July 2008 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:16997] Fathom Web Link
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

Hi, A couple of folks have asked me about the link to Fathom's Web site. Here it is: http://www.fathom.net/ 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 Telephone: 860 594 0220 email: hkramer(a)arrl.org web: www.arrl.org/ <http://www.arrl.org/>

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[arrl-odv:16995] "Tower Dogs"
by Rod Stafford W6ROD 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

I just saw on the NBC Evening News that tonight at 10 p.m. (PDST) Dateline NBC will broadcast a program entitled "Tower Dogs." In their promo, they advertised it as "one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S." It looks like it might be focusing on people who work on very tall commercial towers and most likely won't have anything at all to do with ham towers but it still might be interesting to watch anyway. Less than an hour from now for you east coast people. Rod W6ROD Rod Stafford W6ROD Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/rodstaffordphotography

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[arrl-odv:16996] Re: FCC loses in court again
by Andy Oppel 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

I suppose it's a safe bet that Chairman Martin's next job won't be with CBS. -- Andy, N6AJO At 12:52 PM 7/21/2008, Kay Craigie wrote: >I just read on the Web that the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has >thrown out the huge fine levied by the FCC on CBS following the Janet >Jackson boob-boo during the Super Bowl halftime show several years ago. The >court ruled that the FCC acted arbitrarily and capriciously. The story on >the MSNBC web site says > >"The court found that the FCC deviated from its nearly 30-year practice of >fining indecent broadcast programming only when it was so "pervasive as to >amount to 'shock treatment' for the audience." > >"Like any agency, the FCC may change its policies without judicial >second-guessing," the court said. "But it cannot change a well-established >course of action without supplying notice of and a reasoned explanation for >its policy departure." > >The story goes on to say the 3rd Circuit judges - Chief Judge Anthony J. >Scirica, Judge Marjorie O. Rendell and Judge Julio M. Fuentes - also ruled >that the FCC deviated from its long-held approach of applying identical >standards to words and images when reviewing complaints of indecency. > >Whatever one may think of CBS and the particular incident at the Super Bowl, >this court decision is yet another judicial wake-up call to the FCC to play >by the rules and stop making things up as they go along. > >73 - Kay N3KN Andy Oppel andy.oppel(a)gmail.com andy(a)andyoppel.com

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[arrl-odv:16994] FCC loses in court again
by Kay Craigie 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

I just read on the Web that the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out the huge fine levied by the FCC on CBS following the Janet Jackson boob-boo during the Super Bowl halftime show several years ago. The court ruled that the FCC acted arbitrarily and capriciously. The story on the MSNBC web site says "The court found that the FCC deviated from its nearly 30-year practice of fining indecent broadcast programming only when it was so "pervasive as to amount to 'shock treatment' for the audience." "Like any agency, the FCC may change its policies without judicial second-guessing," the court said. "But it cannot change a well-established course of action without supplying notice of and a reasoned explanation for its policy departure." The story goes on to say the 3rd Circuit judges - Chief Judge Anthony J. Scirica, Judge Marjorie O. Rendell and Judge Julio M. Fuentes - also ruled that the FCC deviated from its long-held approach of applying identical standards to words and images when reviewing complaints of indecency. Whatever one may think of CBS and the particular incident at the Super Bowl, this court decision is yet another judicial wake-up call to the FCC to play by the rules and stop making things up as they go along. 73 - Kay N3KN

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[arrl-odv:16993] Doc 17a SM Governance study
by Bruce Frahm K0BJ 19 Jul '08

19 Jul '08

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[arrl-odv:16992] Final SM governance survey
by Bruce Frahm K0BJ 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

Results of third SM governance survey as of Tuesday --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[arrl-odv:16991] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 16 Jul '08

16 Jul '08

<<071608.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 31, No. 29 July 16, 2008 -- Covers the period July 6-12. Upcoming Meetings and Events Administration &Finance Committee July 17 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Programs & Services Committee July 17 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Second Board Meeting July 18-19, 2008 @ 9:00am in Windsor, CT Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND Returning from Friedrichshafen and vacation left almost 300 emails to be answered, so a majority of the week was spent catching up. The report of the third round of testing at the Beale AFB PAVE PAWS site came in while I was away. George Dillon at the FCC will become the FCC point of contact until Riley's replacement is named. George was unaware that the latest list had been received, so it was forwarded to him. He and I will talk during the week of July 14 on how he wishes to proceed with the latest list. Also during the week Dave Pooley from Air Force Space Command contacted regarding the proposal to resume coordinations on 70cm in New England. He has asked two small clarifications be added which are acceptable. The final draft will be sent to NESMC the week of July 14 and will be announced during that week. Finally, a PowerPoint on the time line and status of the PPR situation is being prepared for presentation to the ARRL Board during the meeting July 17th. Field Day appears to have been a tremendous success. As of Sunday July 13,(two weeks after the event) a total of 1058 entries had been received via the web applet - approximately 60% of the total electronic received in 2007. The final tally on the Field Day site locator registration was a total of 1506 sites were listed - an outstanding number considering the application was not available when Field Day packets were finalized. This will prove to be an important tool in the future. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP The Field Day media hits have settled out as the last stragglers come in. It has been a very, very good season for PR. Meetings with Fathom, Inc. have outlined the hopes for the coming structure of the PIO sections of the new website. The two chronic problems of PR continue to have taken time in the past week. (a) When an ARES event occurs, no one remembers to take good pictures of hams in action shots. (b) Hams themselves are the primary sources for the eulogies and reports on the demise of Amateur Radio in the media. While both of these problems have been discussed before, more aggressive action is being considered and will be a topic in the PR Committee meeting. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH The spring Defense Thank you campaign has topped $77,000. Added to the modest carryover from the fall campaign, total Defense Fund receipts for 2008 now exceed $111,000 from more than 3,100 donors. The copy for the summer campaigns for the Lab Fund (20,000 pcs), Education & Technology Fund (120,000 pcs) and Historic Preservation Fund (10,000 pcs) are in process. The plan is to mail these three campaigns the week of August 4. ARRL received a partial distribution of $27,700 from the estate of Robert H. Stoner of Hagerstown MD. This gift brings the 2008 contributions to the ARRL Endowment to $674, 844. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE Joel Hallas has begun submitting technical material for the October issue of QST. Khrystyne Keane has prepared the Happenings column for September QST. She also wrote and distributed The ARRL Letter, Vol. 27, No. 27, for July 11, 2008. It went out to 70,316 subscribers. She also voiced and produced ARRL Audio News for July 11. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Contest Branch IARU has come and gone. We've received 1,488 logs in the first 48 hours after the event! The June VHF QSO Party log deadline has passed as of July 15. Field Day logs keep rolling in by the truckload. Certificates for the 2007 IARU contest have been delayed. We hope to get those out the door by the first part of next week. Field Organization/Public Service Team Dennis Dura and Steve Ewald participated in a teleconference with Matt Cail, a representative of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (based in Seattle). Matt and his team invited ARRL to the phone call. A study has started on emergency communications and the how first responders (among others) would maintain communications during a large-scale disaster. Dennis and Steve plan to provide additional information to further explain Amateur Radio's role and capabilities in emergency situations. Articles for September QST were prepared and turned into the Production Department. Leona Adams reports that Art Greenberg, K1GBX, has been nominated to run for a new term of office in the Eastern Massachusetts Section this fall. As previously announced in this newsletter, Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, has already been nominated to run for the Eastern Massachusetts SM position. Juan Munoz, TG9AJR, has been named the new IARU Region 2 Monitoring Coordinator. This fills the position formerly held by Bill Zellers, WA4FKI (now a Silent Key). Chuck Skolaut received the monthly monitoring report from Region 1. The Kentucky Official Observer Coordinator received a nice "Thank You" for pointing out a problem CW signal to a fellow ham. Monitoring reports this week included a short-lived steady carrier on 7053 kHz, a time-like signal on 29000 kHz and several complaints about operations on 14275 kHz. A power-line interference report was referred to Mike Gruber in the ARRL Laboratory. Chuck also assisted with operations at W1AW this past Monday and Tuesday. Education Services Reported by Debra Johnson, K1DMJ A June newsletter to Instructors and Teachers was distributed to 6,024 subscribers. Proofreading of the Digital EmComm Course and the General License Course was completed and all edits, changes and additional images sent to our developer. I worked with Graphics and Marketing to contribute to packaging and advertising materials that will support the GCL CD product. Kim Mancuso is coordinating shipment of materials for the Teachers Institutes and overseeing review of invoices and reimbursements for teachers and instructors in addition to keeping up with a steady level of enrollments in the Continuing Education Program. Nancy Hallas W1NCY completed a revision of the sample course that is provided to orient prospective students of online courses. CTDLC posted the changes. The Sample Course now more accurately reflects CEP organization and content. Nancy has also been working on managing edits to the EmComm Level 1 course and course book to prepare it for reprint. Last Friday Harold Kramer, Jon Bloom and I met Connecticut Distance Learning to review alternative LMS platforms that they support. Last week I sent a survey to a selected group of SMs (14) on conduct of EmComm field instruction and field exams and so far have received responses from half of the group. The discussion continues to clarify the responses and ideas presented. Education & Technology Program The Executive Committee approved nine grant applications fro station equipment and instructional resources. Grants for radio equipment were awarded to schools in Hamburg NY, Yorkshire NY, Pell City AL, St. Paul MN, Watsek IL, Parlin NJ. Three more schools in Egg Harbor Township NJ, Twin City GA and Surtevant, WI received grants for instructional tools. Mark Spencer WA8SME and new TI Instructor, Miguel Enriquez KD7RPP have completed two more successful Teachers Institute in Rocklin, CA and Tucson, AZ. You can read the details and early feedback from teachers in the Web story at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/07/10/10206/?nc=1 ARISS ARISS volunteer Norm Schrader, WB2GGM, reports that Honeoye School (NY) teacher Sheila Bass, KC2TEG, says students completed studies for the Tech test and plan to test soon. Norm's RACES/ARES group invited them to Field Day and set up special event station W2G for the Geneseo Airshow. The other teacher Norm mentors is Sheri Bauer, from Hamburg, who passed her Tech license and is KC2TNW. She is planning this fall's ham radio education activities with Southtowns Amateur Radio Society. Norm received inquiries from clubs in other counties about doing school projects, and he's sharing details with them plus sending them to ARRL. It all started with Amateur Radio in space. Rosalie White, K1STO worked with a ham that set up a ham radio week at the Culver Military Academy (Indiana). About 500 kids, ages 9-13, attending the camp saw, or got on the air using, his ham station, and took part in ham-related educational activities such as learning about schematics. Plans were to demo HF, VHF, explain ARISS and track the ISS. The July 4 QSO with Blackland Prairie Elementary School and Cub Scout Pack 304 in Round Rock, Texas was a great success. Nineteen students got to interview Astronaut Greg Chamitoff while reps from two TV stations and one local cable news outlet reported the event. In preparation for the event, the teacher and scout leader coordinating this contact planned ham-related and space-related educational activities for before, during and after the QSO. The Austin Amateur Radio Club assisted her. SuitSat is on the June cover of Under the Hood, the standard supplement of EE Times. If you have high-speed fiber, check out the article in the Under the Hood section at the back of: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cmp/eetimes062308/ <http://mymail.arrl.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nxtbook.com /nxtbooks/cmp/eetimes062308/> . The ESA Educational Project Officer invited ARISS Vice Chair Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, to a July 4 meeting on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) Human Exploration Division. ESA wants to discuss continuing "the fruitful collaboration in this partnership, especially ARISS educative outreach." Volunteer Examiner Coordinator Reported by Maria Somma, AB1FM The below stats show our accomplishments so far this year. I included information from the same period in 2007and 2006 for comparison. In most sections of our program, we continue to see increased activity levels. ARRL VEC ACTIVITY Jan 1 to June 30, 2006 Jan 1 to June 30, 2007 Jan 1 to June 30, 2008 Test Sessions Held 2,831 3,617 3,334 Candidates Served 15,324 29,373 20,244 Exam Elements Taken 18,772 34,489 24,365 New VEs Accredited 636 1,172 1,133 New and Upgrade License application forms transmitted to FCC 10,237 22,932 18,050 License Renewals and Changes transmitted to FCC 2,788 (309 were Vanity license renewals) 4,134 (381 were Vanity license renewals) 3,304 (336 were Vanity license renewals) Club License applications transmitted to FCC 505 (21 were Club Vanity license renewals) (193 new clubs) 733 (107 were Club Vanity license renewals) (289 new clubs) 681 (78 were Club Vanity license renewals) (254 new clubs) ARRL VEC ACTIVITY Jan 1 to June 30, 2006 Jan 1 to June 30, 2007 Jan 1 to June 30, 2008 LICENSE TYPE LICENSE COUNT LICENSE COUNT LICENSE COUNT EXTRA CLASS LICENSE 1236 2746 2956 GENERAL LICENSE 1477 11704 5127 TECHNICIAN LICENSE 7524 9482 9967 TOTAL 10237 23932 18050 NEW AMATEURS Jan 1 to June 30, 2006 Jan 1 to June 30, 2007 Jan 1 to June 30, 2008 1st QUARTER 5,410 7,560 7,569 2nd QUARTER 5,978 7,561 8,054 3rd QUARTER 4,381 5,431 4th QUARTER 5,343 6,176 TOTAL 21,112 26,728 15,623 Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List Leona Adams 7/18 Vacation Katie Breen 8/4-8/8 Vacation Hugh Brower 8/1 Vacation `` 9/29-10/3 Vacation Joe Carcia 7/14-7/31 Sick Leave `` 8/1-8/8 Vacation Steve Ewald 7/24-8/1 Vacation Steve Ford 8/11-8/15 Vacation Scott Gee 10/3 Vacation `` 12/23-12/26 Vacation Dan Henderson 8/22-8/24 Roanoke Division Convention, Jackson's Mill WV `` 8/25-9/2 Vacation Mary Hobart 7/17-7/19 Committee/Board Meetings `` 9/19-9/21 W9DXCC, Chicago, IL `` 10/3 Vacation Amy Hurtado 7/21-7/25 Vacation `` 8/8 Vacation Gail Iannone 8/18-9/2 Vacation Bob Inderbitzen 8/4-8/15 Vacation Khrystyne Keane 7/24-7/28 Vacation Harold Kramer 7/17-7/19 Committee/Board Meetings `` 7/26-8/4 Vacation Lisa Kustosik 7/17-7/19 Board Meeting Rose-Ann Lawrence 7/21 Vacation Barry Shelley 7/17-7/19 Committee/Board Meetings `` 7/20-7/25 Vacation `` 7/31-8/1 Vacation `` 8/11-8/22 Vacation Dave Sumner 7/17-7/19 Committee/Board Meetings Sharon Taratula 7/21-7/25 Vacation Perry Williams 6/18-7/19 Vacation

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[arrl-odv:16989] Re: PROVISIONAL SM Governance report Doc 17a
by Bruce Frahm 16 Jul '08

16 Jul '08

We'll have a clearer answer Thursday PM Henry. We may suggest that some of our recommendations go to other bodies for further study or action. We could have motions regarding SM nomination procedure and/or moving some SM appointments to other 'bosses'. 73 Bruce On 7/15/08, Henry R. Leggette <wd4q(a)bellsouth.net> wrote: > > Bruce, > > Does the PSC anticipate any motions for the Board based upon your report? I > am especially concerned about the information developed on the SM's, OOC's > and OO's. > > Henry - WD4Q > >

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[arrl-odv:16988] Re: PROVISIONAL SM Governance report Doc 17a
by Henry R. Leggette 15 Jul '08

15 Jul '08

Bruce, Does the PSC anticipate any motions for the Board based upon your report? I am especially concerned about the information developed on the SM's, OOC's and OO's. Henry - WD4Q ----- Original Message ----- From: <bfrahm(a)st-tel.net> To: "arrl-odv" <arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org> Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 12:00 AM Subject: [arrl-odv:16981] PROVISIONAL SM Governance report Doc 17a > PSC will determine final recommendations at our Thursday meeting. In the > interim I want to let you know where the report is headed. We have > disagreement on some proposed actions, so the recommendations herein are > my best guess as to outcome, but please read the final report. I hope to > distribute it Friday AM.

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FW: Requested list of visits
by Joel Harrison 15 Jul '08

15 Jul '08

I received a request from Director Bellows for a summary list of Hill visits by Chwat & Co. since January 1 of this year, and felt it would be of interest to others as well. Here is the list: * Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) * Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) * Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-SD) * Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) * Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) * Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) * Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) * Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) * Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) * Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) * Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) * Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) * Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) * Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) * Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) * Sen. John Thune (R-SD) * Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) * Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE) * Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) * Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) * Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) * Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) * Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) * Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) * Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) * Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) * Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) * Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) * Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) * Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) * Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) * Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR) * Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) * Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) * Rep. Joe Barton (R- TX) * Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) * Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) * Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) * Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) * Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) * Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) * Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) * Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) * Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX) * Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) * Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) * Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) * Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) * Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) * Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) * Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) * Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) * Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) * Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) * Rep. Frank Palone (D-NJ) * Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) * Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) * Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) * Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) * Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) * Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) * Rep. John Larson (D-CT) * Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) * Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) * Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) * Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) * Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) * Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) * Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) * Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX) * Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) * Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) * Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) * Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) * Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) * Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) * Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) * Rep. Charles Pickering (R-MS) * Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) * Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) * Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) * Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ) * Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) * Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) * Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) * Rep. Vito Fossella (D-NY) * Rep. David Wu (D-OR) * Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) * Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) * Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) 73 Joel W5ZN

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