advised anyone at Headquarters about his plans to go national yet. Neither did anyone at Headquarters discuss either their plans or ask him about his plans. Dino purchased the fieldday web-site names last year. Dino still plans to proceed with his national site. Apparently Bill Pasternak is hoping to publicize it via "Newsline." Dino is still a strong ARRL supporter. I asked him if he was at all receptive to discussing some sort of cooperation or working with the League. He said he was. I would rather see Dino's efforts go toward the ARRL instead of competing with it. Should anyone at Headquarters wish to discuss any sort of cooperation with him, including even having him do work on the ARRL site, his cell phone number is (562) 652-7285. Of course since he resides in the outside-Director friendly Southwestern Division, any of you are also welcome to call him. 73, Dick, N6AA On Sat, Mar 22, 2008 at 10:00 AM, K8JE <K8JE(a)arrl.org> wrote: > Dick, > > Did Dino make staff aware of his site and did he make them aware he was > working to make it cover nationwide FD operations? > > 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: richardjnorton(a)gmail.com [mailto:richardjnorton@gmail.com] On Behalf > Of Richard J. Norton > Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 1:49 AM > To: arrl-odv > Subject: [arrl-odv:16606] Re: Fwd: Field Day Locator... > > Answers interleaved > > On Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 11:18 AM, Brian Mileshosky <n5zgt(a)swcp.com> wrote: > > Dick -- > > > > Are you referring to Dino's compilation posted as a Google Earth KMZ > > file at the following URL?: http://www.k6rix.com/fieldday.html > > Yes > > > If so, I commend him for his efforts, but he only provides Field Day > > locations for 5 sections -- not too useful for the other 66 in the > country > > (nor was it probably Dino's intention to cover the rest). > > This is an interesting, and certainly different interpretation of > Dino's words than I had. > > If you read Dino's E-mail to me, which was at the end of my message, > you will see, "This is a bit frustrating since my site was going > national this year." > > > If you're referring to another site or effort, please be a bit more > > descriptive. > > > > While Dino did take the intiative to develop this for his sections, the > > concept of employing Google Earth and Google Maps to display these sorts > > of things (repreater locations, etc.) is hardly new or novel. It's done > > everywhere else -- why can't we adopt the concept as an aid for a contest > > we (ARRL) organize, too? > > > Candidly, I think Bloom's work is an excellent, interactive resource that > > needs to be found more frequently on our very own League website. In > > fact, given the availability of such conveniences and technology brought > > to us by Google and other houses, I would be disappointed to see the > > League pass up the opportunity to use it. > > There is no claim that his work is particularly new or novel. > > This particular piece of Bloom's work may indeed be excellent. > > The question is whether there is benefit to having paid staff > replicate work done by a volunteer ARRL member. Dino Darling, K6RIX, > is (was?) a very active ARRL volunteer who serves as LAX Assistant > Section Manager among other things. > > There may be some who favor a management style of surprising > Directors. I might be more receptive to surprises if they were cost > free, didn't conflict with completing previously promised tasks, and > didn't irritate the members. > > 73, > > Dick, N6AA > > > I hope I'm not stepping out of bounds by saying this, but I frankly > > challenge the League (be it Bloom or someone else) to modify our > > interactive Field Day map so the same concept can be employed on the > > ARRL Hamfests and Clubs pages...supplement those bland text listings with > > maps and such. Show the location (via the mailing address already on > > record from club and hamfest submissions) of every club or upcoming > > hamfest across a section by viewing a single, interactive map. > > > > How cool would that be from the national association of Amateur Radio? > > > > 73, > > Brian N5ZGT > > ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division > > www.RockyMountainDivision.org > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, 21 Mar 2008, Richard J. Norton wrote: > > > > > Since this is likely to eventually reach all of you one way or > > > another, I thought I'd bring it up now. When the Field Day Site > > > Locator was brought up here 3 weeks ago, I did not share the same > > > sense of elation that was expressed here. In fact I was quite > > > disappointed to see that paid staff was being used to do what > > > volunteers were already doing at no cost to the ARRL budget. I was > > > even more upset when it was pointed out that the person who was > > > working on the site was no other than Jon Bloom, who has been brought > > > up as seemingly being in the critical path to every software project > > > discussed by the PSC. > > > > > > BTW, there are two other components needed to make this successful: > > > > > > 1) Actively solicit Field Day location information. Not everyone reads > > > ARRL bulletins and QST. Not everyone will respond without additional > > > prompting. > > > > > > 2) Format the information for those less skilled with computer use. > > > > > > Dino Darling, K6RIX, did all of this. He did it at no cost to the > > > ARRL. I was not aware that he intended to go national. Anyone who read > > > the Southwestern Division E-mailings to members could have been aware > > > of Dino's work. > > > > > > Now I'm left with stick handling this with an upset member. I don't > > > know what to say to him. Thanks gentlemen. > > > > > > 73, > > > > > > Dick, N6AA > > > > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > > From: Dino Darling <dino(a)k6rix.com> > > > Date: Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 5:49 PM > > > Subject: Field Day Locator... > > > To: n6aa(a)arrl.org, n6vi(a)arrl.org > > > > > > > > > > > > > It looks like the ARRL liked my idea so much, they are stealing it! > > > > > > This is a bit frustrating since my site was going national this year. > > > Oh well, I'll still put the site together and see how it goes. My > > > plans were to have a lot content besides just Field Day locations. > > > Now I know how other companies feel when MFJ starts selling "similar" > > > products. > > > > > > I even bought 3 domains last year for the project... fielddaysite.com > > > .org and .net > > > > > > http://www.fielddaysite.org/ > > > > > > Dino - K6RIX > > > dino(a)k6rix.com > > > > > > > > > -------- Original Message -------- > > > Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 27, No 11 (Thursday, March 20, 2008) > > > From: "ARRL Letter Mailing List" <letter-dlvy(a)arrl.org> > > > Date: Thu, March 20, 2008 11:50 am > > > To: dino(a)k6rix.com > > > > > > *************** > > > The ARRL Letter > > > Vol. 27, No. 11 > > > March 20, 2008 > > > *************** > > > > > > > > > ==> STATION LOCATOR SERVICE NEW FOR FIELD DAY 2008 > > > > > > This year, for the first time, the ARRL has put together a Station > > > Locator to help amateurs or those interested in Amateur Radio find a > > > Field Day site near them. According to ARRL Field Day Manager Dan > > > Henderson, N1ND, many amateurs have been asking for something like this > > > for many years. > > > > > > If your group would like to be a part of the Station Locator Service, > > > it's easy to get started. Just go to the Field Day Station Locator Web > > > site <http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php> and > > > follow the instructions. > > > > > > To help you out, Henderson has prepared a FAQ for the Field Day Station > > > Locator. > > > > > > Q) How does our Field Day site get listed on the map? > > > A) A club official or Field Day Chairman needs to go to the Web site. > > > Once there, click on the link for "Add a Station" and follow the > > > instructions. > > > > > > Q) I put in the name of the park where we will be holding Field Day but > > > got the message that the program can't find it. What do I do? > > > A) You should use a street address for the location. Unfortunately, the > > > mapping program doesn't have a 100 percent complete database of park > > > names and public site names. You may use a latitude/longitude -- enter > > > the values separated by a comma (e.g. 42.345N, 85.445W) and set the > city > > > to NONE). > > > > > > Q) I put in a street address but the map locator put me it in a wrong > > > location on the street. What do I do? > > > A) While in the data input or edit screen, use your cursor to move the > > > red "pin" to the correct location on the map. > > > > > > Q) What if I put in the wrong information or something about our Field > > > Day operation changes? > > > A) The person who input the data will be able to edit the entry. Simply > > > follow the "Add a Station" link and then select "Edit this entry" next > > > to the one to correct. > > > > > > Q). I tried to enter my club's information, but I was denied access. > > > What do I do? > > > A) To help ensure that only one person is managing a club's entry, you > > > must be logged onto the site with your ARRL member ID and password. If > > > you are not an ARRL member, ask a member of the club who is to be > > > responsible for adding the club's information to the site. > > > > > > Q) I am looking for a Field Day operation to attend. How do I use the > > > site? > > > A) Begin by typing in the city and state where you would like to > search, > > > something like "Brooklyn, New York" or "Anaheim, California." Depending > > > on the geographic location, the map will take you to the area you list. > > > If a Field Day operation has been registered for that general area, a > > > red "pin" will show on the map. If you click on the red pin, the > details > > > for that site will appear in the box on the right hand side of the > > > screen. If you don't see a red pin, scroll out a level to find one near > > > the location you listed. It is also possible to drag the map to other > > > areas by holding down the left button on your mouse and then moving the > > > map around. You can also scroll in and out using the +/- buttons on the > > > left side of the map. You may also zoom in and center by > double-clicking > > > with the mouse near the red pin. > > > > > > Q) I found a red pin near where I will be. Where do I find the > > > information on that site? > > > A) Each entry has a contact person with either an e-mail address or > > > phone number who should be able to help you. It will appear on the > right > > > side of the box when you click on the red pin for an entry. > > > > > > Q) I found an entry with wrong information. What should I do? > > > A) Please contact the person whose name appears as the contact person > > > for that site. ARRL HQ does not have detailed information on the site. > > > > > > Q) I want to check on our club's information. What should I do? > > > A) Type in the call sign that will be used and you will be taken to the > > > location and club information. > > > > > > ARRL Field Day will be held June 28-29. For more information, please > > > visit the Field Day Web page <http://www.arrl.org/fieldday>. > > > > > > > > > > ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division > > On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org > > > > >

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RE: [arrl-odv:16609] QSL cards
by Bill Edgar 23 Mar '08

23 Mar '08

Dave, A nice way to house your QSL card collection! - Bill N3LLR From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ [mailto:dsumner@arrl.org] Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 8:00 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:16609] QSL cards Bill, K7ZM recently asked what to do with QSL cards. Here's one solution. http://www.g3txf.com/QSL-Office/QSL-Off.html I hope to get to see Nigel's collection in two weeks when I'm in London for the IARU Region 1 EC meeting. Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:16610] EC Minutes
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 23 Mar '08

23 Mar '08

Here are the minutes of last weekend's EC meeting. 73, Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:16609] QSL cards
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 23 Mar '08

23 Mar '08

Bill, K7ZM recently asked what to do with QSL cards. Here's one solution. http://www.g3txf.com/QSL-Office/QSL-Off.html I hope to get to see Nigel's collection in two weeks when I'm in London for the IARU Region 1 EC meeting. Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:16608] Field Appointments Database Errors
by Bill Edgar 22 Mar '08

22 Mar '08

I was reading through some of the Section News websites for Atlantic Division Sections yesterday and today and I noticed that the Section Cabinet members are listed three times. I then went into the Field Appointment database and checked on several appointees and found that each appointee I checked was listed three times as well. I talked to several of our division's section managers today and they mentioned there was an error with the Field Services database and that staff was working to get this cleaned up by middle of last week. What happened and how soon is this expected to be fixed? Thanks! - Bill N3LLR

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